Heavy Hands (frerard)

Chapter 7

Frank was going grocery shopping and I offered to join him, which brought us here walking around the aisles with a grey shopping cart that had wheels that squeaked for too much for my liking. I didn't complain, though, I knew there was nothing either of us could do to fix it.

"Alright, What kind of chips do you want?" He asked.

"Um, sour cream and cheddar," I said.

He put the bag I wanted into the cart before getting salt and vinegar for himself.

"Ew," I muttered, scrunching my nose up.

"Not ew, they're good," he said.

"Nuh uh, those chips are gross," I said.

"You should give them I try," he said.

I shook my head, sticking my tongue out in disgust at the thought.

"It's not that bad," he said.

"Icky," I said.

He chuckled, walking us down the aisle.

"I should be home," I said nervously. "I should study."

"You've been studying for hours, you deserve a break," Frank said. "I know you're stressed about exams but once they're done then you're on summer break and then it's just me and you."

"I can't wait," I said.

"We should go on vacation," he suggested. "Where do you think we should go? London? Venice? Sicily? Beijing?"

"Wow, those places are all so far, I've never even been on a plane before," I said. "But I've always wanted to go to France. I think Paris is so romantic."

"We'll go to Paris then," he said.

"Really?" I asked hopefully. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, I think it'll be a lot of fun," he said. "I haven't been to France in a while. The last time I went was when I was...eight, I think. My parents took me to see the tour de france because at the time I really wanted to be part of it. I saw the beginning and the end of it and then I was taken to Paris and to the Eiffel Tower."

"That sounds amazing," I said.

"It was," he said. "Probably one of my favorite memories as a kid."

"What else?" I asked as he grabbed a box of cereal off the shelf.

"Well, we have family still back in Italy," he said. "I used to spend every summer up there with my mom where I would get to hang out with my cousins. My family owns this huge house where everyone lives and I used to play in the yard with my cousins and in this one shed there."

"It sounds fun," I said.

"Maybe I can take you there one day too," he said.

I nodded, holding his hand.

"You've traveled a lot," I remarked.

"My mom wanted to see the world before she got too old," he said. "She wanted to bring me with her so I got to see a lot too."

"What about your dad?" I asked. "You've never really talked about him."

"He went with us too when he could but he was busy working a lot," Frank said. "He was a pretty great dad too, though. He passed away a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay," he said.

I bit my lip, looking at the colorful cereal boxes before grabbing a yellow Cheerios box.