Page 34 of Glass & Groundwork
I bobbed my head, expecting this conversation. “Yes. We do. Did you want to come inside and we can talk over a glass of iced tea?”
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
George followed me back to the house and I hesitated at the door for a moment. It had been five days since the wedding, and I was still getting used to feeling like this was my home. Now, here I was inviting someone else in while Gio was away at the apiary. It felt weird, but at the same time, I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it. I squared my shoulders and tried to act like I knew what I was doing.
“Right in here. We can sit at the dining table.” I led him through the back door and into the kitchen. He sat down and put his briefcase on the table, while I found a couple of glasses for us and pulled the jug of tea out of the fridge. Sitting across from him, I handed him a glass.
“Thank you. All right, it’s time to get down to business. Mr. Maldonado, let me show you where we’re at. Here is a checklist of all the things we’ve accomplished so far, and the remainder of the work we agreed upon. I try to be upfront and transparent with the costs, so you’ll see a breakdown of how everything has been spent so far.”
It was all clearly laid out, and I appreciated his thoroughness. I knew we were coming to the end of the budget they had already,but it was still wild to see how much each thing cost. The work completed so far had been laying the groundwork for the bigger work to come.
“As you can see, I have two days of work remaining before we will need the next installment. This is the unpleasant part of any job, but it is necessary, so we need to talk money.”
I knew this part was coming, and still, my stomach did a little dip. I checked my bank account earlier to see what I could do until I gained access to my trust. It was a gamble. If my trust didn’t come through, I wasn’t sure how I’d even pay for rent, which was a situation I never expected to be in. Well, I understood once I was living off my glasswork, it might bring financial challenges, but I was willing to accept that if it meant I was happy.
Although, Ihada home beyond my apartment. If worst came to worst, and I had to let the apartment go, I was sure Gio would be understanding. The man lived and breathed understanding. And generosity. I grew up in a world of wealth and had never met someone who was as generous as him without expecting anything in return. I felt the smile that seemed to show up more since I’d met him stretch my lips. Yahir commented on my secret joy expression as newlywed bliss. Being newlyweds for us didn’t mean round-the-clock fucking, but I admired the hell out of Gio and really enjoyed being around him. That was its own bliss, I supposed.
Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I returned my attention to George and the problem before us. I wrote down the balance I had left in my checking account. My savings were already empty from when I put the deposit down. “Here's what I can give you for now, but I should have the remainder of it next week. What does that do? Is it enough to keep the ball rolling?”
George looked at his paperwork and did a few calculations. “I can work with that.”
“Would it be possible to prioritize the work station for the propane and oxygen torch, the vent hood above it, and the backer board?” I asked. If something fell through and I had to wait to get my money, that would at least allow me to do some lampwork with smaller glass rods.I could make figurines or even beads if I wanted to play with fine details. I was getting antsy. It had been far too long since I was last in a studio.
Once again George looked at the list, mentally moving things around. He took a long drink of the iced tea, and met my waiting gaze with a smile. “We'll get you all set up. The work bench is already being built off-site with the backer board table top as well as the piece for the wall. We're just about ready to pour concrete, which is something we've already accounted for. Once that sets, we should have your station up and ready in maybe four or five days.”
I felt relief and excitement wash over me. “Oh my God, that's amazing. Thank you so much!”
“No problem. I'm glad we could work something out,” George said as he shook my hand and put everything back into his briefcase. He left through the back door to return to the barn.
Filled with anxious energy, I got up and started pacing around the kitchen. My bank account might be sad after sending the payment to George, but I felt elated. I couldn't wait until I saw the concrete flooring. We looked at several options. I was hoping we could put some mats down and call it good, but considering the barn had a wooden floor, it really needed something more permanent to protect it from sparks and molten glass. Before the concrete could be poured, they'd had to do a lot of work to run all the pipes and drains, and shore up the wood flooring, which had settled over time. I hadn't expected to do the flooring initially, but I didn't regret it, because it was going to have a solid, fire-safe foundation. Sure I might not have had to do such extensivework at an established shop, but the problem was therewereno established shops. So we were making one.
Holy shit! I was only a few days away from getting to turn on my torch and create something. Fuck, I needed it. Needed it like I needed a good orgasm. I'd gone without since the night before the wedding, not because I was anticipating any action with Gio, I wasn't, but I felt weird jerking off in his house.Ourhouse. I was still getting used to thinking of this place as mine.
Over the last five days, Gio and I had been bouncing around each other, trying to figure out how to share the space. He was an early riser, and I was more of a night owl. I didn't want to disrupt his routine, especially since I didn't really have one at the moment. Every morning, Gio would wake without an alarm, and I'm not even sure how he did that. I usually had several set. He often found himself trapped beneath me and my nocturnal octopus skills. Gio would kiss the top of my head, and gently move me off of him so he could get up to use the restroom.
Those morning head kisses were everything. I found myself in a half-sleep daze with a smile on my face, while Gio got ready to start his day. I didn't want to feel like a slouch and stay in bed while he was out there working hard, so I would get up.
I'd kept myself busy unpacking and organizing all of my clothes, and making trips back to my apartment for other comfort items I wanted around me. Yes, I had a favorite blanket, but I also had a few of my first glass pieces that meant a lot to me. Too much to keep in storage with everything else, and I'd been putting them around the house in different places to decide where I liked them. After moving them a couple of times, it seemed the kids thought it was a game, because I kept finding them in places I hadn't put them.
I didn't mind, in fact, I found it amusing. They weren't being reckless, just kids. Although, it felt weird calling Eduardo and Yahir kids, since they weren't that much younger than me, butit was how Gio saw them, and how I'd grown to see them, too. They hadn't decided what they were calling me yet, so for now I was just Jasper, which honestly was fine, especially considering the whole situation with Gio wasn’t typical. It wasn't like I was coming in ready to be astep-papa, besides I didn't know how long this was all going to last anyway.
In the meantime, I was really enjoying getting to know them, and feeling like I was actually a part of this family. Gio had said even before the marriage thing came on the table, that I was family. I didn't have a good understanding of what that looked like without the business side of things. Being at the farmhouse, I was starting to see it though. Of course, a house full of people and sharing a room with my platonic spouse meant there wasn't a lot of room or time for privacy, or getting off.
There was the shower, of course, but I didn't want to feel like I had to rush so I wasn't taking up all the hot water when there were other people in the house that needed to get ready. The house wasn't small, by most standards, but I'd grown up in a home so big, I might not cross paths with anyone. Oftentimes, I preferred days when I didn't have to see my parents until dinner, even then I missed it whenever I could get away with it. Here, though, it was so different. Busy, for sure, but I didn't mind it, aside from being horny.
Nicky and Noah were at school and I think the older ones were all working or busy. The house was empty. Would it be possible to rub one out before anyone showed up?Ugh. Except construction was happening in the barn and Gio could be coming back for lunch any time.
Lunch! That was something I could do with this energy I had building up. I began rifling through the fridge and the pantry to see what I could put together. I was no Michelin-star chef, but one of the many hobbies I'd taken up over time was cooking. It wasn't something I wanted to turn into a career, but I likedeating, and I liked eating good food. I decided if I was going to make it on my own, I needed to learn a thing or two.
The more I moved things around in the fridge, the more ideas I got, and started pulling a bunch of stuff out. I looked over my pile of ingredients and was struck with the thought that Gio had bought all of this. I would have to pay him back and do a grocery run. Or Iwouldif I hadn't just spent my last cent. Next week. Next week, I would restock everything and then some. In the meantime, I had to hope they wouldn't mind if I helped myself.
Gio wouldn't, I knew that already, but Frankie… Frankie was very possessive about the kitchen. It was sweet and amusing, but I also came to understand it was more than a playful defensiveness. Gio shared with me that they came from a background where they dealt with food insecurity, so they liked to know what we had because not knowing if food would be there when you opened the door was a stressor for them.
They didn't come every night for dinner, since they worked and were still living with their aging grandparents, but I didn't want them to be surprised if they showed up and realized things they thought were there had been used.
The kids had all exchanged numbers with me, and I'd been added into their family group chat, which was surreal, but also really endearing. They truly had welcomed me in, into their home, their lives, and their text chain.
Me: Hey Frankie, how's it going? I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm fixing to make lunch for me and Gio.
