Father Figure

After several protests, Marc finally convinced me to let the boys stay with him while Vero and I went around looking at apartments. I was slightly nervous about leaving him with all three, but I knew if there was anyone they'd listen to, it would be one of their heroes. 

Vero and I had already gone to four of the five places. Two of them we didn't even leave the car. The areas had been creepy and I definitely didn't want the boys growing up in the area. The other two were nice. One was downtown, which made me slightly hesitant. It was a nice apartment, though. There was room for the four of us to live comfortably. I would just have to furnish the whole apartment. 

The second one was already furnished, but a little too expensive. I knew for sure I would have to put in some extra time at whatever job I got just to stay there. The neighborhood was nice and it also had a playground nearby. 

As we began our drive back to the neighborhood where the last place was located, my phone started going off. I answered it and waited to hear who was calling me from the unrecognizable number. 

"Hello, is this Nathalie Harris?" a semi familiar voice asked. 

"Yes, this is she," I responded. 

"Hello, this is Robert Johnson. I was just calling you to tell you that you've got the job," he told me. 

Those words had never sounded so good before. My shoulders relaxed as the stress slipped away a little more. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" I told him. 

He chuckled. "No problem. Would you be available tomorrow to come in and sort out your schedule and everything?" he asked. 

I quickly agreed and we settled on a time before hanging up. I looked over at Vero. "I got the job at the hospital," I told her. 

She grinned. "T'at's perfect! T'ings are looking up, see?" she told me.

My smile grew. "I can't tell you how much stress this takes away," I said.

She laughed. "I can imagine. Just wait until you get settled into a place, too. T'en you'll be all set to start your life here in Pittsburgh!" she pointed out. 

I agreed with her as she parked in front of a large house. "Here we are. Come on," she said as she slipped out of the car. I followed her lead to the front door. The house was gorgeous. This neighborhood was high end and definitely a good place to stay. I promised myself that if I ever got the money, I would buy a house here. 

Vero waited beside me as the doorbell ran inside the house. Finally, the door was pulled open by a tall man. He grinned widely at Vero and pulled her into a hug. "How are you? You look good!" he told her quickly. 

She laughed. "T'ank you. I'm doing good," she responded. 

"And how is Marc? Keeping up with the all the games lately? He's been doing great," he commented. 

I watched as Vero told him about Marc. They were all obviously decent friends. I couldn't guess how they knew each other, though. Vero finally turned to me. "T'is is my friend Nathalie. She's interested in t'e space you're putting up for rent," she explained quickly. 

The man shook my hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Mario," he told me. The name rung a clear bell in my head. Just like that, I was walking into deep waters again. 

"Nathalie," I told him, even though Vero had already said my name. "Nice to meet you, too."

He walked outside. "I'll show you the place," he told me brightly. He lead us around the side of the house to where a small building stood. As we walked the path to get closer, I heard another car pull up in the driveway, but I ignored it. Mario began telling me the details about the place. 

He unlocked the door before letting us in. Vero and I both stood in the open room that served as the kitchen and living room. It was nice and open and not at all cramped feeling. The furniture inside was simple and clean. It looked like something I would buy for my own house. It all looked sturdy enough to keep up with three five year olds, too. The room was big enough for them. They could still run around a little. 

We walked into the bedrooms and bathrooms. The room I pictured for the boys was long and a little narrower. I could fit all three beds in it easily. They may not have their own rooms, but they would still be comfortable enough here. It wasn't like I didn't catch them all sleeping in one room sometimes as it was. 

"I have three sons. They're all pretty young still, so we don't exactly need a huge house. Would you be okay with us living here?" I questioned. 

He nodded his head. "Of course! I have my own kids, as well. We are definitely not against having them around," he told me with a laugh. I smiled widely at that. "They are also more than welcome to play in the yard as much as they want. There may be a few times when we have people over and we ask that they stay away, though."

I nodded my head understandingly. "Of course. We would stay clear of all of that," I promised. 

As the three of us wandered back to the main room, there was a soft knock on the door. It slowly peaked open and my heart stopped. 

Mario grinned widely and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Sid! What's up?" he asked.