coming to a head

Asa kept smiling. It was all he could do. Derrick helped with the food. There was a big green salad waiting. Asa dished out the meal in pasta bowls. He saw how reserved Amanda was. She came to the kitchen to look for some butter in the fridge which was already out. So was the Italian dressing.

"Just sit down." He looked at her, but by the way she acted, he thought she might go to the basement instead. "Please."

Derrick sat next to Elliot and Rosie on the other side of him. That left the last two seats for them. Yes, it would be pure agony..the wait, but dinner was served.

"Hope you're hungry." Asa eased up on the smile. It was best to keep calm. He dipped a piece of garlic toast in his sauce and took a bite. There was no alcohol served. Just a jug of milk for refreshments.

Elliot told them he was going back to work this week. Amanda just nodded. He asked then how the student teaching was going.

"Its gonna be over before I know it." She looked at him, but went back to her pasta. "It goes by so fast."

The silence prevailed, but Asa didn't mind. Ever so often Amanda would look at him to say something. He found himself looking to Rosie for support, but she was doing a job on those noodles with sauce all over her face. She enjoyed sucking in each noodle like a game.

Asa talked about the library then. How he was putting forty hours in.  It was just weird wondering how he didn't talk about what they really needed to talk about. But he didn't want to act like a little kid about it. How he possibly stole everything from Elliot. He hadn't meant to.

If he were Elliot, he would hate him. He'd be seething mad and tell him to get out. These were things he was waiting to hear from Elliot, but he drank his glass of milk as if it might be something therapeutic.

"When do you think you'll be coming home?" Amanda asked as soon as she saw Elliot was done.

"Right now." He shrugged.

"Really?" She looked as if she had difficulty swallowing that possibility. Asa grabbed her hand then.

"Uh, there's something we should tell you." Asa told him.

"Yeah, Mommie's sleeping with Asa." Rosie chimed in. "She says its cold in her room. My room is just fine."

Asa squeezed Amanda's hand before she became unglued with Rosie.

"Thanks for letting me know, Rosie." Elliot kept a stoic stare. He took another sip of milk. Derrick cleared the dishes and finally got Rosie to go to the basement with him.

"So," Amanda  teared up. "We..if..if you could just give us to the end of the week, we'll be out." She choked. "That would be the best thing to do." 

"You're..you're in the middle of student teaching." Elliot just said. He shook his head.

"God! you know, you don't want me back! You know its too far gone for that!" Amanda stood up then. "I have to go. We have to get out of here. We have too."

"But you're my family." Elliot then croaked. "I don't want to be alone."