~~~
Amanda woke up the next morning to pounding on her front door. Startled, she ran to answer it, forgetting she was in her pajamas.
Hilary stood there, in shock. She stared at her sister for a minute.
“Hilary, what is it, what’s wrong? Is it Susie?”
“No, what the hell is a ‘for sale’ sign doing on your front lawn?”
Amanda peeked around her sister to see the sign. “Wow, he moves fast.” She dragged her sister into the house. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I thought I’d be the good sister and give you and Alex rides to work today. Why didn’t you tell me, Mandy?”
Amanda held her hand. “I just decided last night. I was going to tell you today. It’s no big deal Hil. I just need the money. Get a grip. Alex is leaving anyway, I’ll be much happier in a smaller apartment, living by myself.”
Hilary laughed and punched Amanda in the arm. “You dope! I thought you were going to tell me you were moving to Maine!”
Amanda punched her back. “You’re the dope! That’s what you get for assuming. Let me run and get ready, I definitely want that ride.”
“Me too!” Alex yelled from his bedroom. “Don’t leave without me!”
Amanda hurriedly dressed until she heard a blood-curdling scream from outside. She stopped and looked out her bedroom window. “Oh no!” She ran outside where Elisa stood staring at the sign.”
“Mom, what the hell is going on?”
“Elisa, come inside and I’ll tell you. Stop making a scene.” She tried to walk her in, but Elisa wanted nothing to do with it. “Tell me now, Mom. Why am I coming over to my house and finding out it’s for sale. Why didn’t you tell me?” Elisa started to cry.
“I just decided last night. I had no idea that sign would be there so fast. I was going to tell you today.”
“This is my home, too, Mom!”
Amanda decided she had to be blunt. “I need the money. I can’t afford this house. I don’t want to live alone in it.
Elisa stared at her mother, then at her aunt Hilary and Alex standing at the doorway. “Everyone knew?”
“No, no one did. Well, Alex did, he lives here. Aunt Hilary found out this morning, the same way you did, sign first.”
She turned to her brother. “You’re okay with this?”
Alex shrugged. “I’m leaving. It’s Mom’s decision. Whatever makes her happy Elisa, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean you need the money? For what?”
Amanda let out a whoop, sounding somewhat like a loon. “Let’s see, I have a car payment…no car. My daughter wants to have a wedding fit for a princess, and my son is going to an out-of-state to college. Need I say more?”
Elisa suddenly felt like an ass. “You’re selling the house because of me?”
Amanda put her arm around her daughters’ shoulders. “No honey, because of me. It’s the best thing for me. I know I usually base my decisions on whatever everyone else wants, but it’s time for things to change, so get used to it. I have to make decisions based on what I want, not what’s best for you two anymore. You’re adults.”
Alex and Elisa looked at each other, wondering who this woman was and what had she done with their mother. “Okay Mom, but don’t go too crazy with the decision making.”
“I think, my children, for once; I’m going to have to.” ~~~
Amanda was in over her head. There’d already been at least ten people who’d come to see the house, and it was only Day Two. She was waiting to hear from Jamie, he had said there’d been some interest. She was trying to busy herself by making dinner, but her mind was too distracted to try more than a tuna salad. Finally, the phone rang.
“There’s good news. There were two offers today. One looks promising, she offered full price. It’s just a matter of coming up with the down payment. Your house could be sold by the end of the week, Amanda.”
Amanda was stunned. This was happening too fast. “I had no idea it would be this soon.” Her mind was reeling. Where would she live? “How fast would the closing be?”
“It’s too soon to say, but probably in sixty days.”
Amanda’s mouth dropped open. “Sixty days? I’d have to be out of here by then?”
“Yes, Amanda, better start preparing. If this one doesn’t work out, there are two more bites after that. Your house is a buyer’s dream. Either way, your house is going to sell fast.”
She hung up, still in shock. She stood there, not knowing what to do next. She finally opted to go to the computer and start pricing apartments.
~~~
Amanda called Ray after two hours on the computer. She’d been appalled at the price of a two bedroom. It was almost double her mortgage.
“How will I afford that, Ray? I won’t even have Alex to help me with it, just me. I don’t know how I can do it.”
“Of course you can, Mandy. You probably will pay off all your outstanding debts with the house profit, right?”
“Yes.”
“Alex will be gone so your food bill will be cut in half as will the electricity.”
Amanda considered this for a moment. “So, really, my only expense will be rent, electric and phone. I don’t even have to have cable if I don’t want.”
“That’s right. All the decisions will be yours.”
Amanda felt one hundred per cent better. “Thanks, Ray. I’ll try not to panic. I have some appointments tomorrow to check out a few of the apartments, so I guess I’ll have a better idea after that.”
“Good, get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
~~~
Amanda and Alex ate their pizza in silence. They had checked out some apartments, and they’d been awful! She couldn’t imagine living in one, especially after living in their cute little house. What if that was all she could find in her price range? She couldn’t fathom it.
“Why so quiet Alex?”
He looked up at his mom. “What if you have to live in one of those shit holes Mom? I don’t want to go away and leave you there. The neighborhoods don’t seem too nice either. I’d be worried all the time.”
Alex was right. The neighborhoods seemed a little on the seedy side. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to live in a bad neighborhood, nor in a dumpy apartment. I’ll just keep looking until I find something I love. It’ll happen.”
Alex doubted very much that Amanda felt as positive as she was trying to sound. He left for school in two weeks and he wanted to make sure she was set before he left. “Mom, keep looking tomorrow. I want to make sure I know where you’re going to live before I go.”
“Okay, Dad, I’ll do my best.” She laughed at her son. “When did the tables get turned here?”
“I just worry about you, Mom. It’s going to be tough enough to leave you as it is, without having you live in the ghetto. Keep looking now, so that you don’t have to settle for just anything at the last minute.”
She put her arm around his neck. “Know what? I’ll miss you too.”
~~~
Elisa had not taken the news of the sale very well.
“Mom, where are we going to stay on my wedding night?”
“I don’t know, I guess my apartment.” The wedding was a sore subject with Amanda. So far, they had almost the whole wedding planned and she’d taken part in none of it. She hadn’t even seen the place for the reception yet. She felt so left out of everything.
“I don’t want to stay at an apartment.” She pouted. “I want to have all my bridesmaids spend the night. An apartment would be too small.”
“Well, it’s all I’ll have.”
“Mom, why couldn’t you wait to sell the house till after I was married?”
Amanda looked at her petulant child and wondered how it was she was going to become a wife. “Well, then you wouldn’t be able to afford the fairytale wedding.”
Elisa literally stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s not fair.”
“Yeah well, life isn’t fair, Elis. Get use
d to it.” Amanda had spent yet another day looking at trashy apartments and wasn’t in a very good mood.
“Mom, Alex and I are taking you out to dinner tonight.”
Amanda grunted. “I’m really not in the mood.”
“It’s your birthday celebration.” She smiled, looking like a Cheshire cat. “It’ll be fun.”
“My birthday isn’t until next week and I definitely do not feel like celebrating it early.”
“Why not? I think we could all use a bit of ice cream and cake. Besides, I won’t be able to do it on your real birthday.”
Amanda wondered why that was but decided that she didn’t want to know why. It probably had something to do with the wedding and she would just rather not know. “Fine, whatever you want.”
“But I hope you’ll snap out of this miserable mood you’re in.”
“Well since this was sprung on me at the last moment, I doubt that I will.” She walked into her bedroom to get ready, slamming the door behind her. She was miserable and saw no chance of coming out of it for dinner. She called Ray.
“Hey sexy, what’s up?” Ray, as always, was happy to hear from her.
“I’m not happy today, Ray, and I was hoping you could cheer me up.”
“Well, I know someone who is having a birthday next week.”
“Ugh! That’s not going to do it. In fact, the kids are taking me out today! I’m in no mood.”
“It should be fun. Just relax, have a glass of wine and let the kids treat you to a fun evening. You’ll love it.” Ray already knew what the kids had in store for her. He couldn’t wait!
“I suppose you’re right. I better get going. I just wanted to hear your voice, Ray, and guess what, it helped. Talk to you later.”
“Have fun, sweet one!”
Amanda hung up with a smile on her face. There was one thing though; Ray didn’t seem surprised that her kids wanted to take her out a week early. She shook her head. That must be her imagination; he had no way of knowing.
She heard Elisa yelling from the living room. “Let’s go, Mom.”
She sighed, changed her shirt, and left the room with a smile. “I want ice cream!”
They went to a diner that Amanda liked that was like a 50’s style sock hop. They had a DJ that played 50’s music, the food was casual, and they made a big production of birthdays. She was sure this is why the kids had chosen this place. It was loud and fun and there was no way she could stay in a bad mood.
As they enjoyed their burgers and floats, Elisa cried, “I can’t wait to give you your gift a moment more! Happy birthday, Mom! She handed her a card.
“Hmm, what could this be?” She opened it and her mouth dropped open. It was an airline ticket.
“Are you kidding me?” She was flabbergasted. The ticket was to see Ray.
“Nope, and we checked with Ray to make sure it was okay with him, and of course it was. You only have to make sure it’s okay with Mariah.”
Amanda was overwhelmed. “I can’t believe you guys did this.”
“We wanted to get you something you really wanted; we knew you’d love this.” Alex looked at her expectantly. “You do, right Mom?”
She got up and hugged the both of them. “It’s the most thoughtful gift ever. Ray knew about this?”
Elisa laughed. “Yeah, he did. He even chipped in!”
“He’s a sneaky little bastard.” Amanda was grinning from ear to ear. “This calls for a super duper all the works sundae!” The ordered it and shared it when it came. Amand was sitting on a cloud. She could hardly wait to get home and call Ray, to pack and to get away from it all, if only for a little while. It truly was the perfect gift.
Chapter 44
Amanda walked the familiar hallway down to the metal gates. She thought back to the last time she’d been here; she’d been so scared and had wanted so much to get back on that plane. She smiled, and then noticed someone waving through the little window on the door. It was Ray. Without even a second’s hesitation, she started to run towards him.
He opened the door and she threw herself in his arms. They didn’t speak; they just held each other, reacquainting themselves with their touch, their smell.
Finally, they came apart, looked at each other and laughed.
“Happy birthday, honey.”
“Thank you, but it’s not until the weekend. I’m so happy to be here to spend it with you, Ray. Thanks for helping the kids arrange this. This is great!”
“I have a whole weekend of fun and surprises for you. Or, we can hang out in the apartment all weekend if you just want to relax. It’s your birthday, so it’s all up to you.”
“They both sound good but whatever you planned is fine. After all, I don’t get to the east coast very often.”
“We’ll play it by ear then, except for your birthday. I have big plans for that day.”
She giggled like a teenager, and they went and picked up her baggage. They decided to go to eat, as Amanda was ravenous.
Once outside, Amanda noted the fall air. “Wow, it’s pretty cold here for September. I don’t think I brought the right clothes, Ray. It’s still warm in Texas, and I never thought to ask!”
‘Did you bring a dress?”
“No, should I have?”
Ray wondered how to tell her this without ruining her birthday plans. “Yes, you’ll need one, for your birthday. How about we go shopping after this, and I’ll buy you a pretty dress and a fall jacket?”
Amanda agreed, only because she was freezing.
~~~
Ray was so excited about Amanda’s birthday plans. He’d thought long and hard about what to get her, about their relationship and about their future. He was going to ‘push the envelope’ as they say. He was going to take control of their situation and bring it to a climax. He laughed, okay; he was going to try to, if Amanda agreed.
As he had held Amanda at the airport, he was sure he had made the right decision. It felt right. He knew it was risky, that he was making Amanda make a decision, but he was tired of waiting for something to happen. He wanted to make it happen. He fingered her present that sat in his coat pocket. It was going to be the moment of truth.
~~~
The next morning, Ray announced his first surprise of the weekend. “We’re having breakfast today with some special people.”
“Oh? Is Diego coming?”
“No, not this time. He’s already done his thing with you.” They both laughed at that statement. “It’s time you met my girls.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “Are you sure they’re ready for this?”
“Yes, they want to. They know all about you, so this is the next step, right?”
Amanda nervously bit her lower lip. “Okay. What if they hate me?”
Ray hugged her as he laughed and shook his head. “Why do you always go to the worst case scenario? They aren’t going to hate you. They’ll like you, just as I do. But they’re pretty shy around new people, so don’t read into their quietness, okay?”
They dressed and drove over to the restaurant in silence. Amanda was very nervous. Ray held her hand as they drove, and looked over at her occasionally to make sure she was okay. Finally, they pulled into the parking lot.
Ray bent over and looked at her squarely in eye. “It’s going to be fine. Just be yourself and they’ll love you.”
Amanda didn’t answer; she was looking at the three girls standing on the sidewalk staring at them. They all resembled Ray in one way or another. They were tall, well built, and pretty. Two had light brown hair, and one had chestnut brown. She seemed to be the youngest of the three. Even from her distance, she could see they all had Ray’s remarkable green eyes. One more thing they had in common; they looked as nervous as she was.
Ray opened the door for her and she took a deep breath and got out. They walked up to them and Ray hugged each of them, and then introduced her.
“Girls, this is Mandy.”
She hugged each of them. She could feel their hesitancy in
each hug. “I’ve heard a lot about you from your dad. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
They looked at her with curiosity, as if taking her in inch by inch, trying to figure her out. After what seemed like an eternity, Ray rustled them all into the restaurant.
After they ordered their breakfast, Amanda did what she did best. Talk. Especially when nervous, she hated awkward silences. She asked the girls about school, boyfriends, interests, the town they lived in, and anything else that popped into her mind. The girls did answer her questions, but with one or two sentences at most. Glenda was the one who filled her in little more, and for that, she was grateful.
Glenda asked her about El Paso, and her children. She asked her if she worked, and even about her past marriages. She answered everything as honestly as she could.
Ray finally rose to go to the men’s room, leaving them alone. There was a very long awkward silence.
“I know this is weird girls, but you’re Dad and I just enjoy each other’s company. I’m not trying to take your place in his life, or even your mothers’ place in his life. We’re just two people who met, and like each other.”
“We know. We’re happy for him. We just want him to be happy. Unfortunately, he and our mom were not, so we hope that he’ll find someone who can make him happy. If that’s someone’s you, that’s fine.”
Amanda raised her eyebrow, impressed by the speech that came from eighteen-year-old Glenda. “Do you all feel that way?”
Norma nodded, and Nikki verbally agreed. “We don’t want our daddy to be alone. He hates it.”
Amanda smiled at her and how young she sounded in her grown-up body. She was about to reply when Ray returned to the table.
“What did I miss?”
Sensing that the girls wanted to keep this little conversation private, she replied, “Just girl talk.”
Ray smiled at them hoping it had gone well. “Shall we wrap it up?” He paid and they went outside to go their separate ways. She hugged them again, and was happy to get a warmer hug back.
“I’m glad I met you, and hope to see you again soon.
“Nice to meet you too, Mandy. See you soon.”
When You Least Expect It Page 41
