We walked down the nearest sidewalk in sporadic groups; Lexi and I were at the head of the gang, my mom and her two friends followed close behind and the two bitches trailed behind them. I could only wonder why they even agreed to my mom’s request to join us.
The lights of the city hit us as soon as we turned the corner from the parking garage. I stopped in mid-walk, jerking Alexis’ arm so she would stop with me. Nancy bumped into me but laughed it off. My home-sweet-home moment was interrupted by an annoying ass voice,
“Why did we stop?! Let’s gooooo I wanna see the damn city now move it!”
I whipped around to face Darcy, “Shut the hell up or I will leave your ass here and you’ll have to walk back home!”
That silenced her trap enough to make me start walking again, this time with a small skip in my step, happy that I had stood up to what irritated me. We walked around some more, admiring the streets of Denver when I stopped in front of a building with lights flashing around the title sign. The sign read “Late Night Café”. I smiled as wide as I could; this was the place I used to sneak out to when I was a teenager to get coffee and read poems and stories on stage. This place was my teenage years.
Alexis must’ve known what I was thinking when she saw me gazing at the sign. She used to be the look out when I snuck out and would cover for me. She smiled at me and opened the door; it made a cling noise as a bell hit the top of the door frame.
“Why are we going in this place?” Hannah whined from behind me.
“Oh, you’re not coming with us.” I said in a dark tone.
My mom walked up to us and told us she’d meet us back here in an hour. I nodded as she and her friends continued down the street. I gave the two bitches a sinister glare before marching into the café, Alexis following behind me.
I looked around the place; everything was exactly how I remembered it to be. The stage was the first thing you could see. It was small but just big enough for good entertainment. The café bar lie to the left of it. It was always crowded because of how delicious the coffee was. This night was no different, a long line had formed, long enough to crowd the space between the couches and tables on the other side.
Alexis and I squeezed between a young couple to get to the lounge area. This place felt exactly like home. The warm atmosphere, the delicate decorations, and the smell of fresh coffee all attacked me at once. I dropped onto my favorite couch right next to the biggest speaker in the café. The couch was black and soft as hell. One time I fell asleep on it and had to be woken up early in the morning. It was a hassle trying to sneak back into my house that night but I managed to accomplish it without anyone noticing, not even Alexis.
A person stepped onto the stage and tapped the microphone before announcing, “Hello everybody and welcome to poetry night!”
Everyone clapped but my heart bounded from my chest; poetry night was my favorite.
“First up, we’re glad to have Ms. Rachel Barr start off this night. Give it up for Rachel!” Everybody clapped again but her close friends at a nearby table whistled and howled.
“Hello,” she said in a soft voice, “I dedicate this poem to my boyfriend Grey.” She smiled and I followed her gaze to a boy about my age, curly hair, dimples in his cheeks, a good looking fellow I must say (yes he’s based on J)
“I’ve Been Waiting a long time,
A long time for someone like you to open the door
The door to my heart
I’ve been waiting for a life time
For someone like you to make me smile.
My smile; so hard to accomplish
For so many years I didn’t know how
How to breathe
How to love
True love forever.
I’ve been waiting to love someone like you
I’ve been waiting for my heart to mend
For you to bend it back into shape
I’ve been waiting.” She stopped for a moment before muttering, “Thank you.” I started to clap, indicating to the people in the back that couldn’t hear her that she had finished. That was why I loved the seat next to the biggest speaker, so I could hear every single word.
A couple of people took their turns, some funny poems, some sad poems, one terrible poem and one exceptionally amazing poem. But now it was my turn and even though I didn’t have anything with me, I had memorized the entire thing.
“This is a poem I wrote a while ago. It’s called ‘Silent Whispers’.” I began to recite,
Silent whispers of solace keep me from smiling again
A printed smile runs low on ink
It fades and never returns.
Reaching out to him, I call his name again hoping this time he’ll hear
But his back turns away, his respect is gone
As I kneel down to cry
A friendship torn in half like the sky caught in lightning
A midnight fever brings hell on Earth
A happy cry hangs from the lips.
No breathing is heard, not a sound at all
I don’t know if I’m alive and if I am, God help me
I don’t understand what he wants, or what he feels
And what I’m feeling I can’t explain
I just don’t know how.”
The entire café was silent. I added on “The End” to indicate that I was finished. A couple people laughed at that but otherwise the place remained quiet. I shot a glance at Alexis who then began to lead everyone in applause. However, this wasn’t any ordinary applause, this was a symphony to my ears. Everyone cheered and clapped; some people in the back stood up. I looked to my right and saw a group of girls still awestruck; one was even crying. I knew this was my best poem, I just didn’t know how greatly it affected everyone.
The announcer lady stepped up and kindly told me to take my seat. I nodded to her and stepped off the stage to sit back with Lexi. As I got nearer to my seat, a small group of people including Rachel and Grey approached me.
“You’re Tailynn Richards, aren’t you?” Rachel said to me.
“Um, yes I am.” I twisted my fingers together, afraid they might attack me.
“You’re my god damn hero!” Rachel burst out, taking my nervous hand, “you wrote ‘Love Has No Boundaries’ right?” I slowly smiled and nodded.
“That book helped me through so much.” A boy behind Grey addressed me, “My mom accepted who I was after she read it. She accepts Austin.” The boy held up his hand that was connected to another; another boy (whom I presumed was Austin) was next to him and he smiled with joy in his blue eyes.
“Wow, I’m honored you guys…” Was all I could think of saying, “Thank you so much.”
“No, thank you. We owe everything to you after the way you helped us.” Austin said.
“You’re welcome.” I gleamed before realizing I had to get back to my sister. “I have to get going now guys, I’ll-”
“Autograph please?” Rachel interrupted me and held up a notebook and a pen.
“Yeah of course.” I took the pen and began to sign my name over and over on different objects.
When I was finished I returned the pen to Rachel and said goodbye to the group. I couldn’t believe that even happened; this was definitely my night.
Again, sorry for no Smoshyness but Part 16 will have some in it so yay! :D :D
and yes, those two poems were poems I'd written a while ago :)
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 14
“Tailynn! Are you ready yet?!” I heard my mom call from downstairs.
“Just a minute!” I shouted back. Alexis was in my room getting ready with me. I was at my vanity combing my brown hair when I heard a car door slam from outside my room.
Alexis rushed to the window and peered out from the curtain. “Your bitches are here.” She announced to me.
I laughed, “Oh joy.”
“Guess that means we’re gonna have to get down there and get this over with.” She sighed as she walked passed me to the door.
“Okay, let’s do this.” I replied and followed her out.
“Hello Hannah and Darcy!” I heard my mother sing out as she opened the front door before they even rang the doorbell.
“Oh God, here goes.” Alexis and I trotted downstairs. I was wearing a black party dress that came down just before my knees. The rest of my legs were covered by black shiny leggings accompanied by six inch platform boots. I had my hair down but had Alexis help me by putting in mini black bow clips around the top. Alexis wore dark blue leggings with a long designer shirt that went just passed her butt. Her brown wavy hair flopped beyond her shoulders and a dark blue headband wrapped around the top of her head.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I finally got to see my ex best friends face to face. Both were still absolutely gorgeous. Hannah was the first to smile at me with her perfect white straight teeth. I remembered back in elementary school when she had terrible teeth; then all through middle and half of high school she had braces. Senior year she got them off and suddenly every boy wanted to date her. But it all wasn’t about just her teeth; her deep chestnut colored hair glowed radiant, every movement it took was majestic. It was as if she had hair fairies designed to keep her hair perfect at every single moment. I played with my hair just looking at her; wishing it had the same volume and shine. Hannah was a white girl but was tanned enough to make you think otherwise; and it was never a bad tan either. In other words; Hannah was perfect and I was surprised I was even her friend to begin with.
“Hello gorgeous!” She said to me, forcing me into a huge hug. Her comment made me blush but I swiped it away quickly.
“Um, hey!” I tried to sound confident.
She let go to say hi to Alexis. That’s when Darcy stepped up to me. Darcy was not the same yet very different from Hannah; it wasn’t a surprise that they were still friends and I was left out for so long. Darcy was 100% natural. She had long golden blonde hair that came down in natural curls to the top of her chest. She never had to brush it and she hardly ever straightened it because it was just beautiful the way it was. Her skin was a perfect peach color, she didn’t need to tan. I remembered in middle school when all the girls started wearing makeup, Darcy’s parents “wouldn’t allow” her to but eventually I realized that wasn’t the case. Darcy didn’t need makeup, the most I’d ever seen her wear was at prom when she used nude lipstick and splashed on some glitter eye shadow. This evening was no different; she had a tiny bit of purple eyeliner that curved around her eyes, a hint of lip gloss and glitter on her neck.
“Well look at you!” She exclaimed, “Don’t you look…” she eyed me up and down, “different.” She faked a smile before touching my shoulder. Even though she was natural, her ego had definitely gotten to her tiny little brain.
“Aw thanks, and you look,” I eyed her in the same manner, “interesting.” I smiled and touched her shoulder back knowing I had faltered that sharp ego.
I heard her mumble something to herself as she followed Hannah’s path and greeted Alexis. Hannah clicked her heels back to the front door and turned to smile at my sister and I. I smiled back as sweetly as I could; but this night was already a disaster.
We heard another car door slam from outside and I realized it must’ve been my mothers friends. I was ready to get this over with.
“Okay we should just meet them outside; that sounds nice right?” I indicated my sister to agree with me.
“Oh right, yeah we should leave now common.” She pulled on my mom’s sleeve and practically dragged her outside. She was yelling to my dad about feeding Brock and putting him to bed.
“He’s eight mom, not four.” I reminded her as we walked to her friends’ car.
Hannah and Darcy followed close by me, I felt as if they were going to attack me from behind so I casually swung around and smiled.
“After you.” I offered the front row of the mini van to the two bitches and they slid in. I caught a glimpse of Darcy’s face. Her expression was sour, as if she had eaten a lemon raw. I could tell she hated being in a mini van, or any van at all. I held in a laugh as I shut the door and opened the back doors to get into the second row with Alexis. My mom jumped in next to me and as soon as the door slid shut and the click of her seatbelt rang throughout the van, my mom’s friend Nancy, who was driving, literally slammed her foot down on the pedal.
The entire van lurched forward; luckily we had all had our seatbelts on but I laughed at Hannah and Darcy’s reaction.
“Nan, this isn’t a sports car, you can’t do things like that!” I shouted up to her.
“I know darlin’” she spoke in a southern accent, “But my son took the sports car for the weekend so I’m stuck with this darn thing.”
Her son Tommy was hot as hell. I remember having the biggest crush on him back in high school. Of course, he didn’t even notice me until graduation when we ran into each other trying to get food at the buffet line. Even after then, whenever my mom and I would go to Nancy’s house, Tommy either wasn’t there, or busy upstairs. Honestly, I missed his gorgeous face.
We quickly (and safely) made it down town to the city lights. Denver was beautiful this time of year; the weather was perfect, the atmosphere was great, the streets weren’t too crowded; I knew that even though I hated two of the people with me, this night could possibly work out after all.
Nancy parked in a parking garage; something I was deathly afraid of. Alexis had to help me get out of the car and once I was out, I booked it to the door that contained the stairs. I heard Alexis closely follow behind me and smiled. I was sure happy she was with me. I took her hand and we walked up the stairs. I heard the door open again as the rest of the group took their sweet time to follow us.
When Alexis and I got to the surface, we had to wait in the warm air. I looked around me and sighed; this place was fantastic. Lights shown up from all angles, a horse drawn carriage trotted down the street, a happy couple nested inside. It wasn’t like I had never seen city lights before; I live in Los Angeles. It was the fact that I hadn’t seen my hometown’s city lights in forever and I was more than happy to share it with my sister.
I turned back around to see Hannah and Darcy make their way up to the surface. Hannah was panting and Darcy leaned on her to rub her foot. They muttered stuff back and forth to each other, occasionally glancing at me and rolling their eyes. I just smiled, thrilled that they already wanted to go back home or to a party with their real friends.
My mom, Nancy and her other friend Carol were the last to come up. I took a deep breath when my mom asked if we were ready to head out down the streets.
“Yes mom,” I grinned, “I think we’re ready.”
Sorry there's no Smoshy Goodness in it :( Oh wellz
“Just a minute!” I shouted back. Alexis was in my room getting ready with me. I was at my vanity combing my brown hair when I heard a car door slam from outside my room.
Alexis rushed to the window and peered out from the curtain. “Your bitches are here.” She announced to me.
I laughed, “Oh joy.”
“Guess that means we’re gonna have to get down there and get this over with.” She sighed as she walked passed me to the door.
“Okay, let’s do this.” I replied and followed her out.
“Hello Hannah and Darcy!” I heard my mother sing out as she opened the front door before they even rang the doorbell.
“Oh God, here goes.” Alexis and I trotted downstairs. I was wearing a black party dress that came down just before my knees. The rest of my legs were covered by black shiny leggings accompanied by six inch platform boots. I had my hair down but had Alexis help me by putting in mini black bow clips around the top. Alexis wore dark blue leggings with a long designer shirt that went just passed her butt. Her brown wavy hair flopped beyond her shoulders and a dark blue headband wrapped around the top of her head.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I finally got to see my ex best friends face to face. Both were still absolutely gorgeous. Hannah was the first to smile at me with her perfect white straight teeth. I remembered back in elementary school when she had terrible teeth; then all through middle and half of high school she had braces. Senior year she got them off and suddenly every boy wanted to date her. But it all wasn’t about just her teeth; her deep chestnut colored hair glowed radiant, every movement it took was majestic. It was as if she had hair fairies designed to keep her hair perfect at every single moment. I played with my hair just looking at her; wishing it had the same volume and shine. Hannah was a white girl but was tanned enough to make you think otherwise; and it was never a bad tan either. In other words; Hannah was perfect and I was surprised I was even her friend to begin with.
“Hello gorgeous!” She said to me, forcing me into a huge hug. Her comment made me blush but I swiped it away quickly.
“Um, hey!” I tried to sound confident.
She let go to say hi to Alexis. That’s when Darcy stepped up to me. Darcy was not the same yet very different from Hannah; it wasn’t a surprise that they were still friends and I was left out for so long. Darcy was 100% natural. She had long golden blonde hair that came down in natural curls to the top of her chest. She never had to brush it and she hardly ever straightened it because it was just beautiful the way it was. Her skin was a perfect peach color, she didn’t need to tan. I remembered in middle school when all the girls started wearing makeup, Darcy’s parents “wouldn’t allow” her to but eventually I realized that wasn’t the case. Darcy didn’t need makeup, the most I’d ever seen her wear was at prom when she used nude lipstick and splashed on some glitter eye shadow. This evening was no different; she had a tiny bit of purple eyeliner that curved around her eyes, a hint of lip gloss and glitter on her neck.
“Well look at you!” She exclaimed, “Don’t you look…” she eyed me up and down, “different.” She faked a smile before touching my shoulder. Even though she was natural, her ego had definitely gotten to her tiny little brain.
“Aw thanks, and you look,” I eyed her in the same manner, “interesting.” I smiled and touched her shoulder back knowing I had faltered that sharp ego.
I heard her mumble something to herself as she followed Hannah’s path and greeted Alexis. Hannah clicked her heels back to the front door and turned to smile at my sister and I. I smiled back as sweetly as I could; but this night was already a disaster.
We heard another car door slam from outside and I realized it must’ve been my mothers friends. I was ready to get this over with.
“Okay we should just meet them outside; that sounds nice right?” I indicated my sister to agree with me.
“Oh right, yeah we should leave now common.” She pulled on my mom’s sleeve and practically dragged her outside. She was yelling to my dad about feeding Brock and putting him to bed.
“He’s eight mom, not four.” I reminded her as we walked to her friends’ car.
Hannah and Darcy followed close by me, I felt as if they were going to attack me from behind so I casually swung around and smiled.
“After you.” I offered the front row of the mini van to the two bitches and they slid in. I caught a glimpse of Darcy’s face. Her expression was sour, as if she had eaten a lemon raw. I could tell she hated being in a mini van, or any van at all. I held in a laugh as I shut the door and opened the back doors to get into the second row with Alexis. My mom jumped in next to me and as soon as the door slid shut and the click of her seatbelt rang throughout the van, my mom’s friend Nancy, who was driving, literally slammed her foot down on the pedal.
The entire van lurched forward; luckily we had all had our seatbelts on but I laughed at Hannah and Darcy’s reaction.
“Nan, this isn’t a sports car, you can’t do things like that!” I shouted up to her.
“I know darlin’” she spoke in a southern accent, “But my son took the sports car for the weekend so I’m stuck with this darn thing.”
Her son Tommy was hot as hell. I remember having the biggest crush on him back in high school. Of course, he didn’t even notice me until graduation when we ran into each other trying to get food at the buffet line. Even after then, whenever my mom and I would go to Nancy’s house, Tommy either wasn’t there, or busy upstairs. Honestly, I missed his gorgeous face.
We quickly (and safely) made it down town to the city lights. Denver was beautiful this time of year; the weather was perfect, the atmosphere was great, the streets weren’t too crowded; I knew that even though I hated two of the people with me, this night could possibly work out after all.
Nancy parked in a parking garage; something I was deathly afraid of. Alexis had to help me get out of the car and once I was out, I booked it to the door that contained the stairs. I heard Alexis closely follow behind me and smiled. I was sure happy she was with me. I took her hand and we walked up the stairs. I heard the door open again as the rest of the group took their sweet time to follow us.
When Alexis and I got to the surface, we had to wait in the warm air. I looked around me and sighed; this place was fantastic. Lights shown up from all angles, a horse drawn carriage trotted down the street, a happy couple nested inside. It wasn’t like I had never seen city lights before; I live in Los Angeles. It was the fact that I hadn’t seen my hometown’s city lights in forever and I was more than happy to share it with my sister.
I turned back around to see Hannah and Darcy make their way up to the surface. Hannah was panting and Darcy leaned on her to rub her foot. They muttered stuff back and forth to each other, occasionally glancing at me and rolling their eyes. I just smiled, thrilled that they already wanted to go back home or to a party with their real friends.
My mom, Nancy and her other friend Carol were the last to come up. I took a deep breath when my mom asked if we were ready to head out down the streets.
“Yes mom,” I grinned, “I think we’re ready.”
Sorry there's no Smoshy Goodness in it :( Oh wellz
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 13
The flight there was surprisingly quiet and still. There weren’t many people on board; no children, nobody who was scared of flying, just a couple of business women and men and other passengers flying alone including me.
When I got to the Denver airport, I found my duffle bag and heaved it over my shoulder. I walked out to the lobby and searched the benches for my family. I stood in the middle of the lobby feeling like an idiot when I heard my name being called. I whipped my head around until I saw my little sister waving at me. My mom was behind her motioning me towards them. I smiled and headed straight for them.
I set my bag down before diving into my mothers arms. Her touch made my heart warm and tears rushed to my eyes. When we separated she took my cheeks in her hands and smiled, “I missed my baby girl.” She said and kissed my forehead.
“Hey!” I heard Alexis shout. I looked over at her and grinned. She smirked before wrapping her arms around my neck in a huge hug. Of course she was a bit taller than me so people always confused who was older. But that didn’t matter this moment, right then I was happy to see her.
“Where’s Brock and dad?” I asked.
“We haven’t told them yet.” My mom winked and I laughed,
“Oh boy, this’ll be fun.” I smiled as I picked up my bag from the ground and headed towards the exit.
I spotted my mother’s van from miles away; it wasn’t that hard to find considering how huge it was. Long story short; she used to own a daycare so she bought that gigantic thing. All three of us walked to the van; my mom opened up the trunk and I threw my bag in it. I hopped in the front seat, expecting my mom to sit next to me. To my surprise, Alexis opened the door and sat in the drivers seat.
“Woah!” I exclaimed, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh, I have my permit now,” She smiled proudly, “I drove all the way here and I’ll drive all the way back.”
I suddenly became nervous. I fidgeted in my seat, twisting my fingers together and biting my lip, “Mom!” I finally turned around, “You let her drive here?”
“Yeah, she’s a great driver!” She smiled and gave Alexis a thumbs up.
I gulped as she started the car. Usually I didn’t wear a seatbelt (Yes, I know I’m bad) but today I was sorta fearing for my life. I grabbed the seatbelt and strapped myself in.
Luckily we made it back home alive, the airport wasn’t too far away from my childhood house, and I was happy about that. Alexis made a fair parking job in our driveway next to my dad’s Ford Truck. My family liked to own big cars.
We all hopped out at the same time; I saw my mom take my duffle bag out of the trunk and wrap it around her shoulder.
“You two go first,” I said to Alexis and my mom, “I’ll hide behind you and surprise them.” They nodded in agreement to the plan and we snuck up to the door. Alexis opened it up and we all made our way inside.
“Well hey you two, it took you long enough to get to the store and back!” I heard my dad’s rough voice at the dinner table.
“We weren’t exactly at the store…” My mom said and they separated to reveal me.
“Tailynn?!” My dad smiled with delight.
“Daddy!” I ran up to give him a hug. I always felt like a little girl when I was in his loving arms.
“Tay Tay?!” I heard my little brother call out my nickname.
“Brocky!” I spun around and hugged the crap outta him.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was muffled through my shirt. I let him go before answering,
“I’m here to visit! My boyfriend is in New York so I needed a place to go to keep my mind off of him and here was the best place I could think of!”
“You’re boyfriend?” My dad got curious.
“Yeah his name is An-” I stopped mid-sentence. I had to quickly think of a different name, a name Alexis wouldn’t recognize. “Antonio. Yeah. He’s latino.” I cleared my throat and made an exit upstairs where my room used to be. That was a close one.
“Hey!” Alexis trailed behind me.
“Hey yourself!” I continued to climb the stairs.
“You aren’t gonna tell me anything about him? I thought we always told each other everything.” Her tone of voice made me stop and turn around.
“I just don’t think you’d wanna hear about the things we do and stuff. I don’t hate you for being curious but I just need a little space, okay?” I put my hand on top of her brown curly head.
“Okay, what ever you say.” She slumped back downstairs and gave me time to get to my room and unpack.
I turned the corner and made my way to my room; my old room. The last time I had been in here I was packing up all my valuables for California. My mom was crying in the doorway and my twelve year old sister was trying to comfort five year old Brock in his room. The memory of that one day left my mind as quickly as it had come. I wanted to have a fun time here; I didn’t want to remember the past and what I had done to my family three years ago.
I sat on my twin sized bed and set my bag on the ground next to it. This bed felt so small without there being an extra space meant for Nicolette or Anthony. Every thing in this room felt so small; my closet, my nightstand, my vanity, even my window was small. I never realized how cooped up I really was in here; no wonder I left.
I heard my name being called from downstairs. I didn’t hesitate from getting up, I was anxious to hear what my mother wanted to do now that I was here. I bounded downstairs like when I was a little girl at Christmas, running to see what Santa had brought me. I headed towards the kitchen where I heard my name.
“So we were thinking about doing something fun tonight!” My mom spoke from the stove; she was making lunch.
“Like what?” I asked, sitting on one of the kitchen stools.
“Like going downtown at night; to remind you of what downtown Denver looks like with all the lights. Does that sound good?” She turned to look at me for an answer.
“Yeah that sounds great!” I spun around on the stool.
“Okay Hannah and Darcy will be here around 6 and-”
“Woah, woah, woah Hannah and Darcy?!” I interrupted her; stopping in mid spin.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with them? They used to be your best friends in high school!” My mom turned her whole body to face me.
“Yeah, that was in high school, a place I don’t wanna remember! Those girls turned into complete bitches the last time I saw them! Why do you think I hung out with Nicolette all the time?” I tried to see the good in them coming but just couldn’t find it.
“Oh common Tay, two of my friends will be there too, so it’s not like you’re going to be alone with them.” She put her hand on her hip which was a warning sign. A sign that told me I better listen to her or she’ll send me back to California.
“Okay, okay fine.” I sighed and continued to spin.
My mom turned back to the stove. It was quiet until Alexis came sprinting towards us from the dining room.
“Hey mom, why can’t I come with?!” She asked.
“Yeah mom, why can’t she come with?!” I mimicked her but meant what I said. If Alexis was there, that could possibly take away some of the awkward moments that were sure to come.
“Because downtown Denver is too busy at night and I don’t want to lose you.” Was her simplest answer.
“Seriously?” Alexis whined, “I’m taller than Tailynn! If you’re going to lose anyone it’d be the daughter you’re willing to take the most!” She pointed at me.
“True dat.” I smiled. When I stopped spinning in the stool, the room didn’t. I held the counter to balance myself.
“Well….” My mom had stopped cooking again to look at us, “Well I guess you have a point there.”
“Sooooo, can I go with?” I saw Alexis cross her fingers behind her back.
“I guess so.”
“YES!” Alexis ran over to me and I high fived her.
The good news was Alexis was coming with to help me stand my ground. The bad news? I was gonna have to deal with some tough ass bitches in four hours.
When I got to the Denver airport, I found my duffle bag and heaved it over my shoulder. I walked out to the lobby and searched the benches for my family. I stood in the middle of the lobby feeling like an idiot when I heard my name being called. I whipped my head around until I saw my little sister waving at me. My mom was behind her motioning me towards them. I smiled and headed straight for them.
I set my bag down before diving into my mothers arms. Her touch made my heart warm and tears rushed to my eyes. When we separated she took my cheeks in her hands and smiled, “I missed my baby girl.” She said and kissed my forehead.
“Hey!” I heard Alexis shout. I looked over at her and grinned. She smirked before wrapping her arms around my neck in a huge hug. Of course she was a bit taller than me so people always confused who was older. But that didn’t matter this moment, right then I was happy to see her.
“Where’s Brock and dad?” I asked.
“We haven’t told them yet.” My mom winked and I laughed,
“Oh boy, this’ll be fun.” I smiled as I picked up my bag from the ground and headed towards the exit.
I spotted my mother’s van from miles away; it wasn’t that hard to find considering how huge it was. Long story short; she used to own a daycare so she bought that gigantic thing. All three of us walked to the van; my mom opened up the trunk and I threw my bag in it. I hopped in the front seat, expecting my mom to sit next to me. To my surprise, Alexis opened the door and sat in the drivers seat.
“Woah!” I exclaimed, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh, I have my permit now,” She smiled proudly, “I drove all the way here and I’ll drive all the way back.”
I suddenly became nervous. I fidgeted in my seat, twisting my fingers together and biting my lip, “Mom!” I finally turned around, “You let her drive here?”
“Yeah, she’s a great driver!” She smiled and gave Alexis a thumbs up.
I gulped as she started the car. Usually I didn’t wear a seatbelt (Yes, I know I’m bad) but today I was sorta fearing for my life. I grabbed the seatbelt and strapped myself in.
Luckily we made it back home alive, the airport wasn’t too far away from my childhood house, and I was happy about that. Alexis made a fair parking job in our driveway next to my dad’s Ford Truck. My family liked to own big cars.
We all hopped out at the same time; I saw my mom take my duffle bag out of the trunk and wrap it around her shoulder.
“You two go first,” I said to Alexis and my mom, “I’ll hide behind you and surprise them.” They nodded in agreement to the plan and we snuck up to the door. Alexis opened it up and we all made our way inside.
“Well hey you two, it took you long enough to get to the store and back!” I heard my dad’s rough voice at the dinner table.
“We weren’t exactly at the store…” My mom said and they separated to reveal me.
“Tailynn?!” My dad smiled with delight.
“Daddy!” I ran up to give him a hug. I always felt like a little girl when I was in his loving arms.
“Tay Tay?!” I heard my little brother call out my nickname.
“Brocky!” I spun around and hugged the crap outta him.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was muffled through my shirt. I let him go before answering,
“I’m here to visit! My boyfriend is in New York so I needed a place to go to keep my mind off of him and here was the best place I could think of!”
“You’re boyfriend?” My dad got curious.
“Yeah his name is An-” I stopped mid-sentence. I had to quickly think of a different name, a name Alexis wouldn’t recognize. “Antonio. Yeah. He’s latino.” I cleared my throat and made an exit upstairs where my room used to be. That was a close one.
“Hey!” Alexis trailed behind me.
“Hey yourself!” I continued to climb the stairs.
“You aren’t gonna tell me anything about him? I thought we always told each other everything.” Her tone of voice made me stop and turn around.
“I just don’t think you’d wanna hear about the things we do and stuff. I don’t hate you for being curious but I just need a little space, okay?” I put my hand on top of her brown curly head.
“Okay, what ever you say.” She slumped back downstairs and gave me time to get to my room and unpack.
I turned the corner and made my way to my room; my old room. The last time I had been in here I was packing up all my valuables for California. My mom was crying in the doorway and my twelve year old sister was trying to comfort five year old Brock in his room. The memory of that one day left my mind as quickly as it had come. I wanted to have a fun time here; I didn’t want to remember the past and what I had done to my family three years ago.
I sat on my twin sized bed and set my bag on the ground next to it. This bed felt so small without there being an extra space meant for Nicolette or Anthony. Every thing in this room felt so small; my closet, my nightstand, my vanity, even my window was small. I never realized how cooped up I really was in here; no wonder I left.
I heard my name being called from downstairs. I didn’t hesitate from getting up, I was anxious to hear what my mother wanted to do now that I was here. I bounded downstairs like when I was a little girl at Christmas, running to see what Santa had brought me. I headed towards the kitchen where I heard my name.
“So we were thinking about doing something fun tonight!” My mom spoke from the stove; she was making lunch.
“Like what?” I asked, sitting on one of the kitchen stools.
“Like going downtown at night; to remind you of what downtown Denver looks like with all the lights. Does that sound good?” She turned to look at me for an answer.
“Yeah that sounds great!” I spun around on the stool.
“Okay Hannah and Darcy will be here around 6 and-”
“Woah, woah, woah Hannah and Darcy?!” I interrupted her; stopping in mid spin.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with them? They used to be your best friends in high school!” My mom turned her whole body to face me.
“Yeah, that was in high school, a place I don’t wanna remember! Those girls turned into complete bitches the last time I saw them! Why do you think I hung out with Nicolette all the time?” I tried to see the good in them coming but just couldn’t find it.
“Oh common Tay, two of my friends will be there too, so it’s not like you’re going to be alone with them.” She put her hand on her hip which was a warning sign. A sign that told me I better listen to her or she’ll send me back to California.
“Okay, okay fine.” I sighed and continued to spin.
My mom turned back to the stove. It was quiet until Alexis came sprinting towards us from the dining room.
“Hey mom, why can’t I come with?!” She asked.
“Yeah mom, why can’t she come with?!” I mimicked her but meant what I said. If Alexis was there, that could possibly take away some of the awkward moments that were sure to come.
“Because downtown Denver is too busy at night and I don’t want to lose you.” Was her simplest answer.
“Seriously?” Alexis whined, “I’m taller than Tailynn! If you’re going to lose anyone it’d be the daughter you’re willing to take the most!” She pointed at me.
“True dat.” I smiled. When I stopped spinning in the stool, the room didn’t. I held the counter to balance myself.
“Well….” My mom had stopped cooking again to look at us, “Well I guess you have a point there.”
“Sooooo, can I go with?” I saw Alexis cross her fingers behind her back.
“I guess so.”
“YES!” Alexis ran over to me and I high fived her.
The good news was Alexis was coming with to help me stand my ground. The bad news? I was gonna have to deal with some tough ass bitches in four hours.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 12
“Today’s the day!” I said to myself. Nicolette had already left for The Philippians and I was left alone in the house for a day before I had to leave for Colorado.
My plane left at 4:00 and it was 2:00 now; I decided it’d be best if I left as soon as I was finished; all I had left to do was set my DVR and get my stuff out to my car. My car was a crappy beat up old VW Bug. When I got it, I thought it was the best thing ever; that was when I was sixteen. Since Nico had gotten her bad ass convertible, that’s what I always drove around in. Now I was forced to drive the piece of crap to the airport.
“Oh well,” I said as I thought about it, “Better than nothing.”
I set my DVR so it could record all my favorite shows for the week. I didn’t mind missing some but the others were mandatory and I had to see them. Finishing the record settings I went to my room and grabbed my duffel bag. That bag was magic; you could fit anything and every thing into it and it wouldn’t get full.
I took my keys off of the kitchen counter and headed out the door. Locking it behind me I shut it and teetered down the stairs. I threw my stuff into the trunk of my so-called car and got into the front. I drove down to the airport in the quiet. The radio had died years ago but I never really had the money or will-power to get it fixed. I rolled down all the windows to make it feel like Nico’s convertible but to no avail; I hated this car.
Finally I saw the sign to the LA airport and sighed in relief, I had to get out of this thing. I found the closest parking space and took it. I was surprised my Bug even made it this far. As I walked down the parking lot to the entrance, duffle bag hanging from my shoulder, I passed a couple of cars that resembled Anthony’s. My heart jumped each time I saw one but I didn’t know if any of them were actually his. I had never paid any attention to his license plate which I now realized could’ve been a good idea.
Even so, I made my way to the airport and entered with excitement shivering throughout my body. I was stoked to see my family; I was kind of relieved that I was going to spend a week with them to keep my mind off of not seeing Anthony. I needed them.
I made my way through security and luggage, all I had to do was wait. I sat near the entrance of my flight and checked the time on my cell phone; it read 3:40. I was ready to get outta here, ready to spend time with my family, ready to-
“Tailynn?” A familiar male’s voice made me turn around in my seat.
“Anthony?” My heart skipped two beats.
“What are you doing here?” he asked me as he walked up to hug me.
I realized I hadn’t told him a thing. “I’m going to visit my family while you’re gone.” I said.
I laid my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. I listened to his heartbeat and closed my eyes; I already missed his touch.
“Where’s Ian?” I asked, my head still resting on him.
“Sitting on a bench,” his voice was muffled; it mixed in with his heartbeat. I smiled embracing every last moment I had with him; trying to memorize what he felt like. “Over there.” He finished his sentence when I lifted my head. He pointed to where he’d come from. I looked behind Anthony to see Ian sitting in a seat; his crutches leaned up against it. He turned around and waved at me. I grinned and waved back.
“Where’s Nicolette?” Anthony returned the question.
“She flew to The Philippians to visit her parents. We’ve got the same idea; visit our families to keep ourselves sane while you’re gone.” I gave a half smile.
“Hmm, I didn’t know that’s where she was from,” he laughed, “but I’m glad you’re getting yourselves out of your apartment. That’s good.” He looked at me with his beautiful brown eyes.
“Me too; the only problem is, my sister Alexis is pretty much in love with you guys and I haven’t told her who my boyfriend is yet. I don’t want to…” I explained. Anthony took my hand and tried to comfort me,
“Don’t worry, just tell her when the time is right; I’m sure she’ll understand.” I tried to smile but the will to argue with him took over my mind,
“Remember the first day I met you?” he nodded. “Alexis still thinks I act like that when I hear, talk or think about Smosh. That’s the real problem.”
“Maybe if I met her and told her myself?” he suggested. “I mean, she’s going to have to find out sooner or later if we’re gonna stay together for a long time.” My stomach flipped just hearing him say we weren’t going to separate permanently anytime soon.
“I think I’ll tell her before I leave, and then when you get back, you can confirm it and try to make her not hate me.” I shrugged.
“Okay good plan.”
“Hey guys!” I heard Ian shout; I tapped Anthony to move out of the way so I could see him.
“What do you want?” I joked.
“Come over here and give me another hug goodbye Tay! Geez!” He spread his arms open wide towards me. I laughed as I rushed over to him and leaped into his arms, almost falling over.
“You weirdo.” I heard him say.
I looked up and stuck my tongue out at him. He pretended to bite it.
“You freak.” I laughed. He was about to make a come back when we heard my flight being called.
“Okay, have fun going where ever you’re going!” Ian smiled. I kissed him on the cheek,
“Don’t worry I will.”
I walked back to Anthony and sighed, realizing I had to say goodbye yet again.
“I have to go now…” I trailed on.
“Flight 33 now boarding.” The next flight was called.
“Oh well, that’s us.” Anthony looked up at where the voice had come from.
I hugged him again before taking his face in my hands, “Call me every day.” I reminded him before placing his lips on mine.
“Don’t worry, I will.” We kissed again until my flight was called for a second time.
“Guess I have to go before they leave without me.” I chuckled.
“Okay; us too.” We smiled at the same time before I had to turn and leave him.
This trip to Colorado had to be good; it just had to.
My plane left at 4:00 and it was 2:00 now; I decided it’d be best if I left as soon as I was finished; all I had left to do was set my DVR and get my stuff out to my car. My car was a crappy beat up old VW Bug. When I got it, I thought it was the best thing ever; that was when I was sixteen. Since Nico had gotten her bad ass convertible, that’s what I always drove around in. Now I was forced to drive the piece of crap to the airport.
“Oh well,” I said as I thought about it, “Better than nothing.”
I set my DVR so it could record all my favorite shows for the week. I didn’t mind missing some but the others were mandatory and I had to see them. Finishing the record settings I went to my room and grabbed my duffel bag. That bag was magic; you could fit anything and every thing into it and it wouldn’t get full.
I took my keys off of the kitchen counter and headed out the door. Locking it behind me I shut it and teetered down the stairs. I threw my stuff into the trunk of my so-called car and got into the front. I drove down to the airport in the quiet. The radio had died years ago but I never really had the money or will-power to get it fixed. I rolled down all the windows to make it feel like Nico’s convertible but to no avail; I hated this car.
Finally I saw the sign to the LA airport and sighed in relief, I had to get out of this thing. I found the closest parking space and took it. I was surprised my Bug even made it this far. As I walked down the parking lot to the entrance, duffle bag hanging from my shoulder, I passed a couple of cars that resembled Anthony’s. My heart jumped each time I saw one but I didn’t know if any of them were actually his. I had never paid any attention to his license plate which I now realized could’ve been a good idea.
Even so, I made my way to the airport and entered with excitement shivering throughout my body. I was stoked to see my family; I was kind of relieved that I was going to spend a week with them to keep my mind off of not seeing Anthony. I needed them.
I made my way through security and luggage, all I had to do was wait. I sat near the entrance of my flight and checked the time on my cell phone; it read 3:40. I was ready to get outta here, ready to spend time with my family, ready to-
“Tailynn?” A familiar male’s voice made me turn around in my seat.
“Anthony?” My heart skipped two beats.
“What are you doing here?” he asked me as he walked up to hug me.
I realized I hadn’t told him a thing. “I’m going to visit my family while you’re gone.” I said.
I laid my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. I listened to his heartbeat and closed my eyes; I already missed his touch.
“Where’s Ian?” I asked, my head still resting on him.
“Sitting on a bench,” his voice was muffled; it mixed in with his heartbeat. I smiled embracing every last moment I had with him; trying to memorize what he felt like. “Over there.” He finished his sentence when I lifted my head. He pointed to where he’d come from. I looked behind Anthony to see Ian sitting in a seat; his crutches leaned up against it. He turned around and waved at me. I grinned and waved back.
“Where’s Nicolette?” Anthony returned the question.
“She flew to The Philippians to visit her parents. We’ve got the same idea; visit our families to keep ourselves sane while you’re gone.” I gave a half smile.
“Hmm, I didn’t know that’s where she was from,” he laughed, “but I’m glad you’re getting yourselves out of your apartment. That’s good.” He looked at me with his beautiful brown eyes.
“Me too; the only problem is, my sister Alexis is pretty much in love with you guys and I haven’t told her who my boyfriend is yet. I don’t want to…” I explained. Anthony took my hand and tried to comfort me,
“Don’t worry, just tell her when the time is right; I’m sure she’ll understand.” I tried to smile but the will to argue with him took over my mind,
“Remember the first day I met you?” he nodded. “Alexis still thinks I act like that when I hear, talk or think about Smosh. That’s the real problem.”
“Maybe if I met her and told her myself?” he suggested. “I mean, she’s going to have to find out sooner or later if we’re gonna stay together for a long time.” My stomach flipped just hearing him say we weren’t going to separate permanently anytime soon.
“I think I’ll tell her before I leave, and then when you get back, you can confirm it and try to make her not hate me.” I shrugged.
“Okay good plan.”
“Hey guys!” I heard Ian shout; I tapped Anthony to move out of the way so I could see him.
“What do you want?” I joked.
“Come over here and give me another hug goodbye Tay! Geez!” He spread his arms open wide towards me. I laughed as I rushed over to him and leaped into his arms, almost falling over.
“You weirdo.” I heard him say.
I looked up and stuck my tongue out at him. He pretended to bite it.
“You freak.” I laughed. He was about to make a come back when we heard my flight being called.
“Okay, have fun going where ever you’re going!” Ian smiled. I kissed him on the cheek,
“Don’t worry I will.”
I walked back to Anthony and sighed, realizing I had to say goodbye yet again.
“I have to go now…” I trailed on.
“Flight 33 now boarding.” The next flight was called.
“Oh well, that’s us.” Anthony looked up at where the voice had come from.
I hugged him again before taking his face in my hands, “Call me every day.” I reminded him before placing his lips on mine.
“Don’t worry, I will.” We kissed again until my flight was called for a second time.
“Guess I have to go before they leave without me.” I chuckled.
“Okay; us too.” We smiled at the same time before I had to turn and leave him.
This trip to Colorado had to be good; it just had to.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 11
I sulked back into my apartment and slumped back onto the couch. My eyes started to fill up with tears; my whole living room started to get blurry but I didn’t want to blink and have the salty teardrops fall. I was betrayed by my own tears as they fell without my permission so I quickly wiped them away, wanting to be strong for both Anthony and I.
Suddenly my phone buzzed, it was a text message.
“I already miss you.” It read.
“That makes two of us.” I quickly replied and pushed “send”.
“Well now what?” I heard Nico say from the table, “What are we suppose to do while they’re gone?”
My mind rushed with thoughts until Nico beat me to it, “I know! We haven’t visited our families in literally forever; I think it’d be great for us and for them if we visited them for at least a week.”
The idea swirled in my head, “Yeeeaaahhh…” I said slowly, “Yeah I guess that could work. I haven’t seen Alexis in like a year, she’d be happy to see me again.” Alexis was my 15 year old sister, we fought sometimes but most of the time we were best friends. I also had a little brother named Brock; he’s eight and still a pain but I loved him.
“My mom and dad are still in The Philippians so I get a mini vacation!” Nico whooped. She had no siblings which was why I agreed to live with her in California when we graduated. My family all lived in Colorado; but I loved it there and didn’t mind going back.
“I’m gonna go call my mom and talk to her about it; you should too.” Nico grabbed her phone from the counter and rushed into our room.
I decided to do the same and grabbed my phone from the arm of the couch. I hadn’t bothered to notice that I had gotten another text from Anthony. It was a picture of him giving me a thumbs up in the car. He must’ve been at a stop light because I knew he knew I didn’t want him crashing or getting in trouble. I smiled and exited out of the picture to bring up my contacts; I decided to call my sister since she was the first person in my contacts. I hit the call button and put the phone up to my ear.
She answered on the second ring but I wasn’t surprised, she was attached to her phone, it never left her side. When she saw it was me she knew it was a good sign. “Hello?” I smiled just hearing her voice.
“Alexis!!! How’s is my baby sister?” I giggled as she snorted,
“I’m not a baby Tay! But nice to hear your voice anyway.” I could almost hear her sly smile.
“So is mom or dad home?” I asked.
“Yeah of course.”
“Can I talk to them?”
“Why didn’t you just call them instead of wasting my precious time?” we always used sarcasm in our conversations; it was just a best friend/sister thing.
“Because I wanted to talk to you stupid!” I laughed.
“Oh okay!” I heard her cover the receiver to call our parents. She turned back to the phone to say, “They don’t want to talk to you.”
“Whatever!” I chuckled as I heard my mom take Alexis’ phone.
“Hello?”
“Mom!” was all I said to make her burst into happiness.
“Tailynn!!! How are you? What have you been up to? Are you coming to visit soon?” She threw multiple questions at me.
“I’m okay, I’m not really doing anything, and yes that’s why I called you! I wanted to come home on Sunday! Is that okay?”
“Okay? Of course! It’s perfect! Do you need a ride or are you gonna fly here or what?” I heard a drawer open; she was always taking notes even when she didn’t need to.
“Nahh I’m thinking of just walking there.” I laughed.
“Very funny.” I could tell my mom was smiling.
“I’m going to fly there; it’ll take the least amount of time.” I laid back on the arm of the couch and stared at the white popcorn ceiling.
“Okay that’s fine, do you need money?” She had always been a supportive mother which was why when I was growing up; all my friends said my mom was the best, especially Nicolette because her parents were boring and old.
“No I think I’m fine, I’ll start packing up now and buy a plane ticket. I’ll see you Sunday!” I gave her kissing noises before she handed the phone back to Alexis.
“You’re coming back home?!” she said excitingly.
“Yes I am; for a week!” I was starting to get excited too. Suddenly, she asked me a serious question, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Uhhh…yes I do but he’s leaving for New York for two weeks which is why I’m coming over to Colorado. I need you guys right now.” I didn’t bother telling her who it was; I knew she loved Smosh videos and would probably want to kill me if I told her it was Anthony.
“What’s his name? Are you gonna marry him?” That thought never really crossed my mind until she brought it up.
“It’s a secret and I’m not sure…not yet.” I had to give her a straight answer.
“You’re a loser,” she responded to me telling her it was a secret, “You’re gonna have to tell me sooner or later, better make it sooner or I’ll kill you in your sleep!” She sang the last part. I recognized it from the Smosh video, “Cute Furry Kittens”.
“You’re the loser,” I said back, “But I still love you.”
“Well I have to go now, it’s lunch time here. I’ll talk to you on Sunday!” her voice got excited again.
“Okay bye! Love you!”
“Love you too!” She hung up.
I noticed Nicolette was still in our room so I snuck over to it. I heard her voice through the door so I put my ear up to it. It didn’t make any difference though because she was speaking Filipino.
“Pero mom ko talagang nais na dumating sa bahay! Hindi ko na doon sa mga buwan, gusto mo lang makinig sa akin?” She sounded upset.
The only words I could make out were “home” and “month”, Nico had taught me little Filipino when we were living together in a dorm. Even though I didn’t understand much I listened anyway.
“Mangyaring, pangako ko kukunin ko ay mabuti, ako lang miss mo ang dalawang!” This time all I heard was “Please”. She was speaking too fast, so it was hard to get out much.
I heard a couple of yes’ and no’s until she went on another rant which was way too fast and long my mind almost exploded. I decided to retreat and go back to watching TV.
A couple of minutes later the door opened and Nico came out gripping her cell phone tightly. I turned around when she started to say, “My mom said I can go but I have to follow her rules and stay with them 24/7. I don’t know why she’s acting like that, I love her and all but my partying days kinda ended like a year and a half ago.”
“So that’s what you were talking about?” I chuckled, “Couldn’t understand much through the door.” I motioned to where I had been standing.
“Oh. Well that’s the point of speaking in a different language in America. So English speaking people can’t understand our personal business.” She smirked at me.
“Whatever,” I returned it with a snarky remark, “Anyway, I have to go pack because I’m going to Colorado on Sunday.” I realized that was the same time Anthony and Ian were leaving for New York and my heart sank.
“Lucky. I love your family.” Nico stuck her tongue out at me.
“You get to go to The Philippians so be quiet.” I returned it. “I bet your mom will want to do fun things with you there. She does love you believe it or not.” I laughed.
“Yeah well sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.” She muttered and sat at the kitchen table.
I hoisted myself up off the couch and went into our room to get a luggage bag. I started to fill it up with enough clothes for the week. I felt bad that Nicolette was sad about what her mom had said, but I felt even worse that Ian couldn’t be with her to help her through. Then I remembered Anthony’s smiling face telling me everything would be okay, and hoped that Ian had said the same to her.
Quick notes: Alexis is based on my Smoshy bff Diandra and I'm sorry if the Filipino is off, Google Translate can suck sometimes xP Thanks for reading!!!
Suddenly my phone buzzed, it was a text message.
“I already miss you.” It read.
“That makes two of us.” I quickly replied and pushed “send”.
“Well now what?” I heard Nico say from the table, “What are we suppose to do while they’re gone?”
My mind rushed with thoughts until Nico beat me to it, “I know! We haven’t visited our families in literally forever; I think it’d be great for us and for them if we visited them for at least a week.”
The idea swirled in my head, “Yeeeaaahhh…” I said slowly, “Yeah I guess that could work. I haven’t seen Alexis in like a year, she’d be happy to see me again.” Alexis was my 15 year old sister, we fought sometimes but most of the time we were best friends. I also had a little brother named Brock; he’s eight and still a pain but I loved him.
“My mom and dad are still in The Philippians so I get a mini vacation!” Nico whooped. She had no siblings which was why I agreed to live with her in California when we graduated. My family all lived in Colorado; but I loved it there and didn’t mind going back.
“I’m gonna go call my mom and talk to her about it; you should too.” Nico grabbed her phone from the counter and rushed into our room.
I decided to do the same and grabbed my phone from the arm of the couch. I hadn’t bothered to notice that I had gotten another text from Anthony. It was a picture of him giving me a thumbs up in the car. He must’ve been at a stop light because I knew he knew I didn’t want him crashing or getting in trouble. I smiled and exited out of the picture to bring up my contacts; I decided to call my sister since she was the first person in my contacts. I hit the call button and put the phone up to my ear.
She answered on the second ring but I wasn’t surprised, she was attached to her phone, it never left her side. When she saw it was me she knew it was a good sign. “Hello?” I smiled just hearing her voice.
“Alexis!!! How’s is my baby sister?” I giggled as she snorted,
“I’m not a baby Tay! But nice to hear your voice anyway.” I could almost hear her sly smile.
“So is mom or dad home?” I asked.
“Yeah of course.”
“Can I talk to them?”
“Why didn’t you just call them instead of wasting my precious time?” we always used sarcasm in our conversations; it was just a best friend/sister thing.
“Because I wanted to talk to you stupid!” I laughed.
“Oh okay!” I heard her cover the receiver to call our parents. She turned back to the phone to say, “They don’t want to talk to you.”
“Whatever!” I chuckled as I heard my mom take Alexis’ phone.
“Hello?”
“Mom!” was all I said to make her burst into happiness.
“Tailynn!!! How are you? What have you been up to? Are you coming to visit soon?” She threw multiple questions at me.
“I’m okay, I’m not really doing anything, and yes that’s why I called you! I wanted to come home on Sunday! Is that okay?”
“Okay? Of course! It’s perfect! Do you need a ride or are you gonna fly here or what?” I heard a drawer open; she was always taking notes even when she didn’t need to.
“Nahh I’m thinking of just walking there.” I laughed.
“Very funny.” I could tell my mom was smiling.
“I’m going to fly there; it’ll take the least amount of time.” I laid back on the arm of the couch and stared at the white popcorn ceiling.
“Okay that’s fine, do you need money?” She had always been a supportive mother which was why when I was growing up; all my friends said my mom was the best, especially Nicolette because her parents were boring and old.
“No I think I’m fine, I’ll start packing up now and buy a plane ticket. I’ll see you Sunday!” I gave her kissing noises before she handed the phone back to Alexis.
“You’re coming back home?!” she said excitingly.
“Yes I am; for a week!” I was starting to get excited too. Suddenly, she asked me a serious question, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Uhhh…yes I do but he’s leaving for New York for two weeks which is why I’m coming over to Colorado. I need you guys right now.” I didn’t bother telling her who it was; I knew she loved Smosh videos and would probably want to kill me if I told her it was Anthony.
“What’s his name? Are you gonna marry him?” That thought never really crossed my mind until she brought it up.
“It’s a secret and I’m not sure…not yet.” I had to give her a straight answer.
“You’re a loser,” she responded to me telling her it was a secret, “You’re gonna have to tell me sooner or later, better make it sooner or I’ll kill you in your sleep!” She sang the last part. I recognized it from the Smosh video, “Cute Furry Kittens”.
“You’re the loser,” I said back, “But I still love you.”
“Well I have to go now, it’s lunch time here. I’ll talk to you on Sunday!” her voice got excited again.
“Okay bye! Love you!”
“Love you too!” She hung up.
I noticed Nicolette was still in our room so I snuck over to it. I heard her voice through the door so I put my ear up to it. It didn’t make any difference though because she was speaking Filipino.
“Pero mom ko talagang nais na dumating sa bahay! Hindi ko na doon sa mga buwan, gusto mo lang makinig sa akin?” She sounded upset.
The only words I could make out were “home” and “month”, Nico had taught me little Filipino when we were living together in a dorm. Even though I didn’t understand much I listened anyway.
“Mangyaring, pangako ko kukunin ko ay mabuti, ako lang miss mo ang dalawang!” This time all I heard was “Please”. She was speaking too fast, so it was hard to get out much.
I heard a couple of yes’ and no’s until she went on another rant which was way too fast and long my mind almost exploded. I decided to retreat and go back to watching TV.
A couple of minutes later the door opened and Nico came out gripping her cell phone tightly. I turned around when she started to say, “My mom said I can go but I have to follow her rules and stay with them 24/7. I don’t know why she’s acting like that, I love her and all but my partying days kinda ended like a year and a half ago.”
“So that’s what you were talking about?” I chuckled, “Couldn’t understand much through the door.” I motioned to where I had been standing.
“Oh. Well that’s the point of speaking in a different language in America. So English speaking people can’t understand our personal business.” She smirked at me.
“Whatever,” I returned it with a snarky remark, “Anyway, I have to go pack because I’m going to Colorado on Sunday.” I realized that was the same time Anthony and Ian were leaving for New York and my heart sank.
“Lucky. I love your family.” Nico stuck her tongue out at me.
“You get to go to The Philippians so be quiet.” I returned it. “I bet your mom will want to do fun things with you there. She does love you believe it or not.” I laughed.
“Yeah well sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.” She muttered and sat at the kitchen table.
I hoisted myself up off the couch and went into our room to get a luggage bag. I started to fill it up with enough clothes for the week. I felt bad that Nicolette was sad about what her mom had said, but I felt even worse that Ian couldn’t be with her to help her through. Then I remembered Anthony’s smiling face telling me everything would be okay, and hoped that Ian had said the same to her.
Quick notes: Alexis is based on my Smoshy bff Diandra and I'm sorry if the Filipino is off, Google Translate can suck sometimes xP Thanks for reading!!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 10
Just then we heard a groan come from the bedroom; it didn’t sound like a “waking up” groan, it sounded like a “what-we-did-last-night” groan.
I whipped my head over to look at Anthony, “Um…I’m scared to check what’s happening…” I muttered.
“Well I’m not, they interrupted us yesterday, let’s go burst their moment today.” He snickered as he set his mug on the table and stood up.
I was hesitant to follow him but decided that he couldn’t really do it alone. I sighed and stood up, quietly tip-toeing behind Anthony. A couple more soft moans came from inside the bedroom and Anthony put his finger up to his lips to indicate to me to be quiet. When we got to the door, Anthony counted quietly,
“One…two…three!” He whipped open the door and I saw a sight I never want to see ever again.
“HOLY SHIT!” Anthony exclaimed and slammed the door shut, “WHAT THE FUCK DID WE JUST SEE?!” he asked me, covering his eyes.
“Bad idea! Bad idea!!!!” I repeated over-and-over, a bubble of laughter creeping up through my stomach.
We heard Ian laughing from inside the room and him shout, “COMMON GUYS, MY PANTS ARE BACK ON!!!”
“There is no way in hell I’m ever going back into that room!” I shouted back.
I heard Nicolette laughing as well, “It’s not as bad as what we saw you two doing!”
This time Anthony let out a breath of anger, “Bullshit!” he exclaimed “Ian, you’ve seen me with my shirt off before! I have never seen your….” He shuddered and couldn’t even finish his sentence.
The door opened a sliver but Anthony grabbed the door knob and pulled it shut.
“Hey! Let us out; we’re hungry!” Ian whined.
“No! I can never look at you the same again!” Anthony joked. I nodded in agreement.
Finally after more whining from the couple Anthony decided to let them out but didn’t look at Ian in the eye. Ian hobbled over to the kitchen with his crutches, Nicolette trailing behind him, her face was red in embarrassment and I knew I had something to blackmail her with forever.
They quietly made their own coffee and sat down at the kitchen table where Anthony and my stuff had been. We moved ourselves to the living room and turned on the television to try and take the tension away. It only helped slightly because Ian couldn’t get over what happened.
“You should’ve seen your face Anthony!” He cracked up, “You’re just jealous of Nicolette’s skillage!”
“Are you kidding me?” Anthony whipped around to face them, “Tailynn can blow your mind with HER ‘skillage’, you don’t even know what sensation you get when she touches you…and you never will!” he added, making sure Ian didn’t ask me for sexual favors.
“Can we just get over this now?” Nico mumbled and sipped her coffee.
“I agree with her, just drop it you two there’s no use in fighting over who has the best ‘touch’.” I put air quotes around “touch”. For some reason I didn’t feel comfortable saying the proper term for it.
“I know!” Ian stuck his finger in the air as he got an idea, but Anthony shut him down.
“NO WE ARE NOT HAVING A CONTEST TO DECIDE WHO GIVES BETTER HAND JOBS OKAY?!” He yelled at him.
“OKAY WE’RE FINISHED HERE!!!!” I exclaimed, “If you two don’t shut up already I’m gonna kick you out!”
“Okay, okay geez…” Ian rolled his eyes. I stuck my tongue out at him and he did the same back to me.
“Now really, when do you guys have to get ready to leave?” I directed my question at Anthony.
“I guess we should get going real soon…” he checked his watch before putting his arm around me, “Yeah I’d say about thirty minutes to an hour.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, “I don’t want you to leave…” I whispered.
“I know…” he whispered back, resting his chin on my head.
“So what are you guys suppose to be filming for your Smosh vids? You gonna film in NY or just not bother with it?” I suddenly asked.
“We’ll probably stop our regular Smosh vids for 2 Fridays and just release videos of our time in NY instead. That way not only will our fans see what’s happenin’ but you can be reassured that we’re safe and stuff.” I laughed at his explanation.
“Okay.” I said and hugged him tighter.
I kind of felt bad when they announced to their fans last month that they weren’t releasing their multiple different weekly series, Ian is Bored, Lunchtime With Smosh and Charlie. They said they’d make them when they could but just couldn’t keep up with the schedule because of “personal reasons” aka Nicolette and I. I personally thought it was sweet, but the ten thousand viewers that unsubscribed from them on YouTube obviously didn’t. My argument was that they could deal with it; they’d been doing just regular Smosh videos for four years so why complain when all they did was take away a couple of meaningless series. Of course, if this was nine months ago, Nicolette would be just as angry as those fans.
Twenty minutes passed with all of us just chillin’ and trying to forget the incident. The television blared out our favorite cartoon “Adventure Time”. It was a marathon so I was bummed that they couldn’t stay all day to watch.
Finally Anthony checked his watch again and sighed.
“Guess we gotta start heading out back to Sacramento now.” He retreated his arm from around my shoulder but I continued to hold on.
“Nooooo!!!” I cried out.
“I’m sorry.” He softly kissed my begging lips.
Anthony walked over to the kitchen where he had left his sandy shoes. He put them on and stood by the table, waiting for Ian to get up.
Nico stood up and wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck. I heard her whisper something into his ear; that something made Ian gleam and he kissed her cheek. She blushed and turned to Anthony to give him a friendly goodbye hug.
I turned to Ian and hugged him.
“Make sure Anthony stays in line.” I joked.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let him pay for hookers or anything like that.” He made sure Nicolette didn’t hear. I laughed which caused her to look over but I just shook my head implying that he just made a joke.
After I separated from Ian I walked back to Anthony and took his cheeks in my hands, “I love you.” I said before kissing his sweet lips.
“I love you too.” He said after our lips detached.
Anthony and Ian slowly walked to the front door. I could tell they didn’t want to leave the comfort of our house but their excitement about New York was obviously more important that us. I understood though because I would be just as excited.
They opened the door and made their way out, waving and giving us one last smile. Anthony blew me a kiss before shutting the door behind them and leaving Nicolette and I alone in silence.
I tapped my foot in anxiety; I just couldn’t do it; I just couldn’t have him leave without sharing one more romantic moment together. I argued with myself in my head for what seemed like forever before I took a gulp and rushed to the door. I swung it open and bounded down the stairs, they couldn’t have gotten far.
When I got to the parking lot I saw Anthony making his way to his car. His hands were stuffed in his pockets but he took them out in surprise when I shouted his name.
I ran into his arms in one last hug. He picked me up and squeezed me tight, letting me know I would be okay without him. But that was the thing; I didn’t want to be without him. He set me down and told me to get back inside. I sadly obeyed and climbed the stairs back up to my apartment. I watched as their car drove off and sighed. How could I be able to live without him for two weeks? I just didn’t know.
I whipped my head over to look at Anthony, “Um…I’m scared to check what’s happening…” I muttered.
“Well I’m not, they interrupted us yesterday, let’s go burst their moment today.” He snickered as he set his mug on the table and stood up.
I was hesitant to follow him but decided that he couldn’t really do it alone. I sighed and stood up, quietly tip-toeing behind Anthony. A couple more soft moans came from inside the bedroom and Anthony put his finger up to his lips to indicate to me to be quiet. When we got to the door, Anthony counted quietly,
“One…two…three!” He whipped open the door and I saw a sight I never want to see ever again.
“HOLY SHIT!” Anthony exclaimed and slammed the door shut, “WHAT THE FUCK DID WE JUST SEE?!” he asked me, covering his eyes.
“Bad idea! Bad idea!!!!” I repeated over-and-over, a bubble of laughter creeping up through my stomach.
We heard Ian laughing from inside the room and him shout, “COMMON GUYS, MY PANTS ARE BACK ON!!!”
“There is no way in hell I’m ever going back into that room!” I shouted back.
I heard Nicolette laughing as well, “It’s not as bad as what we saw you two doing!”
This time Anthony let out a breath of anger, “Bullshit!” he exclaimed “Ian, you’ve seen me with my shirt off before! I have never seen your….” He shuddered and couldn’t even finish his sentence.
The door opened a sliver but Anthony grabbed the door knob and pulled it shut.
“Hey! Let us out; we’re hungry!” Ian whined.
“No! I can never look at you the same again!” Anthony joked. I nodded in agreement.
Finally after more whining from the couple Anthony decided to let them out but didn’t look at Ian in the eye. Ian hobbled over to the kitchen with his crutches, Nicolette trailing behind him, her face was red in embarrassment and I knew I had something to blackmail her with forever.
They quietly made their own coffee and sat down at the kitchen table where Anthony and my stuff had been. We moved ourselves to the living room and turned on the television to try and take the tension away. It only helped slightly because Ian couldn’t get over what happened.
“You should’ve seen your face Anthony!” He cracked up, “You’re just jealous of Nicolette’s skillage!”
“Are you kidding me?” Anthony whipped around to face them, “Tailynn can blow your mind with HER ‘skillage’, you don’t even know what sensation you get when she touches you…and you never will!” he added, making sure Ian didn’t ask me for sexual favors.
“Can we just get over this now?” Nico mumbled and sipped her coffee.
“I agree with her, just drop it you two there’s no use in fighting over who has the best ‘touch’.” I put air quotes around “touch”. For some reason I didn’t feel comfortable saying the proper term for it.
“I know!” Ian stuck his finger in the air as he got an idea, but Anthony shut him down.
“NO WE ARE NOT HAVING A CONTEST TO DECIDE WHO GIVES BETTER HAND JOBS OKAY?!” He yelled at him.
“OKAY WE’RE FINISHED HERE!!!!” I exclaimed, “If you two don’t shut up already I’m gonna kick you out!”
“Okay, okay geez…” Ian rolled his eyes. I stuck my tongue out at him and he did the same back to me.
“Now really, when do you guys have to get ready to leave?” I directed my question at Anthony.
“I guess we should get going real soon…” he checked his watch before putting his arm around me, “Yeah I’d say about thirty minutes to an hour.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, “I don’t want you to leave…” I whispered.
“I know…” he whispered back, resting his chin on my head.
“So what are you guys suppose to be filming for your Smosh vids? You gonna film in NY or just not bother with it?” I suddenly asked.
“We’ll probably stop our regular Smosh vids for 2 Fridays and just release videos of our time in NY instead. That way not only will our fans see what’s happenin’ but you can be reassured that we’re safe and stuff.” I laughed at his explanation.
“Okay.” I said and hugged him tighter.
I kind of felt bad when they announced to their fans last month that they weren’t releasing their multiple different weekly series, Ian is Bored, Lunchtime With Smosh and Charlie. They said they’d make them when they could but just couldn’t keep up with the schedule because of “personal reasons” aka Nicolette and I. I personally thought it was sweet, but the ten thousand viewers that unsubscribed from them on YouTube obviously didn’t. My argument was that they could deal with it; they’d been doing just regular Smosh videos for four years so why complain when all they did was take away a couple of meaningless series. Of course, if this was nine months ago, Nicolette would be just as angry as those fans.
Twenty minutes passed with all of us just chillin’ and trying to forget the incident. The television blared out our favorite cartoon “Adventure Time”. It was a marathon so I was bummed that they couldn’t stay all day to watch.
Finally Anthony checked his watch again and sighed.
“Guess we gotta start heading out back to Sacramento now.” He retreated his arm from around my shoulder but I continued to hold on.
“Nooooo!!!” I cried out.
“I’m sorry.” He softly kissed my begging lips.
Anthony walked over to the kitchen where he had left his sandy shoes. He put them on and stood by the table, waiting for Ian to get up.
Nico stood up and wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck. I heard her whisper something into his ear; that something made Ian gleam and he kissed her cheek. She blushed and turned to Anthony to give him a friendly goodbye hug.
I turned to Ian and hugged him.
“Make sure Anthony stays in line.” I joked.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let him pay for hookers or anything like that.” He made sure Nicolette didn’t hear. I laughed which caused her to look over but I just shook my head implying that he just made a joke.
After I separated from Ian I walked back to Anthony and took his cheeks in my hands, “I love you.” I said before kissing his sweet lips.
“I love you too.” He said after our lips detached.
Anthony and Ian slowly walked to the front door. I could tell they didn’t want to leave the comfort of our house but their excitement about New York was obviously more important that us. I understood though because I would be just as excited.
They opened the door and made their way out, waving and giving us one last smile. Anthony blew me a kiss before shutting the door behind them and leaving Nicolette and I alone in silence.
I tapped my foot in anxiety; I just couldn’t do it; I just couldn’t have him leave without sharing one more romantic moment together. I argued with myself in my head for what seemed like forever before I took a gulp and rushed to the door. I swung it open and bounded down the stairs, they couldn’t have gotten far.
When I got to the parking lot I saw Anthony making his way to his car. His hands were stuffed in his pockets but he took them out in surprise when I shouted his name.
I ran into his arms in one last hug. He picked me up and squeezed me tight, letting me know I would be okay without him. But that was the thing; I didn’t want to be without him. He set me down and told me to get back inside. I sadly obeyed and climbed the stairs back up to my apartment. I watched as their car drove off and sighed. How could I be able to live without him for two weeks? I just didn’t know.
Live, Laugh, Learn, Love- Part 9
I woke up to someone touching my lips. I kind of liked the feeling so I kept my eyes closed; I knew they were Anthony’s lips and I knew he had a good reason for waking me but I didn’t want the pleasure to end. However I did accidentally start kissing back which caused Anthony to retreat and for me to open my eyes.
“Ugh, what time is it?” I mumbled as I sat up rubbing my eyes. I immediately hugged the blanket to my chest when I realized I was still naked underneath.
“About five in the morning.” Anthony whispered, “Get your clothes on; I checked and it’s not that cold out so anything will do.”
I tilted my head in confusion causing Anthony to explain, “We’re gonna take a walk to somewhere special, ok?” I smiled,
“Okay.” I didn’t mind standing up and getting off the couch in my birthday suit, in fact, I loved the attention that Anthony gave me with his hungry eyes as I carefully snuck into my bedroom to get a simple T-shirt and shorts.
I walked back into the living room to gather my underwear and start to get dressed. When I was finished, I looked back at Anthony who was near the door ready to leave.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Shhhhhh,” he put his finger to his lips, “It’s a surprise, now common.” He took my hand and led me out the door.
It was still dark outside but warm like Anthony had described. The sound of crickets had died down to a minimum of a couple of chirps a minute; the noise of morning birds dominated our ears instead. We trotted downstairs to the parking lot, I expected him to get inside his car so I separated our hands to walk over to it. He followed me and took my hand again,
“Where we’re going, we don’t need a car.” He said softly and continued to walk.
My mind circled around where he could be leading me. “Somewhere special” “it’s a surprise” I needed more than two subtle, lame hints. I was going to die of curiosity. Anthony took me to the streets behind my apartment complex. The roads were still empty except for some early morning joggers and a car or two. It made it easy for us to cross the usually loud, crowded street to another apartment complex. We crossed through the parking lot of that building and got to another lifeless street. By now I was sort of getting an idea about where he could be leading me. I just hoped it wasn’t much further away because I didn’t want Ian and Nicolette to get worried about where we were.
Finally after crossing another street, I saw it. I couldn’t believe I had been so stupid to not notice it before. It was the beach. I beamed from ear-to-ear as Anthony led me to the soft Californian sand. I sat down as soon as we got there to take off the converse and socks I had put on. Anthony followed my example as he kicked off his shoes and socks as well. We stuffed the socks into the shoes and left them in the middle of the beach; there was no one out at the time so we had no worries if someone were to take them.
I took Anthony’s hand again so he could help me stand up and we rushed into the receding ocean shoreline. The wet sand found its way in between my toes and I squished them together in delight. I looked over at Anthony who was smiling at me. His smile was bright and warming; he was the most perfect man I’d ever known.
We stood in the shoreline alone for a while, kicking the water and giggling before I decided it wouldn’t hurt if I waded in it. My shorts were pretty short so I didn’t mind getting my legs wet. Anthony watched as I jogged further into the water. The ocean was freezing cold but for some reason, today, I disregarded that fact and motioned Anthony to join me. He just stared at me, thinking of what to do. Finally he shrugged and bounded towards me; he picked me up in a hug and pretended to throw me in. I laughed, not caring if he did or not.
When he put me down I knelt down to splash him with the saltwater. Specks of water sprinkled on his shirt and he inhaled sharply in surprise. He laughed as he reached down and splashed me back, returning the favor. We spent a minute or two splashing away at each other, laughing and enjoying our last morning together.
Suddenly, in the middle of our splash fight, Anthony stopped and stared at the ocean behind me. I turned around to see the bright orange sun slowly creeping over the ocean. I stepped back so that I was standing next to Anthony. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as we watched the sun rise. It was a beautiful sight; and out of all the years I had lived in California, I had never seen a sunrise on the beach. I was more than delighted to have shared it with my one true love.
When the sun was a quarter of the way passed the brim of the ocean, Anthony turned to me and spoke for the first time since we had left.
“I love you more than anyone in my life,” he began, “nobody can take my love away from you. You are the only reason I breathe, the only reason my heart beats, the only reason I live; I live for you Taybe; for you only.” He smiled to prove he was sincere.
Tears rushed to my eyes, “Nobody’s ever said that to me before,” was all I could think of saying, “You are the most perfect person I’ve ever met and I don’t think anyone could love you as much as I do.” I made him smile even wider.
Our lips touched softly and I wrapped my arms around his neck, making our morning as perfect as possible. There was no way I could let him leave me for New York; I couldn’t bear to not see him for two weeks. We finally separated but our hands still touched and we walked back to where we left our shoes. By then, more joggers had showed up and were running along the shore where we had so passionately declared our love for each other.
I didn’t bother to put on my socks because my feet were dirty and wet so I just slipped on my converse, making sure I didn’t get the exterior dirty, but I didn’t bother to lace them up. Anthony had the same idea and stuffed his socks into his pockets.
We interlocked our fingers together again and made our way back to the apartment, passing a couple of love-sick teenagers who couldn’t have been over fifteen rush to the beach.
“I bet they have the same idea as you.” I laid my head on Anthony’s side as we continued to walk.
“If that boy is as smart as me then I think those two will last for a long time.” He kissed my head.
We walked slowly across the streets, this time it took a little longer to wait for the multiple cars to drive pass but we didn’t mind; we wanted to waste as much time outside as possible.
Finally I saw my apartment building and I began to drag my soggy converse.
“I don’t want you to leave.” I finally admitted, “Not now, not ever.”
“I’m sorry,” Anthony stopped in our tracks, “But I’ll only be gone for two weeks and I won’t ever leave you again. If I do leave, I’ll make sure to buy extra tickets and bring you with me.” He kissed my cheek and we slowly climbed the stairs to my front door.
Opening it up, no signs of Nicolette or Ian being awake were around. Again, it was just Anthony and I. I took off my shoes in the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels to wash my feet off. Anthony grabbed some more and once again followed my example. When we were finished I made a cup of tea for myself and one for Anthony. We sat at the kitchen table drinking tea and staring out of the big window back to the still-rising sun.
Anthony suddenly took my unoccupied hand and kissed it. Right then and there, I knew that even if today was one of the best days of my life, it would also be the worst.
“Ugh, what time is it?” I mumbled as I sat up rubbing my eyes. I immediately hugged the blanket to my chest when I realized I was still naked underneath.
“About five in the morning.” Anthony whispered, “Get your clothes on; I checked and it’s not that cold out so anything will do.”
I tilted my head in confusion causing Anthony to explain, “We’re gonna take a walk to somewhere special, ok?” I smiled,
“Okay.” I didn’t mind standing up and getting off the couch in my birthday suit, in fact, I loved the attention that Anthony gave me with his hungry eyes as I carefully snuck into my bedroom to get a simple T-shirt and shorts.
I walked back into the living room to gather my underwear and start to get dressed. When I was finished, I looked back at Anthony who was near the door ready to leave.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Shhhhhh,” he put his finger to his lips, “It’s a surprise, now common.” He took my hand and led me out the door.
It was still dark outside but warm like Anthony had described. The sound of crickets had died down to a minimum of a couple of chirps a minute; the noise of morning birds dominated our ears instead. We trotted downstairs to the parking lot, I expected him to get inside his car so I separated our hands to walk over to it. He followed me and took my hand again,
“Where we’re going, we don’t need a car.” He said softly and continued to walk.
My mind circled around where he could be leading me. “Somewhere special” “it’s a surprise” I needed more than two subtle, lame hints. I was going to die of curiosity. Anthony took me to the streets behind my apartment complex. The roads were still empty except for some early morning joggers and a car or two. It made it easy for us to cross the usually loud, crowded street to another apartment complex. We crossed through the parking lot of that building and got to another lifeless street. By now I was sort of getting an idea about where he could be leading me. I just hoped it wasn’t much further away because I didn’t want Ian and Nicolette to get worried about where we were.
Finally after crossing another street, I saw it. I couldn’t believe I had been so stupid to not notice it before. It was the beach. I beamed from ear-to-ear as Anthony led me to the soft Californian sand. I sat down as soon as we got there to take off the converse and socks I had put on. Anthony followed my example as he kicked off his shoes and socks as well. We stuffed the socks into the shoes and left them in the middle of the beach; there was no one out at the time so we had no worries if someone were to take them.
I took Anthony’s hand again so he could help me stand up and we rushed into the receding ocean shoreline. The wet sand found its way in between my toes and I squished them together in delight. I looked over at Anthony who was smiling at me. His smile was bright and warming; he was the most perfect man I’d ever known.
We stood in the shoreline alone for a while, kicking the water and giggling before I decided it wouldn’t hurt if I waded in it. My shorts were pretty short so I didn’t mind getting my legs wet. Anthony watched as I jogged further into the water. The ocean was freezing cold but for some reason, today, I disregarded that fact and motioned Anthony to join me. He just stared at me, thinking of what to do. Finally he shrugged and bounded towards me; he picked me up in a hug and pretended to throw me in. I laughed, not caring if he did or not.
When he put me down I knelt down to splash him with the saltwater. Specks of water sprinkled on his shirt and he inhaled sharply in surprise. He laughed as he reached down and splashed me back, returning the favor. We spent a minute or two splashing away at each other, laughing and enjoying our last morning together.
Suddenly, in the middle of our splash fight, Anthony stopped and stared at the ocean behind me. I turned around to see the bright orange sun slowly creeping over the ocean. I stepped back so that I was standing next to Anthony. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as we watched the sun rise. It was a beautiful sight; and out of all the years I had lived in California, I had never seen a sunrise on the beach. I was more than delighted to have shared it with my one true love.
When the sun was a quarter of the way passed the brim of the ocean, Anthony turned to me and spoke for the first time since we had left.
“I love you more than anyone in my life,” he began, “nobody can take my love away from you. You are the only reason I breathe, the only reason my heart beats, the only reason I live; I live for you Taybe; for you only.” He smiled to prove he was sincere.
Tears rushed to my eyes, “Nobody’s ever said that to me before,” was all I could think of saying, “You are the most perfect person I’ve ever met and I don’t think anyone could love you as much as I do.” I made him smile even wider.
Our lips touched softly and I wrapped my arms around his neck, making our morning as perfect as possible. There was no way I could let him leave me for New York; I couldn’t bear to not see him for two weeks. We finally separated but our hands still touched and we walked back to where we left our shoes. By then, more joggers had showed up and were running along the shore where we had so passionately declared our love for each other.
I didn’t bother to put on my socks because my feet were dirty and wet so I just slipped on my converse, making sure I didn’t get the exterior dirty, but I didn’t bother to lace them up. Anthony had the same idea and stuffed his socks into his pockets.
We interlocked our fingers together again and made our way back to the apartment, passing a couple of love-sick teenagers who couldn’t have been over fifteen rush to the beach.
“I bet they have the same idea as you.” I laid my head on Anthony’s side as we continued to walk.
“If that boy is as smart as me then I think those two will last for a long time.” He kissed my head.
We walked slowly across the streets, this time it took a little longer to wait for the multiple cars to drive pass but we didn’t mind; we wanted to waste as much time outside as possible.
Finally I saw my apartment building and I began to drag my soggy converse.
“I don’t want you to leave.” I finally admitted, “Not now, not ever.”
“I’m sorry,” Anthony stopped in our tracks, “But I’ll only be gone for two weeks and I won’t ever leave you again. If I do leave, I’ll make sure to buy extra tickets and bring you with me.” He kissed my cheek and we slowly climbed the stairs to my front door.
Opening it up, no signs of Nicolette or Ian being awake were around. Again, it was just Anthony and I. I took off my shoes in the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels to wash my feet off. Anthony grabbed some more and once again followed my example. When we were finished I made a cup of tea for myself and one for Anthony. We sat at the kitchen table drinking tea and staring out of the big window back to the still-rising sun.
Anthony suddenly took my unoccupied hand and kissed it. Right then and there, I knew that even if today was one of the best days of my life, it would also be the worst.
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