The (Im)Perfect Choice

Chapter 1

"We finished emptying the car, Lauren, wake your brother. Your father is too tired from the trip to carry him, "my mother asked, heading towards the house door, carrying some bags and luggage from the trip we had just returned from.

"Yes, ma'am! "I replied in a good-humored tone, placing my hand on my head and making a reverent gesture.

I walked toward the car to wake up my younger brother, who, as usual, had fallen asleep during the drive back home, ending the eighth consecutive year.

"Hey, kiddo, wake up. We're home, come on, don't make me carry you, "I said, letting out a long yawn while nudging him.

"Oh no... carry me, "mumbled Max, rubbing his hands over his eyes, turning his face to the side.

Leaving me with no choice.

I couldn't argue with him, I was too tired for that; I just wanted to lie down, just like him. After several failed attempts to get him out of the car, I gave up and carried him, making some faces along the way from the effort. At thirteen, he seemed to weigh as much as an eighteen-year-old.

"When did he grow so much? I didn't remember him being this heavy last summer! "I thought, curious.

My arms and legs were threatening to detach from my torso, not just from the weight, but from the fact that I was an old lady in the sedentary body of a teenager.

After much effort climbing the stairs and opening his bedroom door, I placed him gently on the bed "although I had a strong urge to throw him onto it immediately.

When I reached my bedroom door, I was met with several suitcases piled up at the entrance, forming a barrier that prevented me from entering, just waiting for me to unpack them. But my body refused to make any more effort other than to collapse onto the bed. I looked at the suitcases for a few seconds, hoping a wave of energy would hit me, but to no avail. I decided to carefully climb over them; I didn't want them to end up on the floor.

After a few seconds of extreme caution, I finally managed to reach the bed; I threw myself onto it, ignoring everything around me. I closed my eyes, hoping to take a restorative nap, until I realized after a few seconds that it wouldn't be possible. Not until I reflected on the incredible trip I had just taken with my family and the Dickinsons.

It was no surprise to me that for at least the past eight years, we had spent our summer vacations traveling with them. The Dickinsons are old friends of my parents, and this is one of the few times our families have fun together. This became a tradition after our mothers, Beth and Maggie, reconnected following a tumultuous period in their lives.

They and my father, Steven, met in high school and have been inseparable ever since... well, until they had their first children.

After that, the Dickinsons ended up moving away and consequently drifting apart due to the hustle and bustle of daily life. Beth justifies this brief separation by saying it wasn't easy taking care of three small children "each one year apart. Not to mention her husband, who couldn't manage without her, forcing her to put work aside to dedicate herself exclusively to the family. After all, being a mother, homemaker, and worker took up a large part of both women's time.

But this distance didn't last long...

Eight years later, the Dickinsons moved back to Los Angeles, California, and, as if that wasn't enough, they started attending the same church as my family, every Saturday morning. "I guess in an attempt to reconnect "but still, they didn't see each other that often. It was like they were rusty or something.

According to my mom, sometimes she and Beth would sneak off to the mall without their kids or husbands to catch up. Until on one of these outings, they had the brilliant idea of creating summer vacations together. All to prevent drifting apart again, and from then on, they really did everything to stay together.