Roman, I Love You

Meeting Roman

1

My name is Scarlett Summer Johnson. I work at a local newspaper writing reports and being a secretary. I live in a nice sized industrial apartment filled with concrete that effectively sucked out any heat. I was twenty-four with a birthday coming up when I met him for the first time. It was the day my sister, Avery, and her husband, Nat, were having a party to celebrate Nat's recent promotion.

I always arrived early to help her set up or watch her son Jamie, named after our brother. It was a day like any other. I woke up like usual, got dressed, and skipped breakfast after I looked in the mirror and could not ignore the size of my thighs. When I got to her house she was as bubbly as ever with her big, curly hair pulled back into a ponytail as she flitted around the house to make sure all of Jamie's stuff was packed to go to his grandparents. Jamie, nearly three years old, bobbled down the stairs upon hearing me arrive. I was always his favorite relative and he was always so excited to see me.

"Auntie Scarlett," his high pitched voice squealed as he launched into my waiting arms.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly loving the feeling of having someone to hold. If you ever want a confidence boost he is your man. With just the strength of his little limbs he could make me feel like something special, someone worth having around. As long as he wanted me around I would be there, or I would at least try.

"Hey little man." I cooed. "What have you been doing all day?" I kneeled down to sit him on my knee.

"I've been playing with my trucks and dolls Auntie Scarlett! Are you going to play with me soon?" He jumped up and down excitedly on my knee.

"Maybe, but only if you're a good boy!" I answered just as excitedly. "But right now you have to go get your stuff and get ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa."

He nodded and jetted off my knee with determination up the stairs.

Avery looked after him with a small smile and her arms crossed. She had settled into her life quite perfectly, like she did most everything. During her last semester of college Nat and she got pregnant and the following summer they got married. She went through her pregnancy flawlessly, glowing the entire time. When she had him it was a breeze and even people who never have had children were jealous of her, including me.

"Thank you so much for helping Scarlett, you are a lifesaver." She stepped forward to wrap her arms around me, just slightly taller than me. "Best big sister ever."

"Of course Avie," I hugged her back, using the nickname that stuck from when I was younger and did not know how to pronounce her name. "You know I love having Jamie around."

She took a step back and held me at arm's length with her winning smile on. "You look good, babe."

"Thank you, but I'm nothing next to you." I complimented light-heartedly.

A small reprimanding frown formed on her face, "Stop that. You know that is not true. You're not nothing."

I offered her a small apologetic half smile.

"Okay," she clapped her hands together, "Nat will be home soon and we have to get ready, thank God the party isn't here. Speaking of venues have you seen it..." she continued on rambling about the hotel that his company was holding the party at and how nice it was. I sat quietly and listened while her bright face spoke. I watched how she spoke with her hands and the way a few strands of her curly hair had escaped the ponytail making her push them out of her face dramatically as she continued.

Somehow she had made her way to speaking about one of the dance classes she teaches and how Jamie wanted to dance with her. Her face became more serious as she spoke before she finally said: "He is like his uncle. It is incredible, sometimes I look at him and it is like Jamie is looking back with those incredibly deep eyes that he always had. Forever holding things that I could never hope to understand. It is both amazing and terrifying." She explained with a far off gaze.