the switch up

11

November 5, 2016

"When do we get to meet this nice boy?" My father asks flipping through channel after channel. If you must know one thing about my father it is that he is the biggest channel surfer I have ever met. He will even start a movie from the middle and watch it to the end which has become one of my biggest pet peeves, like who wants to watch a movie you haven't seen from the middle?

"I don't know, you know you guys can't just meet him. I need the time to prep him before I introduce him to you all since this is a house full of psychos!" I stress to my mom and dad who are sprawled out on the couch. Cody and Gabe had left for the day to party all day and night long, my mom had bathed them in holy water a few times for doing this.

"Speak for yourself, darling!" My mom popped her head up from laying on my dad's lap. I crunch on the nacho cheese Doritos and go to reach for another one when I touch only crumbs. Did I really just eat half a bag of Doritos? That probably wasn't great for my health but then again I didn't regret doing it.

"Have you kissed him yet?" My mom asks me ignoring her favorite game show my father is intently watching. Calling out different numbers and phrases as if the contestants can hear him through the screen.

"No, not yet," I answer crumbling up the empty bag of Doritos.

"You have been on three dates with this man and you haven't kissed him yet?!" My mom strained with her jaw dropped and mouth in a large "O" shape.

"Look, we are just having fun and getting to know each other! We aren't rushing into anything." I explain to my mom who is surprised that Harry and I haven't kissed.

We had held and hands and on Halloween night I had leaned into him as we walked to the car. I liked to take things slow, I was never one to jump into things quickly, that's never been my style. I thought our relationship was flowing smoothly and thus far we have gone out almost every weekend since I started working at Lachlan. Well besides the first weekend, that was reserved for Talia.

"I want cute little grandbabies!" My mother pressed provoking me to roll my eyes. My mother, on the other hand, was always fast paced. My mother got unexpectedly pregnant with me when she was 17 years old. I came as a huge surprise to my mother and father which also pressured them to get married as soon as my mom turned 18. The only thing I didn't want in life was to be like my mom and that's not to be mean or rude.

I wanted to live my life, travel to far away places, explore, fall in love, and then after that consider settling down with a baby. I am currently 23 years old still not ready to have a baby or settle down into a family life, there was so much out there I wanted to explore and see.

"Momma!" I groan at her and proceed to pull out ingredients to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Don't groan at me, Madeline! At some point, you need to settle down and give me some cute little grandbabies!" My mother came over to me and pulled my hair back from behind me.

"Yeah, at some point meaning in the future but not now." I spread the peanut butter evenly over one of the slices of bread and see my mother eyeing my creation.

"Can you make me one?" She asks me running her fingers through my thick dark hair that is waved from the lack of me tending to it. It was Saturday and Harry and I planned to hang out tonight which I was super excited about.

"No," I answer taking a bite as soon as I put the two slices together. I forgot how much I loved the simple things in life, who doesn't like a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich? They take me back to my childhood and make me feel like I am that little elementary school kid again.