ILY

ILY and the Chicken Casserole

The dinner prayer over. Jethro noticed it because Clyde slightly pressed his hands. He gently let go of Topaz's hand. He did not want to, but it would be awkward if he did not let her go.

"So. let's begin dinner." Mrs. Layton said. She handed Clyde the serving spoon and offered him the casserole. "Here Clyde, you should go first. I hope you like Chicken Caserrole."

Clyde took the serving plate from Mrs. Layton and scooped a generous serving on his plate. "Thanks Mrs. Layton. Any home-cooked meal would be the best, especially when you are left with someone like me and Jethro."

"Why? Doesn't anyone cook for you at home?" Mrs. Layton was bright and cheery. It felt like she had missed talking like this with people. Topaz has not really been that cheerful these past few weeks.

"Jethro does, but I do not usually let him, he has school work and teen stuff to attend too." Clyde revealed. Topaz threw a look at Jethro then looked back at her plate. She didn't know that Jethro cooked.

"Really, Jethro? I had no idea that you cooked." Mrs. Layton placed a scoop of casserole on Topaz's plate.

"Jethro cooks a mean and delicious lasagna. Why don't you cook for them sometime?" Clyde winked at Jethro.

"Of course, I'll make one for you guys next weekend. Maybe you can have dinner at our place too?" Jethro knew that it was too much but he already said that. He had never hosted anything at his place without his parents.

"Oh, that would be lovely. It would be nice to just dine and not worry about cooking and prepping every once in a while." Mrs. Layton said. "Right, Topaz?" She obviously wanted Topaz to join in the conversation.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I haven't been really out and about for quite sometime." Topaz finally spoke. Jethro looked at her and smiled. She smiled back too.

Maybe Topaz was just warming up. It was understandable. Not being together for so long and then suddenly eating dinner together made things feel a bit weird.

Everything after that was cheerful and fun. Clyde was mostly leading the conversation, sharing details about how he stays at home working as a content creator.

"Here, this is actually my YouTube channel." He showed his phone to Mrs. Layton. "I usually earn from the advertisements on my channels. But I have been starting to receive deals from brands lately, which is quite exciting."

"Wow, I never knew that you could make money from this. I hope you do not mind me asking, but does it make good money?" Mrs. Layton asked.

"Mom," Topaz called out to her mom.

"Don't worry Topaz, I usually get that question a lot." Clyde smiled at her. "I actually earn four times more than I did back when I was working as a junior finance officer in the city. And the best part is, I get to do what I like, stay at home and take care of Jethro. Well, he takes care of me more than I take care of him, but you get the idea right?" Clyde said.

"Clyde really has really made a name for himself. Dad was supportive of his dreams but he was not really convinced that he could actually make a living from being a content creator. But as expected, Clyde here proved my father wrong." Jethro nodded at Clyde.

"Wow, it's nice to have someone close as a father and a brother at the same time. Well, that is what I see between the two of you." Mrs. Layton said.

"Yeah, Clyde is like a young father and an older brother to me. I could never ask for more."

"You are starting to make me nervous Jethro. I have a feeling you'll be asking for something in the next few days," Clyde said, joking. Everyone laughed at them.

Jethro was still laughing with Clyde and Mrs. Layton when he felt a hand touching his knees. It was Topaz. "That is so sweet of you." She said, almost in a whisper. Topaz was talking about what he had just said about Clyde.

"Yeah, Clyde is really awesome," Jethro said, gently touching Topaz's hands. He was thankful that she did not pull it away.

"Sorry if I did not..."

"Don't worry. It's all in the past", Jethro was quick to interrupt her. He gently squeezed her hands."What matters is what happens from here on."

Topaz nodded. She looked relieved.

They all had a nice dinner. Mrs. Layton excused herself to get cake from the kitchen. Clyde was quick to offer help.

Topaz and Jethro were left to themselves in the dining room.

"Would it be possible for me to come and visit again tomorrow?" Jethro said. "Of course, if you do not have any plans yet. It's OK if you are busy or if you want to rest." He was quick to say.

"No, you can come. That would be nice." Topaz said, smiling. "Mom will do her groceries tomorrow and a few other errands. I'll be all alone most of the morning. It would be nice to have some company." She was quick to say.

"Maybe I can cook that lasagna for you tomorrow. If you will let me use your kitchen," Jethro suggested.

"Of course. That would be nice." Topaz's eyes were lively. Jethro missed seeing that. But somehow, Jethro felt that something was different. He shrugged it off.

"Is everyone ready for cake?' It was Mrs. Layton was followed by Clyde who was carrying this one-tier chocolate cake.

"I am!" Topaz happily replied.

It was pretty obvious that Mrs. Layton did not expect that kind of reply from Topaz. She sounded happy. Mrs. Layton looked at Jethro and smiled. It was pretty obvious. She was thinking that this positive reaction from Topaz was because of him, because of their visit.

Eating cake became even more entertaining as Clyde showed some of his videos to Mrs. Layton and Topaz. He was showing some of his comic series, the one that he created digitally. Clyde was a great artist too. Jethro thought that he might be a bit shy to show some of his other videos, so he showed him his graphics and video-making prowess instead. Mrs. Layton was so impressed.

Clyde even offered to create a video commercial for Aroma Mocha and would feature it on his channels.

It was the main topic of their conversation as they continued to enjoy wine after dinner.

Topaz excused herself and wanted some coffee. Jethro offered to help him. They left the two elders talking about the video while they headed to the kitchen.