The next morning true to her word Joy came into my room and helped me pack up the few things that I collected during my lengthy stay a the hospital. After two months of being cooped up in this room being able to see the outside world is so awesome. "Ok AJ are you ready to bust out of this joint"? Joy said smiling at me. "Oh yeah, let's do this"! I said smiling back at her. Together we rode down the elevator together and then got into her black Ford Explorer and headed down the road into the country. Before we left town we pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru. When we pulled up to the menu board Joy turned to me and smiled. "How about some real food for lunch"? "Wow, that sounds heavenly"! I exclaimed with excitement in my voice. "Well then order whatever you want my treat". Joy said with a giggle. She ordered a McChicken Club with extra-large fries and a large chocolate milkshake and she ordered the same for Carl. Whoa, I thought I wonder how she can eat like that and still keep her figure? When it was my turn to order I ordered a Big Mac with extra sauce, extra-large fries, and a large strawberry milkshake. We pulled around and she paid for our food with her credit card, then we got our food and drove to Joy's house. After about 15 minutes we pulled up to the most beautiful ranch-style house with a wrap-around porch. It was painted a pale yellow and it had light blue shutters. There were all sorts of beautiful flowers all over the yard. When we got parked and were climbing out of the SUV Carl was stepping off the porch and Mickey was running behind him. "Hello Honey". Joy said to Carl as she greeted him with a kiss. "Hi, babe how was the traffic"? He replied back. "Not too bad. Carl this is AJ, AJ this is Carl". Joy said as she waved a hand between us making the introductions. Carl reached out his hand to me to shake it. I shook hands with him, "Welcome home AJ". He said with a smile. He helped me take my things to my room and then Joy showed me around. The whole house was so warm and inviting and had such a friendly feel to it. My room was gorgeous it had purple plush carpet and matching curtains, an oak four-poster queen sized bed with a flowered bed spread and a bunch of fluffy pillows. There was an oak dresser that had two doors that opened up to reveal a 32" flat screen TV and a DVD player. There was a walk-in closet with a few outfits hanging up inside it. There was a door leading off into an awesome bathroom that was also decorated in purple. I spent a few minutes putting away the few things that I had brought with me from the hospital. Then I made my way downstairs to the kitchen to eat my lunch. Joy and Carl were already sitting at the kitchen table eating and talking. They both looked up at me and smiled when I walked into the room. "Hi". Joy said. "Did you get settled in"? "Yes thank you guys so much for letting me stay here". I told them as I sat down to eat. "You are more than welcome to stay here as long as you want to". Carl said with a smile. "So do you have any plans for this weekend"? Joy asked me. "Not really I guess maybe enjoy relaxing around the lake. On Monday morning I am signing up for GED classes and looking for a job". I was so anxious to go to work because I have nothing and there is so much that I need". "That sounds like a good plan". Joy told me. "Also if you need to use a computer there is one in the den that you can use anytime you need to". She added. "Awesome I think maybe when I finish eating I will look up some GED places and put in some job applications online". I said finally getting some purpose to my life again. The rest of the day went pretty good. I spent a few hours looking up GED classes and putting in fifty million job applications and I had my fingers crossed that I would get a job soon. Joy came into the den just as I was logging off of the computer. "Hey AJ I wanted to let you know that I put some clothes in your drawers for you and also hung some outfits in your closet. I thought you could probably use them". That was so thoughtful of her and I was speechless. "Thank you, you do know that I will never be able to repay you and Carl for all that you have done for me". I was so grateful. I hugged Joy and then went upstairs to my room. Wow that seemed funny. I had my own room. As I thought about that it made me sad because the last time I had had my own room was when I lived with my mother and since she was now dead I felt empty inside because I knew that I was all alone. Yes Carl and Joy were helping me out but I still felt empty inside like pieces of my heart were missing. Losing my baby girl was an awful feeling. I wondered what she would have looked like. I decided to shake some of the sadness away and take a relaxing bubble bath, so I made my way into my bathroom and ran me a nice hot bath and I added a generous amount of bubbles to the bathwater. When the tub had been filled up I removed my clothes and eased into the hot soapy water. I allowed all of my worries and sadness to soak away as I leaned back and closed my eyes. I must have dosed off because when I woke up the water was ice cold and my teeth were chattering. I let the water out of the bath tub and grabbed a towel off of the rack and wrapped myself in it then I slipped into my room and searched through the drawers for something to sleep in. I found a brand new pair of panties with the tags still on them and a soft pair of pajamas that was a pants and a tank top set that had sunshine with sunglasses all over them and on the tank top it said Rise and Shine. I couldn't help but smile at it. I slipped on my new clothes and then I felt a rumbling in my stomach. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 10:30 PM and I hadn't eaten anything since Noon. I walked down the steps quietly trying not to wake up Joy or Carl because I was sure they were sleeping since it was late. I was getting ready to walk through the living room when I heard giggling coming from inside. I peeked in and saw Joy and Carl lying on the couch watching a movie. "Hi" I said as I walked into the room. "Hi". They both said in unison, and then Joy asked. "Want to join us? We just started this movie and it's a comedy". I thought about it for a second and then thought why not. "Sure, but let me grab something to eat because I am starving". "Sure help yourself the kitchen is pretty well stocked". Joy said with a smile. I walked into the kitchen and fixed myself a ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with light mayo, I added a couple of dill pickle spears and some Frito corn chips to my plate. I also poured myself a glass of sweet ice tea. I grabbed my stuff and headed back into the living room to watch the movie. They were watching Medea's Big Happy Family and I knew that it was going to be a good movie because all the Medea movies are really good. I got comfortable in a recliner and started munching on my food. After the movie was over I told them goodnight and then went into the kitchen to put my dishes in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to bed. I didn't realize how tired I was until I slipped into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
