Chapter 92: The Kids' Relationship Issues
"What's up with Lip?" Frank asked curiously after the family finished dinner.
During dinner, Lip had been staring at Frank without a word, making Frank feel uneasy.
"It's your fault," Fiona replied with a hint of annoyance.
After Ian had a heart-to-heart with Lip, Ian shared Lip and Karen's situation with everyone.
"What did I do?" Frank asked, genuinely confused.
"Karen dumped Lip," Fiona explained briefly.
"Oh," Frank said, scratching his head, now understanding the situation.
Frank didn't plan to marry Sheila, but he accepted Karen as his daughter. Though technically a stepdaughter, Frank, being from a different background, saw Sheila's children as his own in a similar way.
Thus, he treated Karen the same as Fiona and the others, showing equal affection and care, with the only difference being Karen had Sheila as her mother.
In this light, Lip and Karen were essentially unrelated siblings.
Lip and Karen's breakup was partly Frank's responsibility.
However, Frank thought that the breakup might not be a bad thing.
After Eddie's death, Karen seemed to have found clarity, distancing herself from bad influences and focusing on her studies, becoming a normal girl of her age.
In contrast, Lip remained a carefree wanderer, seeming unreliable and aimless.
If Lip weren't Frank's son, and Frank were Karen's father, he wouldn't approve of their relationship. Lip embodied the "bad boy" persona.
Lip's carefree attitude was partly due to their differing family backgrounds.
After Officer Eddie's death, Karen inherited enough money to afford college, whether at the University of Chicago or prestigious schools like Harvard or the University of Michigan.
Lip, on the other hand, didn't have enough for even one semester, and it was unlikely he'd find the funds for college.
Lip knew his future post-high school was working to earn money, so he tried leveraging his high school days to make money.
Being intelligent, Lip understood the class gap was insurmountable, resigning himself to a life of poverty, thus his carefree attitude.
In the old saying, Lip and Karen weren't a good match, their backgrounds too different.
Ultimately, Frank felt he failed as a father, unable to afford college for Lip.
In Frank's view, Lip and Karen's breakup might be beneficial.
Without Lip's bad influence, Karen could focus on her studies.
Perhaps Lip might strive harder, eventually overcoming his circumstances.
"Well, each generation has its own fate," Frank thought, trying not to dwell on it.
Life goes on regardless of breakups.
However, Lip, already critical of Frank, became even more so, now refusing to speak to him and often glaring at him.
Karen seemed unaffected, behaving the same as before, treating Lip more like a friend than anything else.
But Lip hadn't moved on, often watching or even following Karen, something Frank noticed several times.
Frank's attention wasn't solely on Lip and Karen's relationship; there were many other things requiring his focus.
"What's going on with you and Mandy Milkovich?" Frank asked Ian when he saw him descending the stairs for a drink.
Frank suspected the mysterious magazine in Ian's room was Ian's secret.
Yet, Ian and Mandy's relationship seemed unusually close, at times even more so than Lip and Karen's.
This left Frank puzzled, wondering if Ian was bisexual.
"Nothing's going on. We're just close. What, you want to make Mandy your stepdaughter too?" Ian retorted, slightly mocking Frank.
Lip and Ian were close in age, only a year or two apart, making them the closest among the siblings.
Although Frank and Ian's relationship had somewhat improved, Ian was still upset about Lip and Karen's situation, making him cold towards Frank.
Frank wanted to say something but decided against it.
Frank's first impression of Mandy was negative, seeing her as a provocatively dressed girl with a "wild" vibe.
But seeing Ian's demeanor, Frank realized he couldn't intervene.
"Hey, Frank!" Jimmy greeted as he knocked on the door.
"You're early; Fiona isn't home yet," Frank said, his tone dropping.
Though Frank let Jimmy in, knowing he was there to tutor Fiona and having already gained from Jimmy, he still wasn't friendly, aware that Jimmy's ultimate goal was to win his daughter.
"You've been coming over often. Is your father out of the hospital?" Frank asked.
"Shh," Jimmy replied, wanting to keep his identity a secret.
"No worries, no one's home," Frank assured him.
"Good," Jimmy sighed in relief.
After a brief conversation, Fiona returned home.
"Here's a gift for you," Jimmy said, producing a rose with a flourish as Fiona entered.
"Thank you," Fiona smiled, fatigue fading away.
"Ugh," Frank grimaced, unimpressed by Jimmy's practiced charm.
"Time to study," Frank interrupted, handing Fiona a book and breaking the romantic moment.
Under Frank's watchful eye, Jimmy dutifully helped Fiona revise, not daring to overstep.
Dealing with these three kids' relationship issues was exhausting; Frank found solace in the younger ones, Liam, Debbie, and Carl, still innocent and carefree.