Family Matters (1)
Family Matters By Roofles
In a small diner at the edge of town, by the riverside, a group of friends talked over the same subject they always came back too. Rain or snow it always came up. To a topic one said party would be glad to have never mentioned to his friends before.
"So...have you told them yet?" Richard, a gray furred ground squirrel, asked. Starting the evening off in the same casual manner it always seemed to even though it was far into the night by now. He picked at the nut salad before him. Walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans and pistachios all mixed together in fresh lettuce that served more as a garnish than anything else to the mixed assortments of nuts. Several of which were already stuffing his cheeks.
Philip chewed the five cheese pizza several times before stuffing it into the corner of his muzzel as he spoke. "An' yo' bettah not say yo' haven't told 'em yet!" The fat black rat pointed a furless pink finger at the beaver that squished between an otter and rabbit.
"Well I..." Jessie mumbled looking everywhere but at the rat across from him who had resumed munching on the pizza he had stuffed into the the corner of his muzzle; a cold glare on crossed the rats face at the beavers mumbling words. Jessie would prefer taking on the whole town than even try to arm wrestle the rat. "It's just... you know... been busy. With school. And... stuff." Was all Jessie could really give under that cold stare.
"Ri-igh-ght." The jackrabbit next to him said rolling his eyes with a fake high voice. Aaron was the butchest one out of them all and at the same time the most feminine. "Girl. If you just told them already and got it over with. We wouldn't need to nag ya so much, hunny bun." His wrist went limp in front of him as he spoke and he batted his eyes as he turned his head to face him. The effect was mostly lost on the group as the rabbits broad shoulders, muscular build, strong jaw line and a heavy brow that said anything but feminine.
The hare was a foot taller than the sulking beaver who had slumped onto the table. Jessie's chin rested on the plate that held the mix of birch, willow, maple and aspirin tree barks that surrounded the soft chewy center of each with a mix of berries and grass in it in a sort of yogurt flan dish.
"Ease off the poor guy." Manny, the otter, said rubbing Jessie's back with a webbed paw. "It's not his fault his parents are...as they are." He said tactfully avoiding the actual words he would have liked to use for them. The left handed otter picked at his fish 'n chips with a fork his attention turning away from the group and back to his oily, vinegarette covered battered fish pieces. The chips, or rather french fries were replaced with bites of fried mussels and sea urchin with fried octopus and squid tenticles that he greedily began 'picking' at.
"I'd be disowned. Kicked out of the lodge and even...even...have to pay for my own internet!" He whined closing his eyes, though he peeked at one of the berries poking out of the mixture before him. The heavenly aroma wafted against his small black nose his stubby round ears poke up. "And you know how my mother is." He groaned slowly sitting up heavily; using a paw to push himself up like a car jack.
"Yes, the passive agressive bitch." Phil said as his attention turning away from the beaver and back to the pizza at hand. He was the only one out of the group that'd just say things how they were. Which could both be a good and bad thing being unable to sugar coat anything.
"Too true girl." Aaron nodded rolling his large shoulders back and leaning his chest forward as if he had something to lean forward with. "She'd use that ammo against you for the rest of your life!" Again a limp wrist was given that all of the group ignored.
"You don't think I know that!" Jessie sat up quickly before giving up again and leaning back against the cushioned bench of the diner. His head rolled back and his chin pointed towards the cieling.
"At least they aren't kicking you out." Aaron added with his glass half full kind of attitude.
"I know." He said a bit softly knowing full well of the hares past and his own troubles with the affair. One good thing about being an only child; the family spends all their time, energy, money and love on them. Rather than having so many children that its only a good thing if one is kicked out. "But I would have to live with them afterwards." He said loosing any real arguement or effort he had worked up giving up this night.
"There, there." Aaron said rubbing his chest and nudging his side a bit. "You can always move in with me if it gets too bad." The otter, possibly due to the fact the two were aqautic mammals, had hit it off faster than any of the others. And as such Manny was always on Jessie's side. Picking at him endlessly for just about everything he did, making fun of him and over all destroying his self esteem...but in the end of things he was always on his side.
"If he's kicked out. He's coming with me." Phil stated not even looking at the otter. It was all too clear, to everyone, just how the river dog felt about the beaver. Everyone knew about it. Even blind, deaf, dumb dead people could see that Manny had a crush on the flat tail. Everyone except the other party that is. It was an unhealthy crush that had formed that could only end in the second party's unfortuntate disappointment.
Jessie had always just figured the otter was just an overly touchy feeling guy that didn't get enough love as a child and thus needs the physical touch of others to confirm the lack of it during childhood. Jessie was a psychology major that was going for his doctorate. One good thing his parents always focused on and was willingly to pay for. It was something that always felt like small emotional punches however whenever his parents introduced him as their "up and coming doctor."
"Let alone for the guilt I already get in the morning, evening and before bed. And during if I dream of the guilt. Sometimes I just get text messages from my mom that says how disappointed she is in me." He began picking at his plate again, chewing the end of one of the pieces of bark. He pulled his iphone out and set it on the table showing them the message she had recently sent.
"Why cnt u b like ur cousin? Shes alrd a doctor. Her mother wnt let m here it down."
"Other than her several typo's." Aaron noted looking at it and at his nails at the same time each of which were a different color of the rainbow. Even though it was one of the most obvious things the rabbit still felt the need to constantly express that he was in fact gay. "It's the usual thing isn't it? She must've been driving when she sent it." He noted thinking it over before shrugging it off.
"Exactly! She's endangering the lives of everyone on the road just to make sure that I know how she feels about me still being in school." He chomped the bark in two and began chewing it fiercly in his disgruntlement.
"Angry eating makes for fatty thighs," Aaron teased playfully his voice deepening as he spoke. He cleared his throat afterwards.
"Jewish guilt." Jessie said with his mouthful.
"At least you guys don't have to worry about hell though," the catholic rabbit grumbled resting his head on the beaver's shoulder as he frowned thinking it over. The gesture was a bit hard to do as the three were already crammed onto the same side of the stall. Shifting his bulk he had to stretch his leg's out long making the rat across from him sit up a bit taller at the wandering paws.
"I know we've talked about this, like a billion times. BUT your getting engaged! You can't just not tell them about him." Phil finally pulled out his ace gun and shot a bullseye. Marriage. His parents would either freak out in a good way. Or freak out in a horrible horrible way...while still telling him everything to do.
"Well its not that easy..." Jessie said trying to worm his way out of it again. He always said it so offhandedly as if it weren't really a big deal but the rat wouldn't (ever) let it go. Jessie could get shot and on the way to the hospital he would make sure to bring it up. In a way...he reminded the beaver of his mother, probly why the two never worked out. That and the fact he was straight was kind of a problem.
"That your gay? Engaged? Or marrying a cougar." A smarmy voice asked before lightening up as the beaver turned to face the cat. "Sorry I'm late." His voice was genuinely soft as he spoke to the aquatic mammal. Those golden eyes sparkeled with warmth and love before turning into sharp daggers as he faced the otter. "Mind if I sit there?" His voice appear in every way and form to be friendly but the undertone, the fact his whisker's straighten and the end of his tail began to flicker wasn't lost on the group...except the beaver who was still looking at the cat with the same expression he had when he first set eyes on him. A fearful expression of excitement and wonder.
Manny hesitated not wanting to move away from the warm body he was sitting next to. But the idea of saying no was far too much for him to handle. The cat always caught him off guard with his silent footsteps that didn't match his large size. Everytime he 'snuck' up on them, Manny almost let a small squeek escape him just out of sheer freight. A natural instinct that the others didn't seem to possess. The rabbit didn stand a little taller and the rat never took his eyes off the cat however. All natural reactions to the cat. Jessie on the other hand was already scooting over more for the cat, patting the seat welcoming.
So relunctantly the otter moved and got up sliding his drink to the other side of the table with his dish. Phil moved over a little bit, whipping his tail out of the way and nearly catching Manny in the face with it. Phil was always disgruntled about having to share 'his' side of the booth. He was a fat black city rat from New York and sometimes had the personality to match.
"Tail," Vince, the cougar, pointed a clawless finger towards the flat tail resting on his seat. Jessie quickly scooped it up and out of the way. "So," the cat went on taking a seat, wrapping an arm around the beaver and giving him a strong hug. "Still haven't told the folks yet about little ol' me?" A throaty purr started up as he nuzzled the top of the beaver's head, cupped his chin with a finger and lifted up to plant a kiss on him.
The two across from them were both frowning for rather different reasons. Manny felt jealous and unnerved at the same time by the awkward atmosphere that had fallen on the table. Phil was just annoyed by the pda that always seemed to accompany the two. "We got it. Your engaged and fucking. Do you mind?" He said as flatly as ever when pointing something out. "We're trying to each."
Vince finished lingering as he just stared into the beaver's eyes before releasing the breathless beaver. The cat's sharp eyes quickly turned and fell onto the otters plate. "Oooh!" And those golden sphere's widened several times at the slices of fish. "May I?" He asked already reaching for one.
Manny would have loved to have the courage to grab his wrist, pull it away from his food and just tell him off but he lost his voice as with big sullen eyes watched as his favorite piece of cod fish was taken away. He was saving it for the end of the meal.
"You can have some of mine." Aaron said sliding the slice of carrot cake away. "I've already had too much," he touched his stomach as if he had a belly to show and frowned sadly. "I'm such a glutton." Only a single bite had actually been taken from the slice of cake.
"Sure!" Phil said snatching the plate and sliding it his way before the cougar could.
"Hear," Jessie said moving his plate between the two. "Help yourself." The beaver offered his favorite dish and the cat's displeasure was lost on him. Vince smiled and politely declined. Although starving, having finished the cod in a single bite, he wasn't about to have his fiancee's rather different palate on his lips.
The beaver may have been rather intellectual and inquisitive yet the more common sense of things was lost on him. Jessie had already picked out the elaborate banquet for the wedding and rehersal as well as the after party. All of which Vince had little or no taste for. Yogurt, fruit cups, berries, chocolate strawberries, fifteen different kind of cheese bites, several types of trees, grass, spinach wraps and other things only herbavores would enjoy. The cat was thankful at least that several aquatic mammals were coming so at least fish was always an alternative to any dish.
"I could always go with you, you know." Vince said. "And I could just rip off your pants and do you right there in front of your folks. Then you wouldn't HAVE to tell them, huh? Huh?" He looked around the table with a massive grin on his face as if that would in fact be the best way to tell them.
"And then we can give them a thumbs up and tell them we're engaged. I'm sure my mum wouldn't have a heart attack over it." Jessie fell face first on the table and let out a low, long groan.
Four sets of paws rubbed his back and several encouraging words were given with some rather blunt "factual" statements from a certain black rat.