Chapter 26

Jonathan and I had been living together for a little over two weeks when Alishia came over for dinner on Wednesday night. Since I was off that night, Jonathan and I had asked Alicia over for dinner which he and I both cooked.

Throughout the whole time I’d been living with Jonathan, Alishia and I had kept in touch with each other and she’d kept me up to date on what was going on with Danny, Samantha, and the rest of my family. We’d all just been too busy to get together, but we finally asked her over for a delicious home cooked meal.

“Hi!” I grinned and hugged Alishia before stepping back and ushering her into the apartment.

“Hi, Alex. You’re looking great I see.”

I chuckled, “Yeah, what can I say, life agrees with me.”

She giggled, “Actually, that should be Jonathan agrees with you.”

“Okay, that sounds much better,” I agreed.

“Hey Ali,” Jonathan greeted as he came out of the kitchen.

She smiled and gave him a hug as she said hello to him too.

“Did Danny get to Phoenix safely?” he asked.

“Yep. I talked to him for a bit right before I came over here.” She turned to look at me as she continued, “He said to tell you hi and that he misses you.”

“Tell him I miss him too. Maybe I’ll see him when he gets back. We could all get together and he can finally meet Jonathan.”

Alishia smiled, “That would be great.”

The three of us had moved into the kitchen where I worked at the island, chopping vegetables and mixing them into the salad. Alishia stood on the other side of the island talking to Jonathan and I while Jonathan was over by the stove, finishing up with the chicken fried steak he’d made using Darryl’s own special recipe.

As I set the table out on the balcony, Jonathan spooned the mashed potatoes and green beans into two bowls which Alishia took out to the table. I took the bread out of the oven and placed them in a basket while Jonathan placed the chicken fried steak on a large platter. As we sat down to dinner, I poured iced tea into our glasses and Jonathan told Alishia to make sure to save room for dessert.

Nearly an hour later after we’d stuffed ourselves full of dinner and homemade apple pie, which Jonathan had coached me on making and topped with vanilla ice cream, we continued to sit on the balcony talking. We were enjoying the cool evening breeze and talking about nothing in particular.

“So anyway, Danny thinks it’s time for us to look into buying a house.” announced Alishia.

“Really?” I asked.

She nodded, “Yeah, he’s been working with the firm long enough now to accumulate enough money for a nice home. Plus, if all goes right, he should be taking the bar exam next year and once he passes that, the firm will make him an official member.”

“Wow! He’s really going to do it then, huh?” asked Jonathan.

“Of course! The senior partners have already been telling him that he’s gonna ace it since he’s already so good at what he does at the firm. They’re really anxious to take him on as a full fledged lawyer. I’m excited because he’ll be making more money then. Granted, he’s already getting a really good amount now, but when he passes the bar, his worth is going through the roof.”

I rolled my eyes, “And the truth comes out.”

Alishia frowned, “What do you mean?”

I shrugged, “You’ve been waiting for this all along haven’t you? For my brother to start raking in the big bucks so you can live the lifestyle you were once a part of.”

Alishia gave me a look that said she was clearly offended, “Alex! You know that’s not it! I want him to be able to support us without having to constantly be under his daddy’s shadow anymore! Once he starts making more money, then we can buy a house without having to ask your father for a loan or to cosign anything. We can also start thinking about having our own family.”

My eyes went wide at that, “You guys want a family?”

Alishia nodded, “We’ve been talking about that for a while now. I wanted to start when he’d graduated from the university and started doing part time with the firm, but Danny wanted to wait until he was closer to taking the bar and getting out from under his father’s wing.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. I’d always known Danny was incredibly self sufficient and independent, but I’d never known just how determined he was to cut the umbilical cord just like I was. So far Danny and I were the only ones really trying to stand on our own, I was secretly hoping Samantha would be that way when she got older too.

“That’s why he wants to get a house then?” asked Jonathan. “So that you guys can start on that family.”

Alishia grinned, “Yes. We want to be settled into a nice four or five bedroom house before we start adding to it.”

She and Jonathan shared a laugh at that as I looked between the two of them. When Jonathan saw my confused look he explained, “Tony, one of the guys who used to hang out with us was married with four kids. We knew him because his brother was one of the models we worked with. Anyway, one time he’d come out with us and gotten drunk because he’d found out his wife was pregnant with their fifth. He was upset because they lived in a four bedroom house with his mother-in-law and there were already two kids in each bedroom.”

Alishia nodded, “Yeah, no room for another kid. So, he spent the night grumbling about how he’d invested so much into that house which they’d moved into when they were on kid number two and his mother-in-law wasn’t living with them then. He declared that there was no way he was going to move out of it. That’s when someone suggested he just add more rooms to the house and he’d replied yeah right so was he supposed to just keeping adding another room every time she got pregnant again.”

My jaw dropped at that, “Are you saying he was expecting more than five!”

Jonathan chuckled at that, “That’s what we all thought too, but turns out he was too drunk at that point to realize what he was saying. We found out from his brother that his mother-in-law was moving in with one of her sisters and he’d hired a friend of his to build two more bedrooms since he’d managed to buy the empty lot on the south side of his house.”

I whistled, “He really got lucky there, huh?”

Alishia nodded, “Yeah. Marcos said that when his mother-in-law found out they were having another kid, she started looking for another place to move to. She knew they’d need the room.”

I nodded then frowned as something dawned on me, “Wait! Does that mean you and Danny want five kids too!”

Even Jonathan was looking at her with wide eyes until she shook her head, “No! Can you really see me with a small tribe?” She laughed, “I think we’re aiming for just two or three, it’s still up for negotiation. Danny wants a nice round number, but I told him I’d kill him if I had to deal with raising four kids. I think he’s getting the picture.”

Jonathan and I chuckled at that.

“Oh come on Alishia, Danny comes from a family of four kids,” I said.

She scrunched her nose at me, “Yeah, and look how that’s turning out!”

Once more the three of us laughed about my dysfunctional family.

A few moments later, Alishia sighed, “Seriously, though. Your parents have been asking about you.”

I stiffened in my seat, “Oh.”

Alishia nodded, “Yeah. Your mom wanted me to tell you that she misses you and wants you to come back home.” As I frowned, Alishia added, “She was really upset with your father when she found out you’d moved out and no one had told her. She didn’t even know that your father had grounded you for going to the prom with Jonathan.”

Alishia turned to look at Jonathan as she continued, “She wants to meet you, Jonathan. She said she’d like to invite you over to have dinner with the family one day so everyone could get to know you and you could get to know them.”

Jonathan nodded, “I’d like that.”

I shook my head, “I’m not taking Jonathan anywhere near them until I know for sure Dad and Kevin will behave themselves.”

Alishia nodded, “They know that, Alex. Your father backed up your mom’s words. He agreed that he’d be willing to have Jonathan over for dinner to meet the family if you moved back home.”

My frown only deepened, “If I move back home? He won’t let Jonathan meet the family unless I move back home first!” I shook my head again, “No, that doesn’t sound right.”

Jonathan sighed and slid his hand into mine, “Alex, they’re your parents. They just want to take care of you. I know they must be worried and…”

“No, Jonathan! I don’t trust him. Don’t you see that? He won’t let you meet the family until I move back in. I know him, he’s planning something.”

Alishia shook her head, “I don’t think so, Alex. And even if he were, your mother would have his head. She’s still upset with him for running you out in the first place. She’s the one who wants Jonathan to come over for dinner and she said that before your father added the moving back home part.”

I rolled my eyes in response.

“She does want you to come home and she wanted me to be sure to tell you that the wedding to Mark has been called off. She’s no longer planning it with Mrs. O’Connor.”

Jonathan smiled at me when she said that and squeezed my hand.

I still had my doubts, “What did father have to say about that?”

Alishia sighed, “They had words, but it’s like I said. Your mother isn’t listening to a thing your father is saying, she’s upset about losing her oldest daughter without ever having a clue about it.”

I sat back in my chair and folded my arms over my stomach. Jonathan looked at me with hope in his eyes. I didn’t say a word as I stared into the distance. So my mother missed me and had called off that sham of a wedding. Still, it didn’t sound like my father had given up on it yet. I wasn’t too keen on going back into that house if there was still a chance of my father tricking me into once again controlling my life and marrying me off to Mark.

I felt the bed dip next to me then Jonathan spooned my body against his. As his chest pressed against my back, he slid his arm over my waist and spread his hand over my stomach. Kissing my shoulder, he whispered, “You asleep?”

“Not yet,” I whispered back.

His fingers stroked my stomach as he trailed kisses up my shoulder to my neck, “Are you thinking of going home?”

“No.”

“What about your mother?”

“She’ll live.”

He laid his head against his pillow and sighed, “Alex…”

“I’m not changing my mind, Jonathan. Don’t try to take their side.”

Jonathan propped himself up on one elbow and leaned over to look down at me, “I’m not taking their side Alex. I just think you should give them the benefit of the doubt.”

I turned my head to look at him, “Jonathan, this is my father we are talking about.”

“I know that. That’s why you shouldn’t alienate him.”

I glared at him, “He gave me an ultimatum Jonathan. Didn’t you hear Alishia? He’d allow you to meet the family if I came back home!”

“I think he just wants you there for your mother’s sake.”

I groaned as I rolled onto my back.

“Alex, just talk to them okay? You don’t have to move back right away. Just talk to them and see what’s going on.”

I turned my head to look up into his hazel eyes. He smiled at me and I reached up to caress his cheek. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Because you must know if I go back, then we won’t be living together anymore.”

He nodded, “I know that. But they’re your family Alex. They miss you.”

“And you won’t.”

“I’ll miss you like hell.” He leaned down to nuzzle my cheek, “But at least this way we can still see each other when we want to. I’m willing to wait for you Alex. For as long as it takes. I know we’ll be together again and when we are, it’ll be with the blessing of both your family and mine.”

I sighed as I closed my eyes. I knew why Jonathan was pushing this. He wanted things to be okay between me and my family. He didn’t want me to go through the same things he’d gone through with his own father all those years ago. Sometimes it really amazed me that Jonathan had such a gentle soul.

“Alex?” he asked.

“I’ll think about it Jonathan.”

“Okay.” He kissed me then and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, holding him close to me. He left my lips to bury his face in my neck, hugging me to him. We lay there in silence as I contemplated moving back home again. I was going to think long and hard about this because I still didn’t trust my dad.

Jonathan was just happy that I was at least considering it.

Saturday evening I had taken a shower as soon as I’d gotten home from working the afternoon shift. As I was blow drying my hair, Jonathan knocked then opened the door when I shut off the dryer.

He held out the cordless phone to me, “It’s Samantha.”

I blinked at that, but took the phone from him. “Hello?”

“Alex? Hi! It’s Sam.”

“Hi sis, how’s it going?”

“Okay, I guess. I hope you don’t mind my calling. Alishia gave me this number.”

“No, that’s okay.” I replied as I made my way into the bedroom and sat in the middle of the bed. Jonathan had disappeared into the living room again. “So, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine. Busy with school and work as usual.”

“Right. Still having trouble with science?” she asked.

I chuckled, “Not so much any more since the school year is winding down and it doesn’t really matter what grades I make. They won’t go on my transcript, thank goodness.”

“Oh, that’s good. So, are you going to college like you wanted?”

“Yeah. I’m still waiting for some more replies from several colleges I applied to, but I think I’m going to stay close to home.”

“Really? I thought you wanted to go to an East coast school.”

“I did, but things have changed. There are two really good local schools that I’m interested in. They both have excellent business departments.”

“Wow! Well, I’m glad you’re going to be close by. Maybe you could help me when I get to high school.”

I chuckled, “Maybe, but I think Jonathan would probably be better at helping than I am. He’s certainly helped me a lot with my math and science.”

“How is Jonathan by the way?”

“He’s doing great. He’s been helping me plan for college and he’s planning on going back to work for his dad soon. They’ve been talking about it for a while now.”

“Cool. He’s going to take over some day isn’t he?”

“Yep. That’s what he hopes too do.”

“That’s so cool.”

I chuckled, “Yeah.”

She was quiet on the other side for a few moments, so I spoke up. “How are you doing in school?”

“Oh, the usual. I think mom’s seriously thinking of enrolling me in an exemplary school next year because the counselors keep dropping hints that I’m too smart to be at such an ordinary middle school.”

I laughed at that, “You are to smart to be in an ordinary middle school.”

“I know that, but all my friends are there. Well, my best friend is there and I won’t know anyone at that other school.”

“True, but I won’t know anyone at the college I go to either, so we’ll both be in the same boat.”

She giggled at that, “I didn’t think of it that way.” there was a brief moment of silence before I heard her sigh, “I wish you were still here. Then we could both talk to each other about our first day at a new school to each other. You’d be the only one who’d understand since we both wouldn’t know anyone there.”

I closed my eyes at the wistful sound of her voice. “I’m sorry Sam, but you can still call me when you need to. And I’ll clear my schedule so that I can meet you after your first day of school to talk, okay?”

“Okay. Will I see you soon?”

“Sure, we can get together next weekend if you want.”

“I’d like that.” There was another heavy pause before I heard her voice again. “I miss you Alex. I got first place in my reading class last week and I couldn’t wait to tell you about it. I told mom, but she didn’t understand it the way I knew you would. And dad wasn’t around as usual. No one understands me like you do. I know mom tries, but she’s never been that smart like us.”

I swallowed as I felt my throat go dry with those words. Samantha was right. Mom had been trying to understand her youngest daughter for years, but had always failed miserably. Danny and I were the smart ones until Samantha came along and she’d blown us out of the water.

Since Danny was already gone by the time Samantha was old enough to care and he was also a boy, I was the one Samantha bonded with. I was the one she came to when she won awards for doing something brilliant. I was the one who understood what it was like to be the strange one in the bunch.

“Oh Sam. Congratulations. I knew you’d get it this year! I’m sorry I wasn’t there this week, but we’ll celebrate when we get together next weekend okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. I want to see the award too.”

“Okay, I’ll have it with me.”

“Great. And Sam, anytime you need anything, just call this number okay? If I’m not here, Jonathan will tell me and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Alex.”

“You’re welcome, sis.”

There was some noise in the background before I heard her voice once more, “I’ve got to go, mom says dinner is ready.”

“Okay, call me later this week and we’ll make plans for next weekend.”

“I’ll do that. Bye, Alex. Love you.”

“Bye Sam. Love you too.”

I waited until she’d hung up before I pressed the end button on the phone. Tossing the phone on the bed in front of me, I stared at the wall as my gaze became blurry. I’d heard the sad note in my little sister’s voice and knew she wasn’t faking it. She really did miss me and I didn’t blame her one bit. Mom was the only one who could have been close to her, but she’d obviously been failing lately.

Things must really must be bad if she’d gone so far as to get Jonathan’s phone number from Alishia. I couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on in that house when I wasn’t there. Suddenly I was afraid that now that I was gone, our father was going to switch his controlling ways to Samantha. Still, even if he didn’t, it terrified me that she was now all alone in that house with the likes of my father, my mother, and Kevin.

When Jonathan came into the bedroom nearly an hour later, I was still sitting in the middle of the bed, hugging my knees to my chest. As soon as he saw the tear tracks on my cheeks, he crawled onto the bed and hugged me to his chest.

“What is it?” he asked.

I sniffled, “I’m sorry Jonathan.”

He pulled away and wiped the tears from my cheeks as he looked into my eyes, “For what?”

“I think I have to go home.”