Episode 20
"A Departure and an Arrival"
I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.
Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.
Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.
And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...
Boston
Zack stopped dead in his tracks as he realized the cat was now officially out of the bag about him wanting to turn down Harvard, and he slumped his shoulders in resignation. After how well their Valentine's Day evening had gone the night before, this was the last thing he had been expecting or hoping for that morning. And simultaneously, he was even more upset at his brother for telling his soon to be sister-in-law who seemingly had told Maya before he could while at the same time, also wishing Cody was there so there would be a witness in case Maya ended up killing him. And that was a real possibility as Zack could tell from the look on her face that she was not happy and that he was in a lot of trouble. And its not that he hadn't planned on telling Maya about this...eventually, but he had still been trying to figure out just the right way to break it to her. But all of that seemed like a moot point now. So, he decided to see if he could deal with her wrath while somehow getting her to understand his reasoning for wanting to turn down Harvard's business school. So, as delicately as he could, he walked over and sat down next to her.
"Maya, if you'll give me a chance, I can explain..."
She just gave him another look and cut him off. "Alright, explain then! I'm listening, so let's hear it! And this better be good, Zack! Do you have any idea how it feels knowing I had to hear this from Bailey instead of you?"
Upon hearing her scathing words, he winced. "Look, I really was planning on telling you all about it..."
Maya interrupted him again. "Yeah? When?"
Zack decided to be honest. "As soon as I could figure out a way to do it that would avoid you being mad at me...you know, kind of like you are now..."
She shook her head and exhaled. "So, am I the last person to know that you're planning on turning down Harvard?"
He shook his head. "No, no, no! The only people I've actually told so far are Moseby and Cody. Since Bailey knows too, I'm assuming Cody told her."
Maya smirked at him. "Maybe because he actually tells things to his girlfriend?"
"Trust me, I was going to tell you. Really, I was..." He sighed. "...but after the big deal you made about me applying there and then the look of pride I saw on your face when I actually got in, I didn't know how. I never wanted to apply to Harvard in the first place, and if you'll remember, it was you who threatened to kick my butt if I didn't..."
She just just looked at him for a moment before sighing herself. "Okay, maybe I did do that, but I just wanted the best for you. I wanted you to try to realize the potential I know you have. So, yeah, maybe I did go a little overboard, but its still no reason for you not to tell me about the decision you had made. Zack, we're supposed to be a team here!"
"I know..." He paused again. "...help me out here, what would have been the best way of telling you I didn't want to go to Harvard after I knew how proud of me you were? I didn't want to see you disappointed or break your heart..."
Maya shook her head again. "It would have disappointed me more for you to do something you didn't want to do because you thought it would make me happy..."
"But you were so excited about me getting in to Harvard. The only reason I applied was to make you happy..."
"Zack, I was excited for you. I was excited that you had worked so hard and that a school like Harvard had finally noticed it too..."
That confused him. "But BU already had noticed and accepted me."
"Yeah, they had, but Zack, there is a big difference between the prestige of a school like Harvard and a school like BU. Whether it fair or not, the name Harvard carries with it a lot more weight. It would open doors for you that BU couldn't..."
He sighed again. "I know...trust me, I know. Moseby and Cody both kept trying to hammer that point into my brain already..."
"Because they're right! And I'm guessing you must have told Cody that you thought you would flunk out of Harvard. Why in the world would you think you would do that?"
Zack just looked at her. "Seriously? Remember who we are talking about here. When have I ever given anyone the impression that I could hack it at an ivy league school. That's always been more of Cody's thing, and you've even said yourself that Cody and I are nothing alike!"
Maya paused to think. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I meant that you two are complete opposites when it comes to your personalities. And as for you 'hacking' it at an ivy league school, I have one name for you to remember - former President George W. Bush. I mean, we all know that he's an idiot, but he got into Harvard Business School too. Yeah, he graduated in the bottom 10% of his class from there, but how did that end up working out for him? He owned the Texas Rangers, was governor of Texas and then President of the United States..."
He shook his head. "Yeah, he did pretty well for himself...considering who his father was. My Dad is cool and all, but he doesn't have quite the same pull..."
"Well, I did some research myself once you got in. I have a few more names for you. How about Robert Kraft, the owner of your beloved Patriots. He graduated from there. So did Mitt Romney. Yeah, he may have failed in 2012, but he still made it through there. But think about it, what does the person who graduates last in their class there get?"
Zack shrugged. "I don't know...what? Mock and ridicule?"
She rolled her eyes. "No, they get an MBA from Harvard..."
"Well, yeah, but how would that look on a resume? Wouldn't graduating middle of the pack at BU look better?"
"Why do you care how it looks on a resume? Its not like you'll be searching for a job when you got out. In case you've forgotten, you've already got one. A really good one. One that people who graduate at the top of the class at Harvard would love to get once they graduated. So, in that regard, you're already ahead of everyone there before you even start..."
He paused. "Maybe..."
She shook her head. "Anyways, we're getting off subject here. Why are you so sure you would fail?"
"Think about it, Maya. They accept the best of the best there..."
She nodded. "Yeah...and they accepted you which means they include you in that lofty category."
Zack was getting exasperated. "What if I can't handle the workload? What if I get so completely lost around all those brainiacs?"
Maya paused again. "Zack, do you really think the information they teach at Harvard Business School is any different than what they teach at BU's graduate school? I don't. I'm willing to bet its pretty much all the same stuff..."
"Maybe, but everyone there will be so much smarter than I am..."
"You don't know that for sure. And while I completely disagree, I want you to think about it this way. Odds are there will be people there who will be all cocky because they actually got accepted to Harvard. They'll think that their...well...you know...don't stink. And they'll be in for a rude awakening. Meanwhile, you just have to keep doing what you have been doing. If you work hard and give it everything you have, no one can ask anything more of you, Zack. And if you do that, I think you'll end up surprising yourself..."
He sighed again. "Maya, I don't know..."
She stopped to think of a new tactic he might be more receptive too. "Alright, lets think about this in another way that you might like better. Lets say four years ago, you were offered a basketball scholarship to someplace like Kentucky, North Carolina or Duke. Would you turn it down because you would have to work hard and earn your playing time? I mean there, you would be competing against some of the best players in the country to even see the court. Or would you end up going to some small school in the Patriot League because it would be easier for you to be the man there?"
"Well..."
"Would you settle for a team that has virtually no chance to win it all or would you bust your hump and prove you deserved to play for one of the big boys?"
Zack just looked at her. "I'd prove I belonged to play with the the best. I'd..." He paused as he realized what she had just done. "Oh..."
Maya smiled. "Exactly! And if we have a son someday, would you tell him to strive to be the best he can be or would you tell him to settle?"
He sighed and shook his head. "I hate it when you use logic on me..."
She laughed. "So...what I've said is finally starting to sink in?"
"Maybe a little bit..."
Maya laughed again. "I'm glad that I could succeed where Moseby and Cody failed..."
Zack had a small smile form on his face. "Well, you're a lot cuter than they are..."
"So does that mean you'll give Harvard a shot?"
"It means I'll actually consider it again...for real this time...but, beyond that, no promises."
"That's all I want from you, Zack. I just want you to be happy. If you decide Harvard isn't right for you, I'll support your decision one hundred percent. But if you do decide to give it a shot, I'll be right there by your side encouraging and helping you in any way I can..."
He smiled. "Thanks, Babe. Sorry for not coming to you sooner about how I was feeling..."
She smiled back at him. "I guess I can understand why you didn't...but just don't ever let it happen again!"
New Haven
Bailey just stood there and continued to roll her eyes. On that day of all days, what had she done to deserve to have Moose standing there at her door - a couple of thousand miles away from Kettlecorn where he should have been? Having to deal with him while she went back to the farm for Christmas or one of the holiday weekends was one thing, but wasn't her home at college supposed to be a Moose free zone? She hadn't even seen him since the Christmas before last, and she was really beginning to enjoy not having to deal with him any longer. In fact, after she and Cody had seen Barbara in Boston over the Fourth of July, Bailey had hoped they would forever be done with their middle school exes. But with him standing there, it didn't look like she wasn't going to get that wish. Of course, that made her pause and wonder what it was about holidays that brought them back into their lives. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Moose who was looking at her expectantly. So, she just sighed again.
"Moose, what are you doing here?"
He just stood there for a moment once he realized he wasn't going to get the warm welcome he had been hoping for. Once he composed himself, he finally spoke up. "I came here because there is something I reckon you and I need to talk about..."
Bailey shook her head again as she was getting a bad feeling about this. "And what would that be?" She paused and shook her head again. "Nevermind. I don't really care what you want to talk about. You shouldn't be here, and there is nothing important enough for you to have come all this way. Why don't you just turn around and go home?"
Moose looked at her imploringly. "Please? I left Thursday morning and drove straight through so I could try to talk to you on Friday. But when I got here, some foreign looking feller downstairs told me that you and the little feller had just left for the weekend. He didn't know where you two had gone, so I've been staying over at the YMCA the past couple of days waiting for you to get back..."
"I don't see why I should. As far as I'm concerned, we have nothing to discuss."
"Just give me a few minutes. After that, if you tell me to leave, then I will..."
She paused. "If I let you in for a few minutes, will you promise never to bother me or Cody ever again afterwards?"
He sighed. "Whatever it takes to get you to talk to me..."
Bailey stood there for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Fine. Give me a few minutes first..." And with that, she closed the door and locked it. Realizing what she was wearing, she headed back into the bedroom and put on a pair of pajama pants and one of Cody's long sleeved t-shirts. Putting her robe back on, she headed back out in the main room of the dorm room when she paused again. Bailey walked over to their coffee table and pulled out the can of mace from its drawer just to be on the safe side. Once she had it in her possession, she walked over and opened the door again.
"Alright, you can come in, but you only get five minutes..."
Moose nodded. "Fine. I..." He paused when he noticed the can she was holding in her hands. "What's that?"
"Its called mace. If you try anything funny, I'll spray it in your eyes. It stings worse and will make you cry more than getting sprayed by a skunk will. And in some ways, I'm kind of hoping you try something stupid. I've been taking self defense classes with my friend Gertie. The last time I kicked a guy in the knee, I didn't hear a crunching sound. I'd love another opportunity to do it right..."
He just looked at her in surprise. "Do you really think I would do something like that?"
Bailey shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. But, I'm not going to take any chances. So, since your five minutes have already started, what do you want?"
"Ummm...well, can we sit down first?"
She shook her head. "Uh uh. You're not here as an invited guest. Besides, you have something smeared on your pant legs that I can only guess what it is. I don't want you soiling our furniture."
Moose sighed again. "Fine. I can see that I'm still not your favorite person in the world. And I can understand that I've done my fair share of stupid things to cause that the past couple of years or so. But I was hoping that if I actually came up here, you could see how serious I am about what I need to say. Bailey, I want us to stop playing this stupid game we've been playing for a long time now..."
She looked at him in confusion. "Stupid game? What the feathers are you talking about?"
He just looked at her before taking a step towards her. And when he did, she lifted the can of mace which made him stop dead in his tracks. Moose held up his hands. "I didn't mean to make you think I was going to do something. All I mean is that since you broke up with me right before you left for that darn boat, its like we've been playing this game where we act like we're mad at the other..."
Bailey looked at him like he had just lost his mind. "Ummm...Moose, I can pretty safely say that I haven't been playing any kind of game with you. If you were, you were essentially playing a game of solitaire then..."
"Of course you were playing! I know you were! When I showed up on the boat that one time, you seemed happy to see me. And then it was like someone flipped a switch, and before I knew it, you were basically yelling at me and telling me to go home because you were staying there! Come on, Apple Dumpling, I know you were just messing with my mind!"
She shook her head and sighed. "No, I wasn't. I admit, at first, when you first arrived on the boat, I was happy to see you. BUT, it wasn't because of you, it was because I was really homesick at the time and anyone or anything from home would have made me feel better. And part of me was missing Kettlecorn so much that I actually did considered leaving the boat. I knew I could trust Cody's opinion, so I asked him what he thought I should do. And even though I would later find out just how much he didn't want to me to go, he refrained from telling me that and just told me to follow my heart. And he was right. I asked my heart what it wanted, and it told me that there was no way I wanted to leave my new friends and the new adventure I had just begun. I thank God every day that I did stay..."
Moose couldn't help but to smirk. "Of course the little feller would tell you something like that. I bet he was happier than a pig in slop that you stayed. What is it with that guy anyways? He's scrawny and wouldn't know a tractor from a harvester. And he..."
Bailey glared at him and cut him off. "Don't even go there, Moose! You don't know Cody so don't even try pass any kind of judgment on him! But to answer your question, yes, he was happy that I stayed - because he had fallen in love with me. In case you've forgotten, he was the one who had put on that makeshift Mulch Festival just for me. He knew I was homesick, and he cared that much about me that he was trying to do something to make me feel better. Even now years later, that ranks near the top of my list of the sweetest and most romantic things he's ever done for me. And trust me, that is a very long list!"
"I'm sure it is! But he's not from Kettlecorn! Do you remember how many things about the festival he screwed up?"
She shrugged. "So what? He did the best he could with what he had available to him. Haven't you ever heard of the expression that its the thought that counts. Besides, by the time the night was over, I was no longer homesick, so he accomplished his goal."
"And just how did he do that?"
Bailey laughed. "You'd never understand even if I told you..."
Moose controlled his temper. "Try me..."
"Alright, fine. Well, once you left the boat that evening, I went back over to him and asked if there was anything I could do to thank him for what he had done for me. All he wanted was a hug, so I had no problems obliging him..." She paused and smiled as she remembered that moment. "Well, when I hugged him, I felt something I had never felt before in my whole life! In that one instant, it seemed like the temperature had just risen about fifty degrees! And you want to know why it did, Moose? It was because of the heat and electricity that was obviously between Cody and I that I hadn't noticed before! But in that moment, I became well aware of it! And it just wasn't that. Suddenly, I wasn't so homesick any more as I felt like I was home right then. But it wasn't a home that I had ever known before..." She paused and laughed. "Its kind of funny how your definition of home can change as you get older. When I was younger, home was our family farm in Kettlecorn. But now, home to me is where ever Cody is. These past four years, my home has been here at Yale because he was here with me. Next year, it will be..." She paused. "Well, you should get the idea..."
Moose glared at her. "He's tried to make you a city slicker like him!"
"No, he hasn't. Cody even offered to move back to Kansas with me if we both decided that KU's medical school is where we wanted to go. Moose, it works both ways. My home is where ever he is, but his home is where ever I am..."
"Come on now, Bailey. You know as well as I do that your Dad will always like me better than him. And I just fit in a lot better with your sisters' fellers."
Bailey laughed. "I doubt that. Once you left after the twister, Daddy said he couldn't think of anyone better to be my boyfriend. And since then, he and Cody have had a chance to bond. And so has he and my brothers-in-law. In fact, this past Christmas, they gave him the initiation ceremony and officially welcomed him into the family. They all like his just fine. And they know he's the best for me because he makes me so happy."
He just looked at her again. "So you say, but I remember when he broke your heart! You two actually broke up! And you even came back to Kettlecorn for a little while, but I didn't found out you had until you had already headed back to boat. I knew I had missed my chance then, but when you came back for your Grammy's birthday, I knew it was our chance to start over again! But no, the little feller just had to be there too! I know you were happy to see me then, and if he hadn't shown up..."
She shook her head and sighed again. "First of all, no Moose, I was not happy to see you. But, I'll admit that I wasn't too happy to see Cody at that moment either. Yes, we did break up for a little while, but we broke each other's hearts. We both readily admit that we were being stupid and stubborn. And for a while, our hurt and anger and pride prevented us from seeing straight and admitting to ourselves what was really important. And yeah, I did go back to Kettlecorn once before my Grammy's birthday, but I spent most of that time working on the farm. When I wasn't, I was talking to my Grammy as she tried to get me to see reason. But at that moment in time, I wasn't quite ready to listen yet. And yeah, when I came back home for Grammy's birthday, Cody did show up too. But he was there because I basically asked him to. Long story short, he called me because he missed me and was finally going to tell me that he still loved me. But he didn't get a chance to because something scared London and I almost to death, and in my moment of panic, I told him that I needed him. So, what did he do? He dropped everything and made his way to Kettlecorn as quickly as he could. In fact, we was in such a hurry to get there that he even got to our farmhouse before London and I did..."
That surprised Moose. "So, because you said you needed him, he came all that way?"
"Yeah, and as much as it seems you didn't want him there, he wasn't happy to see you there either. Cody kept trying get me alone to tell me he still loved me but we kept getting interrupted over and over - finally by the twister. And down in the shelter, when I was knocked out, I had a dream where once again Cody told me to follow my heart. And in that moment, it was like I could finally hear what it was telling me again. I had blocked it out for a while to keep myself from getting further hurt, but then, it was going to make sure I could hear what it had to say. It was telling me that Cody was the man that I loved and that everything else didn't matter. So, that's what you witnessed down there - us finally getting over our stupid and finally admitting that we had always and would always love the other..." A smile formed on her face. "Now over four years later, we're even stronger than ever. Of course, with you there, I didn't want to make you feel bad...then because I thought you were still a decent guy. If I had it to do over now..."
Moose shook his head. "I refuse to believe that! I still think you were at mad at me for whatever reason and were looking to make me pay for it! Yeah, I've overreacted some since then, but I was just playing the game you started! Yeah, I got it wrong that he was talking to his grandmother, and I shouldn't have attacked him like that. And I shouldn't have been so uppity in the way I treated you two after that. But you have to admit...what you two and your sister did was way out of line!"
Bailey could only laugh. "Moose, you're really grasping for straws here..." She paused when she realized the irony of that statement before she continued. "That plan was all Amy's, and she did that because your cousin Squirrel was royally ticking her off. And if you ask me, he got everything that he deserved! Now, as for you thinking I was mad at you, then yeah, I was. No one attacks my Cody and gets away with it! But to think I've been secretly plotting to do things this past seven years just to get a reaction out of you is just plain ludicrous! That may be the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!"
"I don't believe you! You're still playing your mind games, and I'm telling you its time to stop!"
She was about to argue back when she caught herself. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. Believe whatever you want. I really don't care. I know what the truth is, and that's all that matters to me..."
He wasn't deterred though. "Look, we can put all of this ugliness behind us. I've already got everything taken care of, so you don't have to worry about anything. I know you've pretended like you're going to marry the little feller this summer, but I already have the church back home reserved that day you had picked. You can still get married on that same day, but this way, to the guy you're supposed to be with..."
By then, Bailey was getting frustrated at Moose's lack of brains or sanity whichever was the case. She was tired of arguing with him, and she was ready to end this for good. "Moose, let me try to explain this to you in a way that you'll actually understand. Yes, I'm getting married this summer...to Cody! And you can have the church that day for all I care. Cody and I are not getting married in Kettlecorn, we're getting married in..." She paused. "...well, that's not really any of your business either. Besides, if I did tell you, I get this bad feeling that you'd try to show up and stop it. And if you did, I would be forced to kill you!" She paused and took another deep breath. "The point is, I have no idea what kind of crazy ideas you've had bouncing around your thick skull these past several years, but I need to introduce you to a little something I like to call reality..."
"But..."
She cut him off. "But nothing! Moose, I didn't choose Cody over you to spite you or anything like that. I want to be with Cody because I love him and can't imagine my life without him! When he asked me to marry him, I said 'yes' because I want to spend the rest of my life with him! Don't ask me how I know, but I already know Cody and I will have a long and happy life together. I know that when we're old and gray, we'll still look at each other with complete adoration like we do right now. I want to marry him, have children with him, and when the time comes, spend eternity side by side with him. I want to do everything with him the people in love do with each other. And more than that, what makes what Cody and I have even better is that we're also each other's best friend..."
Moose just looked at her unable to comprehend what she was saying. "But doesn't it mean anything to you that I love you?"
Bailey shook her head. "No, it doesn't. Does it mean anything to you that I love Cody?"
"But you're my girl! You always will be!"
She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "For the millionth time, no, I'm not. I'm Cody's woman just like he's my man. And Moose, you can't love me. You don't even know me. You knew me when I was 14 years old. Guess what? In several months, I'll be 22 years old. In the past almost eight years, I've had adventures and experiences that have forever changed who I am. They've made me the woman I am today. I'm not the same person I was when you thought you knew me. And I don't even think you knew me then as I think you are only remembering who you wanted me to be. Sorry, but I'm not that person, I have never been that person and nor will I ever be that person..."
"That's not true! Just give me the word, and you can take Betty Lou's place as the bride that day!"
"No! One, its really insulting to me that you would actually think I would string along Cody like you're claiming I've been doing! Anyone who truly knows me knows I'm not capable of that. Second, I really feel sorry for Betty Lou now. I wonder what she would be thinking and feeling if she knew you were here making an ass of yourself like this..."
"Forget about her right now! This has nothing to do with her!"
"And what I do with my life has nothing to do with you. You know Moose, I've given you more than five minutes. You said you would leave if I asked you to. Now, I'm asking you to leave."
He shook his head. "Come on, Bailey...be serious here! You can't really want to spend your life with him. I mean, who's going to protect you and take care of you?"
Bailey sighed again. "Cody already does both. On numerous occasions, he's saved my life. And he takes care of me better than anyone in the world ever could. When he and I are sitting on the couch, he'll wrap his arm around me and I'll lay my head on his shoulder. Like that, I feel more safe and secure than anything else in the world could..."
"Oh please! Now I know you're pulling my leg! I..." But before he could continue, the door to the room opened up again, and Cody came in holding several paper bags full of Chinese food. "Bails, I'm back! You wouldn't believe how hard the snow is coming down out there right now. I..." He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Moose standing there. "What's he doing here?"
Moose smirked at him. "Me? What are you doing here? Didn't you ever learn any manners, little feller? You just don't walk into a lady's room without knocking first! She could have been in a state of undress or..."
Bailey shook her head once again and turned to Cody. "I still have no idea why he's here. Moose just showed up at the door about ten minutes ago completely out of the blue and immediately began spewing some horse pucky that makes absolutely no sense to me. I think he needs professional help..." She turned back to Moose. "Now, as for Cody, he doesn't have to knock when he comes in here because this is his room too. He and I live here together..."
Hearing that seemed to knock some of the wind out of Moose's sails. He could only stare at her in disbelief. "You...you...you live together?" He shook his head. "What would your family say about that, Bailey?"
"They kind of knew it was coming because we had unofficially essentially been living together since halfway through our freshmen years. And every summer in Boston, we live together in Cody's and his brother Zack's suite in Boston. And whenever we're in Kettlecorn, we always stay on the couch together. Besides, we'll be married in five months, so its not that big a deal..."
Moose shook his head. "No, no, no, no! This isn't how this was supposed to go!"
Cody turned to look at Bailey in confusion. "How what was supposed to go?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Like I said, he's been talking crazy ever since he showed up..."
Moose glared at her again. "I can't believe you're actually living with him! You weren't supposed to actually love him!"
"Well, I do, and I will never apologize for that..." Bailey paused as she was debating saying something else to him. On one hand, it was none of his business. But on the other, it might finally send him over the edge and out of their lives once and for all. So, she decided to give it a shot. "And as for Cody catching me in a state of undress, I wouldn't care if he did at all. He's seen me wearing nothing but my birthday suit hundreds of times by now, so its not like it would be the first time he's seen me like that..."
He just kept staring at her again. "But...but..." He swallowed when realization dawned on him just exactly what she meant. "Oh no...no...no...please tell me you're just messing with my mind again!"
Bailey wrapped her arm around Cody's waist. "No, I'm not. Like I keep trying to tell you, I love Cody with all of my heart and soul. I'm completely comfortable with him, and I like the way he looks at me. I know he thinks I'm the most beautiful woman in the world - inside and out. And I feel the same way about him. So, we have nothing to be ashamed of in how we show each other how much we love each other..."
Moose was seeing his world crumbling down around him and was beginning to get a little desperate. "But what about all the plans I have for us?"
"Why should I care about them? You don't seem to care about the ones Cody and I have for our future. And Moose, if you had even listened to me at all in the last seven years, you would already or should have known all of this. I'm not saying this to be mean or mess with your mind, but you really need to move on with your life. You need to accept that I love Cody and that I'm going to marry him. And you trying to hold on to something from middle school is pretty darn pathetic. Everyone else has grown up, and now its your turn to follow suit. Cody and I, we have a loving, mature relationship now. Someday, I hope you will learn yourself what one of those is like. But please...I'm begging you...give up on these delusions you have about me."
Cody was about to say something then do, but Bailey gave him a squeeze telling him not to. Moose just looked back and forth between them as his mind was trying to grasp something. After a few minutes, he sighed. "You really do love him, don't you?"
Bailey sighed in relief. "Hallelujah! Yes, I do! I've been telling you that for years now..."
He turned to Cody. "And you really do love her?"
"More than anything in this world."
Moose paused. "I guess I just never wanted to accept that before..."
This time, Cody had to say something. "Well, you have to now. My middle school ex finally accepted it, so its your turn. She knows we don't want her in our lives in the future, and that's something else you need to accept..."
That took Moose back again and he turned to Bailey again. "Not in your lives? Can't we still be friends?"
Bailey turned to Cody and felt like throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Is he serious?" She shook her head and turned back to Moose. "No, we can't. I will never forgive you for what you tried to do and what you actually did to Cody. I don't know who you are anymore nor do I care to learn now. Neither of us are the same people we were back when we were kids..." She paused again. "Besides, odds are I will never return to live in Kettlecorn. Yeah, Cody and I will go back to visit from time to time, but even then, hanging out with you won't be on our list of things to do. More importantly, I think we all need a clean break so you can finally move on with your life. If I were you, I'd go back to Kettlecorn and try to figure out what it is you want with your life...that doesn't include me! If its Betty Lou, so be it. But she doesn't deserve what you tried to do today..."
"Are you going to tell her?"
She paused. "I really should, but I want to forget that you even exist, Moose. Hopefully, I can block this from my memory. I wish you well in the future, but I really think you should leave now."
Moose just stood there absolutely defeated, but he tried one last desperate plea. "Wait a minute! You heard the little feller! The weather is really coming down hard out there now! Let me stay here tonight, and I'll leave first thing in the morning..."
Bailey shook her head. "I don't think so. You know where the YMCA is, head back there. Besides, this is still Valentine's Day weekend, and I would like to spend it alone with the man I love..." She walked over to the door and opened it.
He just looked at her again and sighed. "Fine. Good luck to both of you in your futures." He looked straight at Cody. "You better take real good care of her or you'll hear from me."
Cody just stared right back at him. "I was already planning to, but if I hear of you trying to bother my soon to be wife ever again, you won't like what happens. She's made it abundantly clear to you how she feels..."
Moose shook his head and walked out. And as soon as he did, Cody closed the door behind him and locked it. Once that was done, he turned back to Bailey. "Okay, what was that all about?"
She sighed. "I hope it was the beginning of him finally buying a clue. And I hope it was the last time we ever have to deal with him again..."
Fortunately, Cody and Bailey were able to put the sudden appearance of their surprise visitor behind them rather quickly. In fact, they were able to enjoy their lunch before it had a chance to get cold. And by the time they they finished eating, both were in much better moods. So much so that Bailey decided to show Cody her surprise for him. Needless to say, both soon completely forgot that Moose had even been there not an hour earlier. Of course, with them being otherwise occupied, they didn't mind that the weather was growing even worse outside. In fact, when it was still bad the next day, it gave them even more reason to just stay in their room and dive into working on their Biology senior projects. By the time the next two weeks had passed, both were about ninety percent getting their senior projects data organized just the way they wanted it. But they had to put that aside for a week as they had a midterm in their anthropology class the week before spring break. And once they finished it, they focused all of their attention on a ten page paper for their children's literature class they had to edit before turning in the Friday before spring break. Naturally, they turned it in first thing Friday morning.
While most people on campus left campus as soon as they could for spring break, Cody and Bailey didn't. Instead, they spent all day Friday and Saturday working on their 20 page paper for their advanced seminar. According to their logic, when they got back to Boston, they wanted to focus solely on their biology senior project. They felt if they took other work back with them, they would feel torn between which one of the two to work on. So, they dove into their advanced seminar projects and both had the rough drafts of their papers done by Saturday evening. Of course, they did take a break that evening to drive Tapeworm and Gertie to the airport. Seems they were indeed going to hit up the S.S. Tipton II. So, on the drive up to Hartford, they gave them a list of things they wanted to make sure they tried once.
Come Sunday, it was time to finally head back to Boston. And not only did they have to pack for two weeks, both had two large boxes containing the physical copies of their data (just in case). By the end of the next two weeks, they wanted to have their findings written up and their presentations well rehearsed. And that would still leave them a few weeks when they returned to school to hone everything. Fortunately for them, the luck of the draw had them not having to give their presentations until two weeks before reading week began. So, with a full car, they headed back to Boston that morning for the beginning of their not quite conventional final spring break as undergraduates.
Boston
A couple of hours later, Cody and Bailey parked their car in the underground parking garage of the Boston Tipton. It wasn't quite noon yet when they began unloading their bags and boxes onto a luggage cart. But when they got to the 23rd floor, Cody was the only one that got off with the cart. A few weeks prior, they had stopped at the Yale bookstore and happened to find something they thought would be perfect for Maddie's baby. And since they fully expected to be back at school when she gave birth, they wanted to go ahead and give it to her. So, Cody managed to push the cart to the door of the suite even though one of the wheels seemed to be stuck making it very difficult. He opened the door, and decided to pull the cart in figuring it would be easier. And once he got it in the suite, he turned around and noticed Zack sitting on the couch watching TV. He just nodded at his brother.
"Hey..."
Zack looked up and nodded back. "Hey..."
Cody was pleasantly surprised. "Well...its nice to see that you're actually talking to me again..."
Zack shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I know you meant well, but in the process, you really ticked me off..."
"Well, I'm sorry about that. Not for what I was trying to do, but for the way I went about it."
"Don't worry about it. You and Moseby both tried the same approach, but neither one of you were successful. Maya tried a different tactic, and I'm at least thinking about giving Harvard a shot now..."
Cody eyebrows raised. "You are? Do tell. What did she say that actually got through to you?"
Zack laughed. "She used a sport analogy..."
"A sports analogy?" Cody shook his head and groaned. "You would think after over 21 years I would have known to try that..." He laughed. "Well played, Maya...well played."
"I think she would have probably convinced one way or the another. If not that way, I probably would have caved after seeing the look she was giving me. I never want to see that ever again..."
Cody could only nod. "Yeah, Bailey has one of those too. Its good to avoid it at all costs. Plus, girlfriends always seem to have a way to get us to do things we don't want to do somehow..."
"Tell me about it..."
"Well, for the next two weeks, I can promise I won't bring up Harvard to you. In fact, Bailey and I are going to be super busy trying to get our Biology projects done."
"I appreciate that. And at least you guys are finally doing schoolwork during the school year for a change..." He paused. "Speaking of Bailey, where is she?"
"Oh, she'll be back down here shortly. She just headed upstairs to drop off a gift for Maddie's baby. We bought it a Yale bib and a Yale infant onesie..."
Zack shook his head. "Figures..."
He grinned. "Well, we thought we should get to him or her early..." He walked over and sat down on the couch next to Zack. "So, anything good on TV?"
"Not yet, but the conference tournament finals in the SEC, ACC and Big Ten start in about an hour. Thankfully, March Madness starts next Thursday. I would go watch BU play in it...if they had made it. But they lost in the first round of the conference tournament last week..."
"Hey, at least they had a chance to win their conference tournament. The Ivy League is the only conference that doesn't have one. Yale had their best season in years this year, but they finished in second place a game behind Princeton...Princeton!" He sighed. "Anyways, their season is over now, and everyone on campus is focused on lacrosse now..."
"Great...and I thought the sports programs at BU were bad..."
Cody laughed. "Well, the big sports may not be Yale's thing any more, but we do own several college football national titles..."
"Yeah, when they still wore leather helmets and the people in the South were just figuring out what a football was..."
"Okay, that may be true...but put us in a 68 team spelling bee, and I like our chances..."
At that moment, the door opened up, and Bailey came walking back into the suite and sat down next to Cody. He turned to her and smiled.
"Get our gift dropped off?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I found out some bad news though, Sweetie."
"What?"
"Well, you know tomorrow is when we're supposed to have our first fittings, right?"
Cody paused as he had a feeling that something was now amiss. "Yeah..."
"Seems London has already planned the rest of the day for us. You remember how she said she was going to take us out to register after the first of the year?"
Cody could only nod. "Yeah, and I'm guessing that's what we're doing, huh?"
"You got it..."
"Well, we might as well get it over with tomorrow so we can have the rest of our time here uninterrupted."
Bailey nodded too. "Agreed. We'll hit all of the usual places, and hopefully, it won't be that bad..."
Zack spoke up. "Bad? How can it be bad? You get to run around stores shooting those guns at everything you want! That actually sounds like fun!"
Cody paused to consider that. "You know, Bails...he does have a point. We did actually enjoy playing laser tag that one time..."
"True, and we do still have that paper we wrote saved to our laptops..."
He smiled at her. "Tell you what, Sweetheart. You give me have free reign over kitchen appliances and the like, and I'll trust your judgment and give you final say on everything else..."
Bailey smiled and kissed him. "Deal. Since we have a two car garage, maybe we can register for a ping pong table to put on the other half it?"
"Works for me."
"Good, well, I need to run to the bathroom, be right back."
Once she was gone, Zack shook his head. "Bro...You're going to regret giving her free reign like that. Get used to a pink comforter and sheets..."
Cody leaned over to his brother and whispered. "I'm not going to regret it all. In the end, we both know she was going to convince me that what she wanted was better. Besides, she picked out a comforter for us once before, and it was one we both liked. And think of it this way, I getting brownie points for already letting her have final say over things I don't care about while still keeping final say over the things I really do care about..."
Zack could only nod. "This is true...I hate to say it, but I still have much to learn for you."
The rest of the evening was spent with Cody and Bailey settling back into their room while Zack and Maya eagerly watched the Selection show that afternoon. While they began filling out their first brackets, Cody and Bailey were getting there work stations set up for them to begin working hardcore the following evening. However, by that next night, they were both too tired to even think about getting any work done. They barely had the energy to make it back in the suite. Fortunately, Maddie had gone with them as Trevor had to work late that night. And it was a sight to see for Zack and Maya seeing the overly pregnant woman having to help the two able bodied ones into the suite.
"Where have you guys been?"
After everyone finally got to chance to sit down, Bailey sighed. "Registering for our wedding. Thankfully, we have it all done." She turned to Cody. "We're only getting married once! I have no desire to ever do that again!"
He just nodded. "You're preaching to the choir here, Sweetie. Even though I never really thought about it before, I now have an unwanted knowledge of just exactly what 'Beyond' includes in Bed, Bath and Beyond..."
Maya just shook her head and laughed. "Sounds like a rough day..."
Bailey closed her eyes. "It was. We were actually talking about ordering a pizza when we got back here. Have you guys eaten yet?"
"No, we haven't, but that does sound good."
And that's what they did. Of course, they had to order three pizzas as no one else would even consider touching the pizza Maddie was craving as the combination of toppings she wanted all made their stomachs a little queasy. Unfortunately, the place was running behind on deliveries and would be much quicker to just pick it up. But when you added in drinks, it was going to take two of them to go. Naturally, those two ended up being Cody and Zack as neither could turn down the looks their girlfriends were giving them. Both of them just looked at each other as they shook their heads. But they were surprised when Maddie got up to and indicated she was going along too.
"I just remembered the pizza place is right next door to a McDonald's. I just suddenly have this craving for a shamrock shake..."
They guys just shrugged and followed Maddie out of the suite. Fortunately, the elevator didn't take too long getting there, and soon enough, they were beginning their descent down to the lobby. However, somewhere around the sixth floor, the elevator came to a sudden stop.
Zack sighed. "Great. Its stuck again. Time to let Arwin know again. I think I saw him working on them the other day..." He pressed the intercom button, but nothing happened. "Okay, that can't be good..."
Cody pulled out his cell phone. "Don't worry, I'll just call Bailey and have her go find Arwin. Hopefully, he can get this fixed fast and we'll be on our way in no time..."
So, once he called Bailey and explained to her what their situation was, she promised to call him back as soon as she found Arwin. So, realizing they weren't going anywhere for a the time being, all three of them took a seat so they could relax.
Zack shook his head. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about any of us being claustrophobic."
Cody yawned. "I guess. But I'm thinking about curling up in the corner and grabbing a quick nap. Wake me up when we get moving again..."
"Uh uh! I'm the one who needs the nap. I've spent all day either working or in class while all you've done today was shop!"
"So? I'm the most tired though..."
That lead to the twins bickering back and forth until Maddie put one of her hands on each of their shoulders. "Guys? Can we argue about who's more tired later? I think we have a much bigger problem to worry about right now!"
Zack turned to look at her. "What?" He paused. "Is it just me or did the carpet in here just get a little damp?"
"Because it did! My water just broke!"
To be Continued...