Creating Fate

“I know, I know Honey…I got it…okay…I love you too, Sweetheart...okay,” I continued, “Alright…I’ll see you in a week Baby girl, bye.”

After finally getting off the phone with Stevvie, my girlfriend of just over a year, I made my way through the hectic Chicago O’Hare airport to get to baggage claim. It was all a routine to me as I fluidly maneuvered my way through the crowd, knowing exactly where I was going. I was pretty sure security knew me by name because I spent so much time there, flying back and forth from L.A to Chicago, making occasional stops in Dallas to visit my own family.

According to Stevvie’s knowledge, that was exactly what I was doing. Most of it was true; I was going to visit my best friend, my little brother Frankie and my parents in Dallas, what she didn’t know was I was going to make a pit stop to her hometown to visit her parents before I took midnight flight to Dallas. Now, I seldom lied to Stevie and if I did, it was to look out for her best interests and this occasion was definitely with her best interests in mind.

To make sure my presence in Chicago was completely secret, I kept a low profile, wearing a beanie to cover my infamous curls, a hoodie, and aviators. I gave the cab I called the address to Stevvie’s penthouse apartment and settled in the backseat. The cab was new, but the driver wasn’t. He quietly hummed along to the Spanish music that blared through the speakers of the car, just enjoying himself as we rode along, hitting traffic every so often.

Once we made it to the building her apartment resided in, I paid the meter and a little extra for a tip, I enjoyed his driving. A downpour had just started when I got my suitcase from the trunk, causing me to rush into the lavish building. With the help of the door attendant and the elevator man, I finally made it to Stevvie’s loft. Her building was 20 floors high, meaning Stevvie’s was on the 20th floor. I laughed at how different we were in that aspect, she was a city girl, and I liked open spaces and the laidback attitude of my house.

Her new apartment was a major upgrade from the little, cozy apartment she got for the sole purpose of college. Now, this was her permanent home…at least for now. The high ceilings, the wide windows and the amazing view of the city just about rounded up the reason why she moved here a couple of months ago. It was modern, with a vintage feel and a classic twist. The three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a full kitchen, den and a balcony was well worth the money she out forth every month. It wasn’t like money was the issue for her anyway, when you’re the daughter of Todd Jameson, founder of Jatsa records, legend and lead singer of the band Chasing Fate. Their family was worth billions and Stevvie alone had her going empire.

I set my things down and looked at the time, my small window of time was quickly fading so I hopped in the shower and proceeded to get ready. For some reason I figured being clean would help make one of the scariest things I was about to do go a bit smoother. I washed, shaved and brushed my teeth as swiftly as I could, a pulled out a brand new cardigan sweater my brother Joseph got me for Christmas. With a splash of cologne and a dab of hair mousse to tame the curls and prevent frizz in the Chicago wind and rain, I was ready to go.

Just before I headed out the door, I paused and took a deep breath. Just for assurance, I ran back to the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror, no curl was too curled or out of place, and my breath-smelled minty…everything was okay.

“You can do this...you’ve been waiting for this day for a long time…now is the time,” I told my reflection,” Just walk out of that door and do it just like Kevin and Joseph explained…you’re a man…and men don’t chicken out of things.”

After a few moments of trying to give myself a pep talk, I realized how stupid I looked talking to myself and left the loft.

Instead of taking another cab, I took Stevvie’s Mercedes, she rarely used it anymore, I was actually thinking about convincing her to sell it and getting something a little less flashy, like some sort of hybrid or something. She would probably prefer that anyway, I was the car enthusiast and she was the fashion enthusiast. Stevvie lived about an hour from her parents’ house now, which wasn’t that bad of a drive if you left out the rain and traffic. I enjoyed the silence and being able to cruise through the drive, letting my mind wander. I made a mental checklist of the things that needed to be taken care of at home such as watering the plants, changing the water of the fish tank in my den, and calling the vet to make an appointment for Elvis, he needed his annual shots. I laughed to myself because it was insane how just two years ago, I was more concerned with making sure no one ate my slice of pie at home, and now I had fully taken on the roll of a boring, bill paying adult. I shrugged it off though, after all, I still was a member of not one, but two rock bands, which balanced out the boring adult to me. I was content with my life now, I was twenty, in a great relationship with a girl I loved, and the future was looking amazing. Nevertheless, I was excited to see what happens next.

“…Why Mr. Jonas…what a lovely surprise…come in, come in!” Anna, the Jameson’s maid greeted me in her English accent…I always laughed at how many English connections the Jameson’s have. Todd, Stevvie’s dad is the son of a genuine Englishman, and her mother’s siblings all live in England now. We spent some time over there visiting just before Thanksgiving.

“What is the occasion for this visit? Shall I prepare your usual room for you Sir? Miss Stephanie is with you I presume?”

“No, no,” I explained, “I’m here just for today to visit the Jamesons…you see I have a
midnight flight to Dallas so a room isn’t needed, thank you though. Oh, and Stevvie isn’t here with me this time…”

“She’s not?” Anna asked as se hung up my wet coat and umbrella, “she’s still in Los Angeles correct?”

“Yes, she’s working on some new music and doing some business for Operation Helping hands, he charity.”

“Well, that is a little saddening…nevertheless, I shall phone her for you to inform her of your safe arrival,” she decided.

“No!” I stopped her, “Anna…actually, can you keep my visit from Stevvie? I’m somewhat here for a special reason and it’s about her. She thinks I’m already in Dallas and if she found out I was here without her, she’d get suspicious.”

“…and suspicious is what we don’t want?” She finally began to catch on, “ahh…well, it’s not my place to snoop, so Mr. Jonas, my lips are sealed, and you have nothing to worry about!”
I smiled and kissed her on the cheek, thanking her. The help at the Jameson’s were all family to them.

“Let me fix you a beverage and something to nibble on,” she announced as I followed her into the kitchen, “Mr. and Mrs. Jameson are out running errands with the boys, but they informed me that they’re rushing right back here to see you. Mrs. Jameson sounded just thrilled to know you came for a visit!”

I sipped on Anna’s tea, my favorite drink I had every time I was here. She got it imported all the way from her hometown in England just for the family.

“Oh, they could have finished their errands; I have a few hours, “I replied, “How has the family been anyway?”

“Good! Good! Alex and Adrian are growing up so fast these days and Todd and Jennifer are just as busy as ever. How are your brothers?”

I carried on my conversation with Anna and dined on her amazing Sheppard’s pie they had leftover from last night’s dinner until the Jamesons came bustling in.

I was first greeted by Jennifer’s bright smile, making me happy because Stevvie got her smile from her. She squealed and practically jumped up and down, making a note that she hadn’t seen me since New Years in New York, which was a couple of months ago, it’s now the end of February. I accepted her gracious hug and Todd’s punches to my arm. Adrian and Alex ambushed me with “dudes!”, “wassups”, followed by lots of secret hands shakes, and knuckle touches. I felt at home with Stevvie’s family, we got along amazingly.

“Nicholas, what on earth are you doing here?” Jennifer proceeded to ask, “wait…Stevvie not here too is she?”

“No, unfortunately,” I broke the news, “Actually, I’m on my way to my parents’ house in Dallas and I decided to stop by for a surprise visit….so surprise?”

“Well, we’re happy to have you here Son,” Todd announced, “you’re practically family already, Stevvie knows you’re here correct?”

“No, actually…the thing…which I think will be better understood once you find out the main reason I made this quick visit…”

“Oh...well what is it?” Jen asked, gaining curiosity.

“You guys don’t have any thing you need to do immediately do you?” I asked, “I actually need to…umm, discuss something with you guys.”

Todd and Jennifer looked at each other for answers until, Todd relied with a no, granting me their attention. Just a Todd led us outside, Alex and Adrian spoke up.

“Yo Nick! Alex has a sweet curveball he wants to try out on you! You up?”

I quickly explained that I couldn’t and promised them a game and a spin in my brand new Mustang I bought myself for Christmas if they kept my visit a secret from their big sister. Of course, they agreed.

My favorite part of the Jameson’s house was the fully enclosed patio they had. Even with the light rain, it was nice to sit out there and a perfect place to introduce my proposal…literally.

“So…judging by Todd’s face…I think you guys have already figured out why I’m here talking to you.” I began.

“I have a hunch,” Todd replied. His face wasn’t serious, but it wasn’t his usual positive expression. It was almost a curious expression.

“Honestly, I had this big, complicated speech where professed my never-ending love for your daughter before I got to the point, then I realized that I don’t have to tell you…you already know. So, I’m just going to say it. Todd, Jennifer…I’d like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage and it would mean the world to mean if I had your blessing.”

After I said those words, I knew there was know going back. My heart was pounding out of my chest before and now it was running on overdrive. I was positive they would grant me the blessing, but it still was a nerve-racking question to ask.

Instead of smiles and instant “yes’s” that Joe and Kevin received, there was silence. Todd and Jennifer looked at each other and back at me. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t say anything more, but after a few moments I couldn’t take it.

“Look, I know…I know we’re young…and…and…we’ve only been together for a short amount of time, but I’ve prayed and really thought about this…I know we’re ready.”

“Son…” Todd began, “you’re right…we do know how you feel about her…and yes, your age and how you’ve know each other is a concern for us…”

“A big one…” Jennifer added, “If we didn’t know any better we would be okay, but Nicholas you’ve got to remember that we’ve been through this before. I met Todd when I was fifteen and then I had a baby at seventeen. Todd was a little younger than you and settling down should have been the last thing on his mind. But, we had no choice, you do.”

“Marriage is something you do when you when you realize you can’t live without the other person, when you’re ready to become one with that other person…you two are still growing into yourselves…” Todd stated.

I quickly saw my dreams being crushed…how could they say I wasn’t ready?

“Nicholas…we love you…and the idea of you joining our family is amazing,” Jennifer confided, “when the time is right…”

“So...the answer is no…” my voice cracked as I spoke.

“No…the answer is not yet,” Todd replied as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you guys for listening…” I tried to talk before tears came…never did I expect this reaction, “and I…I can’t wait to join your family…when you guys think the time is right...”