If Time Stands Still

3- third time's the charm

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After spending our own sweet time at the cafe, we eventually came home to give mom a hand in the kitchen. She insisted we let her cook in peace and do the dishes when she's done, but we help out anyway.  Socks comes along, walking in with his new bell that chimes with every step. An annoying little reminder of hot British guy.

"He's probably smelling the shrimp." Mom says whilst grating cheese on the lasagna.

While Luna takes the shells off the shrimp, I watch her sneak one to Socks who devours it in a few bites. I chuckle slightly, pretending I didn't see that.

"He's walking a lot better too. We just gotta keep him inside for a bit." Luna tells mom.

"But he should be exploring, Lu." Mom argues. "He's a cat."

"I know, but the vet guy said it's best to keep him inside for a bit. I don't want him getting hurt again."

"It's been a bit." I tell her, but she ignores me.

"Did you pay him?" Mom looks over at me.

"No, he said it's free of charge. Besides, we didn't ask him to help. It was a favour." I explain.

She gives me a disappointed look, and I know whatever she's going to say next, won't be something I like. "We should have him over one night for dinner." And there it is.

"Yes!" Luna exclaims. "He's so cute."

"No." I cringe at the thought. "That's so weird."

"How?" Mom asks, genuinely confused.

"Because."

Both of them look my way, waiting for me to continue as if they don't realize how odd that is.

"Because people don't just invite a stranger over for dinner in this day and age." I began, "It's strange."

"You have no sense of hospitality." Luna jeers, taking her second jab at me today.

"Well, how about baking something and sending them over?" Mom suggests. "We'll have over enough baklava and awamat. Unless you consider that strange as well?"

"Not as strange, but-"

"You two are taking it over tonight." She insists. Once mom has an idea, it's near impossible talking her out of it. Especially when it comes to food; she doesn't play.

On the bright side, I'll have talkative Luna with me. I could easily stay in the car while she hands it to him.

...

After going overboard with dinner due to mom's orders, there were stacks on stacks of dishes piled up in the sink. In the midst of helping me, Luna got a call from her friend, Chelsea, who wants to go out tonight. She told dad that they're just having a girls night at Chelsea's place, since that's the only way she would be allowed to go out. I know that too well. I offered to take her, hoping that we could stop by at hot vet guy's house first so she could run out, but mom insisted that I clean up and that dad would take her. Now I'm all alone doing dishes as mom explains to her parents how great the new agency I'm working at is. They look lost, as if they don't know a single thing she's talking about. The same look I probably give them when they tell me stories about 'back in the day'.

By the time I've packed all the dishes away, I'm summoned by grandma who's struggling to work the kettle. She's had the same stove-top one for years, so I can't blame her for not knowing how to work one with buttons. I tell her that she can relax in the lounge area while I make everyone a cup of tea, mostly because I know that if we're alone in the same room, she's either going to bring up marriage, grand kids, my work or my favourite, how things were back in her day. Lucky for me, she leaves the kitchen so that I'm able to prepare the tea in peace. As I look through the window, I make a mental note to at least try saying something to him tonight.