Love Story {LeviHan}

Chapter 10: A House for All

Hanji was pacing back and forth as we waited outside a house for a showing. I was told the wrong time to be here, and we were very early. We were afraid we wouldn't return here on time, so we waited. Hanji and I confirmed everything we knew about this house before asking the realtor when they got here. We had a few conditions.

This house was in a good neighborhood—a police station and a fire station a few blocks down the road, where we felt safe. There is an excellent school nearby. Hanji can teach there or our kids can attend there. Either way, it seemed good. A few parks were also nearby, and Hanji couldn't stop talking about a dream of taking her kids to the park and how they would ride their bikes and run around. She wanted me to carry the kids on my back as she pushed the bikes home. I fully intend to keep that dream of hers. 

"It's going to be okay," I told her as I rubbed her back, "We can find other houses."

"I know, but this place... I have a feeling that it's good. No, more than good. Not perfect. It feels... too small. Then again, it's better than living in an apartment when we have kids. It looks like it's enough space for kids to run around, screaming at the top of their lungs without anyone knocking on our door and screaming at us to shut them up." Hanji chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "Oh... the memories. Did I ever tell you I had neighbors who yelled at another neighbor of mine? I had my share of shouts and scolding from them, but it wasn't as bad."

"No, you never told me. And I never had that problem. I always lived in apartments, and I was a quiet child. My mom said I was an angel compared to other kids I've seen at school. She said she was grateful I wasn't a brat who threw a tantrum when I didn't get candy or a toy I wanted. She was proud that she raised me right."

"Well," Hanji giggled a bit, kissing my lips with a smile on her face, "let's hope our kids are well-behaved, but have a happy childhood that's full of fun and games. I want them to have siblings to get into fights with, to play with, and to cry with. Levi, did you ever want siblings? A brother? A sister? I knew I always wanted one. Brothers, sisters, I didn't care. I begged my parents for one."

"What happened?"

Hanji shrugged her shoulders, brushing it off like a faded memory. "My parents didn't have the time to take care of me. Much less another mouth to feed. They were all focused on their jobs. Working themselves to death, little by little. They said I should be grateful I was living in a nice house and eating food of high quality. They said if I complained, I was an ungrateful brat. If I acted like that again, they would throw me out and make me live a life that would match my attitude."

"That's not right." I cleared my throat, cuddling next to my wife. "Well, I didn't ask for a brother or a sister. With all the men my mom brought home, I didn't want to have another sibling. The time I had with her felt amazing. The small mother-son dates we went on was always a prized memory of mine." I smiled, remembering every date we went on. "Mom spoiled me and said that she will always have time for me. But I could tell she struggled with money, and that's why I never bothered her with small things. I do remember there were times I argued with her to the point she cried, and I immediately regretted it. She didn't deserve it. I made it up to her as quickly as I could. I promised that one day, I'll make her proud that I was her son. Do you know what she said to me?"

"What?"

"She was always proud that I was her son. She said she couldn't ask for anyone else as a son. All she hoped was that when I grew older, I would live a life that she didn't struggle with. If anything... I would like to name our daughter after her."

"She seems like a lovely woman. Of course, we can name our daughter after her. I can't promise it'll be a girl, but we can hope." 

We sat on the porch, cuddling and taking in the scene. I pictured our life here. I do think this place is the perfect home for us. We waited until the real-estate agent got here and our official tour of the home began.

As the agent spoke about the details of the house, Hanji started to babble about the plans for the rooms. For example, where the nursery would be. She wanted it next to us for easier access to our children when they're crying. She wanted to keep the nursery room and transfer our children to the other rooms as they grew. Hanji wanted every room to be customizable for every child. She couldn't fathom the idea of our children growing up in the same room for years. 

Either way, once the tour was done, our minds were set. We turned to the agent with a gleam in our eyes and said, "We'll take it."