The Ten of Them – Chapter 2: A New Home

Her Mom takes the necklace from the box and puts it on Kathryn’s neck. She bounces back to me her eyes nearly fully green she so happy. She slides into my arms as naturally as before then leans up and kisses me. Sometime later I feel a strong hand on my shoulder as her father shakes me. You two come on inside or the mosquitoes will have you for dinner. You can watch TV on the sofa with the rest of us.

The rest of the evening goes by too quickly as we set on the couch and watch a few TV shows once the news comes on my Mom says. “It’s time for us to head next door.”

The next day I get up early knowing Kathryn is departing to her grandparents sometime today. Walking over Coach Edwards is on his front porch reading the morning paper. One of the things I did after getting up was make that card I promised Kathryn. Apparently I inherited my mother’s artistic talents. The front had a character of me looking angry with a phone my hand and the caption, He called you what? I had drawn a caricature of me kicking another caricature but. The caption read I’ll never call her that again.

I presented it to the coach who laughed until a tear ran down his face, once he recovered he said. “I’m not sure about my sons but Kathryn is going to love this card.”

Helen come out hearing her husband’s laughter her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She’s wearing a flannel house coat but stretched sleepily showing off attractive legs. The coach reaches the card to his wife who looks it over good then too begins to laugh but not to tears like her husband. What she recovers she said. “Kathryn is absolutely going to love this. She probably will not be ready to see anybody for another hour JJ.”

“I just come by to drop the card off and say goodbye before she left for her grandparents.” I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get see her yet.

Helen informed me. “You better be back before ten to say goodbye or you’re in trouble Mr.”

Almost a little shocked I say. “I definitely do not desire any trouble with you Ma’am or the Coach.”

Helen giggles and says. “I’m not the one you’ll be in trouble with.”

Then I state. “The last thing I would ever do is get Kathryn upset with me. Unfortunately I got a feeling it will occur once or twice no matter what I do. So please tell me if you can see it coming so I’ll never make her mad at me.”

Helen looks at her husband’s smiling face. “I wish Michael had that same attitude when we first started dating.”

The Coach defends himself by saying. “I had that attitude it’s just your father liked seeing you upset with me. I don’t think he liked me that much.”

Helen laughs and says. “He didn’t until the grandkids came along.” Then taking the card she returns into the house.

“Coach you know a lot of people in this area right?” I ask. Coach nods a yes so I continue. “I need to find a general contractor who can build a house for me fairly quickly.”

“There hasn’t been a lot of work like that around here lately. A lot of the contractors have packed up and abandon the area. I’m one of the only ones remaining. The real problem is finding enough skilled workers to accomplish it quickly. Labor pool has gone away as well.”

“I’ll go get my floor plans and we can begin looking over them.” I jump up and run off back to my room where I have the most recent copy of the floor plans for the house I wanted constructed. I quickly returned with the blueprints in the tube.

After arriving back on the porch the coach opens the tube and takes a good long look at the blueprints. He finally says. “We can have it done before Christmas but no one in the County or this part of the state could get it done faster. That’s really an expansive house with all the plumbing and electrical having to go in before the drywall finished, the flooring is hard wood which is quite time-consuming and requires a skilled person to install. But all in all it’s a very nice home for you and your mother. I am constantly glancing upward my eyes searching for Kathryn; I hear her angelic laughter coming from the upstairs of her home.

The coach laughs. “Sounds like Helen presented your card to Kathryn.”

I smile and reach out my hand to the coach and ask. “So when can we get started?”

I’ll make some phone calls and get the crew ready Monday after the Fourth of July we’ll begin. Now let me see where you plan on setting this house at.

It’s a quarter-mile walk to the top of the bluff where I want the house built. Going over the blueprints and the ridge area we know that we will have to do quite a bit of excavation for the basement that’s when he suggest we could start that prior to the fourth just to get a head start on what we need to do. The fourth happens to fall on a Friday this year the night of the party at the Edwards. Today is the first and Kathryn’s birthday, at least this will give me something to do while she is gone.

We returned in time to say goodbye before they depart. While Kathryn and I speak our goodbyes, we get a quick kiss. Far too quickly we are separated by her father. Laughing he says. “She’ll only be gone a week, I believe you’ll both will survive.”

Coach Edwards and Mom into town to begin filing the paperwork required for all the permits. Mom advances the coach adequate money for the remainder of the week. Later that afternoon coach Edwards shows up with four guys to survey area where the house will be located. They complete the survey by sundown. The permits are finished by noon on Wednesday. Thursday morning a truck with the dozer arrives to begin the excavation work. That afternoon the dozer levels a good portion of the basement area. A necessary step in prepared the concrete work in the next few days. Watching the work progress gave me something to occupy my time instead of moping around missing Kathryn.

Friday being the Fourth of July there’s no work and mother and I go shopping in the big city a good two hours away. I wanted to pick up a new kindle fire to replace the unit I gave Joan. We stop by a major computer dealer who also sells parts. Finding the parts necessary to assemble a new PC for myself it is a hobby of mine and mom allows me to go wild buying all this stuff I would like to have. I pick up a new camera with a lot more megapixels than my older one. When we check out mom nearly passes out from the total it’s close to $5000.

We go to a jewelry store where I pick out a necklace and earrings that match. After I pay for them mom asks. “Are those for Kathryn too?”

I laugh, knowing they really are for Mom, who looks at me confused for second until I turn to her. “Happy belated birthday Mom.”

Mom thinks for a second I hadn’t told her yet about my money on her birthday I got her a nice gift but nothing like this. “JJ you really are something son.”

“Mom I thought about it what I gave you on your birthday was nice but I should have done better.”

We get back in plenty of time for mom to get ready for the party she had bought a new dress to wear, and she looked very hot in it.

I begin the process of assembling my new PC, I had just gotten the satellite linked network installed on Thursday and I was anxious to get back on the Internet to trade my stock. By the time mom left for the party I completed the assembly of the PC and was loading software. Took a break at eight eating the dinner mom had made for me. By nine o’clock I was on the Internet and checked my stock portfolio for the first time in over two weeks. Surprisingly I had made quite a lot by just doing nothing. I transferred a large sum into the local bank planning on using it for construction cost of the house. I rolled the rest back into the market after checking on the stocks I have looked at earlier.

I decided to call it a night, powering down the computer and turning off my TV the house was deathly quiet and I can hear the party at the Edward’s house. This is the first time I went to bed without giving my mother a good night kiss but I’ll let her have her fun and not interrupt her.

I’m lying in bed staring at my dark ceiling thinking of Kathryn I begin to slowly masturbate thinking of my life in a few years what we will spend together will definitely be worth waiting for. When she is ready so will I be. I want to be with her but I don’t want to rush her.

My phone rings it’s not terribly late so I go answer it. My heart soars as I hear Kathryn’s voice speak to me. “I have been missing you, so I needed to call you. Are you doing okay?”

I acknowledge to her. “I’ve missed you too and I’m doing better now that I hear your voice.”

Kathryn giggles. “Me too, hearing your voice makes me feel better.” After we talk a little while, Kathryn asks. “What’s all the noise in the background?”

A little surprised that she doesn’t know I answer. “That’s the party at your house your parents are throwing.”

Kathryn questions. “You sure, they never mentioned it to us.”

Jokingly I tell her. “Unless someone has built a house right behind yours and is doing a housewarming party I’m pretty sure it’s from your house.”

“Really I never thought my parents were the party type. That would explain why we spent so much time with our grandparents. Well anyway I got to go before my grandma catches me on the phone. I just needed to hear your voice so I can sleep.”

Smiling I say. “In that case I’ll tell you good night and I’m really looking forward to when you get back.”

I can hear her smile it alters the way to voice sounds. “We’ll be back on Tuesday morning. Good night.” She hangs up and I instantly feel the loss and emptiness. I don’t really understand this I shouldn’t be this deep into her after so short of a time but I am. I’ve heard of this before one author wrote it on that website. He goes by Ka Hmnd, he’s quite good and I like his fantasy stories. He called it bonding. I’ve learned of it as soul mates, love at first sight, and finding the one. So this is what love is, feeling of bliss, ecstasy and happiness when you hear her voice. I’m feeling like shit because she’s not here now.

I hear a knock on the door and I turn to open it. It’s mom with two women that I don’t know. All three are intoxicated but mom can’t stand on her own feet. “Is this where she belongs?” One of the women slur out. The stench of alcohol is overpowering on them.