Trials of the Brotherhood

I

God, she's beautiful.

My girlfriend, Camille, stands in the door way. I can tell she just woke up, but I know she's expecting me. She's wearing one of my TMNT cut-offs and some shorts. I'm in a jogging suit. I throw my arms around her before she leads me into the kitchen.

Camille and I have been dating for the past two years and tomorrow is our three-year anniversary. She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She's a couple of inches shorter than me with a caramel skin tone that matches mine and it is offset by her warm brown eyes. Her natural, curly hair falls to the middle of her back. When she smiles, she radiates energy more powerful than the sun. I will do anything for her.

She pulls out all the food she wants me to make and places it on the island. Camille loves my cooking, so I do it for her whenever I can. When I finish whisking the pancakes, Camille's dad, Mr. Richards, walks into the kitchen. He's wearing some pajama pants and a tank top. He has a good five inches on me. Mr. Richards is a couple of shades darker than Camille. He's a retired vet. He had finished his service by the time Camille was born.

"Good morning, daddy," Camille looks up from her phone.

He lets out a long yawn. "Good morning. baby girl," Mr. Richards says. "Morning, son."

"Good morning, Mr. Richards."

It doesn't take long for me to finish making breakfast. There are eggs, bacon, and strawberries to go along with the pancakes. Camille likes to put whipped cream on hers. I make enough for four.

Mrs. Richards joins us shortly after the food is ready. She has on an oversized t-shirt, probably her husbands. If I didn't know any better, I would think Camille and her mom are twins. She tells everyone good morning and kisses her husband on the forehead. He hands her a cup of the coffee that he brewed. Camille pours apple juice for the pair of us.

"No work today, Jay?" Mr. Richards asks me in-between bites.

"Nah. I've got the next couple days off for our anniversary," I say.

"And your birthday, Jayden," Camille smiles at me. My birthday is also tomorrow. I return her smile.

"Why don't you two finish your food outside?" Mrs. Richards suggests. Mr. Richards raises an eyebrow but doesn't protest. Camille and I don't hesitate. We sit at the glass table underneath the purple umbrella. Camille's backyard is big and empty, besides a hammock that is strung up between two small trees.

"What're we doing tomorrow?" Camille asks.

"I don't know, you tell me," I say. The first half of the day will be dedicated to my birthday and the latter half to our anniversary. That's how we always do it.

"It's a surprise," She grins.

"Same for you."

She hates surprises though. The truth is I don't have anything planned for tomorrow. I'm just going to drive around and stop at some interesting places. I've been in San Francisco for nearly eight years and I haven't really explored the city. Camille has been here her whole life.

"Fine."

We have the whole day ahead of us. we end up taking a nap for half of it. We wake up to a late lunch her mom makes and watch movies until the moon is high in the sky. Around eleven, we move to the hammock and talk until midnight.

"Happy birthday, baby," She kisses me, softly.

I linger on her lips before I say, "Happy anniversary." Camille is the best present I've ever gotten for my birthday; my cherry red Camaro is a close second. We lie there, with her wrapped up in my arms, for about twenty minutes before we both realize I have to get home.