Status: Internet at home sucks where we live, so i'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. :/
Release Me, so I Can Convince Myself That I'm Better off Without You
“I’m as Nervous as a *** in Church.”
When Benji and I stepped foot off the plane and onto Maryland soil, it was 10:30 in the morning and very chilly outside. Fortunately for me, I was smart enough to wear a lightweight leather jacket with jeans tucked into leather boots. Underneath my jacket, I was wearing a plain white shirt with a scarf overlapping it tied around my neck. My hair was in its natural state, running down my back and over my shoulders in pin-straight tendrils. I was dressed down with only eyeliner and mascara as my makeup, but I still looked nice enough to meet Benji’s family.
Benji, who was used to the fall weather in Maryland, didn’t find the cool air chilly at all; in fact, he thought it was funny that I was bundled up in my jacket.
“Stop laughing at me, Madden!” I mumbled, eyeing him with aggravated eyes. “I’m not used to Maryland weather, and you know it!”
“Sorry, babe,” He chuckled, pulling me into his side with his arm around my shoulders.
“Uh huh,” I nodded, pulling my Alexander McQueen bag higher up on my shoulder.
After locating our luggage at the baggage claim area, we were off to find our reserved rental car, what was supposed to be a black, dark-tinted SUV. Turns out, it was a very nice Cadillac Escalade; very much a Benji-like vehicle.
“Should I change into something nicer?” I asked him, fussing with my shirt and scarf. “Like a dress or something,”
“You look fine, babe,” He picked my left hand up from the center console and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips to my skin softly. “My mom isn’t worried about how you look. She just wants to meet you.”
“I know, I just don’t want to look bad when I meet her.”
He looked over to me with a ‘Really?’ kind of look on his face. “You never look bad, Kimmy.”
“And you, dear Benjamin, are a liar,” I replied.
“Am I a liar when I tell you you’re beautiful?” When I didn’t say anything, he nodded his head knowingly. “That’s what I thought. Stop worrying, babe. I really care about you, so that’s already one plus on your side. You really have nothing to worry about, I promise.”
Mama Madden’s home was a one story house made of scarlet-colored brick, a cookie cutter replica of every other house on the street, but her house stood out from all the others because of the multiple cars in her driveway. She had a row of coral-colored carnations that lined the front of her house, giving it a feminine touch.
Benji grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together as we walked to the front door. It was a simple yet tender gesture, but it managed to make me feel somewhat better. My mind was racing and my nerves were on overdrive, making me wanna go crazy—if I wasn’t already—but I was trying to remain calm and keep collected. I could do this. It was just like meeting anyone else . . . only this was this mother of my boyfriend, the woman who gave birth to the man in my life; and for that, I had to show her that I was good for her son, so that she’d like and accept me.
Joel was the one to answer the door, dressed in pants and a short-sleeved shirt like his twin next to me. Damn Maryland natives, I grumbled to myself as Joel eyed my jacket and boots with amused orbs. “Nice outfit, Kimberly,” He snickered, letting us inside.
“I’d compliment you too, Rueben, but it wouldn’t be very nice for me to say in your mother’s house.”
He just grinned back at me as his wife walked over to us, socking him in the arm playfully. “Leave her alone, Joel. We’re Cali girls at heart. We’re not used to Maryland’s chilly weather.” She told him. She too had a scarf around her neck overlapping a white shirt with jeans and boots. She eyed my outfit with a proud grin. “Great minds think alike,”
Just then, an older woman came into the room, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel. She had graying brown hair that reached past her shoulders in messy waves. For a woman with four grown kids and three grandchildren, she looked amazing. She was tiny, wearing a long peasant skirt with a matching brown top and a pair of beaded sandals.
“Hey mom,” Joel called out. “Look who finally showed up,”
When she looked up, I was met with a pair of intense hazel eyes surrounded by black eyeliner and long lashes. It was almost like looking into Joel or Benji’s eyes, only hers were lighter due to the makeup around them. She was definitely their mom, no doubt about it.
“Oh, Benjamin, you’re here!” She exclaimed, rushing over with a blinding smile. She threw her arms around him before turning to greet me. “And you must be Kimberlyn! You’re so adorable!” Before I could even blink, her arms were around me in some sort of hug, making me feel less awkward.
“Thank you, Ms. Madden,” I stated, once she pulled away from the embrace. “It was very nice of you to invite me to your house this weekend.”
She grinned at me, waving my words away with her hand. “Oh nonsense, sweetie. I had to meet the woman that has my son so wrapped around her finger.” She insisted. “Now, none of that ‘Ms. Madden’ crap; call me Robin.”
“Alright, Robin,” I nodded. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Are you good in the kitchen?” She questioned.
Test #1: If I could cook, I was that much closer to being accepted by her.
“Are you kidding?” Nicole interceded. “Kimmy always helps me in the kitchen when she comes over.”
I turned to Robin with a shrug of my shoulders. “I like to think I am,”
“A modest cook,” She nodded. “How about we put that to the test?”
“Sure,” I agreed, following her and Nicole to the kitchen as I heard Joel whisper to Benji about me never going into my kitchen.
“So, Kimmy, how old are you?” Robin questioned a little later, when we were all eating dinner.
“I’m twenty-seven,” I answered after swallowing my mouthful of food. “I’ll be twenty-eight on the thirtieth of this month.”
“So, you were almost a Halloween baby?” Josh, the oldest Madden sibling, asked, causing me to nod my head. “Cool,”
“Are you a model?” The youngest and only female Madden sibling asked a few minutes later. Sarah was stick-skinny like her mother with short, pixie-cut ebony hair and dark eyes that resembled a raccoon, though she pulled the look off quite nicely. Today, she was dressed in black jeans with a white custom-made band tee and a pair of combat boots.
“Um, I’ve only just recently started modeling due to Benji insisting that I try something new.” I answered her. “I’m mainly a photographer.”
“How did you meet my son, dear?” Robin inquired, curiously.
Looking over to Benji, I grinned. “At one of his concerts,” I replied. “I was taking pictures for a magazine, and this guy over here. . .” I pointed to Benji. “. . .was acting all smooth, trying to get my number because I was cute.”
“Trying . . .?” Benji scoffed. “I succeeded, babe,”
“Yeah, but only because I knew you wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave it to you.”
“Now, that is so not nice, Kimberlyn!” He pouted. “You know you’d be miserable without me.”
“Of course,” I agreed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “I would just die.”
“Sarcasm will get you nowhere,” He grumbled.
“And neither will flattery,” I shrugged. “But that’s okay,”
“A girl that can put Benny in his place,” Josh grinned. “You better marry her, dude.”
“Wow,” Joel muttered. “I can’t imagine you getting married, bro.”
“They’ve only been together like five months, boys.” Nicole grumbled. “Cool your rolls,”
“Oh, Josh, you shouldn’t rush things.” I warned him, playfully. “I’d like to get to know the family I’m marrying into, first.”
Benji, who was used to the fall weather in Maryland, didn’t find the cool air chilly at all; in fact, he thought it was funny that I was bundled up in my jacket.
“Stop laughing at me, Madden!” I mumbled, eyeing him with aggravated eyes. “I’m not used to Maryland weather, and you know it!”
“Sorry, babe,” He chuckled, pulling me into his side with his arm around my shoulders.
“Uh huh,” I nodded, pulling my Alexander McQueen bag higher up on my shoulder.
After locating our luggage at the baggage claim area, we were off to find our reserved rental car, what was supposed to be a black, dark-tinted SUV. Turns out, it was a very nice Cadillac Escalade; very much a Benji-like vehicle.
“Should I change into something nicer?” I asked him, fussing with my shirt and scarf. “Like a dress or something,”
“You look fine, babe,” He picked my left hand up from the center console and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips to my skin softly. “My mom isn’t worried about how you look. She just wants to meet you.”
“I know, I just don’t want to look bad when I meet her.”
He looked over to me with a ‘Really?’ kind of look on his face. “You never look bad, Kimmy.”
“And you, dear Benjamin, are a liar,” I replied.
“Am I a liar when I tell you you’re beautiful?” When I didn’t say anything, he nodded his head knowingly. “That’s what I thought. Stop worrying, babe. I really care about you, so that’s already one plus on your side. You really have nothing to worry about, I promise.”
Mama Madden’s home was a one story house made of scarlet-colored brick, a cookie cutter replica of every other house on the street, but her house stood out from all the others because of the multiple cars in her driveway. She had a row of coral-colored carnations that lined the front of her house, giving it a feminine touch.
Benji grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together as we walked to the front door. It was a simple yet tender gesture, but it managed to make me feel somewhat better. My mind was racing and my nerves were on overdrive, making me wanna go crazy—if I wasn’t already—but I was trying to remain calm and keep collected. I could do this. It was just like meeting anyone else . . . only this was this mother of my boyfriend, the woman who gave birth to the man in my life; and for that, I had to show her that I was good for her son, so that she’d like and accept me.
Joel was the one to answer the door, dressed in pants and a short-sleeved shirt like his twin next to me. Damn Maryland natives, I grumbled to myself as Joel eyed my jacket and boots with amused orbs. “Nice outfit, Kimberly,” He snickered, letting us inside.
“I’d compliment you too, Rueben, but it wouldn’t be very nice for me to say in your mother’s house.”
He just grinned back at me as his wife walked over to us, socking him in the arm playfully. “Leave her alone, Joel. We’re Cali girls at heart. We’re not used to Maryland’s chilly weather.” She told him. She too had a scarf around her neck overlapping a white shirt with jeans and boots. She eyed my outfit with a proud grin. “Great minds think alike,”
Just then, an older woman came into the room, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel. She had graying brown hair that reached past her shoulders in messy waves. For a woman with four grown kids and three grandchildren, she looked amazing. She was tiny, wearing a long peasant skirt with a matching brown top and a pair of beaded sandals.
“Hey mom,” Joel called out. “Look who finally showed up,”
When she looked up, I was met with a pair of intense hazel eyes surrounded by black eyeliner and long lashes. It was almost like looking into Joel or Benji’s eyes, only hers were lighter due to the makeup around them. She was definitely their mom, no doubt about it.
“Oh, Benjamin, you’re here!” She exclaimed, rushing over with a blinding smile. She threw her arms around him before turning to greet me. “And you must be Kimberlyn! You’re so adorable!” Before I could even blink, her arms were around me in some sort of hug, making me feel less awkward.
“Thank you, Ms. Madden,” I stated, once she pulled away from the embrace. “It was very nice of you to invite me to your house this weekend.”
She grinned at me, waving my words away with her hand. “Oh nonsense, sweetie. I had to meet the woman that has my son so wrapped around her finger.” She insisted. “Now, none of that ‘Ms. Madden’ crap; call me Robin.”
“Alright, Robin,” I nodded. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Are you good in the kitchen?” She questioned.
Test #1: If I could cook, I was that much closer to being accepted by her.
“Are you kidding?” Nicole interceded. “Kimmy always helps me in the kitchen when she comes over.”
I turned to Robin with a shrug of my shoulders. “I like to think I am,”
“A modest cook,” She nodded. “How about we put that to the test?”
“Sure,” I agreed, following her and Nicole to the kitchen as I heard Joel whisper to Benji about me never going into my kitchen.
“So, Kimmy, how old are you?” Robin questioned a little later, when we were all eating dinner.
“I’m twenty-seven,” I answered after swallowing my mouthful of food. “I’ll be twenty-eight on the thirtieth of this month.”
“So, you were almost a Halloween baby?” Josh, the oldest Madden sibling, asked, causing me to nod my head. “Cool,”
“Are you a model?” The youngest and only female Madden sibling asked a few minutes later. Sarah was stick-skinny like her mother with short, pixie-cut ebony hair and dark eyes that resembled a raccoon, though she pulled the look off quite nicely. Today, she was dressed in black jeans with a white custom-made band tee and a pair of combat boots.
“Um, I’ve only just recently started modeling due to Benji insisting that I try something new.” I answered her. “I’m mainly a photographer.”
“How did you meet my son, dear?” Robin inquired, curiously.
Looking over to Benji, I grinned. “At one of his concerts,” I replied. “I was taking pictures for a magazine, and this guy over here. . .” I pointed to Benji. “. . .was acting all smooth, trying to get my number because I was cute.”
“Trying . . .?” Benji scoffed. “I succeeded, babe,”
“Yeah, but only because I knew you wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave it to you.”
“Now, that is so not nice, Kimberlyn!” He pouted. “You know you’d be miserable without me.”
“Of course,” I agreed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “I would just die.”
“Sarcasm will get you nowhere,” He grumbled.
“And neither will flattery,” I shrugged. “But that’s okay,”
“A girl that can put Benny in his place,” Josh grinned. “You better marry her, dude.”
“Wow,” Joel muttered. “I can’t imagine you getting married, bro.”
“They’ve only been together like five months, boys.” Nicole grumbled. “Cool your rolls,”
“Oh, Josh, you shouldn’t rush things.” I warned him, playfully. “I’d like to get to know the family I’m marrying into, first.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Kimmy