Signed, SEALed, Delivered

by Jaime Russell

  I get out of the shower, walking into my room with a white towel wrapped around my waist, as I look through my dresser for a pair of pajama bottoms. They’re lightweight, so they’ll be good for this time of year. I sit down on my bed to go through my bags, so I can do laundry tomorrow, while Alec’s at school, when there’s a knock on my door.

  “Come in.” I say, seeing it’s Alec. “Hey, buddy. All done with your project?”

  “Yeah.” He yawns.

  What goes up must come down.

  “You ready for bed?” I slap the bed, and he jumps in, sliding under the covers.

  “I sleep in here once in a while.” He tells me, as I push my bags off the bed and onto the floor.

  “You do, why?” I lay down next to him.

  “I miss you, when you’re not here.” It hurts hearing that from him, but he doesn’t realize what it does to me.

  “I miss you, too. It’s one of the reasons I take a shirt of yours with me, so I can have it all the time.”

  Alec yawns again and starts to fall asleep, after he tells me that he loves me. I start yawning, as I grab my phone to check my email, seeing that I have two emails from Ella. The first one makes me sit up.

  She’s coming to Knoxville! Can I possibly meet up with her? Would she be willing to go out with me?

  I wonder what church this is, as I start to read the second one.

  Dear Weary Traveler,

  I hope you made it safe and sound to your house. How did you surprise Alec? I can’t wait to hear all about it. I’ve had an odd evening, and I’m going to need to vent right now.

  My dad thinks I’m a disappointment to him. He hasn’t come out and said those words exactly, but in his sermon, it rings true. My sister and future brother-in-law got an invitation to come visit a prospective new church for when they get ordained. He was worried that my influence would cause my sister to lose her virginity. I can’t believe it. We’re still going because I refuse to let them give up this opportunity.

  Yes, I have tattoos, piercings, and color my hair, and I’m living my best life without letting anyone stop me. I’m tired of living in fear of disappointment, but I’ll be damned, if I let anyone hurt my older sister. We’re working on wedding plans this week, and after my fitting, then we’re heading to Knoxville.

  Speaking of Knoxville, since I’m going to be in town this weekend, do you want to meet up for dinner or something? Please don’t feel obligated to say yes, since you are just getting home. I just thought I’d put it out there.

  Sleepless in Oak Hill,

  Ella

  I quickly reply back.

  Sleepless in Oak Hill,

  Yes, absolutely! Alec has a birthday party this weekend, which is a slumber party, and Kelly will be out with some friends. Let me know when, and I’m yours. Would you feel better if we invited Ruth and her fiancé? Let me know. Wide awake and waiting for your reply in Knoxville. Zack

  I can’t stop smiling right now, even though I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. I know she likes pizza and Italian. So, I know the perfect spot for a date. Once I hear back from her about Ruth, then I’ll make reservations. I can no longer keep my eyes open, but first, I need to reply back to something that she said.

  Dear not a disappointment to anyone,

  I know we all look for approval from our parents because that’s how we are hardwired. My parents gave me up, but every time my mother calls, I try to jump. I go back and forth wanting her love and wanting her to leave me alone. I love her, but sometimes how she sees me, is not the way I see myself. Ella, you’re a strong woman who doesn’t need anyone’s approval. You’re beautiful to me. I also have tattoos and piercings, but I don’t color my hair. I do keep it cut though for the military without getting a crew cut. Sweet dreams Ella

  As much as I want to wait for her reply, sleep captures me. My alarm starts going off, and I notice that it’s six-thirty. I forgot that I asked Kelly what time Alec needed to get up. I roll over to watch him sleep for a couple of minutes, before shaking him awake.

  “Morning, bud.”

  “Dad, you’re really here! I thought it was a dream.” He yawns.

  “I’m still here. What do you want for breakfast?”

  “Pancakes!”

  “Chocolate chip.” We say together.

  I get out of bed and find a t-shirt to put on. Grabbing my phone, I head downstairs whistling. Kelly’s door is still closed, so I tiptoe by her room, as I start making breakfast. Alec and I have fun in the kitchen together, and we sit down at the table, after I cook everything.

  “What time do you need to leave?” I ask in between mouthfuls of food.

  “Seven-thirty.” I look up to see it’s almost time to go.

  “Gather up your stuff for school, including your project, and I’ll go start the truck.” I grab my keys, after putting the dirty dishes in the sink, and Kelly is standing in the kitchen. “I’ll clean up, when I get back. I need to get him to school. Go back to bed. You’re a lady of leisure this week.” I kiss her cheek, as I walk away. I check my phone, while I wait for Alec, and there’s nothing from Ella. She must’ve fallen asleep last night.

  After I drop Alec off at school, I walk into the house, and my phone starts to ring, and I see it’s Mark.

  “What’s up, man?” I ask.

  “Not much. Have you heard anything?” He sounds nervous.

  “Heard about what? I just got home yesterday, and I haven’t been even been here for twenty-four hours.” I tell him, as I put the phone on speaker, so I can start cleaning up the kitchen.

  “Rumor has it is that those guys we were looking into overseas have landed in the United States. Can you do your finger thing to see if it’s true?” I do a lot of hacking.

  “Yeah. I’m wondering though how long we will be home. I have big plans going on, while I’m here.”

  “Is it a date? Have you met a girl already? You work fast.” He laughs on the phone.

  “Fuck off.” I hang up, as a text message comes through.

  Mark: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

  This guy. I shake my head, as I reply back, asking for the names that I need to look into and if he has any pictures.

  “You’re leaving?” Kelly says, standing beside me, making me jump.

  “Jesus Christ, woman. No. Well, I hope I’m not, but at least, we’ll be in the same country.” I tell her.

  “I hope you’re here for Christmas. Alec will be crushed, if you’re not.” She tells me, walking away, as I turn to watch her walk.

  “Kelly, I don’t need the guilt from you, too. I give myself enough of it.” I yell to her, retreating back. I have until two-thirty to work, before picking up Alec, so I grab my computer and start looking into things.

  Gabriele Marks

  I slept through my alarms, and I look to see that it’s almost ten in the morning. “Annie, why didn’t you wake me up?” I look over, seeing she’s not in her spot, so I get up and go looking for her. I find her on the couch. “Where did you go?” She looks at me, putting her head back down on the couch, as I see a note from Ruth.

  Hey, sleepyhead.

  I took Annie out, before I left, and Mr. Richmond said that he was going to come get her about ten, so you don’t have to worry. I hope that you slept well. See you later.

  Love Ruth

  “Auntie Ruth took you out for your walk, huh?” I say, laying down on the couch next to her and fall asleep again. I wake up to keys in my door.

  “Gabriele, I was coming to get Annie. Did I wake you up?” Mr. Richmond says, as he looks at me.

  “She was looking very comfortable on the couch, so I curled up with her. I couldn’t help but fall asleep. Thank you for taking her out. I need to start work.” I hug him, after getting up off the couch.

  “Don’t forget Thursday. I have a date with two pretty girls.” He winks at me, as he leaves with Annie. I walk back into my room and gather up my laptop. I need to hook up my printer to make a file for this, so it's easier for me to remember
everything that I need to get done. I open my email, seeing a couple from Zack.

  I read the emails from him, and I can’t stop smiling. I have a date this weekend. I need to talk to Ruth about dinner. I bet she’ll want to go with me because I’m meeting someone from the Internet. My cell phone starts to ring, and it’s Mr. Harris.

  “Good morning, Mr. Harris. How are you today?”

  “Doing okay. The project gets my seal of approval to send over to Betty.” He tells me. “How’s the new project going?”

  “It’s going well. I’ve been turning on my Christmas music, so I’m really getting into it. I should have it done by Thursday morning.”

  “Wow, maybe you should work from home more often.” He chuckles. “Let me see what you’ve got, as soon as possible, because these need to be running now.” Mr. Harris sounds more annoyed than anything.

  “Yes, sir. I plan on working on this as much as I can today and tonight.” I try to reassure him, but I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. He ends the calls, as I chuckle to myself.

  I send the completed and approved file to Mrs. Harris, as I start printing out the stuff for the new project. I need to message Zack back, but this needs to take priority. Mr. Richmond brings Annie back, and then lets me know he’ll be back in a couple of hours. I thank him, and then heat up the pizza from last night.

  Turning on the Christmas music, I start working on the new project, while making some notes to send to Mr. Harris. Annie comes and goes, while I’m still working away four hours later. I finally decide to take a break.

  “Annie, let’s go for a walk.”

  Ruth will be home soon, and I’m sure that Joshua will be here, too. As I walk around the block, before heading to the dog park, I think about work. I wonder if he’d take my suggestions seriously. It might cost a little bit of money, but I know it will be the best campaign we run. Once I get to the park, I decide to call Mr. Harris.

  “Mr. Harris, hello. I was working on the project, and I had a couple of ideas.”

  “What are they?” He asks, as I hear him click a pen.

  “Why don’t we use a model, and then have a photographer take pictures of her spraying the perfume on her neck. We can also get the bottle positioned just right, too. I think that would be so beneficial to this new perfume. It shows a sexiness to it, while still being tasteful.”

  “I like that idea. I’ll talk to Betty about it.” He tells me, and I can’t stop smiling. I love it. We hang up. I start to check my email, seeing I have another message from Zack.

  Today has been a total clusterfuck. Kelly is mad at me, and she’s not speaking to me either. She overheard me talking to a friend/teammate about the mission that we left behind and still needs to be completed. Now, she thinks I’m leaving already, but I’m not. I was looking into some things, and now, she’s mad. Alec gets home soon, and the guilt trip she gave me today has been gnawing at me constantly. What do I do?

  Helpless and hopeless in Knoxville,

  Zack

  I quickly reply back to this email.

  You’re never helpless, and I bet the guilt is eating you alive. It must be hard being a single dad and working the way you do. I know Alec is proud of you, and Kelly is going to be going through the emotions, too. They are your family, and now, you might be gone again. Just breathe and don’t get so worried about things that you can’t control. Life doesn’t work that way. Keep your chin up. You’ve got this.

  Ella.

  “Come on, Annie. Let’s go.” She comes to me, and we start heading back to the apartment. When we make it back, my dad and Ruth are standing on the landing in front of my place. “Hello,” I say to them, as I walk in, taking off Annie’s leash. They’re talking about the seminar, as I gather up treats for Annie.

  “Can we talk?” My dad asks, standing at the island in the kitchen, as I shrug. “Gabriele, you’re never a disappointment to me. I’m sorry that I made you feel that way.” I stare at him not sure what he wants me to say. “I talked to Joshua and Ruth about Knoxville, and I approve of the trip. Your mother and I are going, too.”

  “What?” I snap my head back to him, after putting the treats container away. “Why are you going with us?”

  “Because it looks better for an unmarried couple traveling.” He tells me.

  “Wow. Are you okay with this?” I look to Ruth, who does her best leave me out of it stare. “I can’t believe that we are doing a family road trip for Ruth and Joshua’s new job. I’m so glad we are teenagers and not adults. Hey, why don’t I just stay home, so that way, the single, deviant daughter/sister doesn’t make a bad impression on you guys?” I say to them.

  “Stop being so dramatic.” My dad tells me. He doesn’t get it. I walk into my room, slamming the door shut. I hear my front door shut about twenty minutes after storming out of my living room. Then, there’s a knock on my door. “Come in.” I’m sitting on the bed with tears coming down my face, as I clutch my teddy bear.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t stand up to him, like you do. I don’t want him to go with me, but what can I say?” Ruth stands there, looking dumbfounded.

  “You tell him that you want him to trust you. Trust us. How is it going to look if your daddy comes to your job interview? I’m pretty sure that Granddad didn’t go, until Mom and Dad’s ceremony.”

  “I know.” She flops onto the bed. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow with Joshua. We need to be a united front on this decision.”

  “I’m sorry for not keeping my mouth shut, but it makes me so mad,” I tell her.

  There’s a knock on the front door, and she tells me that she’s going to get it. I grab my phone and reply back to Zack.

  Insert sarcastic opening.

  I can’t wait to meet you this weekend, and it’s just going to be the two of us. My sister and her fiancé will be hanging out with my parents. What is your plan for us? Where are you taking me? I need to know what it’s going to be like, so I can pack accordingly.

  You say that you don’t have a problem with tattoos, so if I wore a dress that showed them off, would you be offended? Has Kelly talked to you much, since we last talked? Will you be leaving soon? The only reason I ask is because I want to know what do you want from me? I mean, out of this between us? I know I’m such a girl. Maybe, don’t even answer those questions yet, until after we meet. You may find out that we have nothing in common face-to-face, and we might decide to stick to flirting through emails.

  Work was good today. I had an idea for a campaign that would really raise the stakes with our Christmas sales. I just hope that I can live up to the hype that I created for myself. When I’m in Knoxville, do you think that we could go exploring, so I can bring my camera? How was Alec’s first night with you home? I know I’m hitting you with so many questions, but I really hope is well.

  Annie is giving me that look that she’s hungry, so I better go feed her. I decided to take tonight off from work to watch Avengers and a clean romance with Ruth and Joshua. Also, here is a picture that I took Thursday night, before my date with Mr. Richmond. This way, you know what I look like. Also, here is my cell phone number 652-555-7140 just in case you want to text or call sometime, but I still want to email. I like waiting for the ping of my new email, plus when you go on your next mission, we have a way of talking.

  Well, I guess I’m heading out for burgers with Ruth and Joshua. Talk to you soon. Excited for this weekend.

  Ella

  I attach a picture of me in my sweater dress, my hair fixed, and my makeup looking cute. I throw on some quick makeup and head out to Joshua and Ruth, making out on the couch.

  “Woah, sorry.” I turn my back.

  “Oh, my goodness. I’m so embarrassed. Turn around already. No one is naked. We were just kissing.” Ruth tells me.

  “It was like walking in on our parents. It’s gross.” I laugh, as Joshua throws a pillow at me. “Where are we headed for dinner?”

  “There’s this place a friend of mine, from the training, wa
s telling us about, so we’re going to meet up with him.” Joshua lets me know, as I put on my ballet flats.

  “You’re not setting me up, are you? Please tell me that you’re not.”

  “No, it’s just dinner. So, don’t worry, kiddo.” He winks at me, as we head out to Joshua's rental car. We drive into downtown Nashville to this steak and seafood restaurant, and when we walk in, I suddenly feel underdressed in my leggings and a dress. Maybe, I should’ve worn something more formal, like my homecoming dress. It’s still warm out, so I’m wearing a tank top style dress. I know I’m getting some looks, because of my left arm sleeve, and my right arm is halfway done. I toned down the jewelry on my face, so it’s very faint. I sit down and pull out my phone to send a quick email.

  Piercings! You have piercings! Where? It just hit me that I overlooked that comment.

  Ella

  “You are glued to that phone. What’s going on?” Ruth says, trying to grab my phone. I sigh, as Joshua sneaks up and grabs it.

  “Who is Zachary?” He teases, as I take a deep breath and start telling them everything.

  Zachary Sanders

  Kelly is being unreasonable, but I can’t focus on that, because it’s time to pick up Alec. I’m sitting in the pickup lane, when I get the emails from Ella, and I see there’s an attachment there.

  “Fuck me!” I say, when I see her picture. She looks like Selena Gomez with bright, green eyes. I’m blown away by how sexy she is, and she actually wants to see me. Will you be leaving soon? The only reason I ask is because I want to know what do you want from me? I mean, out of this between us? I know I’m such a girl. I keep reading those words over again, and then I finally see her phone number. I immediately add her to my contacts.