Chapter 15

The next day, I spent more time with my parents and Melissa. Amy did as well. Randy, Torrie, and John were all working. Phil would be getting home from Chicago sometime in the evening.

"Did you have fun last night, girls?" Dad asked. It was Friday morning and we were at Amy's and my apartment having breakfast.

"Yes, I did," Melissa said.

"Mmm-hmm," I said, nodding my head.

"They did," Amy said. "Trish dropped me off here after we dropped you and Mom at the hotel. Then those two went over to John's to hang out for a little while."

Amy called my parents Mom and Dad. I called her mom, Mom.

"Did you have fun?" Mom asked.

"Yes, it was a lot of fun," I said. "I was very glad John had yesterday off. He was very lucky to get it off, the same with Dan and Matt."

"We were glad he had it off too, sweetheart," Dad said. "He's a great guy! I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend for you!"

"Thanks, Daddy."

"Amy is Phil's flight supposed to get in?" Mom asked.

"Hmm," Amy said, thinking for a second. "Five o'clock. He was very glad to see his family."

(Author's note: I thought CM Punk had only one sibling, a sister. But he actually has three sisters and one brother. I saw a video on YouTube of him with them and they were all getting matching tattoos. The tattoo behind his left ear is something that matches all of his siblings. The number 31 was the jersey number for one of his sisters who played a sport in college. The four stars with it are each a different color, which is to match a favorite color for each of his siblings.)

"He has brothers and sisters?" Dad asked.

"Yes, he has three sisters and one brother," Amy said. "It is actually funny, because I have my own brother and then I consider Trish, Melissa, and Christie my sisters. So that is something he and I have in common."

"There you go."

"I think you and Dad should have had another kid, Mom," Melissa said. "We could have had a little brother."

"Yeah," I said. "That would have been awesome, actually."

"No," Mom said. "Your dad and I were just fine with three kids and three girls."

"That's right," Dad said. "I would have liked a son, but I love my girls more."

"I can't wait until I have kids," I said.

"You'll be a great mom, Trish," Amy said.

"You're so sweet. Do you want kids?"

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. I'm only twenty-four."

"Very good point," Mom said. "You have plenty of time to have kids if you want them, sweetheart."

"I'm sure Christie and Jake will have a baby within the first two years of their marriage," Melissa said.

"Christie wants to have her first child right away," I said. "Maybe she'll even have a honeymoon baby."

"That is up to Christie and Jake," Dad said. "It will be very exciting once they are married and they have their first child. But maybe you'll have a child before Christie, Patricia."

I shrugged. "Whatever happens happens," I said.

Amy and I had decided that we were going to start decorating for Christmas the Friday after Thanksgiving. We ended up making a trip to the store to buy a little artificial tree (one that could sit on a table), ornaments, lights, and some other decorations. It was a dumb idea to go out on Black Friday, but shopping was going to be crazy as hell until after the New Year. You had to love commercialism in the United States.

Amy, Melissa, my parents, and I all went out in my car. After we were done at the store, we all were hungry.

"How about some lunch?" I asked.

"Sounds good," Mom said.

"Sure does," Dad said.

"We should go to John's dad's restaurant again," Melissa said.

"Yes, I'd like to try something else on their menu," Dad said.

"Me too," Mom said. "Maybe I should try the Cena Burger this time."

"All right, Cenas' it is then," I said.

I looked into the backseat real quick. I saw a smile light up on Melissa's lips. I grinned turned back to the road. Mom sat in the front seat again with me. Amy sat in the middle in the backseat between my dad and Melissa.

When we arrived at Cenas', I parked in the parking lot. The place looked real busy. That was understandable. A lot of people were out shopping for Black Friday and they were now probably out to lunch because they got hungry.

Amy and Melissa were out of the car quickly and headed inside. My parents got out at a normal pace, but waited for me. The three of us walked inside together. Amy and Melissa were right in entrance.

"There's an open table in Boog's section," A waitress said walking past Melissa and Amy.

"Thanks," Amy said. She grabbed hold of Melissa's arm and the two walked on. My parents and I followed. We got an empty table in a booth. It was big enough to sit three people on either side of the table. I sat with Amy and Melissa. The three of us fit into the booth comfortably.

"What do I want to try today?" Dad said, looking at the menu.

I smiled. My mom smiled at me. She already knew what she was getting, of course: the Cena burger.

Boog came over to the table. "Hey everyone," He said.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," Melissa said.

Boog grinned. "How are you all today?" He asked looking at my parents.

"Just fine," Dad said.

"Yep, very happy," Mom said.

"Great. What would everyone like to drink?" Boog asked.

Amy, Melissa and I all ordered Diet Mountain Dew. My mom worked Diet Pepsi and Dad ordered Pepsi.

"Great, I'll be right back with those," Boog said. He winked at Melissa. I looked over at her. She smiled from ear to ear.

"Melissa, would you like to sit on the end?" I asked.

"Do you mind?" Melissa said.

"Not at all."

"Then I'd love to."

I got out of the booth. Amy slid over and got out. Melissa then slid over and got out of the booth too. I then got in and slid all the way over. Amy and then Melissa did the same.

Boog came back within a couple of minutes. He carried our drinks on a tray. "I am very glad I know all of you or this would have been a problem."

"Yes, sorry," I said. "Melissa wanted to sit on the end."

Boog nodded his head. He gave everyone their drinks. "All right, is everyone ready to order?"

"Yes," Mom said. Dad nodded his head.

"All right, let's start with you, Alice."

"The Cena Burger," She said.

"All right, glad you're trying it. Jay?"

My dad ordered the Cena dog which was a chili cheese hot dog. Melissa ordered the Cena Burger again. Amy and I ordered the club sandwich.

"All right, I'll put your order in. Enjoy your visit," Boog said.

"Okay, so is Phil going to take a cab to his place or does he need us to pick him up?" I asked Amy.

"No, he'll take a cab from the airport to his place. Then he'll come over to the apartment afterward," Amy said.

"Okay, good," I said.

I really did not want to have to go to the airport two days in a row. I would be dropping my parents and Melissa off tomorrow.

Whenever Boog walked by our table to go serve another, I saw him look at Melissa and smirk. I saw my parents smile themselves whenever they saw Melissa blush and smile back at him. When Boog brought us our food, he made sure to serve my parents first, then me and Amy, and Melissa last.

"Does anyone need anything else besides refills?" Boog asked.

"No," Mom said.

"I think I might need a medic after I eat this hot dog," Dad said.

We all laughed. "I'll get Matt to stop by," Boog said.

"Sounds good."

"Enjoy and I'll be right back with refills," Boog said.

We dug into our food then. I looked over at my parents as they each took their first bite of the Cena burger and Cena hot.

"Oh, that is very good," Mom said.

Dad smiled as he chewed his food.

"Another satisfied customer of the Cena burger," I said.

"Dad seems to like to Cena dog," Amy said.

Dad smiled as he took another bite of the hot dog. I grinned.

Boog came back over with refills for everyone. "All right, how is the Cena burger, Alice?"

"It is great!" Mom said.

Boog smiled. "How's the Cena dog, Jay?"

"Fantastic," Dad said. "I give it a ten."

"Awesome," Boog said. "I'll be sure to let my dad know you both like the Cena burger and you like the Cena dog, Jay." He then walked away.

"He's a great server," Mom commented.

"He really is," I said. "He's been working here since he was a teenager. He's a model employee."

"It's a good temporary job until he finishes school," Dad said.

"Yes, but I think Steve will be helping his dad out with the restaurant when he is working as a teacher. John, Dan, and Matt still help him out sometimes."

"Those boys are so devoted to both their parents," Mom said.

"Yes," I said. "I am very glad Carol and John Sr. get a long, despite being divorced."

"Some couples handle being divorced better than others," Melissa said.

"Very true."

The rest of lunch was great. I really enjoyed the time with my parents and Melissa. I wish Christie had been there too. I'd see her for Christmas.

After lunch, we all went back to Amy's and my apartment. Amy and I started decorating. My parents and Melissa helped. We turned on some Christmas music while we all worked.

Our little artificial Christmas tree could just sit on the coffee table. We set it up there and it was a pre-lit tree. It only took a few minutes to set up and put ornaments on. Amy and I had gotten little ornaments balls to put on it.

We decorated the living room by putting regular Christmas colored lights all around. That didn't take very long to do either.

"When will John Sr. being decorating the restaurant for Christmas?" Dad asked.

"Oh, after closing tonight," I said. "They are closing at nine o'clock tonight."

"Phil and I are going to go help," Amy said.

"Yes, I'm going to help as well. John asked me to."

"I'm helping as well," Melissa said.

"You are?" Mom asked.

"Yep. I'm sure you and Dad will be back at the hotel by eight o'clock."

"I was only asking, sweetheart. You are twenty-one years old."

This whole thing with Boog was getting a little ridiculous. My mom had only asked a simple question.

At seven o'clock, both John and Phil showed up at the apartment.

"Boyfriends are here," Phil shouted as he and John came into the apartment.

"Yay!" I heard Amy say.

I smiled. I was in the kitchen making dinner for everyone. I walked out of the kitchen and into our small foyer.

"Welcome home, Phil," I said, giving him a quick hug.

"Thanks," He said.

Amy was right there. She threw her arms around him and gave him a big smooch on the lips. John and I both chuckled.

"Hi," I said to him, hugging him and kissing him.

"Hey," John said. "The place looks great."

"Thank you."

"Alice and Jay, this is my boyfriend, Phil Brooks," Amy said to my parents. "Phil, these are Trish's parents, Alice and John, but we call her dad Jay."

"Nice to meet you both," Phil said, shaking hands with both of my parents.

"You too," Dad said. "Amy is our 'adopted' daughter, so it only right we meet her boyfriend."

"Yes, Amy talks about you two like you are her own parents. Of course she has lots of love her own parents as well."

"Lots of for my mom," Amy corrected.

Phil didn't say anything. Amy introduced him to Melissa then. I went back into the kitchen to make sure dinner wasn't burning. John followed me.

"How was work?" I asked.

"Busy," John said. "I had to arrest a few teenagers today because they were shoplifting."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah, how was your day?"

"Great. We went to Cenas' for lunch. My mom tried the Cena Burger and my dad tried the Cena Dog. They both really loved them."

"Awesome," John said. "So what's for dinner?"

"Smothered chicken with roasted potatoes and salad," I said.

"Smothered chicken?" John asked.

"Yes, it is regular frozen chicken baked in the oven with cheese and satiated onions and mushrooms on top."

John nodded his head. "Doesn't sound bad actually."

"It isn't really. We'll hit the gym tomorrow evening since my parents and Melissa leave in the afternoon."

"It's a date."

I smiled.

My parents and Melissa had a lot of fun talking with Phil like they had with John. Dinner was good. Everyone liked it. It was the first time I had made it for John, but Phil and Amy had had a few times before. Correction, Amy had had it a lot before. I had learned how to make Smothered Chicken from my mom, so whenever Amy had had dinner at my parents' house with me my mom made it sometimes.

At 8:15, I dropped my parents off at their hotel. Then I swung back by the apartment to pick up Amy, Phil, and Melissa. John had ridden with me to drop my parents off.

Once we had our friends and Melissa, I headed off to Cenas'.

"Melissa tells me she is staying the night with Boog tonight," Phil said.

"That's their plans," I said.

"I wouldn't let my baby sister stay the night with a guy she hardly knows."

"I'm right here," Melissa said.

I ignored my sister. "Phil, Melissa and Boog hit it off like John and I did. My baby sister is an adult and has good judgment."

"Yeah," John said. "And Boog isn't going to do anything unless she is comfortable. He knows she was raped."

"Yeah, thanks for telling John, Trish," Melissa said. "Which he in turn told all his brothers! That was a very uncomfortable conversation with Sean, because he wanted to know exactly what happened."

"I told John what happened to me as a child," I said. "We were already on the subject. I had to tell my boyfriend about what happened."

"Yes, but he didn't need to know about me and Christie."

"You two are my little sisters. I wanted him to know!"

"Okay, enough!" Amy said. "Let's just drop the subject!"

I shook my head and had my full attention back on the road. Melissa did not need to be assumed of what happened to her. It was not her fault. The asshole who raped her was at fault.

"Welcome all," John Sr. said as we all walked into the restaurant. He was sitting at a hightop table in the bar area with Dan, Ally and Chelsea.

"Hello father," John said. He hugged his dad, along with Dan, Ally, and Chelsea.

"How was Thanksgiving with your family, Phil?" John Sr. asked.

"It was great," Phil said. "I apparently missed a lot while I was gone, though: Boog and Melissa."

"Yes, Boog and Melissa," Dan said.

"Where are your parents, Trish?" Ally asked.

"They are back at their hotel," I said.

Nine o'clock rolled around. All the restaurant employees did their normal routine for closing. John, Phil and Dan all went back in back and into the office to grab the decorations. John Sr. kept them at his house, but he brought them back when it was time to decorate.

"All right, so what are we doing?" I asked.

"We have lights, garland and ornaments," John said.

"We need the tree put up," Dan said. "Then we need lights on. Then ornaments can go on."

"Lights and garland are hung on the wall with the booths," Chelsea said.

"All right, sounds good," I said.

Amy and I took control of the tree. They put up a large artificial tree in the entrance of the restaurant. Ally, Dan, and Chelsea were plugging lights in and making sure they all worked. John had gone to grab a ladder. Phil was locating a staple gun. Melissa was helping me and Amy.

The three of us got all the different branches each grouped by color. We then set up the base of the tree. We looked at the instructions to see which branches went on first. We then started putting the branches where they needed to go.

Phil and John were both back. Phil gave Dan the staple gun and let him drape the light around the booths. Ally and Chelsea were draping lights around the bar, along with some garland.

"Who's good about putting lights on a tree?" I asked once Melissa, Amy, and I were done putting it all together.

"That would be me," John said. He ended up using newly bought Christmas lights to put on the tree.

"Do you decorate your place for Christmas, John?" I asked as he worked.

"Yes," John said. "Randy and I are going to get a real tree next week."

"Ooh, I love real Christmas trees."

"Why didn't you get one?"

"I'm allergic to pine trees," Amy said.

"Oh, that sucks."

Once John had the lights on, it was ready for ornaments. He, Amy, Melissa, and I all put them on. The ornaments were mainly colored balls and other multi-colored ornaments. Dan and Phil were both done with draping and stringing lights and garland around booths and the dinning area of the restaurant. Ally and Chelsea were both done with the bar area. They grabbed some ornaments and hung them up on the lights and garland.

"Wow, you all do great work," John Sr. said walking from the back with Steve and Boog.

"We had direction from Dan and John," Ally said.

"Plus I have done this a couple times," Chelsea said.

"True," John Sr. said.

"It gets done quicker when there are a lot of you," John said.

"Yeah," Dan said.

"Lovely work, ladies," Boog said walking over to me, John, Amy, and Melissa.

"Well, this was fun," I said to John as he wrapped his arm around me. Melissa and Boog were talking. Amy went over to Phil.

"You want to do it at my place?" John asked.

"Yes, I'd like to do that."

John chuckled. "I meant decorating."

"Can't we do both?" I asked.

"One we can go do right now. The other one we'll wait until next week."

"Let's go then."

John and I told everyone we were leaving. Phil and Amy didn't say anything. Boog and Melissa were hell bent on spending the rest of the night together. Nothing anyone said was going to change that.