June 1, 2013

June 1, 2013

Preparing to move on a budget turned out to be a three week adventure. It ended with both the rented moving van and our cars completely full. Mom and Chris were a huge help. Chris even let us slept our last night in Knoxville in his son's old bedrooms. We got up together before dawn as we planned, made coffee, and kissed them both goodbye. I only cried a little.

I had plenty of time to think as we drove in a caravan to our new home in Norfolk. I drove with the radio off, the loud roar of the engine and wind blowing over the van made it easy for my thoughts to drift. Those eight hours gave me time to remember, to plan, to dream.

Jules and I had been friends since we met in kindergarten when we were five. Her mother made no secret that she was only willing to bear one child. Jules father raised her like the boy he had always wanted and taught her what he knew of working with his hands. Being rich seemed nice to me, but I remember Jules saying she wished she could live in my house with me more than once.

I tried to recall the first time I'd met John. I must have been ten or so the summer we had a family reunion at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was just another cousin then, and we spoke so little I can't remember a single word we actually said to each other. I saw him again the year after Dad died at a family wedding, but remember playing more with his cute little brothers than with him.

Dad died when I was 11 after a few hard months of cancer treatments. Mom and I were lost for a while, but Jules kept me from falling out of life completely. She drew me out and encouraged me at a time I wanted to climb under the covers and never leave my room. I would always love her for that, happily forgiving all the drama she dragged me into as we grew up.

I could barely connect those early memories with my more recent ones. I had been on my share of dates over the years. Even though nothing had sparked with anyone, I wasn't worried about it. My part-time job kept me in clothes and electronics, and Mom kept us fed and housed. Going to school kept me in a numb routine. A little over six months ago, Mom and I enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving dinner alone. I never suspected what lurked inside me back then.

Jules was so different now, but if anything she was more herself than she had been in years. Her party girl image was a mask she wore to keep herself safe. I knew that, but we'd both become comfortable pretending otherwise. Knowing her as I do now, I wish I'd been brave enough to tear it off of her long ago.

When John came along he changed everything. He lit a passion in me that no one had before. Then his sweet, easy-going nature drew the real Jules out for us both to fall in love with. In turn, she had helped him become more outgoing and confident, and helped me to see that love and friendship can be richer than I'd dreamed. I still don't know exactly what they see in me, but I know I want to spend my life with the two of them.

The memories kept coming, like puzzle pieces tipped slowly out of a box. I was still trying to figure out what the picture would be when we arrived at our new home. The little house was on a narrow residential street a few turns off of the freeway. Jules and John parked in front of the house while I got the truck turned around and backed into the driveway. They held hands as they guided me up to the garage.

"Close enough?" I asked out of the truck window.

"Perfect," John said as he walked up to open the door for me.

"I'm glad we made good time," I said as I climbed down. "I need to pee. Did the agent say when she was coming?"

Jules said, "I called her when we got into town, so she should be here soon to get your signature and hand over the keys."

I was feeling the need to dance. "Can one of you drive me to a gas station or something? I don't think I can wait."

John looked over my shoulder and smiled. "Good morning."

I turned and saw a middle-aged couple approaching. "Good morning! Are you our new neighbors?" the man asked.

John extended his hand with a smile. "We are. My name is John Alderman. This is Kate Miller and Jules Adkins."

"I'm Steve Smith and this is my wife Trish." She nodded and we shook hands all around.

Trish looked at me and said, "I couldn't help overhearing you might need to use the restroom?"

"Yes, please."

"You're welcome to use ours. Come on over."

She led me back to their house across the street. "Please ignore the mess. We have two teenage sons and keeping a clean house is an uphill battle."

"I bet!" Their house wasn't particularly messy, but it did smell of breakfast. I felt almost human after I wandered back into the living room. "Thanks again, Trish."

"No problem." She was rinsing and placing dishes into the dishwasher, but turned and smiled at me when I joined her in the kitchen. "Are you guys from around here?"

"John is. He's going to Old Dominion."

"Steve went there, too. It's a great school." She rinsed the last plate, put it in the dishwasher, and closed its door. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"So then you're not from around here?"

"No, Jules and I are from Knoxville. I've just graduated with a business degree, and we're both going to be looking for work."

"Well then, welcome to Norfolk! I'm not from around here, either, but I've grown to love it. There are lots of engineering and government jobs in town if you know someone. Let's visit after you get moved in and maybe I can introduce you around."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"OK, let's see if I can rouse my boys. They can help with the unloading if you want."

"That is so sweet of you!"

She gave me a conspiratorial wink. "If I don't get them moving they'll just play video games all morning."

Trish called the boys into the kitchen with the voice of a drill sergeant. The teenagers appeared and grinned openly when they saw me. "Kate, this is Jacob and Caleb. They are 17 and 15 respectively, so keep your eye on them. Boys, this is Kate, one of our new neighbors across the street. Get your shoes on, you're going to get some service hours in this morning."

They both said, "Yes, Ma'am." I tried not to smile as they kept checking me out. I was curious to see what they would think of Jules.

We all went outside into the bright morning sunlight. John and Jules were talking to a large woman next to the moving van. When we walked up she turned to me and said, "You must be Kate!"

"I am. You must be the very helpful Nancy. Jules raved about how you cut through red tape for us."

"Just doing my job. All I need from you is a photo ID and a signature on the lease."

I got my purse out of the truck and handed my ID over. She wrote down the numbers she needed and passed me the lease form. I signed with a flourish.

"Now it's official. Here is your copy of the lease and the keys. Welcome home!"

Jules hugged her close. "Thanks so much for all your help. I know it was probably hard to get pushed through without us having local jobs."

"It wasn't me! You girls both got fantastic references from your old employer, and Jules your credit rating is beyond good. Let me get out of your hair so you can get started moving in."

While she waddled off and got into her car, Trish explained that her boys would be happy to help us unload the truck.

"Hot damn!" Jules did a wiggly little dance that made the boys blush.

"Well, if you're serious, we'd love to have your help." John pulled out his keys and led them around to the back of the truck. Steve and Trish told to boys to stay busy and gave John permission to send them home whenever they stopped helping. Then they walked back across the street holding hands as John and the young men got started unloading.

Jules followed me over as I walked to the front door of our new home. Before I turned the knob I reached over and entwined my fingers in hers. She smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze, then whispered, "Ready?"

"For better or for worse." We stepped across the threshold together into our new living room. It was smaller than I'd imagined from the pictures, but it was still larger than our apartment. She led me through the kitchen and laundry room to press the garage door opener for the men to start bringing things in. "Want to go on a tour?"

The kitchen was large and well set up, with a dining nook looking out into the backyard through a sliding glass door. We opened the blinds to let in the morning sun. The living room spanned the whole house, with large front windows letting in even more light. On the opposite side from the kitchen was a short hallway that led to the three bedrooms.

Jules pulled me into the large master bedroom and pushed me against the wall, kissing me deeply. "Welcome home," she whispered as I lifted my chin to her lips. I held on as she kissed my neck, her hands sliding around to grip my ass.

"You either lock that door or show me the rest of the house." She made me purr a moment longer, then let me up.

"Come on, I want to show you what I was thinking."

She pointed excitedly as she described where the furniture in the master bedroom might go, then dragged me down the hallway to the next bedroom. She was still describing how we could basically convert this whole bedroom into our dressing room and closet when John came in.

"We're getting close to filling up the garage. Are you going to help bring stuff in or just stand around dreaming?"

Jules looked at her fingernails and sighed. "But what about my manicure?"

"We're coming." I pushed her out into the hallway and into John who grabbed her and kissed her soundly. I pinched them both on the butt and made them jump. "No dessert until you eat your dinner."

We bumped and tickled each other on the way back to the garage. When we got there the boys we're carrying out the king-sized mattress. They brought it inside the garage and leaned it against the wall.

"Where are the other beds?" Caleb asked as he caught his breath. I blushed and Jules cleared her throat.

John came to our rescue. "I've got to take the van over to my storage room near campus and get my stuff. Would you guys mind riding with me to help load it up?"

Jacob said, "Let me ask Mom before we take off. It should be fine though."

"Thanks." He turned to look at us. "I put all the kitchen boxes over there if you want to start with them. We'll get the couch and living room furniture in if you guys will help me."

Jules and I chatted about our ideas while we started to unpack the kitchen. The boys carried furniture into the house and began to arrange the rooms at John's direction. By the time we started getting hungry for lunch, the house was beginning to come together.

"Want me to order a pizza?" I asked the group as they stopped for a cool drink of water in the kitchen.

"Anything with meat for us," Jacob said.

"Yeah, we can pick off the onions and peppers if we have to, but it stinks up the cheese." Caleb was stretching his back, but kept glancing towards Jules to see if she was paying attention.

I did a quick search on my phone for a local place that delivered and ordered two large pies. While I was on the phone, John started walking towards the couches.

"Not so fast there, Stinky." Jules grabbed some of the towels we'd used for packing material and covered the couch and overstuffed chairs before he sat. "Now make sure you don't mark up the fabric. They're supposed to be stain proof, but I'm not ready to test it."

John glanced at me and chuckled. "Trust me, they're stain proof."

I blushed as I confirmed the address for the third time to the cracking voice on the other end of the call. When I hung up, I stuck my phone in my pocket and joined them in the living room.

"You guys have some great furniture," Jacob said.

"Thanks." Jules spoke up since it was mostly hers.

"Did you guys live together in Knoxville, too?"

"Kate and I did." She gave me a sweet smile. "We've been friends since we were little girls."

"So how did you meet John way out over here?" Caleb asked.

"John's my cousin." It slipped out before I had a chance to think about what to say. Jacob frowned when I announced it and glanced briefly at Jules.

Caleb was still young enough to just say what he thought. "Oh, I thought maybe you were his girlfriend." He got a puzzled look on his face. "Wait, why is there only one bedroom with furniture in it?"

"I still need to get my stuff from over near campus."

"Yeah, but‒" Caleb cut off when his brother kicked him in the leg.

"Drop it," Jacob whispered. "Sorry."

"It's fine." John took a long drink of water. "We're still figuring things out ourselves."

Jules gave him a hard look and pinched her lips. "John, could I speak to you in the kitchen?"

I tried to keep the boys talking to keep them from overhearing the quiet conversation behind us. "So, Jacob, did you graduate this year?"

"Yes, finally. I'm going to take some time off before college for missionary service, but I'll be back in a year or so to go to college."

"Really?" I didn't really know how to respond. "Where will you be going on your mission?"

"I don't know yet. They won't assign me a companion or tell me where I'm going until the end of summer."

"Companion?"

"Yeah, we have to pair up with someone during our mission service. It's a Mormon thing."

"Oh." I glanced towards the kitchen. "That's interesting."

"No, it's actually kind of weird, but I'm willing to give it a try." He had an embarrassed smile on his face and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"A good friend of mine wanted to dedicate her life to helping people." I felt warm all over when I said it. "She wanted to be a nurse and believed God called her to it. Some people thought she was weird, too, but she was a wonderful person."

He looked up with a look of quiet surprise. "Really?"

"Yes." I wiped my eyes.

"What happened to her?" Caleb asked, and his brother kicked him again.

"It's OK, Jacob." I took a deep breath. "She was killed two months ago by someone who was really confused." I couldn't stop reaching up to rub the scar on my shoulder.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" Caleb turned white.

"I swear he has no boundaries. He's like a big dog who thinks he can still fit in your lap like a puppy." Jacob shook his head when he said it, then stared at his brother. "I'm sorry about your friend, too."

"The reason I brought her up is that she was a good example of someone who stood by her beliefs. If you want to go on a mission before college, do it with a whole heart."

"Thank you for not making fun of me."

"You're welcome."

John came in carrying the pizzas and Jules following with the soft drinks. We sat on the floor around the coffee table and ate while Jules kept the boys talking about their lives. She had a wonderful way of taking to anyone and drawing them out. I could tell both of the boys were smitten by the end of the meal. I kept trading grins with John as we watched the scene unfold.

Just as we finished eating we heard a knock at the garage door. Trish called out, "Everything OK in here?"

I said, "Come on in, Trish, and eat this last piece of pizza. No one wants to look like a pig and I don't want to keep it."

She came in and looked at all we'd done. "Wow! You guys made good progress."