Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 108: Minefield

Ding, dong.

Jay walked toward the door, grumbling to himself as he adjusted something around his neck.

He opened the door.

First to come in were Mitchell and Cam, pushing Lily's stroller. Both greeted Jay quickly, barely smiling, too focused on not talking too much to each other to notice the strange accessory around Jay's neck.

"Hi, Dad,"

"Hey, Jay,"

They said in unison, walking past him.

"Hey," Jay replied, waving at them as he watched them for a second.

Then he looked back at the door, where Andrew and Pippa were approaching, holding hands.

As soon as Andrew saw Jay, he raised an eyebrow. Pippa also paused for a second.

Jay had two large brown leather shoes hanging around his neck, tied together with a thick cord like some kind of strange improvised necklace.

"Did you forget where shoes are supposed to go, Grandpa? People usually wear them on their feet, not around their neck," Andrew commented.

"Very funny, Mr. Comedian," Jay said, though his tone was clearly not amused.

"Hanging your ancestors' shoes around your neck is a Colombian tradition," he added, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "It's better than beating a chicken while shouting to ward off death."

'Colombian traditions?' Pippa thought, raising an eyebrow slightly and holding back a smile.

She knew perfectly well that wasn't a Colombian tradition. It was obvious Gloria had made it up.

For what purpose? She had no idea. But she wasn't about to correct Jay and risk Gloria getting mad at her, especially since she was already dealing with Haley. If Jay and Gloria were going to fight, they could handle it themselves.

So, Pippa just smiled and nodded as if Jay's answer made perfect sense.

Andrew, on the other hand, nodded seriously. He had no clue about Colombian traditions, so he completely bought the story.

"It's good to know," Andrew said, as if it were valuable information he might need someday.

Remembering the main reason Jay had called him earlier, Andrew asked, "And how's the printer thing going? Did Phil already print the photo of Gloria's grandmother?"

"No," Jay answered, snorting loudly, with that mix of constant annoyance and disappointment that was so typical of him.

"Apparently, Phil isn't as much of an expert as you thought. It's been four hours, and the only thing I've gotten is having to put up with him since early this morning," he added.

"Seriously?" Andrew said, blinking, incredulous. For Phil, it should've been a simple task; it shouldn't have taken that long.

"Yeah, why would I lie?" Jay grunted, pulling a face.

His bad mood was obvious.

Between the bizarre "Colombian traditions" he'd had to endure, like hanging shoes around his neck or beating chickens, and now Phil, who was stuck with something as basic as a printer, Jay looked like he was reaching the limit of his patience.

Just then, from the kitchen, Gloria's unmistakable voice rang out, "Jay! Don't criticize my traditions in front of the guests!"

"I'm not criticizing! I'm explaining!" Jay shouted back.

Then, muttering under his breath, he added, "Explaining how senseless these traditions are."

"There are sodas and snacks in the living room," he said, motioning toward the living room with his hand. "But don't fill up. We're having pig intestines for dinner, one of Colombia's finest dishes."

Without waiting for a response, Jay snorted again and went back into the kitchen, mumbling something unintelligible about shoes, chickens, and now printers.

Andrew and Pippa stayed in the hallway for a few seconds, exchanging looks.

"Pig intestines, huh?" Pippa said with a cautious smile. It didn't exactly sound like the most appetizing dish in the world, judging by the name.

"As long as it meets my calories and protein, it's fine by me," Andrew said, shrugging as he started walking toward the living room, bringing her with him.

"Your discipline with food sometimes borders on extreme," Pippa said, laughing softly, "But I respect it. It's one of the things I like about you."

She knew Andrew took it seriously. He wanted to be a professional football player, and his level of commitment was part of that.

No improvising. Everything measured, everything planned.

"I have my cheat meals. I'm not a robot," Andrew said with a slight smile.

"I know. But still, it's incredible how disciplined you are. At our age, most people don't think beyond what they're doing for the weekend," Pippa said as they sat down on one of the living room couches next to Andrew.

"You're just as intense when it comes to studying. You plan your days, your study hours, what you're going to study, your free time, your sleep schedule... I like that about you too," Andrew said, looking at her.

"All to get into a good university," Pippa replied.

"Same," Andrew added.

They stayed quiet for a few seconds, enjoying the calm moment together, and then they noticed.

They looked around and realized the living room was empty.

Most likely, Mitch and Cam had gone to the kitchen with Gloria to offer some help. As for Jay, he had probably gone back to Phil, most likely pressuring him to finally print the darn picture of Gloria's late grandmother.

"Now we're just missing Aunt Claire, Haley, and Alex. That's when the real trouble starts," Andrew muttered to himself, but Pippa heard him.

Haley and Alex were both mad at Claire for being so controlling and snooping through Alex's private messages. And on top of that, Haley had irrationally gotten mad at Pippa just because Alex had turned to her for advice.

Then there were Mitch and Cam, who still carried tension from the whole public-kiss incident and the argument that followed.

And Jay... well, Jay clearly wasn't in the best mood either.

Between the strange "Colombian traditions" and Phil's disastrous attempt with the printer, he seemed about ready to lose it at any moment.

Pippa, knowing it might be better for Andrew to be prepared, decided to speak up.

"There's something I should tell you," she said softly, leaning in a little closer.

"What is it?" Andrew asked, curious.

"The 'Colombian traditions' Jay's doing... hanging shoes, beating chickens..." Pippa lowered her voice even more, like she was afraid Gloria might hear them. "They're not real. They're made up."

"What? Really?" Andrew asked, surprised.

Pippa nodded seriously, "Yes. Gloria made them up. I don't know why, but I can assure you those things aren't part of Colombian culture," she confirmed.

Andrew froze for a few seconds, processing the information.

And then he slightly paled.

If Gloria had invented those "traditions," it could only mean one thing:

She and Jay had probably had a previous argument...

And now Gloria was quietly getting her revenge, forcing Jay to make a fool of himself with cultural excuses.

If Jay found out during dinner...

Andrew swallowed hard.

The night was going to be way more dangerous than he had initially thought.

He leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"We're sitting on a minefield," he muttered.

Pippa nodded with a strange smile, but there wasn't much they could do about it.

Just then, they heard the doorbell ring. Andrew and Pippa exchanged a look, as if chaos itself had just knocked on the door.

From the kitchen, Gloria's voice boomed like thunder, "Andrew, can you get that, please?"

"I'll go get it. Wish me luck," Andrew said, getting up with resignation.

Pippa nodded, settling a bit more into the couch.

Andrew walked to the door and opened it.

Haley walked in first. "Hi, Andrew," she said in a flat tone, hard to tell if she was angry or not, but she definitely didn't seem in a good mood.

"Hey, Haley," Andrew replied.

As she walked past him, Haley gave him a quick sideways glance, as if trying to read his face, trying to figure out if Andrew knew anything about the argument she had with Pippa.

But Andrew, wearing his best poker face, didn't show a thing.

Behind Haley came Alex, "Hey," she greeted, her expression serious and clearly still angry, most likely at Claire.

"How's it going?" Andrew asked, playing dumb, as if he didn't know anything.

"My mom's a controlling, nosy person who doesn't respect her daughters' privacy," Alex immediately blurted out, turning to glare at Claire, who had just walked in behind her and heard everything.

'Damn it, why the hell did I ask that?' Andrew thought, mentally kicking himself.

"I'm not a controlling, nosy person. I just care and want to make sure you're not dating a sexual predator. And besides, you left your phone unlocked and in plain sight, so it's not my fault," Claire explained.

Alex stared at Claire, completely outraged.

"And you still blame me?! You're unbelievable, Mother! Don't even talk to me, I didn't even want to come here!"

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Andrew raised his hands in a peace gesture.

"There are sodas and snacks in the living room," he said quickly, stepping in as a referee.

Then he looked at Claire and added, "Gloria and my parents are in the kitchen. They probably need some help or something."

Claire let out a restrained huff and, without arguing further, headed toward the kitchen.

Haley and Alex, for their part, made their way to the living room.

Andrew let out a silent sigh before following them. When he returned to the living room, he noticed the scene had changed slightly.

Besides Pippa, Luke and Manny were now there, they must have arrived while he was dealing with the Dunphys at the door.

Luke was sitting on the floor, flipping through some magazines quickly, as if searching for something interesting.

Manny had settled near Pippa and Alex, who now seemed to be in a better mood, chatting animatedly with both of them.

Haley, on the other hand, sat on the opposite side of the living room, arms crossed and a frown on her face, throwing furtive glances toward the group, especially at Pippa.

"Hey, Luke, Manny," Andrew greeted them with a smile as he sat down next to Pippa. freewёbnoνel.com

"Andrew, let's go play outside! I'm bored," Luke said instantly, springing to his feet.

"We can't, Luke. Dinner's gonna be ready soon. It's not the right time to go running around," Andrew replied, shaking his head.

Luke let out a dramatic sigh and flopped back onto the floor, crawling over to a cabinet and starting to dig around for something to entertain himself.

Manny, meanwhile, greeted Andrew enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the tension still lingering in the air.

"Hi, Andrew! I wrote a new poem to share with everyone at dinner!" Manny said excitedly, clearly hoping for some praise.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear it..." Andrew replied, giving him a genuine smile.

The conversation among the group continued peacefully.

Pippa, Alex, Manny, and Andrew exchanged comments, jokes, and little stories, enjoying themselves.

However, the atmosphere wasn't exactly relaxed.

Haley's silent presence, sitting at a distance with her arms crossed and a frown on her face, was like a heavy shadow hanging over the living room.

Andrew kept glancing sideways at Haley. She hadn't touched her phone, which was unusual in itself. Her arms remained crossed, her expression growing more closed-off by the second, as if every moment spent watching Pippa and Alex having fun was piling up gunpowder inside her.

'Oh, God... When will dinner be ready?' Andrew thought, checking the time.

It was only a matter of time before Haley exploded if they stayed there much longer.

Maybe at dinner, with all the adults present, Haley would hold herself back.

Or at least, it would be harder for her to start an open argument.

But every minute spent in that living room, with Pippa, Alex, and Manny laughing calmly, sharing ideas and clever jokes while she sat there watching from her corner, made the chances of an outburst grow dangerously.

And then, inevitably, it happened.

At one point, while Pippa was answering Alex, talking enthusiastically about basic concepts of biochemistry, an introduction Alex had just started studying and found both challenging and fascinating, Haley let out a dry, mocking laugh.

An odd, uncomfortable silence followed, as every gaze in the living room turned toward Haley.

"What's so funny?" Pippa and Alex asked almost at the same time.

Neither of their tones was friendly.

Pippa, for her part, was already angry about the earlier argument with Haley, where Haley, angry and irrational, had told her not to get involved in "sister matters."

Alex, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood either. Her relationship with Haley had always been a battlefield.

Competitive, different in everything.

And this time, Haley had also been the one who, without thinking too much, had given her the almost absurd advice to kiss the guy she liked without thinking it through, something that nearly led Alex to make a mistake she was now ashamed of.

[Andrew's comment]

"The minefield's already been stepped on, and dinner hasn't even started," Andrew said, sighing and shaking his head.

[End of comment]

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