Meet The Parents

Ch 3: That Spring Summer Feeling...

It was the start of another beautiful day as Lisa made her way on foot through the inner city as if gliding on air. She loved to jog in the mornings as it was a chance for her to see the sun wake up and take its place in the sky as the moon slowly faded away in the distance. For her, jogging was more self therapeutic than anything as it allowed her to take a break from the world and tune out all those distracting elements of  life so that she could truly be alone with herself and her thoughts. At times she felt like Forrest Gump as she never truly had a set route she liked to travel, she just jogged for the simple joy of jogging and felt almost at peace with the world around her. She always carried a tune in her heart as she jogged and would frequently wave at the familiar faces she came across as she passed by. Most of them she had never spoken a word to yet she couldn't help but to return their kindness with a smile and a wave.

Often times, she'd find herself reminiscing on her childhood growing up under her Nana's blouse, those warm summer days she spent on the block with her friends and family members, and of course how she's matured both physically and mentally over the years since then, especially when it came to love. Ever since middle school when the love bug first bit, a lot of boys have walked in and out of her life. None have impacted her more than her last love who (in more ways than one) stole her heart and shattered it right in front of her. She still remembers the last night they spent together, the words which were said, actions that he took and the long cold nights she spent crying herself to sleep. She could never forgive him for what he did, yet ironically enough she had to thank him. For if it wasn't for him leaving her all alone to drown in her own sorrow, she would have never been able to become the woman that she is today, or meet the boy who gave her the desire to live again.

As she paused to wait for the light to allow her to continue on her path, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she reflected on the many moments she's shared with Tim. In less than a year's time they've been through and experienced so much under one another's presence that at times it felt like he's been a part of her life since day one.  More than anything she cherished his advice and caring nature as it allowed her enough comfort to truly be herself and speak her mind without fear of backlash or judgment. He'd never know how much he truly means to her, no matter how she tried to say it, words just couldn't express what she felt inside. Just being around him and now being able to see him now, to hear him talk and  hold him in her arms...it was almost like a dream come true for her as she always wondered what life would be like with him around. And now that he's here, she hopes this dream will last forever.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and watched as the sun was beginning to rise, bringing with it the most beautiful display of warm colors spilling in every direction at once. It was like a painting in motion, God's canvas as Tim usually called it. A smile ran across her face at the very thought of him being alongside her at that precise moment. Just to see that look on his face was enough to make her day. They were close enough to the point that words weren't needed for them to know how the other felt. Their eyes would say it all as they gazed at one another. She just hoped someday he could learn to open up more with others as he did with her. She knows he's a bit shy when it comes to meeting new people but he has a lot to offer the world and she really hopes the more they do hang out, the more comfortable he'll become. Not just with her, but the world around him. Maybe then he'll want to get out of the house more and meet new people. After all, that's how she met her friends and look how close they are now...

Suddenly her mind jumped back into reality as she remembered her friend Nadia was suppose to be jogging along side her. Panicked, she looked every which way but up till she spotted her slowly making it up the block panting all the way. She didn't realize how out of shape Nadia was as she figured since she volunteered to join her, she'd be able to keep up a little better than this (then again, when you've been sprinting as long as Lisa has, it's easy not to notice how fast you're going). Either way, she still felt a bit guilty for leaving her in the dust like that. Maybe she should have slowed down a bit to make things easier for her.