Story Advent Calendar-Day 13-Day of Understanding

Jerry walked up the front steps and rang the bell.
"Just a moment!" He heard Kate's voice from inside, and so he waited patiently.
Soon the door opened wide. Kate looked at him and smiled, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Jerry! What brings you here?"
"Elizabeth said she borrowed some cooking stuff from you. She's busy now, and asked me to bring 'em back to you with her many thanks. Don't ask me what's in there, I don't have the faintest idea." He shrugged.
Kate laughed. "All right then, come in, we can't have you freeze out here." Kate said, letting him through.
Jerry nodded his head gratefully and took off his coat and boots, and followed Kate inside.
"So, where should I-?" He gestured at the bag he was holding, and Kate just waved her hand.
"Oh, anywhere, thanks." She said, checking in on the oven. Jerry sniffed the air.
"It smells delicious. What is it?" He asked curiously.
"Fried chicken. Care to join us?" Kate asked with a smile.
"Sure. Definitely better than canned soup." Jerry murmured, sitting down. Kate just grinned.
Jerry watched her bustle around the kitchen, his thoughts far from Kate and the house. His thoughts were actually with Tom; like everyone, he was worried. Almost two weeks have passed without a sign of life from him. He considered Tom his best friend; if not for Elizabeth, he would've been stuck with Henry, who was in town hardly ever. And that wasn't a fate he was looking forward to.
The problem was that he was socially awkward, and he knew it. He never felt comfortable with large groups of people, and when it came to conversations with others, he wasn't too good at it – he never knew what to say; it either seemed dumb or stupid or simply not acceptable. When around people, Jerry treated conversations like some quizzes; only one answer was correct, and the price was high. He knew it was a dumb way of looking at it, but that was the way he was.
That was one of the reasons he was so grateful to Elizabeth; she opened up options for him, introduced him to people he felt he could talk to freely. She herself was an extremely good-natured person, who understood the true meaning hidden behind every person's words. That was why she was the perfect match for him; if he sometimes said something that didn't seem appropriate, though he had only the best intentions in mind, she'd understand, and be thankful for his words.
"Where've you gone?" Kate brought him back to reality, sitting down in front of him.
He shrugged. "Out and about." He said. "To be precise, I was thinking about Elizabeth..."
Kate rolled her eyes and grinned. "Jeez, you two love birds can hardly spend a day without each other, can you?"
"...And Tom." He ended his thought, looking her steadily in the eye.
Kate looked back at him, a small gentle smile on her face. "What about him?" She asked kindly.
"Well..."
"If you're wondering what's happened to him, don't you worry. Tom's fine; I feel it." She said.
Jerry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "He better be. He's my only friend, really." He muttered. Oops. That sounded pretty rude. He cursed himself for saying such things.
"Hey, that's not nice." Kate pulled a face. "What about me?"
"I meant... a guy friend." Jerry explained, relieved she didn't take it the wrong way. She was a lot like Elizabeth in that way; always so understanding.
"Henry?" She suggested.
"Please. He's barely long enough in town to say hello, before he's off again." Jerry said.
Kate laughed at that. "You've got a point there." The timer then rang, and Kate got up.
"Looks like the chicken's ready." She walked up to the stairs and looked up. "Jimmy! Dinner's ready! Come down!" She called, and then hurried to the kitchen to get the chicken.
Jerry watched the boy running down the stairs. Though Jimmy instantly noticed him, he showed no signs of surprise – maybe a slight pause, but then he acted normally again. It always fascinated Jerry how little Jimmy didn't seem to be surprised by anything; he just assumed that everything happened for a reason, and he didn't question it. He was so unlike the other kids...
"Hi there, sport." Jerry said with a nod. "What've you been up to today?"
"We went to visit Grandpa today." He said with a wide smile. "He was very happy to see us."
"Grandpa?" Jerry turned to Kate, not understanding.
"Oh right, you don't know yet. Well, let's start from the beginning..."
As Kate laid out the dinner, she just finished the story as she sat down to enjoy the meal.
"...And that's how we found our father." She said with a smile.
"...I see." Jerry murmured, taking a bite of his meal. "You must be really happy now, huh?"
"You don't even know how much. And the kids are happy, too." She smiled at Jim and ruffled his hair.
Soon after that, Jerry had to leave. At the door, Kate thanked him for bringing him the things again.
"Make sure to tell Ellie to come for a cup of tea this Sunday. We haven't had a good talk in ages."
"...I'll tell her." Jerry murmured, putting his coat on.
"And you can come as well." She added gently. Jerry looked up at her, and she grinned.
"Thanks, Kate. I will." He replied gratefully.
"No problem." She said kindly. She gave him a quick hug, and patted his shoulder. "Be careful on the streets, they're probably covered in ice." She said.
"I will." He replied, and went back to his car, deep in thought. Since Tom left, he felt a bit left out again. He felt as if his only friends were... Henry and Elizabeth. Kate always seemed more of an acquaintance, someone he knew through Elizabeth. He never expected Kate to see him as a friend.
As he entered his car, he realized there was a lot more to friendship than he originally thought. Friendship wasn't one layer, a visible line between just knowing someone and being friends with someone. There were layers, layers that overlapped, intertwined, layers that didn't have a clear beginning or a clear end. Friendship was the positive consequence of furthering your contacts with someone. And if Kate could call him a friend... Could he call Kate his friend?
As he drove on to the street, he came to the conclusion that yes, he could.