Not the One

Both of the girls I liked were coming back into my life, and I had no idea what to do. Tina wanted to talk to me and get back together, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to because of the way she got rid of me and ended up with Damien a few days after our break. As for Jane, I wanted to comfort her and make her see that there were other ways she could get over her disappointments. And that was me. If only she gave me a chance to show her.

The only thing that was able to get my mind off of my confused love life was work. Occasionally there would be customers that needed my help picking their desired flowers. I learned a lot from Shelly. I could probably memorize all the different types of flowers that were in the store. I was really enjoying my job right now. I wanted to bring Shelly over to my house so my parents could meet her.
“Hey, Shelly,” I said, when it was almost time for my shift to end.
“Yes, Leo?”
“Do you want to come over to my house for dinner one day?” I finished sweeping the floor and put the broom and dustpan in the back closet.
“Oh, yes. That would be nice. I would like that,” she said, and then smiled.
“Well okay, I’ll tell my mom to prepare. How about tomorrow?” I grabbed my coat and put it on.
“Sure. And thank you.” I left the shop and went home.

My mom was preparing dinner and my dad was reading a newspaper in the living room. It was so quiet. They didn’t even say anything when I walked inside.
“Mom, do you need help with dinner?” I asked, walking by the kitchen.
“No, thanks. I’m fine.” I went to my room and organized some of my clothes on the floor. I haven’t felt like cleaning anything up in a while.
I heard the phone ring, and heard my dad pick up. There were a bunch of “uh huh”s and “okay”s and “sure”s. It sounded formal, so I was curious to know who called. Before I got a chance to ask my dad who it was, he already hung up and said, “That was Daniel. He and his daughter want to stay in Iowa. In our house. For probably a week or so.” He was mainly saying this to let my mom know, but it was just as important to me as it was for her. Was Tina seriously coming here? Did this have anything to do with me? Maybe. I felt a headache coming along. I wanted to quickly eat dinner, take a warm shower, and head to bed. I could not deal with more things like this.

In the early morning, of what felt like 6, I could hear my mom awake. I wasn’t sure why she was up so early because she didn’t work. I dragged myself out of bed and went outside to find my mom cleaning the house.
“Mom, what are you doing so early?” I asked, yawning.
“Cleaning. Daniel and his daughter will be here tomorrow, and I want our house to look nice for them. Now go clean the bathroom.” Oh, here we went again. I had to clean the bathroom. Good thing we only had one or else I would have had to do extra work. On top of needing to go to work in a few hours, my life was getting more stressful.

I arrived at work and did my usual routine. Everything was pretty much the same every day, nothing special at all. It might have seemed boring to some, but I liked it. The day went by fast because we got more customers than usual. Shelly actually had to get out of her seat behind the counter to help an old lady pick out flowers. That was usually my job, but I was helping a man pick out the perfect flowers for his date.
I didn’t realize I forgot to tell my mom about Shelly coming over for dinner tonight, so I told Shelly, “Ah, I forgot to tell my mom that you were coming over for dinner tonight. She’s been busy cleaning the house because my dad’s friend is coming over tomorrow and staying for a week. Maybe we can reschedule and you can come another day? This week might not be a very good week for her, you know… having more than one guest at a time.”
Shelly looked a bit disappointed. “Okay, I understand.” I never asked her about her personal life, and I was curious to know.
“So, um, do you live with your parents or any family members?” I tried to ask casually as I was picking up flower petals from the floor.
She didn’t respond right away. I thought she didn’t hear me, and then she said, “No. I was adopted by my aunt and uncle, but they passed away last year in a car crash.”
I turned to face her, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s in the past.” I saw her take two magazines from the rack beside her and put them in her bag. “Well, you should head home now. I’ll close up soon.” I left and wondered about Shelly. She was a woman about my mom’s age, who always seemed kind of lonely, even when I was with her in the shop. I wondered if she had any friends or family members she was around. I wanted to invite her over as soon as possible but Daniel and Tina were coming over. That reminded me that I needed to prepare for their arrival. I drove faster so I had time to finish cleaning the bathroom and organize my room.

When I came back home, I found my mom splayed across the couch. My dad was sitting on a chair, which was unusual of him because he usually occupied the couch.
“Mom, are you finished cleaning?” I asked.
“Yes!” She exclaimed. “Well, not the bathroom. You have to do that, sweetie, remember?”
“I remember.” I trudge in the bathroom and picked up where I started in the morning. My night was going to be composed of me bending over a toilet scrubbing the floor.