As I looked through the fridge, I heard the front door open and Mom calling my name. “Julia, is that you?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m in the kitchen.” I answered hoping she wasn’t going to rip me a new one for eating before dinner.
It took her a few minutes before she entered the room. She looked exhausted. Her hair was twisted up and strands of hair had fallen to the sides of her face. As she placed one hand on the counter for balance, she reached down while lifting her left foot to pull her high heel off and then the other. Then she tossed them in the doorway of the living room.
“Whew, I’ve had a long day,” she said while pulling the hair clip out of her hair.
“I can see. Do you want me to pour you something to drink?” I asked.
“Actually, if you can just hand me a water out of the fridge, that would be great.”
As I handed her the water she looked at me and said, “So, you know we need to talk about yesterday, right?” I was hoping she wasn’t going to bring yesterday up until Dad came home. I was already feeling bad for the way I reacted yesterday, that I didn’t want to have to apologize twice. It would be a lot easier if they both were here, but I knew she was waiting for a response. Just as I was about to plead for forgiveness, Dad came walking through the door.
“Hey, I’m home. Where’s everyone hiding?” Dad asked.
“We’re in the kitchen, dear.” Mom replies.
Chapter Two
“So how was everyone’s day? ” Dad asked not looking nearly as exhausted as my mom.
“School was okay, but Mom looks like she’s been through the ringer.” I said with an innocent look on my face and a slight smile so Mom wouldn’t think I was being wise.
“Yes, I’ve had a long day, so I think tonight I’ll order some pizza for dinner. I’m too tired to cook. Is that all right with you guys?” Mom asked us both with a look on her face that said ‘please have mercy on me.’
Neither Dad nor I objected to her request. Knowing there weren’t many days that we ate out or ordered in, it would be a nice change. For as long as I can remember my mom has always taken pride in cooking for us which I’ve always enjoyed, but to be able to eat something greasy, well that’s heaven for me. Everything Mom usually cooks is from a book she ordered online called “Eating Healthy and Living Longer.” While I waited for the pizza to arrive, I excused myself from the kitchen so I could head to my room and do my homework. I didn’t have much to do thank God. Mr. Brown my physics teacher was the only one who gave anything. Usually I have more homework, but all week I’ve had mid-terms, so I’ve been pretty lucky.
Once I finished my paper I shoved it into my backpack and washed up for dinner. While wiping my hands on the towel in the bathroom, I heard the doorbell ring, so I yelled, “I’ll get the door.” Rushing to open the door, I swung it open so fast that I scared the pizza boy, or should I say, hot pizza guy.
OMG, was all I thought. I’m pretty sure I stood in the doorway for at least ten seconds just staring at what could only be a cruel trick from the heavens above. I’ve seen some pizza boys/guys in my day and none of them came even close to this hottie. I was in such awe, that I saw his lips moving, but didn’t hear anything he was saying. Oh, his lips.
“Um, excuse me; do I have the right house? You did order pizza, right?”
“Oh, yes, I did. Wait, no, I didn’t order the pizza. I mean…, well, yes, but technically my mother did.” The words poured out of my mouth like a babbling brook. I couldn’t believe what an idiot I sounded like.
Standing in front of this guy that could only prove to be created by someone as powerful as God himself said, “It’s an even twenty five dollars.”
I could feel butterflies in my stomach as I looked directly into his deep blue eyes and said, “Please excuse me; I’ll be right back.”
Knowing he was watching me walk away, I tried to walk as casual as I could while strutting sexy. As soon as I turned the corner, I rushed off looking for my mom. Finding her in her bedroom talking on the phone I whisper, “The pizza’s here. I need some money.”
Covering the mouth piece on the phone she said, “Your dad should be in the garage. Ask him, I’m on an important phone call.”
Racing through the kitchen which led to the door garage, I ran smack into my dad landing right on my butt. “Julia, are you alright?” Dad asked while he reached out his hand to help me get up.
“Yes, I’m alright, I just need some money. The pizza’s here.”
“In God’s creation, is that why you were running in the house? You’re out of breath, kid. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were up to something. Are you?” He asked.
The word
really
was running through my head. Up to something? What did he think? I didn’t have time for fifty questions. I needed to grab the money and go. Heck, no one should ever leave a hot guy waiting. “Dad, the money,” I said reminding him with my hand out.
“I’ll go get the pizzas, Julia. You just go sit down at the table.”
I knew it. Why couldn’t Mom just have given me the money? Dad was taking away my one moment of happiness. I mean, really. No guy in my school came even close to this guy. Knowing I’d probably never see him again, I needed to take one last look into his eyes. So without hesitation or even having control over the words that came out of my mouth, I shouted “Dad, I got it.”
“Julia, what has gotten into you?” Dad asked with a firm tone in his voice.
“Um, nothing, I just know you’ve been on your feet all day at work. Just trying to be considerate, that’s all.”
My eyes lit up when I saw him pull out his wallet and hand me the money saying, “Here you go. Hurry before the pizza gets cold, I’m starving, but don’t run.” So, with the money in hand, I quickly walked out of the room only to race back to the door without Dad seeing.
“Here you go, tip and all,” I said like a moron handing the money over.
As he reached his hand out for the money, I could feel one of his fingers brush up against mine sending a small chill up the spine of my back. I could feel the hairs on my neck stand. My knees were weak and it seemed like it was a hundred degrees in the house.
I watched his lips move as he said, “Here you go. Be careful, the bottom box is extremely hot.” Before I could say anything else to prolong his stay he said goodbye and just like that he walked out of my life. I know I sound ridiculous, but he was the closest thing to a boy/man I’ve come across in a long time. My parents are very strict when it comes to any one in my life. I’m not even allowed to date, which is a bummer, but then again there was no one in school that I even liked.
After Mom finished her phone call we all sat at the dinner table and began devouring the pizza like it was going to be our last meal on earth. I knew that somewhere in the mix of chatting back and forth, the whole moving thing was going to be brought up. I was prepared as much as I could be. I had finally come to realize that we were moving to New York and I’d have to suck it up and deal with it. I think the biggest reason I felt sad to move was all the memories of growing up in this house.
When I was just four years old, Dad built me a tree house in the backyard. Even now being a teenager I still go in it once in a while when we have a thunderstorm. Being able to sit and watch the lighting light up the sky while the thunder roars is still to this day exciting to me. Then there are the marks on my bedroom doorway. Mom would carve a little line every year to show me how much I’ve grown, but my favorite would have to be when Dad made a walkway up to the porch with cement. That was the day I stuck my tiny hands in it and he wrote my name beside them, but I guess it’s time to leave all that behind and just hold onto those memories.
“So, Julia,” Dad said looking at me with a serious look on his face. I know yesterday’s conversation about moving was shocking, but you do realize, that I’ve already accepted the job and I…”
I didn’t want Dad to think I was mad at him. Nor did I want my mom to feel the same way, so I interrupted him saying, “Really, it’s fine. I know that this is what’s best for us. I also know that you would never make a decision that you didn’t think was a good one, so I’m ready for New York.”
The looks on both of my parents’ faces was priceless. I knew they were expecting me to throw another fit, but what I wasn’t expecting was for my dad to get up from his chair, walk over to me and squeeze me so tight I thought he was going to crack a bone. Mom on the other hand was so happy that she suggested we go out for ice cream to celebrate. It was like the world had stopped. “Go out for ice cream? Okay, where is my mother and what have you done with her?” I said to my mom with a smile.
“No, really, I think your mother’s right. This calls for a celebration. What do you say, Julia? Dad asked with a glow on his face that I hadn’t seen in a long time. As much as I wasn’t really in the mood for celebrating, I agreed. When we arrived back home I said goodnight to my parents and headed for my bedroom. I was extremely exhausted from all the chatting my parents had with me about New York that I couldn’t think straight. I needed to unwind, so I threw on my night clothes, crawled under my covers and grabbed the book I was reading from my nightstand.
Whenever I need to escape from reality, I just open up a book and go wherever the story takes me. I’ve been hooked on this book called
Wishless
and it’s absolutely so good that I don’t want it to end. I’ve always hated that about books. Eventually they come to an end. After reading for about an hour, I decided to call it a night. Tomorrow would be a new day and I would have to start packing, so I stuck my bookmark into my book, placed it on my nightstand and shut off my light.
Chapter Three
Just before my alarm clock went off my mom opened my bedroom door and said, “Julia, time to get up. Come on sleepy head, time for school.”
“Man, do I have too? Can I just stay home? It’s not like I’ll be in that school much longer. No one will even miss me when I’m gone.” I pleaded to my mom while batting my eyes and pouting my lower lip down hoping it would work and she'd let me stay home.
“Julia, its Friday for goodness sake. Don’t be lazy. Just get through today and you’ll have the whole weekend to help me pack. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?” Mom said as she batted her eyes and pouted her lower lip to tease me.
I let out a deep sigh looking up at her and said, “Fine, you win. I’m getting up.”
“Thank you, Julia. I’m heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. I thought French toast with some cinnamon would be good. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds good, Mom, I’ll be down in a sec.”
After getting dressed, I grabbed my backpack and headed for the kitchen. The smell lingering through the air only made my stomach growl even more than it already was. Dad was in his usual spot at the table sipping at his coffee while reading the paper. It was unusual for my dad not to say good morning to me, but apparently something in the paper had his interest. Just as I was about to ask him what he was reading he slammed his hand down on the table and yelled, “What is this world coming to?”
“Honey, relax. Don’t get yourself all worked up, remember your blood pressure,” Mom said to Dad as she rubbed his back to calm him.
I was afraid to even ask what it was this time. It seemed like every time my dad read the paper something bothered him. Last week it was something about the union and the week before it was global warming. To make matters worse whenever he finds something to rant about I have to sit and listen.
“Look at this Julia,” as Dad pointed to an article in the paper. “I’m so sick and tired of reading about how our president is to blame for our country being in debt. It took more than one man to put us where we are today. Instead of pointing the finger, we need to be trying to figure out how we are going to survive the next fifty years.”
Not really knowing much about politics I sat there just listening to Dad go on and on until Mom took the paper from him and said, “Okay, honey, finish up your coffee.” I was so glad Mom intervened when she did. Anymore and I would have screamed. After putting my dish in the sink, I grabbed my backpack, kissed both my parents and headed off to school.