A Trip Down Memory Lane by Amicia Bianchi (classic fiction .txt) 📕

on it for the better portion of the night before and I probably would have spent the whole night but I got help.

 

Someone cleared their throat bringing me out of my reverie, "so you're really going to take all the credit for it when you know I did most of it."

 

Susan raised an eyebrow, "did he really," she asked seeming a little surprised.

 

"You helped! Since when did 'get me some scissors', 'get me this or that' become you doing most of the work?" I turned to him.

 

"If we were getting paid for the work we did you wouldn't let me get anything when you know I did more than that," he replied.

 

"Typically she'd end up with your portion of the money anyway even if you originally got what you worked for," Susan chimed in.

 

"Gold digger," was all he said.

 

I laughed mischievously, "We no longer consider ourselves as gold diggers, our gold digging days are over. We would prefer to be called gold collectors because if someone like you is willing to leave his gold lying around we just have to collect it." Susan, who had long since gotten used to our antics, laughed.

 

"I'm not stupid enough to just leave it lying about for you to take," he argued.

 

I shrugged, "But it's not that hard to find, same difference either way it's going to get taken right from under your nose and I won't even have to get my hands dirty."

 

"So where's Jeff?" Jeffrey Clark was Susan's fiancé, who normally accompanied her everywhere if he wasn't at work or with his other friends.

 

"Oh him, he's around somewhere..." she answered waving off the question.

 

"And why isn't he with you, did he go see someone else he knows who's graduating?"

 

"No, he had to bring his little cousin Ellen and her friend because he got talked into babysitting for his aunt Sylvia, again. The little waywards were giving me a headache so I kind of conveniently got separated from them in the crowd. I feel bad for leaving him with them like that but I needed a break, you guys."

 

"How are things going?"

 

"Besides the kids, everything's great but you know when it comes to his family Jeff can't seem to say no so every chance they get we end up babysitting."

 

"Oh isn't that Jeff over there?" Susan and I looked to see Jeff being dragged along by two nine-year-olds.

 

Since he still hadn't noticed us yet she started waving her hand to get his attention, "Jeff," she called and finally he turned in our direction.

 

"Hey you guys, congratulations," he hugged us both in turn. With all too knowing eyes Jeff adjusted his glasses and turned to Susan, "well at least you found them, that's good," there was no mistaking that her convenient disappearance didn't go unnoticed.

 

She smiled at him sheepishly knowing too that she was caught, "that was the plan," she answered lamely.

 

Ellen came over to me and hugged my legs, "Hey sweetie, who'd you bring with you this time?" I asked hugging her back. Jeffrey always got roped into babysitting for his relatives and on one occasion Susan got fed up with him cancelling their dates so they could stay at his place to watch the kids. She demanded they go on a date and would not take no for an answer so in the end they left the kids with me. I had no help and I was not prepared for the headache that watching Ellen would be.

 

The little girl refused to go unless she could bring at least one friend every time so that particular time she chose to bring two friends, Emma and Louisa. Aunt Sylvia, who I have never met, has a strict set of rules concerning what she allows Ellen to do and therefore restricting her friends as well. Since Ellen's mother will not allow her to do certain things when Jeff and Susan babysit her they will not let her do them either.

 

For instance Aunt Sylvia will not let them have candy or watch television but I became less aware of the rule after at least two to three hours of uselessly trying to put an end to devious pranks and the destruction of our dorm room. After telling them to stop preying on unsuspecting people and their mischievous efforts then turned solely on me I was at my wits end. At that point I gave them some candy and sat them in front of the television.

 

When they started to complain that they were too old for certain cartoons and had too much energy to continue sitting quietly I needed a new plan. It was then that an alarm on my phone coincidentally went off reminding me to exercise. I was supposed to exercise around a certain time every day and it was time. Curious as the little ones were when they asked about it and I explained the girls said they wanted to try it. We exercised together and by the time we were done their sugar high had crashed. Needless to say when Susan and Jeff got back the girls were sleeping peacefully. After that one time Ellen and her friends said they thought I was cool. Susan and Jeff couldn't figure out what I did because the girls decided not to rat me out about the candy and TV so they think I'm just awesome with kids.

 

"This is my friend, Kelly," she gestured to the other girl who was in a daze staring at something.

 

"He's so cute," Kelly whispered to Ellen not realizing that she was still audible to the rest of us.

 

I broke out in a smile, "did you hear that she thinks you're cute and what you think about that?"

 

"Why thank you, Kelly," her mouth fell open and she just gaped at him for a moment.

 

"He spoke to me," Kelly mumbled. After catching herself she started blushing profusely and grabbed Ellen, "regroup," she whispered to her loudly once again.

 

Ellen decided to step in to help her friend, "Uncle Jeffrey we're going to the bathroom over there," pointing to the public restroom not too far away from where we were.

 

"Ok, we'll be here," he answered watching them go and trying not to laugh.

 

I sighed and they all looked me with puzzled expressions, "I knew I should have told you a long time ago..." I turned to him, "I didn't mean for you to have to find out like this..." shaking my head. I had to put my head down because the more I thought about it the more I started shaking with silent laughter.

 

Knowing what I was alluding to he didn't say anything, "what are you talking about?" Jeff asked confused.

 

A giggled escaped, "and you thought were sexy..." I continued before doubling over laughing.

 

"Drop it," he said acting offended.

 

"So do you guys have a date picked for the wedding yet?" I asked after I recovered.

 

"Ask her, she's the one that couldn't decide," Jeff pointedly looked to Susan.

 

"I just don't know if I want a spring wedding or a winter wedding..." trailing off as she got lost in thought.

 

If I were in her position I'd go with the spring wedding option...

 

"Don't go getting any bright ideas now, concubine," he commented bringing me out of my thoughts.

 

"What if I'm getting dark ideas?" I questioned sarcastically.

 

"Save it, I'll want to employ those later," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing to do.

 

"Remind me why I even deal with you every day?" I complained waving in his direction, "and you can't say it's because you're sexy, Kelly already let the cat out of the bag," I teased.

 

"Do you see what I have to tolerate every day?" he asked, "and I can't even recruit another concubine because with her acting like this it runs all of them off."

 

I rolled my eyes, "you don't need anyone else, I'm enough."

 

"On that I fully agree, you're more than a handful."

 

"But you love it, that's why you're always coming back for more."

 

"Give it a rest," he said as I leaned against him and he automatically put his arm around my waist. Susan and Jeff had been watching our exchange and apparently thought it was funny since they were laughing hysterically. We stayed and talked a bit more then submerged ourselves further in the crowd trying to find our parents.

 

Everything passed by in a flurry of excitement, taking pictures and hugging. His mother gave me a bouquet of flowers and an envelope that she wouldn't let me open.

 

Finally we made our way out of the large crowd and dispersed in the parking lot with the assurance that we were all meeting up at the house. His dad had to work so he would meet us there. My parents and his mother got into my parent's car while I got in his car. He held my hand as we drove and I let my mind drift in the comfortable silence...

Chapter 7: Goals

 ~~~~~~~Part 2~~~~~~~

"I want to take you somewhere," his voice brought me out of my reverie of graduation.

 

"Oh, where are we going?" I turned to look at him.

 

He didn't answer but I knew he had heard me when he broke out in a self-satisfied smirk. Knowing I wasn't going to get anymore of an answer than that I looked out the window. What I saw surprised me.

 

"What are we doing here?" I demanded as we parked. He kept that same smirk on his face as he came around and opened my door for me. I looked at him quizzically as he reached his hand in to help me out. Lacing our fingers together he pulled me along after him to the front door of a big brown brick house.

 

My jaw dropped when he pulled out the key from his pocket, "where did you get that? When did they give you the key? Did you buy the house already is that why we're here? Where did you get the money you just-" even though I bombarded him with questions thinking that he would at least answer one,

 

"You ask too many questions, oh talkative one," he brushed them off and dragged me inside.

 

"Because you won't tell me anything, oh secretive one," I retorted as he closed the door behind us.

 

Smirking down at me, "have some patience, little one, and I'll tell you," he always had to go there.

 

Well out with, big one, I thought in my head. Little one... Why does everything have to come back to me being shorter than you? So what? I'm not as tall as you are, yeah well why did he always have to make cracks about it?

 

"I think it's time for a little you and me pep talk," and I groaned making a face.

 

"No," he always insisted that we set goals together and I'm not exactly a fan although I do like feeling accomplished once we've achieved our goal.

 

"We've finished a goal today," he ignored my resistance, as he always does, and settled for distraction first. I smiled,

 

"Yes we did," hugging him.

 

"We've graduated now so we have to moving on to a new goal."

 

"Will we ever finish making goals?"

 

"You ought to know the answer to that," he smiled conspiratorially as I started whining.

 

"I can't wait until you get over this phase," this made him laugh.

 

"So the next big goal is a house,"