This story is based on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. All credit goes to her, all mistakes are mine.
I can't believe I'm finally engaged to Joseph Morelli. He finally asked last night, and I didn't waste a second. I can't stop looking at the beautiful diamond and platinum engagement ring he gave me as a token of his love. I want to go back in time and tell 9 year old Gayle that she really will have all of her dreams come true.
It is the 4th of July weekend, and Joe and I are having a party at his house to announce our engagement. There are fireworks stands at every corner, with kids lined up to spend their allowances on sparklers and firecrackers. Even the parking lot of the grocery store where I am currently shopping is not immune. There are a few boys lighting firecrackers in an empty part of the parking lot. I am tempted to yell at them, but with my luck I will have them in my class next year.
I've lived in the Chambersburg section of Trenton my entire life. I've grown up watching Joe from afar, and never thought he'd even notice me. I'm three years younger than he is, so we never traveled in the same circles. First he dated Teri Gilman all through high school, then all I ever heard about was Stephanie Plum.
Stephanie Plum. Ugh. If I never hear her name again, it will be too soon. She's always blowing up cars and getting shot at. What kind of job is that for a woman who wants to settle down and have a family. Joseph once wrote a poem about what they did on the boys room wall. I can't believe what I heard he wrote about her. She was only 16. Anyway, I have him and she doesn't, so it's water under the bridge.
All I heard from my friends when we started dating was, "You better watch out for Stephanie. If she wants him back, he'll drop you like a hot potato and run to her." He would never leave me like that. He is my knight in shining armor. Even his family loves me.
Ok, so I cried when I met Grandma Bella. My whole life, I have heard about her cursing people with the eye, and having visions. She's scary. When I finally met her, she told me I wasn't good enough for her Joseph, and that she was going to curse me. ME. I just started bawling. Joe took me outside until I calmed down. He told me I shouldn't worry, the curses weren't real. When we went back inside, Joe told his grandma not to do that anymore. She told him that I was no fun, anyway.
And maybe his brother Anthony sometimes calls me Stephanie. She was Joe's girlfriend for a long time. I'm sure once he gets used to me, he'll remember my name.
I look around and realize that I have been so lost in my thoughts that I have only gone through 2 aisles in the grocery store. I need to pick up my pace or I'm going to be late. Not that it matters. Joe is working undercover this week and gets home late every night. I just wish he wasn't assigned to work with Teri Gilman. According to Joe, he's the only cop she feels comfortable working with.
None of this matters, though. By this time next year, I will be Mrs. Joseph Morelli. With any luck, I will be pregnant with our first child, too. I can't wait to have his babies. They will be beautiful and well loved by both of their parents. I want to have at least 4. Hopefully we'll have little girls that I can dress up in beautiful clothes. We should have at least one boy, though. My Joe needs at least one boy to carry on his name. He deserved all that and more.
I finally finish shopping, and head towards the cash registers. There is a commotion outside, and I can hear sirens getting closer, but it's no concern of mine. I pay for my groceries, and see a fire truck pull into the lot as I am walking towards the door. When I go to leave, everyone is stopped right inside the door. They won't let anyone into the parking lot until the fire is out. I walk up to the windows in front of the store to see what is happening.
In the parking lot, I can see the firefighters unreeling hoses, but I can not see what is burning. The woman next to me asks someone what happened. Apparently, the boys threw a firecracker across the lot, it hit a patch of oil, and set a car on fire.
A police car moves, and I can see my bright blue Chevy Volt engulfed in flames. I think I screamed. I love this car. My parents gave it to me as a present when I graduated college. It was cute and environmentally friendly. It is now up in smoke. I keep my face pressed to the glass and watch it burn. The front grill pops off from the heat, and I swear it almost looks like my car is laughing at me.