Beside You

Adeline didn’t know how many minutes went by before she had the nerve to the ring the doorbell of her childhood home. The house still looked exactly the same way she left it; the white shingles were still a crisp clean white, the flowers were blooming, the grass was a dark green and the shrubs were nicely cut. Hearing a soft “give me a second” from behind the wooden door, Addy began to straighten out her shirt and comb her fingers through her hair trying to make herself look presentable to her parents. After all, it’s been a long ten years since she’s seen them.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Addy’s heart rate increased when the door opened revealing a pretty woman in her late forties standing before her. The woman opened the screen door, letting Addy notice that she was wearing her gardening clothes with her red hair, which was a darker shade than Addy’s, in a loose ponytail.

A shocked expression began to take over the woman’s features, “Adeline?”

Adeline smiled softly, “Hey mom.”

Adeline’s mother gave a light squeal before pulling her daughter into her arms, “Howard, she’s home!” A muffled “what” came from somewhere deeper in the house before shuffling of feet was heard on the hardwood floor. A man, also in his late forties, came out of a room with a newspaper in his hands. Adeline laughed quietly, remembering that when she was younger, her mother would work in the garden every Sunday afternoon with her husband sitting on the back porch with a newspaper in hand. Even though they didn’t talk, it was their time of spending with each other.

As Adeline’s mother always told her, to be loved or to love someone isn’t always about saying ‘I love you’, it’s about spending time together with that one person, even if nothing is said at all.

“Gwen,” Howard muttered, “What are you talking about-” just setting his eyes on his only daughter, caused him to stop mid-sentence. The look of sheer happiness on his wife’s face knew that this girl standing in front of him was in fact his daughter. “Hey, kid.” Howard murmured as he pulled Addy away from her mother and into his arms after setting the newspaper down on the hallway side table.

The feeling of safety began to sweep over her body; she forgot what it felt like to be hugged by her parents. The feeling of security, love, and happiness made her feel more comfortable with her choice of coming home. “Hey dad.” Pulling back from her dad’s embrace, Addy took a look around her home; everything was still in the same exact place it was years before. My parents didn’t change much, she thought as she placed her car keys on the hallway table, like she always did when she came home.

“What brings you back?” Gwen asked simply as Howard walked around the two to close the door which his wife forgotten about once she laid eyes on her daughter.

“Carly needed my help with something.”

“Did that girl go and get herself impregnated by some fool?” Addy’s father questioned as he took a seat in the living room which Gwen figured to reside the family in and play catch up. The question made Addy laugh and shake her head.

“No,” Addy continued to laugh, “She called me and asked me a favor.”

“Well,” Gwen smiled softly at her husband, “I wish we thought of that to get you home sooner.” Howard chuckled agreeing with his wife. Addy’s parents were excited that their daughter was home and that they could spend some time with each other. Addy hated the thought of telling her parents that she couldn’t only spend the night because tomorrow she finally had to face Josh and learn the ropes of touring.

“What’s the favor, kid?” Howard asked.

Addy began to fidget in her seat avoiding her mother and father’s gaze. She knew that they hadn’t taken the whole situation with Josh lightly, and her mother wasn’t really happy with the thought of some boy making her daughter leave her home because of something so stupid, something that was his mistake and not hers. She just didn’t know how her parents would react when she told them.

It’s now or never, she thought to herself as she brought her gaze up to her parents.

“To help Marianas Trench out with tour.”

“Josh’s band?” Adeline’s mother questioned. “Are you singing with them or something?” Adeline ran her tongue over her bottom lip as her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

“Not exactly,” Addy murmured, slipping her phone out from her Capri jeans. Letting her fingers tap against the touch screen, she typed in her password to unlock her phone before pulling up the text. “Carly asked me to cover for her.”

“As a merch-bitch?” Howard asked which caused laughter to erupt pass Addy’s lips. “Hey, I know what the kids are saying nowadays.” he explained while he rested his back against the couch. “Just because I’m almost fifty doesn’t mean I can’t kept up with the times.”

“Oh, hush.” Gwen slapped her husband’s arm lightly. “If she wants to be a merch-bitch than let her be one!”

“Mom!” Addy looked up surprised; her mother barely uttered a curse word no matter what the situation was. The little outburst from her mom, distracted her from replying to Carly’s text for a moment before looking back down at the screen as she shook her head.

Hey. Did you land yet? Or did the plane blow up? … OhmyGod, Adeline, you better reply! If you got blown up, that means I HAVE to go on tour; you better be alive bitch!

Rolling her eyes at the random, but weird text, Addy quickly replied telling Carly that she landed, that the plane hadn’t blown up, and also that she was spending the night at her parent’s house. Not feeling like shoving her phone back into her tight Capri, she settled on setting her phone on the couch cushion.

“Addy?”

“Yeah?”

“Want do you want for dinner?”

Addy smiled softly; her mother acted as if she had just gotten home from a sleepover instead of coming home after being away for a few years. Though Addy wouldn’t want anything different than the normality of her old life, which she was happy hasn’t changed much, but just the thought of seeing Josh tomorrow made her uneasy.

Would he be as forgiving as her parents were?