Stain My Rose With Scarlet Tears

As soon as I saw the sun, I was already up and dressed. I was so excited that I was actually hyper. I ran around the apartment, but of course starting in my and Bill’s room. He looked so cute and peaceful when he was sleeping, and usually, I would never want to disturb him. But today, I just had to, I couldn’t resist. I ran up to the bed and started to jump on it. “Bill! Wake up we still have to pack!” I screamed loudly. I’ve always liked jumping on our bed, but I didn’t get to do it very often, so I had to do it whenever I could. When I stopped, Bill started to move. I smiled as he opened his eyes, but faded when he pulled the pillow over his head. “Sam, what are you doing?” Bill grumbled from under the pillows.

I jumped off of the bed and walked to the side where Bill was on. I smiled and crossed my arms, waiting for him to realize that he couldn’t breathe unless he took the pillow away. It took him about another minute before he moved once again, turning around completely. He was now lying on his stomach as he lifted his head from the pillow, making me laugh loudly. “Bill you have to get up, we leave in three hours.” I said in a slightly hushed tone now. He turned his head and sent me a sleepy glare before letting his head fall back into the pillows again. “That’s like an eternity!” Bill moaned, making me giggle. I shook my head, deciding to let him sleep for five more minutes. I walked out of our room, and to my surprise, Simone and Gordon were already up and dressed as I was.

I greeted them with a smile, receiving a small nod from Gordon who stood in the furthest corner of the room. “So, have you guys packed yet?” I asked enthusiastically. According to them, they had been here for quite a while, so I expected that they had already unpacked all their things. As I said that, I watched their faces fall instantly. She walked towards me and placed one hand on my shoulder. “Sam, Gordon and I think it’s better if you kids go alone…” She said seriously. I had to admit, I was surprised. I wanted them to go on vacation with us, and I thought they were eager to go too. .
“Why not?” I asked, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. She smiled slightly, “Because you deserve to have a bit of fun, and we don’t think you can do that with two old fossils hanging around…” I chuckled at the idea, but I knew it wasn’t true.

“But Simone -!”
“Sam we really don’t want to ruin your vacation, we could always take care of the house.” She said softly, “And no buts.” I chuckled as she said that. I really didn’t want to argue with her, but I really did want them to go with us, I wasn’t just being nice. We rarely get to spend time with Bill and Tom’s parents, and they always felt like my own, I wanted to be around them. I pouted and crossed my arms childishly. “Isn’t there anything I can do for you to change your mind?” I asked hopelessly. She laughed quietly as Gordon started to walk up to where we were standing. His smile always seemed contagious, making me smile wider. He took his wife around her shoulders, hugging her from behind. They’ve been together for so many years, and they still looked as in love as a young couple. I hoped that Bill and I would have the same thing when we got older.

“Sam, we’ve made up our minds.” He said softly, winking at me. “Where is Bill?” He asked after a short pause. I looked behind me, towards our bedroom door, which was still closed. I laughed and shook my head.
“Well, either he’s in the shower, or he fell asleep again.” I commented. As I said that, I heard a door open, making me glance backwards again. I smiled as Lucy walked out; rubbing her eyes with one hand, in the other she held her dolly Molly. Like me, she could never really sleep later than 8AM, and I was very happy about that. I’ve never really seen the point in sleeping the day away, and neither did my daughter. As she walked towards us, I knelt down to kiss her cheek. She threw her arms around me, silently asking me to pick her up, I did.

“Good morning.” I said softly. She was so tired that she only nodded, hugging her doll closer to her chest. “Do you want mommy to help you pack?” I asked gently. She nodded again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Simone walk towards the kitchen, only to return minutes later. Lucy would always drink a glass of milk every morning; it would help her wake up. Like Bill, Lucy loved coffee, but I always said she was still too young to drink it, she’s already hyper enough. Simone held the glass of milk out to me, so I could give it to my daughter. I kneeled down again, letting Lucy get off of me. She took the glass from me, smiling sweetly. I stood up again, thanking Simone.

I remembered telling Lucy to take out some of her clothes last night for us to pack this morning, because knowing Bill; I had to do his too. Remembering that I still had to pack my own bags too, I asked Simone to help Lucy get her breakfast while I hurried to her room. Luckily, Lucy wasn’t a rebel yet and did what she was told. A pile of clothes stacked on her desk in an untidy way that it looked like it was about to collapse. She kept her mini-suitcase under her bed, it was only half the size of the ones we used, but it wasn’t really small. I took it and placed it on her unmade bed, opening it. It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would. Lucy’s clothes had been neatly folded and all I had to do was place it in the suitcase. I noticed that she hadn’t packed any jackets or long sleeved shirts, so I had to go get some for her.

Everyone who goes on vacation expects it to be sunny and warm all the time, but it’s not possible. Since we were going to be there for two weeks, I didn’t think it was going to be warm the entire time. I walked to her closet, searching through the remaining pieces of clothing, pulling out a dark purple hoodie and white long sleeved shirt for her. I threw it in the suitcase along with her hairbrush and a couple of hair bands. I zipped it up, and then picked up the suitcase, dragging it down the hall, placing it in front of the closed door. I rubbed my hands together and smiled. “Well that’s done.” I said to myself, walking back to the kitchen. As I got there, I saw Lucy sitting across from Gordon and Simone, eating her cereal. I glanced at the clock which now read 8AM; it meant we only had two hours left before our plane takes off.

Bill should have been up by now, but it was a habit to check up on him. I was jogging down the hall, wondering if Tom or Bianca were up yet. The door was still closed as I left it, silent, making me suspicious. I opened the door quietly, gasping when I saw my lazy husband still lying in our bed. “Bill!” I screamed through my laughter, making hi head shoot up. “Please don’t tell me I have to drag you out of there!” I said, sitting down next to him. I lay down next to him, turning him on his side so he was looking at me. “Will you get up now?” I asked, pouting. He placed his hand on my cheek, smiling. He had to get up if we wanted to get to the airport on time; I just hoped he didn't want to do his hair this morning. “Please?” I added. His smile got even wider, but he closed his eyes for a second.
“Only if you help me.” He mumbled.

“And how am I supposed to that?” I questioned him with a smile. Without waiting for an answer, I had an idea. I moved away from him, eventually getting off the bed, standing up. “Give me your hand.” I commanded. He obeyed me soundlessly, a suspicious smile playing on his lips. I took his hand firmly in mine, laughing as I pictured what might happen next in my head. With a deep breath, using all my strength, I pulled Bill as hard as I could. He grunted slightly, making me giggle. I was trying not to hurt him, but I didn’t know if it was very successful. I pulled him even further, but stopping at the edge of the bed. “One last chance…” I whispered in a fake, evil voice. He started laughing, forcing his hand out of mine. “Okay, I give up, you win.” He admitted, sitting up straight.

I smiled in my victory, crossing my arms. “Good, now go take a shower while I pack.” I said smugly, watching him get up lazily. “You’re evil.” He said as I watched him drag his feet towards the bathroom. I smirked as I turned towards the stacked cupboards. I had always been the same, between the two of us; Bill always had the most clothes. I hated shopping, but Bill could live in certain clothing stores, another thing we didn’t have in common. We had two separate bags, one for me and one for Bill just so that he doesn’t throw a fit because I didn’t pack his favorite shirt. I took out a large pile of his clothes, throwing it into the first suitcase without a second glance. I had to pack most of Bill’s clothes; he liked to change about three times a day when we were on vacation.

I turned and grabbed a slightly smaller pile next to it, throwing it in too. That was pretty much how I spent the next half hour, most of my time spent on Bill’s suitcase which didn’t seem to want to close. I had to take a few shirts out to get the suitcase zipped up. Mine wasn’t that hard, I wasn’t very picky with my clothes, and it wasn’t like I was suddenly going to dress up just because I was on vacation. Just when I finished packing, Bill stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in only a towel. He gave me a grateful smile once he saw the packed bags on the bed. “Thanks.” He mouthed, walking towards me. He put his arms around me, kissing my head, his wet hair tickling my face. He wasn’t that wet, but he wasn’t dry either, and I could feel little droplets falling onto my shirt and chest, but I didn’t mind. I ran a hand through his hair, silently enjoying his body against mine.

“I love you.” I burst out suddenly. I didn’t plan on saying it that time, I just loved him so much, and I felt like I didn’t let him know enough. It was gone for a while, but ever since Bill woke up from his coma, the spark we once had was back, and I wasn’t going to let it go that easily again. He was my life; I didn’t want to lose him in any way ever again. He pulled me closer to him; I don’t think there was any space between us whatsoever. He leaned down, and I felt a soft tingling on the back of my neck, where Bill’s lips had just been. I placed my hands on both of his cheeks and he rested his forehead against mine. “I love you too…” He whispered in an intoxicating voice. I looked up into his perfect eyes once again, feeling the familiar pleasurable feeling of getting lost in them. I didn’t want to look away, but I feel like I had to when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Sam, Bill? Tom is here!” Simone called from the other side of the door. We had told Bianca and Tom to come to our apartment as soon as they were ready, so that we could all go together. I looked at Bill in alarm, knowing that we had to leave soon. He let go of me quickly, turning away, jogging to his closet and grabbing a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. He ran back into the bathroom, knowing he had to dry his hair too. I laughed quietly and turned on my heel, walking out of the room. Tom was sitting in the kitchen with Simone and Gordon; I guess that Lucy was getting dressed too. When Tom saw me he stood up, walking towards me. He greeted me with a brotherly hug, then let go and sat down where he did before. “Have you seen Bianca this morning?”

My question seemed to have caught Tom off guard, because his head shot up suddenly. He looked down at his hand, so that his eyes were covered by his hat. “Um, yeah, actually I did. She’ll probably be here in a few minutes.” He replied awkwardly. Without really thinking it further, I accepted the answer. Simone and Gordon had started talking to each other quietly, accepting that there was nothing else to hear. I, on the other hand, started walking back to the main bedroom, grabbing the two bags and taking them too the door where Lucy’s and Tom’s now were. As I moved away, the door opened quickly, revealing Bianca and her daughter. “Hey.” She greeted me, since I was the first one she saw. I greeted her with a smile, offering to take one of her bags. When we threw them on the pile where all our suitcases were, and I watched Bianca walk towards the kitchen table, sitting down next to Tom, avoiding his gaze.

Once again, we all sat there waiting for Bill, it happened more that people would think. I could feel everyone growing impatient, so was I, but I know Bill had to be almost done. Lucy’s door opened slowly and she walked out, dressed in a green and white sundress, holding her doll in her hand. Her face lit up when she saw Tom, running to him immediately. Tom stood up once again, walking to Lucy and picking her up. “Hey!” He greeted her enthusiastically, hugging her back. Tom was Lucy’s favorite person in the world, she reminded us constantly, because he was the one who always spoiled her rotten. He also loved to play with her, and according to Lucy, when she stayed with Tom; they stayed up late and ate candy for dinner. I didn’t blame him, the last time Lucy stayed with him, was the night of Bill’s car accident.

I smiled at the two when I heard our door open loudly. “Finally!” I exclaimed when I saw Bill walking out of the room quickly. His hair fell neatly past his shoulders, framing his face. He rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “Let’s just go!”
Bill grabbed the keys to his van, since it was the only car that could take all six of us. Bianca stood up too, walking towards the door, but when Simone and Gordon didn’t move, everyone looked at them. “Mom, Dad, do you want us to miss the plane?” Tom asked loudly. Simone laughed and shook her head, as Gordon crossed his arms, a small smile on his lips too. “We’ve decided that we’re not going, Tom. And if you don’t leave now, you won’t be going either.” She said, winking.

“But Mom-“ Bill said, just as I did earlier, but I cut him off. “I already tried, Bill.” I pulled on his hands, basically dragging him to the door. Bianca and Tom followed, taking their bags while Charlie and Lucy followed behind them. Bill took his suitcase and Lucy’s dragging them both behind him as he walked out the door, Tom did the same, talking his and Charlie’s, leaving Bianca and me to take our suitcases which lay on the floor. Before we left, Bianca and I turned back and hugged Simone and Gordon. “We wish you would come…” Bianca whispered. I took Bianca by the hand when we said goodbye, waving one last time. “You girls take care.” Gordon said in a fatherly voice. We nodded, smiling widely, taking our bags and closing the apartment door. The van was parked closest to the building, making it easier for us.

When we got downstairs, Bill and Tom had already gotten their suitcases into the back and Bill was helping the kids into the car. While she strapped Charlie in, Tom approached us, taking our bags from us. “Are you guys ready?” Bill asked us, opening the door for Bianca to get in. She smiled and thanked him. By request, Lucy and Charlie sat way in the back, and Bianca and I behind Bill and Tom. I stuck out my tongue at Bill for no apparent reason, walking to the other side of the van, getting in myself. The twins got in right after us, Bianca urging them to drive way past the speed limit because she didn’t want to miss the plane.

The drive to the airport wasn’t that long, we knew that the trip to the Maldives was going tot take much longer. It was something we all had in common, we got bored easily, and that’s why we all had our laptops and iPod’s with us. The only thing I was worried about was how long the kids could sit still in an airplane, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see about that. I couldn’t help but fantasize about what our vacation might be like, but I tried not to have very high expectations for it, because it might not be able to live up to it. Lucy and Charlie have never been to the Maldives before and I’m very excited for them to see it for the first time because it’s so beautiful and special to us. Bill and I still had our special place at the end of the beach from when we were teenagers, and we couldn’t go there without going to our place, no one else we knew, knew about it.

We arrived at the airport, luckily on time as we took our bags and kids and hurried towards the building. There weren’t that many people here, most people preferred to get there earlier. I stayed close to my family because I didn’t want to lose them or have anyone get lost now. I looked at them, to see that they were all smiling, just as I was. The excitement from this morning was still inside of me, and it was good. I took Bill’s hand in mine with my free hand, I was going to enjoy myself and forget about the city for two weeks, because our adventure was just beginning.