Love Story: Amber & Larry

Chapter 8: Forgiveness, Marriage, and Career

I still can't believe I did this to him but he has a good memory of what happened in this timeline as I barely have any. I don't think I have brought this up but Larry wasn't on speaking terms with his dad for as long as we were together. Well, I had enough of him holding the grudge against the man, I had both my parents and he needed one since he practically avoided his mom for her own bullshit. So, I gave him the threat that he speaks to his dad by the end of the year or I was going to end us. I never met the man, but his dad seemed so forgiving and was willing to do anything to keep both his sons in his life. I had respect for a man I never met. I mean, yes, his dad had done some bad things but it wasn't anything that Larry couldn't work out if he just told his dad. This didn't happen overnight. Obviously Larry is a stubborn man.

After we sold the last of his truck from the previous year, we got a 1985 Chevrolet Caprice, it was a fun car that we enjoyed. Melanie and Larry colored chalk on it every chance they got it and it ran for a while but sadly, it wouldn't work for us. We had our neighboring house fire that year, my goodness was it heartbreaking so we sold the Caprice to the family in need because I couldn't stand my own daughter's classmate being without a way to get to appointments and Larry understood that too after he came home from work. We took a little of that money and got ourselves "married" at Moe's Southwest Grill in Flatwoods. Now, you are probably wondering why "married" and "marriage" is like this, well, it is because of this reason:

Disabled Adult Child

Parent's work record. If you are an adult disabled child receiving benefits under your parent's work record, getting married will cause your SSDI benefits to stop. In some circumstances, however, a disabled adult child may be able to marry another disabled adult child without either person losing benefits. This is from Social Security from our government site.

Even though it is illegal to be common law married in West Virginia this is technically me and his relationship status. We have lived together at this point for nearly 3 years when we got married. My best friend Will made it a simple word: Covenant

Covenant meaning:

A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They're often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. Covenants define obligations and commitments, but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal.

Added information on my part as this makes sense of me and his love for one another: marriage as a covenant means a lifetime commitment to each other.

Anyways, after that was celebrated, we got our next vehicle from a co-worker of Larry's. It was a 2003 Ford Focus. If you are wondering why our cars are being brought into this because it is what helped our relationship too. We got to know our tastes this way. Though I am more of a Truck kind of gal instead of a Car girl but it is what we can only afford or in this case of what he wanted. The Focus was a manual. I haven't been in manual's since I was a teenager and I hated them because the jolts would cause pain. We kept the Focus for the year though.

In July, he encouraged me to be an Author and put my stories out there. What I didn't expect was the reader bullying that I received even after fixing my first two books. Then using a pen name that August didn't help either. My career was given to me with the worst taste that I could have endured. We will leave this be for the time being. You will see into the next chapter of what came of my career. And we will deep dive into what has kept me going.

In the beginning, I mentioned that I threatened Larry with him calling his dad by the end of the year and well, he did by Christmas. His dad made it seem like nothing happened. It was the best conversation and Larry was smiling with me. I thought everything would be fine and dandy that is where well.....comes in.