Happy Anniversary!
A loud whistle blared through the air around the Springfield Power Plant, signaling an end to the workday. And while many aspects of work at the plant had improved since the removal of the hated Burns, even the biggest workaholic was eager to get while the getting was good. Ordinarily Abe Simpson would have been one of the first out the door at quitting time, but there was one thing keeping him seated in his big chair in his big office. Or rather, three things.
Three boxes, all of them wrapped up surprisingly neatly, in wrapping paper that was nice to look at, if not particularly flashy. And while none of them looked particularly different from the others, there must have been something off about them judging by the way that Abe kept reaching towards one then flinching like his hand had been smacked and pulling it back. A series of events that repeated multiple times over the course of a few minutes, and likely would have many more had the room's other occupant not spoken up.
"You are vastly overthinking this," Mona Simpson declared, a bemused look on her face as she watched her (sort of) ex-husband struggle with the presents, "I was there when you picked them all out, believe me when I say that any of them, or all of them, would be entirely acceptable for this." She tapped her foot on the floor, the only real sign of her impatience at the moment, "If you don't hurry it up we're going to be late!"
Hearing that, Abe could only bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something he'd
definitely regret. It wasn't as if he didn't know that she was right; the gifts he'd picked up were among the best he'd ever got anyone. In his opinion only the gift of his former house to his son and daughter-in-law was better, and honestly the scale was pretty hard to top something like that even when your pocket change was more than what some people made in a year.
"Alright, alright," Abe finally said, quickly running through an "Eeny Meeny Miney Moe" before finally grabbing the package on the left, "I guess I'll save the others for another time." None of them were exactly perishable at least, he could hold onto them for the next party…Or his next screw-up. Whichever came first.
…Knowing his luck, it would probably be the screw-up, but Abe was going to do his best to not think about his tendency to put his foot squarely in his own mouth when the chips were down. Though if nothing else, the fact that it seemed to be a family trait meant that it was possible Homer would do the same thing with him at some point. Maybe they could even bond over mutually eating their own feet…
Shaking out of his rather depressing thoughts, Abe climbed into the back of his company car, Mona joining him a moment later. She must have been able to tell some of what he was thinking, because his…He didn't even know what to call her (he'd heard Bart call it a 'situationship' at some point, that seemed close enough for now).
"I know that you're worried about what Homer and Marge will say when you show up," Mona began, her tone rather sympathetic all things considered, "But after everything that's happened these past months I think that they'll surprise you. The fact that everyone has had a chance to cool down their tempers certainly won't hurt."
Abe let out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. "...Thank you," he replied, truly appreciating her effort even if he wasn't completely sure that he deserved it.
But it seemed that Mona wasn't finished talking just yet. "Back when we were first dating," she continued, "One of the qualities that attracted me to you in the first place was that if there was something you wanted you were willing to work like hell to make it happen, whether that was a promotion at your job or even our relationship. I think that as long as you can remember that feeling, things will work out."
Mona's pep talk had a visible effect on Abe, and he sat up straighter in his seat as his hands gripped the gift. "...Yeah. Yeah, you're right about that," Abe began, nodding to himself as some amount of confidence returned to him, "I can do this, no problem."
About a half hour later, as the car pulled up in front of the Simpson residence, Abe's confidence had all but disappeared however. "This was a mistake, there's no way I can do this!" He told Mona, fidgeting nervously in his seat as his eyes darted to and fro, as though searching for an escape route, all while her deeply unimpressed expression had returned with a vengeance.
"Abe, if I have to drag you out of this car I will," Mona vowed, and Abe knew that she was serious because she had the same look in her eye as when she'd told him not to tell Homer about Herb.
"Alright, alright," Abe grumbled, before adjusting his clothes and running a hand through his hair to make it a touch neater, "Let's get this over with, at least if they do kick me out I can get back in time to catch the Columbo marathon that's on tonight."
Mona rolled her eyes at the comment, but once the two were out of the car they walked to the front door of 742 Evergreen Terrace. Before Abe could come up with yet another excuse for why he should flee the area she reached out and knocked firmly on the door, and the two could hear rapid footsteps approaching before the door opened to reveal Bart's face, their grandson dressed in his church clothes rather than his usual t-shirt and shorts.
"Are you here to kidnap me?" Bart asked as he stepped aside to let his grandparents pass, "Because that'd be great."
Abe chuckled as he stepped through the doorway, reaching down to ruffle his grandson's hair as he passed. "Don't you think you've had enough of that kind of excitement lately?" He asked, while Mona leaned down to kiss Bart's forehead.
"I've spent the last three days cleaning, and Mom made it clear that if I got up to my usual hijinks I won't be seeing the next Vindicators movie when it comes out," Bart groaned, his shoulders slumping as he spoke, "It's been too long since I've gotten my fix, I'm jonesing real bad!"
"That's my little troublemaker," Mona said with a smile, bending over to place a kiss on his forehead, and it was a testament to how much Bart liked his grandmother that he only squirmed a little bit at the affection, "Now, where is everyone?
Suddenly the sound of rapid footsteps returned, and a moment later Lisa arrived around a corner and smiled widely at the two of them. "Grandma! Grandpa! You made it!" The young girl practically launched herself through the air to catch Abe in a hug that probably would have knocked him over had he not been prepared for it.
"Good to see you too Lisa!" Mona began once she got her own hug, "Now, where are your parents, we should probably let them know that we're here…"
"Mom was right behind me," Lisa told them, and sure enough a moment later Abe's daughter in law was there, looking more than a little stressed but still with a smile on her face as she greeted her in-laws.
"It's so good to see you both again," Marge began, a smile on her face that didn't look as strained as Abe had been expecting. Still, he knew that Marge was able and willing to keep her true feelings to herself if she needed to, it didn't mean that she had actually forgiven him for…Certain recent events. "You're both just in time, I was about to bring out dinner."
"Happy anniversary Marge," Mona greeted her daughter in law, "Wonderful to see you as always." She placed her own gift on a nearby end table, and Abe quickly did the same.
"Yeah, great to see you Marge," Abe quickly agreed, trying to hide his discomfort, "It's been too long." Marge gave him another smile, before to his shock she leaned forward to give him a brief hug. He froze for a moment, not able to react before she pulled away a moment later.
The two elders shuffled into the dining room to find that Marge's sisters had already arrived, seated on one end of the long table. Selma raised her glass on seeing them. "Hey there old money," she began, "Lead any angry mobs lately?"
At her side Patty grimaced for a moment before elbowing her sister, and a frown appeared on Marge's face as she looked at her older sibling. "Remember what we talked about Selma," she said before striding deliberately back into the kitchen.
Meanwhile Abe could feel his stomach land somewhere around his ankles, Selma's comment having reawakened all his anxiety about this dinner. He fidgeted in his seat, and was just opening his mouth to make an excuse to try and leave when Homer walked in, stopping in the entryway when he saw his father seated there.
The two men stared at each other, both apparently having lost their tongues for all that they were speaking. Not for the first time Abe wished he was better at emotional things; sure things had definitely improved for him and Homer since that mess at the Kamp…But that just meant that his son had stopped booking it at the first opportunity if they ever had to be in the same room and they could occasionally (on a good day) exchange pleasantries about the weather. Nothing more meaningful than that.
If there was one good thing about how abrupt this little reunion was, it was that Homer seemed to be as off-balance as Abe was. He seemed to struggle for a moment, before he nodded to his parents. "Mom, Dad," he began as he moved towards the head of the table, "Glad you could make it."
It was clear to Abe that his son wasn't exactly thrilled to have him here, but he seemed willing to at least try to keep a civil tone, tonight at least. He supposed that was about as good as he could hope for, all things considered.
They were soon joined by the rest of the family, and moments later Marge walked into the room carrying a large, covered plate. "I hope you're all hungry, because I made a lot!" She placed the plate on the center of the table, removing the cover to reveal a juicy looking pot roast that had everyone (barring Lisa of course) licking their lips.
Mona stood up from her seat when Marge made to go back into the kitchen. "Let me help you with that Marge," she began, and despite her daughter-in-law's protests she was soon bringing in other plates of delicious looking food.
Dinner…Honestly went better than Abe had expected, if he was being honest. The kids had been thrilled to see him of course, especially under better circumstances than their last meeting, but he'd been expecting that. He still wasn't sure if Marge was holding a grudge or not, but the woman seemed willing to be polite, even if he was pretty sure that she still hated him, or at least his guts. The Bouvier sisters seemed to be net neutral, though he thought Patty might have given him a sympathetic nod at one point.
The real issue was Homer's reaction of course. The man hadn't been treating him like scum off the bottom of his shoe, but that was about the best thing that could be said of their interactions as they ate. He responded if Abe asked something directly, but other than occasionally asking him to pass one plate or another that was it. More than a little disheartened, Abe resigned himself to the fact that this might be the best he could hope for for future interactions with his son. He deserved it of course, but it still hurt.
As the extended Simpson family finished their dessert Homer began tapping his spoon against his glass, getting everyone's attention before he began to speak. "First, I want to thank everyone for coming here to help celebrate mine and Marge's anniversary. It means a lot that you're able to come out here even with everything that's been going on." He turned slightly, looking at his wife with a truly loving expression on his face, one that some might have called out of place on the middle-aged man who was so often angry at one thing or another. "Marge, I know that I haven't always been the best husband, even before everything that happened with the Dome. You've believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself, and been there for me even when I've been a major screw up. But even with our rough patches over the years, I know that our bond is stronger than ever, and every day I'm so thankful that I'm your husband, and the father to our amazing kids. I can't imagine a world without you, and I promise that I'm going to keep working to keep our family safe"
At the end of his speech there was some light applause from the rest of the family, and even Patty and Selma's seemed like it was a touch less sarcastic than it normally was when they applauded Homer. Admittedly that was still pretty sarcastic, but baby steps. Once that died down Marge kissed her husband on his cheek and then took her chance to speak.
"My dear Homer," she began, "Every day I look at our family and wonder how I could be so blessed to have such an incredible group of people by my side, through thick and thin, in sickness and health. When I wake up beside you in the morning, I know that I can handle anything the day throws at me until I fall asleep beside you at night. You are the wind beneath my wings, the fire in my heart, and even when we're at our worst I know that when I'm with you I can do anything."
As she finished Marge leaned towards Homer and pulled him into a kiss, the married couple demonstrating the passion of a much younger couple. The children present made gagging noises as it continued, but the adults could only smile at the display of love.
Abe however started to feel like he was an interloper, like he was seeing something he wasn't supposed to. He mumbled an excuse and pushed away from the table before making his way to the back of the house and, after a moment, stepped out into the backyard.
He stood there for a bit, leaning against the wall as he looked up at the night sky. In all honesty, the party had gone basically as good as he could have hoped for. At the very least, he hadn't been thrown out of the house the moment he'd stepped inside. Maybe…Maybe this was what his relationship with Homer was going to be for the rest of his life. Forced politeness and otherwise ignoring each other.
…Abe would have been lying if he said he hadn't earned that. It wasn't as though he'd been a particularly good dad even before the Dome; maybe he just needed to get used to the way things were now.
His rather morbid thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of a can opening, and Abe looked back to see something he genuinely hadn't been expecting. Or rather, someone. Homer stood there, a somewhat awkward expression on his face as he held an open, frosty can of Duff towards Abe, an unopened one in his other hand. "Figured we could probably use this after a long day," he explained, still waiting for Abe to take it from him. It was clearly something of a peace offering, so unexpected to him that for a moment Abe could only stare before snapping out of it.
"Yeah, of course," Abe began, stumbling slightly over his words before he reached out to take the drink from his son. As he did Homer opened the other one and the two men stood in the backyard, looking up at the night sky as they drank their beers. They didn't speak to each other as they did, but somehow the silence felt more natural than their stilted bits of conversation they'd had in the house.
There were still things the two needed to discuss, Abe knew. A single shared drinking session did not make up for the mess the two Simpsons had made of their relationship. But it was something of a start, and as they watched a shooting star streak across the sky the old man thought that maybe it was possible they could work things out, given time.
Inside the house Mona and Marge looked out one of the kitchen windows and shared a brief smile before they rejoined the rest of the family in the living room, giving their boys a moment to make up for lost time. For the rest of the night the Simpson household would be filled with sounds of cheer and contentment, and in the world they lived in that was never something unwelcome.
For a good bit of time I wasn't sure I'd be able to get this out by the end of the day today, glad I was able to get a few bursts of inspiration throughout the day before the clock ticked over.
Today is Hellfish's birthday, the first post having been posted a year ago, and I want to thank the QMs for this amazing and fun quest. Here's to another year of kicking Burns where his legs meet and repairing Abe's familial relationships.
