Paper Cranes

"Jared! Watch out!" I shouted and pointed at the car in front which suddenly stepped on the breaks. Jared stepped on the break pedal. I heaved out a sigh of relief as Jared swore. He turned to me and took my hand, rubbing his thumb between my thumb and index finger. I smiled back at him. He returned his attention to the road and we were off again. We had rented a car to drive our way to Philadelphia where my parents resided. We were going to have Thanksgiving dinner with my parents which I hadn't meet for years and we would be staying there for a few days before driving back to New York and board a flight to Louisiana.

It had been two hours since we were on the road and so far there were no accidents or close-calls except for just now. Jared was great. He had been staying in my apartment for two days already and we had spent most of our time in the apartment except for those few times where we went to buy groceries to cook our dinner. I couldn't believe I actually found a guy like him. He was just everything a girl wished for… or well… I wished for. He was kind, considerate, funny, talented, caring, and of course sexy too. He was simply a great catch! I glanced over to him; he was concentrating on the road, his hair combed neatly and gleamed under the sunlight, he was cleanly shaved and was wearing a white t-shirt with a hoodie on top of it and a pair of faded baggy jeans.

I returned my attention to the road as we reached Philly. I directed him towards the town where my parents stayed and where I had spent my childhood. The closer we got to the house, the more I felt nervous. It had been a long time and I thought I was prepared but I guessed I was wrong. Thousands of knots formed in stomach as I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to calm myself down. I just hoped that mum and dad wouldn't start one of those crazy arguments with me. I drew a deep breath and exhaled.

"Relax, Ro. You'll be fine. Everything's gonna be fine," Jared said reassuringly as he turned into the corner and into the street where my parents lived. I pointed to him the second last house in the row. From far it didn't seem like it had changed much except for the repainted walls and roof. Everything else seemed to be the exact same since the last time I was here.

"Okay. Ro. Just relax. They're just your parents. There's nothing to be nervous about. Okay. Breathe," I told myself. Jared reached over and squeezed my hand. "Thanks, Jared."

He smiled and stopped in front of the house, my house. I sighed at the endless memories which had constructed half my life, some good but mostly bad. Jared unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to me. His blue eyes stood out from his complexion. "You ready?" he asked.

I stared at the house behind Jared. The porch swing had been repainted white this time. It seemed so quiet from out here, maybe they weren't home but I highly doubt it since puffs of smoke came spreading out of the chimney. I took in a deep breath and nodded, unbuckling the seatbelt. Jared took my hand to stop me from getting out of the car.

"Yes?"

He leaned in and gave me a swift kiss on the lips. "For luck," he said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and we got out of the car, taking the bags from the trunk. Jared held my hand as we marched our way towards the front door. I pressed on the doorbell. The same melody rung from inside and was followed by a series of muffled voices before the door was opened by both my parents. Both of them were smiling widely at us.

"Oh… Rowena!" Mum flung herself onto me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I miss you so much!" she exclaimed. I felt myself hugging her, inhaling the scent of roses from her grayish-black hair. "I miss you too, mum," I said. She laughed and pulled away. Then, it was my dad and he too gave me a tight hug, I felt as if my breath was being sucked out of me. The smell of his cologne was still as strong as the old times. He patted my back. "Welcome home, honey."

We pulled apart. "Thanks dad," I said with a genuine smile.

"Well, this must be your boyfriend!" Mum exclaimed suddenly, making my cheeks flushed at the word boyfriend. Jared chuckled and extended his hand to shake my dad's before hugging my mum.

"This is Jared," I motioned towards him. "And Jared, these are my parents," I gestured to the both of them.

"Well come on in you two!" Mum said excitedly as dad helped me with my bag. The house was decorated from head-to-toe for Christmas. The giant Christmas tree was up and was dressed in colorful tinsels and shiny balls and angels and an antique golden star to top it off. The smell of food hung in the air. I already informed mum about Jared being a vegetarian and she said she would make something special from her recipe book. She had a very old recipe book which contained hundreds and hundreds of recipes for cakes, pastas, salads, chicken, and a long list of other gourmet. She told me it was passed down for generations and generations from her family.

We sat down by the living room and mum bustled back to the kitchen, most probably getting some snacks and drinks. The fireplace was lit and the flame danced, lighting up the living room. Photographs of my parents, of me, and of my late pet dog, Jessie decorated the place. The television was on Sportscenter. Jared and I were seated on the main green velvet couch. Our hands intertwined. He was busy talking to my dad about life being an actor since my dad asked. My racing heartbeat gradually slowed down as I relaxed myself. Both my parents seemed somewhat different from what they used to be but at the same time they were still similar. Mum came out with a tray occupied by a plate of buttermilk biscuits and glasses of milk. She set them on the coffee table and told us to enjoy it.

Without any hesitation, I reached out for one of mum's homemade biscuits which were warm from the oven. I handed it to Jared. He took it with a smile and took a bite. "Mmm… This is so good, Mrs. Harris," he said with his mouthful. Mum grinned proudly. "It's my grandmother's recipe," she explained. Jared gave her a thumbs up.

"Jared, Rowena told me that you're a vegetarian," mum said.

"Yeah," Jared nodded and took a sip from the milk.

"Well, just so you know, for tonight's dinner, everything is going to be vegetarian style, so there are no worries about the food," she said.

"Oh… Mrs. Harris, you shouldn't have to go through the trouble," Jared replied.

"No. No. No. It's alright, dear. It's actually easier to prepare than a normal Thanksgiving dinner," she explained. Her hair was tied neatly in a bun, and she was wearing a beige sweater with black pants.

Jared smiled gratefully. "Thank you." He looked at me and gave a squeeze with his hand.

"Ro, why don't you show Jared your room?" Dad said suddenly. I nodded and pulled Jared out of the couch. We took our bags and I guided him upstairs. More framed photographs were hung on the wall. "Wait!" Jared stopped halfway up the stairs. "Is that you?" he asked, and pointed at the photo of a baby cradled by my mum.

I stood next to him. "Yeah. It was taken in the hospital. Right after I was born."

"You look so cute," he teased and chuckled at my surprised expression. I slapped his arm and continued up the stairs until we reached the first door on our left. I opened the pink wooden door which creaked loudly. The room which I had slept in since I could remember still looked alike. The faded tulip wallpaper was covered by some posters of random movies. The bookshelf was still filled with my Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and various other novels. The queen-sized bed was made nicely, waiting for people to rest on it.

"Welcome to my bedroom!" I set the bag aside and plopped on the bed with a loud sigh as Jared locked the door. He looked around the room, studying the stationeries on the table and the sketches which were plastered on the wall. "Nice drawing," he said, pointing at the sketch of a giraffe which I did when I was seventeen. I smiled and walked towards him. "This brings back so many memories," I sighed, taking out the yearbook from the stack on the table. I went back to the bed and sat down to browse through the pages. Jared sat beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. "Tell me about your high school years," he mumbled.

I flicked through the pages. "Well, there's me," I pointed at the girl with the same wavy black hair but shorter with braces and she was wearing a grey hoodie with an uncomfortable smile. "Aww… look at you," he stroked the picture and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"I look awful," I said.

"No, you don't. You… only had short hair there and braces. That's all," he said. I turned to him and smile, giving him a kiss on the lips. "Well, this was my boyfriend, Keith," I pointed at the photo of a guy with a Mohawk haircut, two piercing on each ear and a nose ring with a bored expression on his face.

"Wow!" Jared gasped, taking a closer look at the guy.

"I know. I know. What was I thinking? I guess I'm just another stupid teenager,"

"So, he's the guy you ran away with?"

I nodded. "It was a big mistake."

Jared hugged me closer to him and kissed my cheek before taking my lips with his. Those warm soft lips which always coaxed me into a state like a wobbly jelly. As our lips parted, I opened my eyes with a tiny smile. He was smiling goofily back at me. "You look incredible, Ro," he whispered, brushing his lips against mine and it slowly traveled down to my neck. He found my weak spot and I let out a soft moan, dropping the yearbook onto the floor with a loud thud. We both ignored it as he lowered me onto the bed, pinning my arms against the pillows. "J-Jared," I whispered through my ragged breath. "Wh-What are we doing?"

He glanced up with a mischievous smile and attacked my lips again. "Jared!" I pleaded, pushing him away. "My parents are just downstairs," I hissed.

"We just have to be very quiet," he replied with an evil grin and his lips collided with my neck.

"B-But…" My eyes fluttered shut before opening them again. "This is just too weird, Jared," I said with pleading eyes for him to stop before I lost myself as well. He pouted and flashed his puppy eyes. "Oh… Jared… please don't do that to me… you know I can't resist those eyes," I begged. He didn't stop but continued to stare at me with his childlike expression. I sighed and pulled him closer to me, giving him a kiss on the lips. "I'll make it up to you," I said, brushing his hair away from his face. "I promise."

He gave me a suspicious look but nodded. I kissed him on the lips again. "Thanks." He grinned and lay next to me on the bed, both staring up at the white ceiling. "You know… Keith used to sneak in here in the middle of the night and we'll just hang out with each other," I said suddenly. I felt Jared's eyes on me as he waited for me to spill. I sighed. "My parents didn't like him. In fact they despise him. They think he's some sort of a freak or something. So, basically during the whole time I was with him, I had to keep it a secret until my mum found out when she smelled smoke and alcohol from my clothes. Then, they really got mad and started to ground me and all that. But I was one stubborn teen, I'll sneak out sometimes to go to parties or just hang out with Keith and his friends by the streets. Just smoking and drinking away. It just went on and on and my relationship with my parents was going down the drain, I was talking to them lesser and lesser by the day. Until one day, when they confronted me and my mum slapped me. That was when it got really bad and I just decided to leave with Keith. Both of us left the town and went to Baltimore at first, then to New York." I paused. Jared held my hand and I snuggled closer to him. "Those times passed by like a blur. Day and night we were just having fun and getting wasted. Then… things turned sour," my voice cracked at the memories. Jared brushed my hair aside. "You don't have to tell me this, Ro," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"It's okay," I swallowed down the lump which was forming in my throat. I took in a deep breath. "Keith started to get really pissed whenever he's drunk. He'll just yell and shout and demand people to do… certain things," I began. "Then, it got worse and he'll do it even when he's not drunk. Then, the hitting started."

"Oh… Ro," Jared stroke the side of my face and wiped away the single teardrop which had escaped.

"And then, it just got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and I had to face the reality. It was scary and it was ugly. I was in the middle of New York City, with no future at all. My parents didn't want to talk to me when I called which I couldn't blame them. So, eventually I started off with waitressing, and slowly pursued my career and took night classes. So, after I finished, I was lucky enough to get a job at the law firm and then I met Win," I explained, and hugged Jared tighter.

"It's okay now, Ro. Everything is fine. Your parents forgave you and you are not that Rowena who went out with Keith. You are the Rowena which I know. The Rowena who cares about everybody, who is smart, hardworking, beautiful, kind, and special," Jared smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I love you Jared," I said.

"I love you too, Ro," he held me tighter. The last time I felt this safe in this bedroom was with a monster that I didn't recognise. Now I felt safe with a man who I knew for a fact was my prince in the shining armor.