Little White Lies
Meredith covered up her discomfort well ... or well enough at least. Leith had had a hard time coming out, and of course, it had been a shock for his mother. There were arguments, tears, more arguments, then a settling period. Leith assumed she was coming around to the idea, accepting it even. Maybe he knew how uncomfortable she was but buried it well until he tricked himself into believing she was proud of him, warts and all. It was easier that way. At least he wasn't alone though. Living with his friends in the flat downtown had been fun. Certainly, the space and distance from his mother and siblings came with benefits. Being able to explore his sexuality was certainly a lot easier without worrying about someone coming home and catching him unawares. With roommates, everyone was drunk, horny or dating, modesty was pretty much left at the door and breakfast at the coffee table could feature discussions about assignments or embarrassing hook ups. Leith was positive his mom would have lost her mind if she knew what his housemates got up to. He was tamer, safer, but certainly not a virgin when he started living outside of the home.
There had been a boyfriend before Ceren, and before that, some experimenting, but Ceren was serious. That much had been obvious from the start. The butterflies, the nerves, the elation when he knew the feeling was mutual and that they'd give it a try. Unlike his ex, Leith actually introduced Ceren to the family properly as opposed to casually mentioning a boyfriend of sorts one weekend when he popped by to help Aunt May unpack when she moved into his old room. From the start it was obvious Leith had decided Ceren was the One. Meredith had been apprehensive, then again, she'd have been apprehensive if it was Taron or Bailey right? Love was a risky game, it wasn't because he was gay ... Right? Aunt May had been less subtle, immediately pointing out the age gap and a list of other concerns. The only one she didn't list was the fact they were both guys, that was the one "problem" that hung silently in the air. For the most part though ... they tolerated it, it was a start. And then Ceren was kicked out of his home. Leith didn't mention it of course, he let Ceren move in with him and kept it quiet ... then the rent went up and Leith was on the verge of homelessness and not one came back to stay with Meredith, but two.
And she'd accepted them both.
Maybe that was when Leith was convinced she'd accepted him, she was okay with it. Leith contributed what he could, but they were over-stretched, he was working his ass off but couldn't support them both, Ceren's family would have nothing to do with them. Maybe Meredith knew Leith blamed himself for that, if he'd been more careful, Ceren wouldn't have been outed and then evicted... May knew the truth though, she knew Meredith too well, she knew it would break her heart to lose Leith. Even at his worst, she'd always been a soft touch with Leith. If he and Taron both broke the rules, Taron always got the slightly firmer stare, the slightly harsher telling off. It was subtle, but May knew because she saw how Meredith had loved their father, and how Leith was practically a mirror of him in almost every way. The way he had to fidget with things, the interest in fixing cars was due to his father. Leith didn't give a damn about makes or models or flashy cars, but he liked the puzzle of figuring out how they worked. Right from the get-go when he and his father built a go cart in the yard when he was a kid.
Meredith accepted Ceren because she couldn't bear to risk losing Leith. That didn't mean it sat well with either mother or aunty though. May found it odd ... and Ceren was closer in age to Taron, it just ... it was a disaster waiting to happen. If she knew Meredith's inner thoughts, she'd have understood and agreed, as much as it hurt to wish a breakup upon Leith, maybe that would have been for the best, maybe a nice girl would come along and they'd just click. Maybe this was a bizarre phase ... though it was beginning to drag out a little too long and a little too seriously.
May patted her sisters hand and offered a supportive smile. "Meri, you are here for your kids when it counts. No mom can be around 24/7 and you've given them everything you can. Leith's a grown man now, and if rent wasn't so bad right now, he'd probably be off travelling in Europe with his friends or something. He barely came home when he was living with his mates, but he was happy and healthy there. Taron's a teenage boy and you know what they're like, they're too cool to hang out with their mom all the time, and Bailey, well, when she gets her first crush and needs to buy her first bra, then you'll be there for her. Right now, she's tipping along just fine, like other girls her age. You are practically mom of the year but you talk as if you neglect them." May shook her head. Sure, Richard was putting a strain on things, mostly with Leith which was why it probably sat so ill with her, but Meredith certainly wasn't a cruel mother, Taron even seemed to warm to Richard just a little and got a lot of much needed attention when the man was around.
"If you were here, from dusk till dawn, Leith would be with Ceren spouting off embarrassing sentimental stuff and making gooey eyes, Taron would be holed up in his room playing xbox and Bailey would be practicing makeup and hairstyles in her room." That much was at least partially true ... but Meredith still missed things. "They're normal kids, heck, even though you won't admit it, only two of them are still kids. Leith's your baby but he's a man now don't forget, Taron's not too far behind him either."
She waved a hand at the pretty comment, claiming that May was the prettier sister was like saying Taron was Meredith's favourite. A sad untruth, May was pretty, and wonderful in her own way, but Meredith just beat her on that front ... Leith, by virtue of being more like his father, had a special place in Meredith's heart that Taron just missed by a hairs-breadth. At least everyone knew about May but not about Taron coming second place. "I might dig out that dress Will got me ... Never got to wear it ... If I can still fit that is" she let out a weary chuckle. Time was healing, slowly but surely. "Bailey's fussy ... I doubt she'll be keen, I think I've heard of that place though, pretty expensive" May agreed, Japanese food sounded a bit exotic, Bailey lived on chicken wings and chips. Maybe Leith could pick up something from the chippy near his work when he clocked off and Bailey could eat at home after sitting through dinner and staring at the sushi.
May couldn't help but be impressed by her sister ingenuity at resolving the Leith-Ceren-Dinner-Crisis. Smooth and subtle, if Leith asked why he never got an invite to the fancy place, she could always claim it was a last minute thing and he and Ceren were still out ... Leith wasn't stupid, but he was still Meredith's baby boy no matter how tall he got, at least the white-lie would take the sting out of it. Meredith had a talent at juggling things, it was just a shame Richard had a penchant for tying her hands in knots to hinder her juggling. There really was no easy way to have a family dinner with the tension between Richard and Leith, neither side would yield. Leith wasn't an aggressive type, he'd simply remove himself from the situation. May knew Richard would never yield. There was no middleground, one would stand their ground, the other would walk away but neither would bend, neither would compromise.
Taron didn't leave enough hot water of course ... having two extra people in the house didn't help either, but it was Bailey's own fault for dawdling in the morning. Eventually she stomped down stairs with damp hair and a scowl, still a couple of bubbles in her hair as it dripped down her jacket.
"You snooze you lose little miss" May remarked, presenting Bailey with her breakfast. "Egg?" she offered Ceren, at the very least, the family was civil but ... it was always a tad awkward.
With a frown, Bailey tucked in to her breakfast. "Thank you Aunty May" May said sarcastically. Bailey sighed and offered a lame "thank you" in response.
"Can you let me off at the park across from school? I want to walk in with my friends" Bailey asked Ceren once she finished her breakfast. Leith wasn't the best at lying, he was hopeless in fact, but Bailey was more cunning. She didn't have friends meeting her in the park ... but she didn't want the bullies to see her hopping out of her brothers boyfriends' car. Oh how they'd torment her if they saw. Giving them less ammo was all she could do since she couldn't make them stop.
May nodded at the busy comment. Leith had to park his old pick up truckon the lawn. He got it for a steal because it needed work, but there was no way Meredith couldn't get him a fixer-upper, Richard had been generous too but the awkward banged up looking thing in the dealership was the winner. If she got him a perfectly new car, he'd have to dismantle it and get under the hood himself out of sheer curiosity. His old truck worked out a charm but with Meredith and Ceren's cars parked up too ... things got crowded, and once Taron started demanding wheels of his own ... May was suddenly glad she stopped driving after Will died. The bus stop was close by and buses came regular, and if she was stuck, Meredith drove her places from time to time and Leith was always willing to chauffeur her around too. The house was bursting at the seams, and even if it wasn't, the driveway was certainly overladen.
"Don't worry about me ... I'll get the bus home" Bailey declared. "I have choir practice after class so I'll be home late" she lied. No one caught on so far. No one asked what songs she learned, if she got a solo or when she'd be performing. No one noticed that she never even hummed around the house or showed the slightest bit of interest in singing ... So far she'd gotten away with the cover story entirely. Leith would notice if she'd locked herself in the closet to cry, she wouldn't dare risk it at home.
