This Time

I woke up to the door bell ringing and groaned when I realized that no one else was going to get up and open it. I got out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts before I walked downstairs to see who was at my door so early in the morning.

“I’m coming, I’m coming already” I called out before opening the door to see my parents there with huge smiles on their faces. Before I could even say hello my mother pulled me in for a hug. Wrapping my arms around my mother I could tell that she had already begun to let the tears flow.

“Hello mother it’s great to see you too” I smiled as I pulled away and whipped away her tears and turning to my father hugging him as well. I moved away from the door and let them into the house.

“I’m so happy that you and your brother are finally back in California and close to your family where you belong” my mother said with a smile looking around for Duane Lee, “Where is your brother by the way?” she asked when she didn’t see him.

“Honey he’s probably sleeping we are here a bit too early” my father said ushering her towards the living room. They already knew their way around the house since they helped me close on it.

“Nonsense this is not early it is nearly 8:30am and these kids should be up by now” my mother protested.

My mother and father were still ‘arguing’ when I snuck off heading towards Duane Lee’s room to tell him that they were here. To my surprise Duane Lee was already up claiming that he heard them as soon as they walked into the house. We walked up the stairs together and back towards the living room where my mother was waiting for Duane Lee.

“There’s my baby” she squealed rushing towards him to give him a hug and then moving aside after a few minutes so my father could greet Duane as well. “Now that I’ve said hello to my biological children where is my other daughter Ella…” my mother started until she saw Ella.

When Ella and I became best friends my mother took her under her wing because she knew how important it was that a little girl had a mother figure in her life and she wanted to be that for Ella. Not to mention the fact that at times Ella helped fit those daughterly qualities that she’s always wanted me to have, like shopping.

“Ok not that I’ve said hello to my children let’s get unpacking so we can go shopping”

“Great” Duane Lee, my father and I said sarcastically.

My mother immediately went to work unpacking the kitchen because she said that is the most important room in the whole house. My father had decided he was going to stay clear of my mother’s path and took off to the living room claiming that that was the most important part seeing as he was going to come here and watch all of the games in our living room because it was so big and we had a 120” projector screen with a projector for a television set.

With my parents having the downstairs covered Ella, Duane and I went back to our rooms to finish unpacking our personal items. I had thought that I had unpacked most of it but I soon realized I wasn’t even close thanks to the tons of boxes of clothes that I had. It amazed me that I didn’t like to shop and yet I still had enough clothes to fill two large walk-in closets. It was about 1pm when everything was just about put away and my mother had decided it was time to go shopping.

“So I drove your car over dear so you can drive in that and your father brought his tuck so we can fit all the furniture that we are going to buy on it” my mother smiled handing me my keys.

“Thanks mom” I smiled as I walked over towards my baby. I had it shipped over here a week and a half before we left New York so I wouldn’t have to lug it behind the truck.

In the furniture store

“Did you find a frame that would match the furniture in your bedroom dear?” my mother had asked me as I walked over towards her and Ella. They had been going back and forth on which coffee table would look best in our living room even though we really didn’t need one but they insisted and Duane, my father and I didn’t have the energy to try and convince them otherwise.

“Yea I did, where’s dad and DL?”

“Over by the patio furniture, we are going to need some now that your mother said we are going to have a house warming barbeque tomorrow with a few of your family and friends” Ella said pointing over towards the patio section.

“Alright fine…wait with what friends?” I asked my mother. I was hoping that she hadn’t meant the friends that I was trying to avoid. She always tried to get me to contact them when we were in New York not knowing what had happened. When she moved back she never mentioned that she had bumped into any of them so I assumed she had just let it go.

“To my surprise I ran into Brian at the supermarket yesterday and told him that you were moving back here and so naturally I invited him over to your house and told him to tell the rest of the guys because you were such great friends, I hope you don’t mind dear” she said with a smile knowing very well that I did mind.

All of my hopes for avoiding the guys had just spiraled down the drain thanks to my mother. The only thing I could do was hope that either Brian would forget about the barbeque and not show up or that the guys would all be angry that I had never contacted them and just not come because of it. But knowing Brian he would show up and have me explain myself because I was close to him as well. I sighed knowing that there was nothing that I could do about it now but just wait for tomorrow and see. My father walked back towards us claiming that they had found the perfect patio set with Duane walking behind him. The look on Duane’s face told me that he wasn’t happy about what my mother did either.

A few of the store workers helped us put all of our new furniture into my father’s truck after my father rushed to pay for everything claiming it was their welcome home gift. I was amazed at how those guys were able to fit everything onto the truck since I thought with everything that we bought none of it would fit. My father tipped the workers even though they kept telling him that he didn’t have to do that, but he insisted, and then hopped into his truck and headed home. Once we got home Duane helped me get my bed frame upstairs and then went down to help my father put together the patio furniture.

I took everything out of the box and sat on the floor taking a look at the instructions before getting to work. I placed the head board against the wall and started on hooking up the side panels to it. I picked up the foot board and realized that I was going to need someone to help me but everyone else was busy putting other things together.

“Jaz your mother sent me up here to help you put your bed together once she found out that Duane left you” my father said from the doorway of my bedroom. He started to laugh when he saw the look of relief on my face.

“I swear that woman knows the right times to send someone my way…well most of the time anyway” I said as he walked over and lifted the head board off from against the wall so I can place foot board where it needed to be.

“Are you talking about her telling Brian about the barbeque?” my father asked.

“Yea, I know she meant well when she did it but she still shouldn’t have” I sighed.

“Your mother was just looking out for you; she didn’t want you to have to start making new friends all over again like you did when we moved to New York since you already had some old ones here. But seeing as you cut contact with them, which I never fully understood by the way, yes she probably shouldn’t have done that” my father shrugged.

“Things just got complicated with them dad” I told him. He nodded not asking about why things got complicated which was something I always liked about my father he never pried into things unless he could tell that we wanted him to.

We finished putting my bed frame together and he helped me get my bed onto it before we headed downstairs to help Duane in the patio. It seemed like we had gotten there just in time because Duane was just about ready to throw one of the tables into the pool claiming that a part wasn’t fitting properly. I walked over and took a look at it “Of course not DL you’ve got it the wrong way” I said trying to hold my laughter in as he pushed me aside and fixed it while mumbling under his breath.

I could hear chicken frying from the kitchen which told me that my mother and Ella had finished putting the coffee table together and putting away whatever was left to be put away. I left my father and Duane Lee as they were finishing putting together the last two chairs and walked into the kitchen.

“Smells good mom, I can’t wait to eat I’ve missed your cooking” I smiled at her grabbing some plates to set the table.

“Why thanks sweetie, I’ve missed cooking for you too.”

When the food was ready we all sat around the table and started eating. We must have sat at that table for a while just talking and laughing while we were eating that we lost track of time because before I knew it my parents had to leave. Ella and I took all the dirty dishes into the kitchen and started to clean them as my parents were getting ready to go.

“We’ll see you tomorrow” my mother smiled hugging all of us at the door.

“Yea just be sure you get some Bacardi you know how I love me some rum and coke” my father laughed as he hugged us as well and left.

I started to yawn and headed upstairs to get ready for bed saying good night to Ella and Duane. As I was getting ready I couldn’t help but let my mind wander back to the thoughts that Brian and the rest of the guys might be coming here tomorrow. I really hoped that everything would just go smoothly and I wouldn’t have any problems.