Let The Walls Break Down

-August 21, 2009-

I already ventured back to my old and for sale house to collect the rest of my things (garbage) and helped my mom unpack everything.

“So why did you and Dad up and decided to move down here?” I asked as I unpacked some dishes and put them away.

“Oh, you know, I never get to see Lisa anymore and now that you’re down here, I won’t see you either… And that house was too big anyway. We didn’t need it anymore since you left.” She pulled the couch cover off of it. “And I want to see my grandkids more than just during the holidays.”

“Mom,” I groaned. “I told you! That won’t happen for a long time!”

“I know, but when it does…” She kept staring at me.

“Mom, you’re freaking me out, why are you looking at me like that?”

“When did you get so grown up?”

“Do we have to have a heart to heart every time we speak?” I asked, almost complaining. She smiled and shook her head and continued to unpack.

****

It was almost three days later and I was waiting for John to get back. This time, I didn’t even try to sleep. I stayed up until almost 7 doing random things on John’s Apple computer. Then he came in the room and dropped his suitcase by the door.

“You didn’t have to clean up in here,” he said, looking around and noticing that I picked up all his dirty clothes.

“I wasn’t going to, but it started to smell in here.” I got up from the chair and put my arms around his neck and ruffled his hair a little. “I missed you.”

“You know I missed you. I wish you were still our merch manager.”

“I enjoyed it, but it was time that I moved on to bigger things… Like working at Starbucks.”

He laughed. “Aren’t you tired? It’s 7 am.”

“Eh, I slept in until 2 yesterday. I’m okay,” I said and fell on the bed and conked out.

That afternoon / early evening when we woke up, John was looking at me and I sat up. “Let’s move out.”

“What? What made you think of this?”

I shrugged. “There comes a time in every couple’s life where they need to move out of their boyfriend’s parents’ house and live on their own. We can be like normal people and get roommates to help with the rent.”

“I was unaware we weren’t normal to begin with.”

“Whatever. So can we do it? Move out, I mean?” I got really excited and he looked at me for a long time until he finally agreed and I kissed him.

****

“This is it – this is the one,” I said and spun around in a circle looking at the apartment. “Is this enough space for you to cook in?” I got up on the cabinet and he walked over to me, put his hands on my sides and kissed me.

“Yes, it’s perfect. I like the big bedrooms and they each have their own bathroom.”

“I like this little living room and how cozy…” I stopped talking. “Can Pickles stay with us?”

“Of course. I love Pickles.”

I looked at him. “Okay, what’s wrong with you? Did you cheat on me or something?”

He looked at me like it caught him off guard. “No…” He proceeded to look at me like I was insane, then his expression softened. “You know that I wouldn’t commit my life to someone just to throw it away. It was a big deal for me when we slept together. You were my first.” He paused and stroked my arm. “And you’ll be my last and every one in between. Why are you suspecting?”

I felt bad and I shrugged. “You’re just too perfect. You’re agreeing to everything. There has to be something wrong with you.”

He chuckled. “I’m not perfect. I leave my clothes all over the floor, I leave the toilet seat up and I leave hair in the shower.”

“I’ve noticed.” I put my arms around his waist. “But that’s your character. I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s fucking disgusting, but I wouldn’t change you.”

“Okay, what’s wrong with you? Did you cheat on me or something?” He laughed and I shoved him, hugged him and rested my head on his chest. “So… This is the one?” He asked and looked around.

“This is the one… Can we have it?”

“Yes.” I squealed and jumped on him and he picked me up and spun me around. “Did we just buy an apartment?”

“Not yet. We just decided on which one.” I smiled because I couldn’t be any happier than I was at that moment. “I love you, Cornelius.”

He shushed me and looked around suspiciously. “Don’t go spreading that around.”

“What’s wrong with Cornelius?”

He changed the subject. “So who are we going to get to move in with us and be our tenant?”

“Eric? Nick? Maria!” I said and gasped. “Oh, but she’s in college that bum.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You should ask her if she could be able to transfer to ASU second semester.”

“I should,” I said and he picked me up and carried me to the car. He drove to my parents’ new home holding my hand and Pickles was there to greet us at the front door. “Mom! You home?” I yelled and got a reply from the kitchen.

“I was just cooking enchiladas. Do you guys want to stay for dinner?”

“Sure, Mrs. Richards.”

She looked at him. “Call me Tina, John. Cut it out with this Mrs. Richards crap.” He laughed and sat at the bar stool next to me and put Pickles in his lap.

“So… John and I were out looking at apartments today.”

She moved something around in a skillet with a spatula. “And?”

“And…we decided on one. It’s about a 15 minute drive here and to John’s parents’.”

“Well I think it’s good that you’re finally moving out of his parents’ house. I don’t know how I’d be able to handle John living here with you.”

“You would love it because your only child would be so happy all the time.”

“Okay, what do you want?” She asked and turned around.

“Pickles.”

“There’s a whole jar of them in the fridge…help yourself. It’s not like you’re a stranger.”

“I mean the dog, Mother Dearest.”

“Sure, take him. He’s your dog anyway.”

-October 29, 2009-

We successfully moved into the apartment a month ago. Maria agreed to switch to ASU since they offer her major, so she’ll move down here after Christmas. Eric couldn’t be happier. So for right now, it was just John and I. Some times that thought scared me but mostly it excited me. Sometimes I doubted that he would be there when I woke up, but then I would think about when he said that he wouldn’t commit his life to someone if he was just going to leave. I was really lucky to have been brought back to him after all this time. I should make Pat my maid of honor. Anyways, John was on the OP tour as of now and yesterday was the show in Phoenix, so he stayed here for a day.

I plopped down on the couch next to John who was watching Family Guy. “So I saw this really gorgeous wedding dress today.” He looked at me. “It got me in the wedding mood.”

“You don’t need a dress to get married in. You could walk down the aisle in a barrel with suspenders and you would still be the most beautiful person in the room.”

“I need a dress, you crazy…” I shoved him and he got me in a headlock and somehow I got out of it and pinned him down to the couch.

“You said you were in the wedding mood?” I nodded. “Well I’m in the honeymoon mood.”

I loosened my grip a little. “Hmm. We’ll have to do something about that, don’t we?”

“As soon as possible.” We practically ran back to the bedroom but didn’t get that far without pit stops.

****

Tour ended a month later and it was his first day home. “John, can you go buy me some Midol? I can feel the cramps already,” I said and curled up on the couch with a blanket.

“Uh…okay.”

Once he got out of the house, I went to the bathroom for the real reason I wanted him out. I didn’t want him around if there was a chance he could see me take a pregnancy test. I could be making something out of nothing. There was no need to tell him right now if there was nothing to tell, so it would be no big deal if I hid it from him at this time. But surely enough, I waited the 10 minutes and it turned out positive. I don’t know how this could have happened; we were extremely safe… What are my parents going to think? I’ll tell you what they’re going to think. They’re going to think that they should have never let me go live with John because just this sort of thing was surely to happen. And what will John think? I don’t think he wanted kids this early… I didn’t even want kids this early! I just hope that something good will come out of this. It’s not like I’m 16…I’m 20 now after all… I just had to talk to John. Then (maybe) I would tell my parents.