by Karen Einsel
Barb laughs. “I would never make you do that. Besides you are a part of the family too.”
While waiting for their waitress, Barb pulls out the newspaper from her purse.
“Mom, what are you doing with a newspaper in the middle of the week?”
Barb smiles at her. “I found a couple of apartments listed, so I called and found out where they were, in case Brandon wants to drive by them after he drops you off at work.”
Brandon takes the paper from her and tells her thank you.
Chris smiles at her, “Trying to get rid of us already, huh?”
Barb blushes, “No”
Laughing Chris reaches over and gives her a hug. “Thanks mom”
Barb looks over at Brandon. “Brandon you are welcome to stay at the house tonight.”
“No, that’s okay, thank you for offering, but I’ll stay at Brent’s.”
Barb puts her hand on Brandon’s arm and grins. “Chris is your wife now. You are married. You do realize that married people sleep together, don’t you?”
Trying not to laugh Chris sees Brandon blush.
“Besides this way you won’t bother Brent’s family getting in so late after picking Chris up at work.”
Brandon shakes his head, “No, it doesn’t feel right. We shouldn’t be sleeping together in your house, besides she is still a foster child and I wouldn’t want to get you in any kind of trouble.”
“I doubt you would get us into any trouble. She is only going to be a foster child for one more week. What can they do to us? I’ll tell you what, I’ll leave you a blanket and a pillow out and you can sleep on the couch. Will that work for you?”
Brandon nods and tells her thank you. Looking at his watch, he nudges Chris, “Are you ready to go? It’s almost 6 p.m.”
Brent looks at Chris and then at Brandon. “May I?“ Brandon sighs and nods. Smiling, Brent puts his arms around Chris and kisses her on the cheek then lets her go. “Okay, she’s all yours.”
Brandon takes Chris’ hand. “We have got to go.”
Smiling when she sees him walk in, Chris looks at the clock. “You are early.”
He walks around the counter and gives her a kiss before sitting down in the chair.
“I missed you.”
“How could you miss me already? You just dropped me off three and a half hours ago. What have you been up to since then?”
“Well…After we dropped you off, Brent and I went and checked out those two apartments.”
Chris grins. “Are you in a hurry to move?”
Brandon looks at her with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Yeah, I think I am. I’m kind of excited at the thought that you and I will be living in our own place, not having to sneak around and hurry to get home. We can go to bed together, make love and fall asleep next to each other. I think I’m going to like that.” He stands up and puts his arms around her. “Brent’s mom and dad would like to meet you.”
“Oh Brandon, no…”
Squeezing her tighter he whispers, “It’s okay. They aren’t like my mom. You’ll like them.”
“Me liking them, is not the problem Brandon. It’s them liking me that I’m worried about.”
“Well you are going to meet them and they are going to love you. They invited us to dinner Friday.”
“Alright, if I have to. Now… tell me about the apartments.”
“Well one is furnished and one isn’t. The furnished one is $25.00 more a month, which makes sense, but it is also, well it is to me, in a nicer complex. So I think I would feel better leaving you there at night by yourself, when I’m at work or school. Besides if we take the unfurnished one, we are going to have to get furniture. We’ll go by both of them tomorrow after school so you can see what you think.”
“Can we afford an apartment right now?”
“Yes, I have some money saved up, so I will pay two months in advance and by the time the rent is due again, I’ll be working here full time. I don’t want you to worry about it, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not yet. Right now, I’m too busy worrying about meeting Brent’s parents. Ugh!”
Barb wakes up during the night, she stops and listens at Chris’ door, then continues down the stairs. Walking into the living room a smile spreads across her face. There’s Brandon and Chris asleep on the couch, both fully dressed, spooning, Brandon has his arm around Chris. They must have fallen asleep. The blanket is folded on the chair and Chris still has her shoes on. These late hours are probably getting to them both. Thankfully they will be done with school next week. Barb picks up the blanket, covers them up and goes back upstairs.
Rolling over to face him, Chris sees Brandon smiling at her. “What are you doing? We can’t do that here.”
He kisses her, “Well, I wouldn’t be getting excited if you weren’t wiggling.”
“Come on we have got to get up and get ready for school. Do you want to take a shower?”
“With you?” He asks as he slides his hand up under her shirt.
“No… Brandon… Behave yourself.”
“No, I’ll take a shower at school before first period. That is if we get moving.”
They agreed they would wear their rings. If anyone inquired they’d tell them, but otherwise, they decided they would keep it quiet. Nobody at school knows she’s pregnant, except her, Brandon, and Brent, so when Amber asks Brandon what’s up with the ring, he innocently tells her, that they got married yesterday. It didn’t take Amber long to spread it around the school and for it to get back to Chris, when one of the cheerleaders walks up to her. “You’re pregnant?”
Chris smiles at her, “What gives you that impression?”
“Well Amber’s telling everyone that you and Brandon had to get married because, and this is Amber’s words not mine. “The little slut couldn’t keep her legs together.”
Chris laughs and tells the cheerleader, “Whatever” And walks away.
Barb is just finishing the dishes when she hears the doorbell.
“Hi, may I help you?”
“You must be Barb.” Barb smiles and nods at her.
“I’m Mary, Brent’s mom. May I come in?”
“Yes, please come in. I’m sorry you just caught me by surprise. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’d like that, thank you.” Mary follows Barb into the kitchen. “You are probably wondering what I’m doing here.”
Barb hands her, her coffee. “Sit… please.”
“Brandon’s dad stopped by and talked to me last night and I was wondering if you might help me.”
Barb looks at her suspiciously. “Help you with what?”
Mary smiles, “It’s not what you think. Brandon’s dad asked me to go out and get some things the kids will need. And I thought maybe you would be interested in helping me shop and…We could give them a reception party.”
Barb chuckles, “You had me scared for a minute.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So why is he doing this? I thought they were against Chris and Brandon”
“No, Brandon’s dad doesn’t share his wife’s view on this, and if she were to find out what he’s doing, well… So will you help?”
“Of course. Where do you want to start?”
Getting into the car Brandon is grinning at her, “How was your day my promiscuous wife?”
“I take it you’ve heard the rumors? See, I told you, I’ll never get rid of that moniker.”
Brandon pushes out his lower lip. “Sorry…”
“Yeah, I bet you are. So, are we going to look at the apartments?”
“If you want. I take it you didn’t like sleeping on the couch with me.”
“I liked sleeping on the couch with you, but I’d rather sleep in bed with you and not in my clothes.”
“I love the way you think.”
“I knew
you would. Now why did you tell Amber we got married?”
“We agreed that if someone asked…”
“I know…Never mind.”
They go check out both apartments. Looking at the furnished one last, Chris agrees with Brandon, this one is better. Brandon pays the first and last month’s rent and the $100 security deposit and the manager hands him the keys. Brandon opens the door and picks Chris up. The manager smiles and walks away.
“Brandon. What are you doing?”
“Carrying my wife over the threshold.” He kisses her and whispers, “Chris, I want to stay here tonight.”
“But Brandon, we don’t even have sheets for the bed.”
“I can go get some sheets while you are at work and maybe we can get some blankets from either your mom or Brent’s mom. Chris, are you scared?”
“A little…But if you want to, then we will. We should make up a small list of what we are really going to have to have. We’ll need some dishes, towels, sheets…”
“Whoa…Slow down.” Brandon laughs as he puts his arms around her. “For tonight we just need sheets, blankets, and pillows. The rest… we will sit down and make a list and put on it things we can’t live without.” Chris’ stomach starts gurgling. “And food should be number one on the list. Oh Chris, I love you so much.” Brandon places his hand on Chris‘ stomach. “And I love our little girl, too.”
“Oh so you think it’s a little girl?” Smiling Chris places her hand over his, “I think so too.”
After they eat dinner at Barb’s Brandon drops Chris off at work and then takes the bedding over to the apartment before he runs to the store to pick up some food.
“Hello beautiful.”
Chris smiles at him and then glances at the clock.
“Hi you. You’re early again.”
“I know. I’m getting antsy. I want to take you home.”
“Did you get the bed made and go to the store?”
“Yes I did and I hope you like powder sugar donuts.”
“Oh wow, we are going to be having a gourmet breakfast tomorrow. So what do we get to wash down those donuts? And please don’t tell me milk.”
“Don’t you like milk?” Chris furrows her brow and shakes her head. “How about chocolate milk?”
Chris grins. “Okay that will work. Hey did you pick up any towels at my mom’s?”
“Yeah, she gave me two towels and a washcloth too. And I remembered to get some soap from the store.”
“So that means we get to take a shower? I think I am going to like sharing an apartment with you.”
Waking up early Chris can feel Brandon’s warm skin next to hers. Lying on her side with her back against him and his arm draped across her, she doesn’t want to move, but she has got to go to the bathroom. As she goes to get up he tightens his hold on her. “Where are you going?”
“It’s time for us to get up and I have to go to the bathroom.”
“If I let you get up to go to the bathroom, will you come back to bed with me?”
Rolling over to face him, Chris gives him a quick kiss. “Nope”
“Then I’m not letting you get up.”
Chris laughs and struggles against him, “You are going to make me pee my pants.”
Brandon grins. “You don’t have any pants on.”
Chris can feel him getting hard and she reaches down grasping him, “We have got to get up and get ready for school. “This” she squeezes him, “Has to wait until tonight.”
“We could just stay home in bed today.”
“No. We have to clean out our lockers today and turn in all of our books. Tomorrow we can stay in bed longer.” Chris whispers sweetly as she strokes him.
Brandon reaches down and squeezes her hand tighter around him and groans, “Ugh, you are such a tease. How about” he pleads with her, “just a quickie?”
Chris lets go of him. “Nope” And jumps out of bed before he can stop her.
Brandon rolls over on his back. “Ugh” Laughing Chris goes into the bathroom.
Sitting in their American Government class as the teacher is taking roll, Brandon tugs on Chris’ hair and whispers. “You know what? I forgot to tell you, “Good morning Beautiful.”
Chris turns around in her seat and smiles at him, “I guess that’s what happens when you get married. All the romance is gone.”
Chris is running the brush through her hair as she comes out of the bathroom. Brandon walks over and puts his arms around her.
“You look nice.”
“Thank you. I think…Are you sure I shouldn’t wear my dress?”
“Chris they are going to be wearing regular clothes, nobody will be dressed up.”
“Brandon…Do we really have to go?”
Brandon can hear Chris’ stomach rumbling. “If we don’t go, what are we going to do about your noisy stomach? Hmm?”
“We can go eat at my mom’s. She won’t mind.”
Putting his forehead against hers, “You are going to like them.” Chris starts to interrupt him and he stops her. “And they are going to like you. Now quit worrying. Are you ready to go?” Chris doesn’t answer him. “I’ll tell you what, we’ll eat, come home, go to bed early and you can take up squeezing right where you left off this morning.”
Chris smiles. “I’ll tell you what, we can stay home and I’ll start squeezing now.”
Brent opens the door and does the guy handshake thing with Brandon. “Come on in.”
They follow Brent into the living room and everyone there shouts out. “Surprise!”
Confused Chris walks over to Barb, “Mom what are you doing here? What’s going on?”
Barb hugs her and nods towards Brent’s mom. “We got together to give you a wedding reception.”
Chris cocks her head to one side and gives Brent’s mom a quizzical look.
Brent walks over, “Chris this is my mom, Mary and my dad, Peter. Mom, Dad, this is Chris, Brandon’s new bride.”
Mary hugs Chris and gives Brandon a kiss on the cheek. “Come on let’s all sit down.”
Sitting down in the living room, Chris thinks she’s going to cry. On one table she sees a cake with a bride and groom on top and on another table there are stacks of gifts. Brandon and her take turns ripping off the brightly colored paper. Getting down to the last present Chris sees it’s a big one. Poking Brandon with her elbow Chris whispers, “You get to open this one.”
Chris can see the excitement in Brandon’s eyes as he unwraps the box. “It’s a TV! We got a TV.”
Chris grins at him before giving him a mock pout, “Gee and here I was hoping it was going to be a can opener because we didn’t get one of those.”
Brad pulls a hand crank can opener out of his pocket. “I knew I forgot something.”
Brad reaches over to hand it to Chris and she shakes her head, smiling, “Give it to him, he gets to open all the cans. Did you remember to get him an apron too?”
Brad grins and pulls out a small wrapped package. “I picked it out and wrapped it myself.”
Brandon grins at Brad. “Now you are going to have to teach me how to cook.”
“First lesson is next Saturday and don’t forget to bring your apron.”
Lying in bed later that night Chris trails her fingers across Brandon’s chest. “Brandon?”
“Hmm…”
“Why would Brent’s family do that for us?”
“I don’t think they did.”
“Well it wasn’t my mom and dad. They couldn’t afford all the stuff we got.”
“I think it was my dad.”
“Your dad, why would your dad…?”
“Chris, when I went to pick up my stuff, my mom wasn’t there, my dad was. Maybe it’s guilt on his part, I don’t know, but he tried to give me money and I wouldn’t take it. So I’m guessing he went and seen M
ary, gave her some money, and told her to get whatever she thought we might need. Now, don’t you owe me some squeezing?”
Chris picks up Brandon’s t-shirt. Burying her face in it she takes a deep breath. He had put it on after his shower last night and then tossed it on the floor before jumping into bed with her. Chris gets excited just thinking about how passionate Brandon was. Kissing and touching her, actually making her sigh and gasp with the pleasure he was giving her. Chris thinks back to the last couple of months they‘ve been married. Life has been good, but what with her working 4 days a week and Brandon five plus Brandon going to school 4 nights a week, it’s taken a toll on their lovemaking. Now that the fall semester has started Chris has been swapping every other week her Thursday shift for the Friday one. That way she can be at home one night every other week with Brandon. The bad part is, on Fridays she has to work until midnight. She can’t wait until tomorrow, because she’ll be off and Brandon has no classes until Monday. Chris smiles to herself. Maybe they can spend the weekend in bed. Chris stuffs Brandon’s shirt in her drawer, takes her shower, and gets dressed before he gets home to take her to work.
Pulling up in front of the store, Chris is fidgeting. Brandon reaches over and holds her hand. “What’s wrong?”
Chris sighs. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to be here tonight for some reason.”
“Then don’t work tonight. Tell him you’re sick and let me take you back home before I go to school.”
“I can’t take off. I can’t leave the owner hanging like that. Besides, I’m not sick, I just… I don’t know. For some reason I feel jittery, antsy, nervous and sad. Must be my hormones acting up. Give me a kiss so you can get to class.”
“Chris, are you sure you don’t want me to take you back home?”
“I’m sure. I’ll be okay. Now are you going to give me a kiss or not?”
Brandon smiles as he puts his fingers under her chin and kisses her lips. Gentle at first then with more passion. “I’ll be back to help you close and then we can go home and…”
Chris smiles at him, “I’d like that. Now go and drive careful.”
Walking up to the entrance Chris looks back at him and even though Brandon smiles at her, she can’t seem to shake this uneasy feeling she has.
