"Luckily you're not moving far, just a few houses down the block." My patted my back as we stood in front of a small yellow house. The paint was pealing off the wood panels and the white fence was not in the best condition.
"This looks awful..." I said. No filter for this lady today.
"Oh, it's fine. Just needs some work on the outside. The inside is lovely though. I helped clean it up." Mom beamed.
"Okay, let's check it out!" TJ said excitedly. Sometimes I just wish he wasn't so chipper all the time.
We stepped onto the stone steps past the fence gate that was laying in the brown-patched grass. The mailbox next to the fence was broken, leaning more to the left and had a giant dent on top. We walked onto the small porch and approached the front door. Mom pulled out a set of keys, keys for every house my dad owns, and unlocked the front door. We stepped inside and everything changed. The carpet was vacuumed and smelt new. The walls were freshly painted, a soft blue in the entry way where you walk in. Dead ahead of us was a staircase leading up to the second floor. To the left was a door, I opened it.
"That's the downstairs bathroom," Mom said. I peered inside, one toilet, a sink with some counter space and a standup shower. Not too shabby.
Adjacent to the bathroom was another door sitting along side the staircase. TJ opened that door revealing a perfectly square room, large enough for a twin sized bed, a few bedside tables, a dresser and possibly a trunk to sit nicely by the window.
"I was thinking guest room," Mom said.
I nodded and looked to the right of the stairs where an opening was set up for the living room. A soft shade of green covered the walls. A large window let in a lot of the sunlight, giving it the most relaxing feel to it. A fireplace rested against the wall of the staircase, with a lovely frame to it. I imagined setting up framed pictures and trophies on the mantel piece.
Through the living room was the dining room. A small, fake chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling.
"It took me a week to clean that thing, but I made it shine," Mom smiled.
"Look at these windows!" TJ ran over to the dining room windows that encircled the room.
I looked to the left of the room and saw the opening to the kitchen. The entrance had an archway, and up against that were bar counters, leaving a large window into the kitchen. Inside, it was nice and spacious, but not too much space. It was just enough room to move freely without bumping into things.
"I love this kitchen." I said.
"Want to see upstairs?" Mom asked, nudging me with her elbow.
TJ booked it out of the kitchen and for the stairs.
"I don't know about me, but I think TJ wants to," I laughed.
We walked up the carpeted stairs and found ourselves in a small hallway. Four doors, two to the left and two to the right. One door was open and that was where we found TJ. He was laying in the middle of the room, arms spread out and big smile on his face.
"This is the biggest room in the house. It even has a master bathroom." Mom pointed to two sets of door on the left side of the room, one was a closet-looking door and the other was a jarred, revealing a clean, white bathroom with two sinks, a lot of counter space, a large five foot mirror, a stand up shower, topped with a jet tub bath fit for two. And by two, I mean me and my baby belly.
We left the master bedroom and looked at the other rooms. There were two more bedrooms, smaller, like the one downstairs, and another single bathroom.
"And all this for six-hundred a month?" I asked.
"Yes." Mom said.
"What about water and electricity?" TJ asked, popping out of one of the bedrooms.
"We get the bill, like all of our properties, for the first few months, we'll pay for the utilities, and once you guys get more on your feet, you can start paying us for the bills, and then once you get more up, you can have your own account."
I should consider myself lucky. Not all parents would do this, or could do this for that matter. Yeah, it sucks that they're kicking us out, but at least they're being awesome about it.
"My mom isn't too happy about everything that's happened. But since I'm an adult and already graduated, there isn't much that she can do." TJ confessed, leaning against the wall.
"Well, you will always have a place in our hearts, TJ." My said, pulling him into a hug and kissing him on the forehead. "So," She asked, pulling away. "When do you want to start moving?"
We starting moving in on TJ's day off, so the next day after we looked at the house. The outside had a lot of work to be done, but at least we can sit comfortably inside without feeling gross. We are two houses away from my parents house, so if we needed anything, they were right there. We didn't have to worry about a new commute route of anything like that since everything is pretty much the same. TJ wouldn't let me lift anything when we moved, so I was stuck inside, putting away the spare dishes my parents donated us. We decided to keep my mattress and sell TJ's since mine was a king size and his was a twin. I set up the office in one of the spare rooms, someplace where I could work on my projects without being in anyone's way or having it too crowded. As a house warming gift, TJ's dad bought us a used couch off of Craigslist. It fit comfortably in the living room. We would have to save up for a dining room table and chairs, but in the mean time, we have the coffee table to eat off of. My dad went through the cupboards and donated some food to us so we wouldn't starve until TJ's next pay check. I drove down to the food bank and picked up some non-perishables, just enough to get us by. Everything seemed like it was falling into place. We were happy and engaged, and starting a family. Nothing could go wrong. Maybe change isn't so bad. Maybe I over reacted about everything. It doesn't matter now. Right now I need to focus on five things; pregnancy, baby's room, work, wedding and a dining room table with chairs. That's it.
Since we have the inside of the house all situated, and I don't have to work until next week, I was outside in the lovely autumn air cleaning up the yard. I was pulling weeds next to the porch when I heard footsteps walking down the stone path.
"Well, you're home early, Sweetie" I chuckled.
"Well, not exactly, Doll Face."
You have got to be kidding me...
"Are you, like, stalking me?" I turned on my knees to find Nick Riley standing over me.
"Well, we are neighbors." He grinned a big grin, showing startling white teeth.
"That doesn't explain why you keep following me..." I murmured.
"Look, I know I seem annoying," He folded his arms and I rolled my eyes. "But I've grown to enjoy your company. You're like an adorable long lost sister I've never had."
I groaned.
"So," he plops down next to me in the dirt and looks at the weeds. "How can I help?"