He smiled sadly as he recalled their big argument in which she’d forced him to come clean and wash his own sins away.
“What I can bring to the table is my heart, my loyalty, my deep respect for her. I can help support her ongoing goals, I can be a shoulder for her to cry on when things get tough and she can count on me to be there when it matters most. I’m stable, I’m good with money, and I’m reasonable. I don’t always say how I feel, but Addison will never question my love for her. I want to marry her because I can’t imagine growing old with anyone else, Mrs. Blue. Even right now, I am itching to go garage hopping with her. She called me wanting to hang out and do just that, but I had to make up something so she wouldn’t catch onto what I was up to. I wanted to see her though, to spend time with her. Not because I enjoy looking at beat up old stuff that nobody wants but her. I don’t actually.” They all laughed at that. “But because I’d be doing it with her… because honestly, I’d do just about anything she asked me to do, as long as I could be by her side.”
Mr. Blue got to his feet and Mrs. Blue followed. The man walked over to him and extended his hand once again, this time with a broad smile.
“I have my concerns, Aiden, but I am willing to give you a chance. You have my permission to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage.”
They shook on it, and Aiden’s anxiety melted away instantaneously.
Mrs. Blue wrapped her arms around him and hugged tight. Bringing her lips close to his ear, she said, “I trust my daughter will accept your proposal. So I don’t believe I am premature in saying, ‘Welcome to the family’…”
“Ohhh-cean.”
“That’s right. Repeat it.” Addison held up the thick 3x5 card with the word, ‘ocean’, and a picture of a beach.
“Ohhhh-cean. Ohhh-cean. Ocean.” Yirah smiled as he nodded, pleased with his own progress, and rightfully so. After surviving trauma to the brain due to a horrible car accident, the man had to learn again how to walk, eat, and perform many other tasks that the average able-bodied human being took for granted. Saying simple words were undertakings that he now eagerly tackled.
“You’re getting so much better, Yirah.”
“Thanks.” His smile grew broader.
“All right, that’s it for this session.” Addison checked the time on the wall. The large room they sat in was filled with hard bound books, new computers, comfortable chairs, and a movie screen. Golden Farms spared no expense for the clients, and for that, she was grateful. “I will see you on Wednesday, okay?”
“Yes.” The man got to his feet and slid his coat on.
“Okay.” She stood, too, and extended her hand for a shake. “See you then. Be careful and we’ll talk soon.” Grabbing his book bag, the man headed out. Placing her laptop on her thighs, she began to update her notes on the patient’s therapy session. Her short, freshly painted lavender nails raced across the keys and though the process could be tedious and extensive, she loved her job so much, she didn’t dwell on these mundane tasks. She simply did them.
“May I speak to the best speech pathologist at Golden Farms, please? Someone told me I could find her here.” She swung around in the chair and chuckled, catching her boyfriend standing there in a dark brown coat she’d never seen before.
“Hey, handsome! What are you doing here?” She removed her computer from her lap, set it on a table, and hopped to her feet.
“Oh, just left work a bit early and thought I’d swing by.” She went to pull him into a much-needed embrace. Aiden kissed her cheek, then her lips, and held her tight against him.
Damn, I love him so much…
“I’ve got some great news.” His lips curled in a smile as he took her hand and led her to two chairs situated catty-corner from one another.
“Well, I could use some good news. Good news is always good,” she quipped as they took their seats.
“I got the job. I’ve been promoted to manager.”
“Oh my God!” She leapt up from her seat and jumped on his lap. Aiden cracked up as she layered his face with fast kisses. “This is amazing news! I knew you would get it. I could feel it in my heart of hearts! So wonderful. We’ll need to celebrate.” She got up and grabbed her purse. “My treat, let’s go anywhere you want. Let’s invite Tim, Perry, and—”
“Wait a minute. Come here.” His hooked a finger, beckoning her over, his face becoming rather serious. “Sit back on my lap again.” She smirked, wondering what he was up to, but then obliged. Aiden wrapped his arm around her waist and looked into her eyes. Her stomach flipped as she studied his handsome face.
“What?” she asked with a smile. Running his hand along her thigh, she noticed his chest rise and fall several times before he responded.
“I actually didn’t come over here to tell you I had gotten the job. I had planned to stop by before I even knew this. Something happened.” She couldn’t help but feel concerned at his grave tone. “I was called into my boss’s office and told, first and foremost, that he knows all about us.”
She gasped, not prepared for such a revelation. “Oh, shit. What did he say?”
“I wouldn’t say he was angry and I wouldn’t say he was thrilled.”
“Damn it. How’d he find out?”
“My mother.”
She leaned back, unable to believe her ears.
“What the hell?! Oh my God, why would she do that?” She was surprised the man was smiling at her question.
“Believe it or not, she was worried, trying to help. Not concerned about you and me,” he said. “She knew from one of her last conversations with Perry that I was having trouble with Mark at work.”
“Wow… so you think she was trying to fix things?”
“I know she was. And it did help, actually. I mean, according to my boss I already had the job but it gave him some understanding as to why sometimes I’d come in early, dart off, stay late, and so on. It was the only thing actually that concerned him about me. I always worked forty or more hours a week but you know, things like that don’t always look good at work.” She squeezed him tight, a gesture of comfort. “I’m surprised, actually, because my mother doesn’t do things like that, sober or not. Like I told you though, I haven’t spoken to her since she came up to my job and we had that big argument. I still haven’t spoken to her… I need a little more time I guess but I will eventually.”
Running her fingers through his hair, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead, sealing her love for him with a kiss.
“I need to ask you something, Addison.”
“Yeah… sure, baby. Are you okay?”
The man was practically sweating right in front of her eyes.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I lied to you the other day.”
“About what?”
“I wasn’t at a Pac – Man tournament with Tim.”