Love in the Margins

CHAPTER TWO

"Mr. Jayden McGregor!"

"I'd be down in a jiffy!" Dee shouted.

I watched Dee struggle to get himself and the room in order when I heard hurried footsteps coming upstairs.

"Hurry, Dee!" I whispered frantically.

Dee's door burst open, and Mrs. McGregor walked in, breathing as though she'd just ran a marathon. Mr. McGregor followed behind her, giving his son a sympathetic look.

"JAYDEN!"

"Heyyy, Mum! you are home quite early. Oh! You look so beautiful," said Dee in a funny voice.

"You left the dishes unwashed — once again" Mrs. McGregor said with a known look.

Mr. McGregor tried to step forward and speak to his wife, but she gave him a look that made him shiver. She gave Dee the same look, and he cringed inwardly.

"To the kitchen, both of you — now!" shouted Mrs. McGregor.

They both marched downstairs to the kitchen, murmuring between themselves. I followed Mrs. McGregor downstairs as she looked at the two men in her life with a smirk.

Never think of crossing paths with Mrs. McGregor when she's in a bad mood.

"Mum, what are you preparing for dinner?" Dee asked.

"Get the dishes washed first" said Mrs. McGregor.

Dee and Mr. McGregor immediately got to work. They placed the dishes in the dishwasher and did a perfect job of it.

Meanwhile, Mrs. McGregor got started on the cooking.

I went to assist Mrs. McGregor in cooking.

"What are you preparing, Mrs. McGregor?" I asked.

"I've told you a million times, Lili. Call me Adeline," said Mrs. McGregor with a pout.

"Oh okay," I said with a laugh.

"The food smells amazing," I said to her.

"Yeah, it's one of my secret recipes

Here, why don't you mash that" said Mrs. McGregor.

She handed me potatoes to mash and I did that.

"Wow Lili, look at that, you are such a natural" said Mrs. McGregor.

"Why, thank you...Adeline" I said happily and we both laughed.

Mrs. McGregor was quick with her cooking and soon it was dinner time. She set the table and I assisted in bringing the dishes to the table.

Mr. McGregor was already at the table. "Roast's ready, kids. Go wash your hands."

Dee groaned. "Bangers and mash again?"

"Better than your cooking," I teased, grabbing the ketchup. "And there's apple crumble for pudding."

We all started eating.

And I guess I forgot to say that Mrs. McGregor is an amazing and wonderful cook.

"Do you like it?" asked Mrs. McGregor.

"Like? Nope! But love? Ohh, yes! I love it!" I said happily.

They all laughed at my words, but I didn't mind. I was in my own little world, fantasising about getting married to one of the dishes Mrs. McGregor had cooked.

Dee was so engrossed in his food. "Mum, can I have extra gravy, please?"

"No, Eat your peas." said Mrs. McGregor, bringing the bowl of peas closer to Dee, and I laughed silently when the person in question was scowling at the peas as though he'd just met an evil genie.

"So, I was painting a mockingbird on a tree. I'd finished painting the branch and halfway through painting the mockingbird when it flew away.

Guess what I learned from painting?" Mr. McGregor asked.

"What?"

"What?"

I and Dee said at the same time.

"I learned to start with the thing that can fly away, so I don't get stranded in the middle of the forest looking for a mockingbird on a tree" said Mr. McGregor jokingly.

We all laughed.

"Can I have some money?" Dee asked.

"Why?" Mr. McGregor asked.

"Uhm... it's Friday night, and I thought it'd be fun if Lili and I went out," Dee said, looking at his parents and eagerly waiting for their approval.

"Aww... that's nice. And we can also have some time for ourselves, darling" said Mrs. McGregor, her eyebrows dancing mischievously.

"Eww"

"Eww"

Dee and I both said in unison, while the two parents laughed heartily.

"Alright, alright. Here you go, Jay. Be home by seven," said Mr. McGregor with a smile.

"Thanks, Dad" Dee said, rushing to take the dishes to the kitchen while singing happily.

"Thank you, Mr. McGregor. And you too Mrs... Oops! Adeline!" I said, covering my mouth as I laughed.

Mrs. McGregor laughed also.

"You can't call my wife Adeline and still call me Mr. McGregor. Call me Theodore," said Mr. McGregor with a pout.

"Uh-ohh, I think someone's jealous" laughed Mrs. McGregor.

"I'm not!"protested Mr. McGregor.

"Yes, you are"

"No, I'm not"

"Alright, alright...Thank you Adeline and Theodore" I said smiling.

"Yeah" said Mr. McGregor pumping his hands up in the air like he just won a bet.

And we all laughed.

Dee came back from the kitchen and we rushed outside of the house.

We boarded a bus down to a game arena.

I and Dee played lots of games.

"You play well for a Year 9 student," said Dee.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We've been sitting beside each other since Year 7, but it wasn't until Year 9 that I realised you could play this well. That doesn't mean we haven't known each other since we were little, though I'm quite surprised, you know... You weren't really a fan of games — what changed?"

"Well... I changed" I shrugged.

"In a good way or in a bad way?" Dee asked curiously.

"I don't know" I said, giving him a blank face.

"Then, a bad way it is" Dee murmured.

"What did you say?" I asked.

What does he mean by "What changed?" Does he take me for a nerd?

I think it's the glasses I keep wearing, but I can't help it. I wouldn't be able to see if I took them off.

I can be a nerd with brains. I think that's actually pretty cool. I smiled to myself as I imagined wearing a cape around my neck, just like Superman, with my glasses perched on my nose.

I'd be a different kind of superhero, saving kids who knew nothing about playing games. Yes! I'd be a Super Nerd!

"Nothing!" Dee said quickly, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I gave him a dreamy look because the thought of saving kids and being a superhero made me feel like I was soaring higher and higher into the sky, while Dee gave me an awkward look and dragged me away from the game arena.

We went to a photo booth.

Ooh, I was so excited!

Dee and I got inside the booth and took lots of funny pictures. You needed to see Dee's face. He looked like a clown, while I looked like a pretty clown.

I need to add "pretty" to mine, because just "clown" sounds like I'm ugly.

We sure had fun until an ugly-faced man came along and ruined it.

"Can we get the pictures please" Dee asked with a smile.

"Yes, sure," said the attendant.

"Yeah, Dee, we really looked funny in the booth," I said laughing.

"You kids really had fun, didn't you?" said the attendant as he clipped the freshly printed photo strip onto the little display board, adding their photo strip to the dozens already hanging there.

"Ohh yeah, we did" I answered as the attendant handed me the photo strip and I took it from him.

We decided to leave when the man called us back.

"Kids, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What's that?" Dee asked.

"Money" the man said with smiles.

I and Dee looked at each other. Who pays money for photo booth?

Isn't the world modernised? And besides, we're just kids!

I whispered to Dee that we should make a run for it. We slowly backed away, and the attendant narrowed his eyes at us.

"Where do you think you are going?" the man asked angrily.

We took off, running away as we laughed out loud.

"Hey! Where's my money?!"