Chapter 6: Poop-head

After that first weekend at the Monahans', Luke visited once a week. Never at Katie's place, though, but always at her parents' home. Luke guessed the reason. The ever elusive Matt was probably hating Luke's guts, and Katie was leery to bring the two together. Or maybe she didn't want Luke to know where she lived.

To his surprise, Luke received an invitation to Christmas dinner by Jack Monahan, and he was told to bring his father along. Erwin had already met Amy twice, and the little girl liked the idea of having a second grandfather to wrap around her fingers. The two Brauns arrived and Luke introduced his father around. Of course, Erwin already knew Katie, and the two traded a few taunts about their first encounter.

They were led into the living room where the table was set for the family, and here, Luke met Katie's fiancé for the first time. Matt Carver was tall like Luke, but where Luke had wide shoulders and at least a hint at muscles, Matt was rather skinny and stood hunched. It was also clear from the get go that Matt resented Luke like hell. The handshake was perfunctory and he did not even fake a smile. Luke could understand him, of course, and he bore no grudge.

Katie's parents went out of their ways to make the Brauns feel welcome. Katie herself was torn. Luke could tell that she was trying to be friendly without making her fiancé jealous. Amy insisted on sitting between Luke and Erwin, smiling in turn at her mother and grandparents. Matt proved to be the odd man out. It was clear from the start that he was not interested at all in being sociable. If asked anything by Jack or Katie's mother Irene, he answered in monosyllables. It was as if he was trying to punish them for having Luke and his father over.

What little Luke could gather was that Matt was a systems admin for a small business school. He showed a brief interest when learning that Erwin Braun had worked 23 years for that sacred mothership of all system admins, but then he sank back into sullen silence. Katie was almost apologetic to him which did not make sense since Matt was being the ass.

During desert Luke was involved in a rather animated discussion with Jack Monahan when Matt made the first spontaneous utterance of the evening, turning to Katie and speaking to her in accusing tone.

"Can't you make her stop that?"

"Err, say what?" Katie asked back, torn from an exchange with her mother.

"Your daughter. She's staring at me again. You know how much it irritates me."

Luke almost snorted. Amy was indeed looking at Matt. She was not even blinking it seemed. She had just fixated her pale green eyes on her mother's fiancé. Luke would have sworn that there was a spark of mischief behind her stare. Obviously, she had unconsciously picked up on Matt's hang-ups, and she was milking them.

"Katie, darling, don't stare, please. It's not polite. We talked about it."

"He was looking at me first," Amy protested.

"Well, now he isn't anymore. So stop it."

"Okay, Mom," Amy answered with insincere sweetness.

When Katie turned to her mother again, Luke caught Amy sticking out her tongue at Matt. Before he could think of a gentle way to dissuade her, Matt was complaining already.

"There! She's doing it again!"

"What is she doing?" an exasperated Jack asked.

"She stuck her tongue out at me!" came the almost petulant answer.

"Oh, did she ever?" Jack grinned. "Maybe Kate can get you a restraining order against Amy?"

Luke saw Katie's mouth twitch but she maintained her facade.

"Amy, please stop this. It's Christmas, and we should be friendly to each other."

"Okay, Mom," Amy chirped.

"Don't Okay-Mom me, little lady! Behave."

"Okay, Mom," Amy answered, and Luke finally had to grin.

"He's probably putting her up to it!" Matt stated.

"Oh, please!" Jack exclaimed. "She's known before how to get a rise out of you. Stop being such a baby!"

"Baby!" Amy giggled. "Grandpa, he's not a baby. He's so old!"

"Amy, why don't you tell your other grandpa what you got for Christmas?" Erwin interrupted trying to calm tempers.

Amy beamed. Holding up her hand she began to count off fingers.

"I gotta bicycle from Daddy," she started off with the most impressive gift of all in her mind. "Grandpa got me a helmet for it, and you gave me ... You know that! Mommy got me new sneakers, and blue jeans, and t-shirts, and a pajama! Grandma gave me a real pretty necklace." She looked defiantly at her mother. "Matt gave me nothing."

Ouch! Matt turned purple and shot daggers at Amy.

"Maybe, if you were a bit nicer to me, I'd get you something," he said through clenched teeth.