Later on as I make dinner I hear the tv flicker on. I walk into the living room and see her sitting there, looking bored. "You want to help me with dinner?" She looks up, realizing i'm there. "Oh, yeah. What do you need help with?" I love how ready to help she is. "I could use some help on the potatoes" She grabs the bowl and bag of potatoes. "Sure"
Alex comes down and sits at the table with us. "Hi honey" I say as he kisses my cheek. I pass the chicken around, and smile as I look at this little family. Highly unconventional one, fake husband, fake daughter, but still I love it. It's more like the family I wish I had. In ways Romero and I are really together, but if we were we wouldn't be married yet. It's still weird how it all happened. I get up as the phone rings. "Hello?" "Hi is this Norma Bates?" "This is" "m'am, your son Norman would like to speak with you" "okay put him on" Alex looks over at me with concern. "Hi mother" "Hi honey, how's it going" "Good, Dr. Says i'm doing better. How is Alex?" "He's good, sitting here eating with us" "who's us?" "Him, Emma and I" "Oh, for a second I thought you were trying to tell me something" We had told him that we might get pregnant sometime soon, just to keep what happened when he found out about Alex and I from happening again. "No, just us" "Well i'll let you get back to dinner, love you mother" "love you too Norman"
"What did he have to say?" Alex looks a little worried. "Just wanted to say hi. You know he actually sounded really good over the phone. I think he's doing better." "good" he says with a smile. We continue to eat and I smile as I yet again look at my family. If only things were perfect, Dylan and Norman would be here.
"So, the plan for tomorrow is as follows: I have to go to the store, i'll be gone most of the day, Alex has to fix the pipe in room 3, and Emma you can work on the log book." I say with a managerial tone. "Got it" they say. I laugh as they salute me. "So, how long until Norman can come home?" Emma asks knowing she shouldn't. "I don't know" I say inquizitivly. It's hard, becuase he's been doing better but at the same time the things he did and said, make me not want him around ever. I hate to say it, but things work better with him gone. He was getting in the way of my happiness, and all this time I had thought he WAS my happiness. It's confusing.
I get up to go to the bathroom quickly, and look outside to see a beautiful night sky. I open the door and walk out onto porch. Alex and Emma follow me. "Look at how beautiful it is" I say as I look up. And then I look down, at Emma and Alex, and realize that this entire world is beautiful, and suddenly feel thankful. I pull them into a hug and feel my heart smile.
As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I hear Alex coming up the stairs. I quikly close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. He walks in and pauses for a moment, and I just know he's looking at me. He comes in and lays next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. He kisses my head and whispers "I love you" I can't believe he says it even though i'm sleeping. This is the first night that I felt true happiness.
