The Trials of Loving Her

Family Reunion Chapter 34

“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” Sera asked me as she awoke next to me.

   “I don’t know if I can do it,” I told her as I stared into her eyes. “I’m really nervous.”

   “You forgave me, didn’t you? You can forgive them too.”

  I nodded then she kissed me. We took our time in the shower. Afterward, we ate a bowl of milk and cereal in the kitchen. We proceeded to watch a movie, and then an hour later we walked a block away to my mom’s house. Sera held my hand all the way to the front door. The house was still the same but the colour of it was different. It was once a plain, dull white but now it had a vigorous side to it with the new colours being white and brown. Sera rang the doorbell while I took a deep breath in. She hugged me tightly as we heard footsteps coming toward us.

   “Everything will be fine,” she told me as she rubbed her hand upon my back. 

   “Okay,” I whispered.

   “Sadies, you better make sure my juice is still there when I get back,” Jessie shouted as she opened the door.

   “It’s only a little sip, mom!” a young girl shouted back. “It’s not the end of the world.”

  “Hello Jess,” Sera spoke the first words while I stood there silent.

 Jessie placed both hands over her mouth as she took a few steps back, she began crying when she saw me. “Mom!” she shouted.

   “What?” my mom answered from upstairs.

   “You better come down,” Jessie told her.

   “How are you?” I asked her while I walked in, approaching her.

   “I’ve missed you so much,” she said hugging me. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

   “Me neither,” I admitted.

   “Jason,” my mom called out, looking down from the steps as she looked confused. 

   “Hi,” I muttered as I wiped away my tears.

   “I don’t believe it,” she said, running down the steps. It was the fastest I’ve seen her move. She hugs me, and then she began touching my face and arms to see how real I was. “It’s really you,” she said, her eyes filled with tears, “you came back.”

   “I couldn’t leave my family behind,” I whispered.

  We sat down in the living room. My mom held my hand as she sat next to me while Sera and Jessie sat together with my niece looking on. She had bright red hair like my sister but light brown eyes like Matt. We talked about many things. Jessie and Matt had sold their house and the three of them all moved in with mom. We never talked about the accident. We pretended that it never happened. It was no use remembering the bitter past. We just kept talking about the things that happened over the years. I thought I’d be angry at all of them for giving up on me; but when I saw them my anger faded into nothingness. Nothing else mattered because I had the love of my life with me. Jessie showed me photos of Sades when she was a babe. The funniest picture I saw was her first time tasting lime. We stayed over for hours and then my mom made us lunch. Matt came home on his lunch break and he gave me a really tight hug. When Sera and I grew bored, we left. My mom didn’t want me to go anywhere. She just wanted me to stay home where she could take care of me. She felt relief when we told her where we now lived.

  The week passed us by so quickly. It was now Tuesday the twenty-third of August. I placed a large flat square gift box at the centre of the bed while I knelt beside Sera’s side. I began kissing her belly until her eyes opened up. She took a big gasp when she noticed the difference with my hair and face. I had taken a haircut at five in the morning from Jessie’s hairdresser, who didn’t mind the hour for I paid her really well. I had her cut a few inches off from my shoulders until the hair started reaching my neck. My face was now clean shaven and it was as smooth as a baby’s skin. Sera began passing her hands upon my face, smiling as she gazed into my eyes.