“Hey, Dad,” Krissy called her father’s cell phone when she knew when they would be landing back in Torrington.
“From the tone of your voice, I take it Jamie was not happy?”
“No,” Krissy answered sadly.
“I told you, honey, you should have told him before you raced up here.”
“I know, but I was so eager to land that job that telling him didn’t even register in my mind,” Krissy said, her big toe nudging the throw rug that the coffee table sat on.
“I’m guessing you didn’t tell him you’ll be living here for a bit, right?”
“No.” Her chin dropped to her chest at her father’s disappointing sigh.
“Kris, I love you, but that’s not something a person waiting to be a wife should do to their spouse. I know Jamie thinks the worst of me; I can’t blame him, but I would hope Rhonda and I had set a better example for you than when your mother and I were married.”
“But what can I do to make up for it?”
“I don’t know, that’s something you have to figure out on your own. You know Jamie better than I do. But it will take a bit for him to get over you just going over his head. He does know you got the job, right?”
“He does… now,” Krissy admitted.
“Well, at least that’s something,” feeling her father’s disappointment all over again when he released a long sigh, “listen Kris, you need to tell him everything before you even begin to hit the road. If you don’t and just spring it on him in the car, you might not like the long ride.”
“I will, I promise, when he gets back…” Turning her head when the front door opened, her heart sank when it wasn’t Jamie but Hugo and Marla. “I have to go, Dad; I’ll let you know what’s going on; tell Suzie and Ben we’ll see them soon.”
“I will, love you, Kris.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
“What’s wrong, Krissy?” Marla asked; over the years, she and Hugo got to know the woman that was sitting on her couch in melancholy, so she knew Krissy was on the verge of tears.
“I messed up, and Jamie is really upset with me,” Krissy said, not seeing Marla patting Hugo’s left arm, who nodded and headed off to their bedroom to give Krissy and Marla some privacy.
“Tell me what’s going on with you two?” Marla asked in a caring tone. Pressing her lips together as Krissy recounted what she did, the conversation she had with Jamie, and how he just stormed out the door. “Krissy, you know what you did was very selfish, right?” To this, Krissy slowly nodded her head. “You know selfishness kills a marriage.”
“I know, but I was just so excited to get a job in our hometown that I didn’t think about the ramifications it would have on Jamie and us,” Krissy uttered, smiling when Marla slipped her hand into her. She was really going to miss Jamie’s grandparents, along with the rest of his family. Yet she knew she and Jamie had to branch out on their own and make it on their own as a married couple.
“You know, if you two start having kids, you can’t just think about yourself anymore; your child or children has to come first.”
“I know; I swear I’m not going to make this same mistake again, I swear!”
“Good.” Krissy’s head snapped around so fast that Jamie thought it was going to come flying off. The bundle of cardboard boxes fell from under his arm as Krissy threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck.
“Please, forgive me, Jamie; I didn’t mean to make you upset. I didn’t think this would make you at odds with me,” Krissy said, trying not to tear up. Pressing her body into his when she felt his arms wrapping around her. Ever since they first got together, she’s always felt so complete whenever she felt his arms around her. “I know I messed up with you and kept you from being a part of this; please don’t give up on me.”
“Honey, we’ve been together for nearly five years now, after what that douche tried to pull on you, and you eating it up,” seeing the shame in his wife’s eyes, “it’s going to take a lot more than you taking a roundabout behind my back to do all this. Am I upset? Yes, no denying that you did overstep in our relationship. If you think I didn’t know you were homesick, I would have to be blind not to notice,” Jamie stated, seeing Krissy’s cheeks heat in bashfulness. “Just don’t do it again; you have stated we are a team, and what happens when one of the team does their own thing without telling the rest of the team?”
“The team fails,” Krissy answered honestly. “I promise it won’t happen again,” she said in all seriousness. Not seeing how Marla was smiling at the two of them from her seat.
“I’ll leave the two of you then, and Jamie, go easy on her; you’re both young, bound to make mistakes, just don’t dwell on those minor mistakes that it harms your relationship,” Marla said in a grandmotherly voice before walking to her bedroom.
“Yes, Grandma,” Jamie nodded, knowing it was his grandparent’s wise council that helped them out in the early years of their marriage.
“You two don’t stay up too late,” Marla said as she entered her and Hugo’s bedroom, hiding the sadness she felt that her grandson and granddaughter-in-law would be departing from their lives. Nevertheless, she knew this day would come when they would fly their nest just like Jamie’s father had done to strike out on his own.
“Jamie…” Her breathing grew long, knowing she was going to have to tell him, “I want to tell you before we leave that when I was there, I talked to them, and they said it was fine for us to move in for a little bit until we can find our own place after our honeymoon.”
“Yeah, kind of figured you did,” Jamie stated, catching Krissy off guard.
“Will you be okay with that?”
“Can’t say, but it’s probably cheaper than staying in a motel for however long it will take to find a home for us,” Jamie said with a shrug of his shoulders as he carried the boxes toward their room. While they might have acquired a few more things due to the years they’ve lived there, it wasn’t that much that they had to rent a U-Haul; he was sure they could get it all in his SUV.
“Jamie, can I ask why did it take you so long to get a few boxes?” Krissy asked from behind him as she followed after him.
“Went to say goodbye to Uncle Sal, Aunt Sam, Martin, and the kids, but we can’t leave for two days,” Jamie said with a serious look.
“Why?”
“Sam wants to throw us a going away party unless you want to call her and tell her why you have to be up there so quickly,” Jamie said, giving her a questioning look.
“Nope, two days is okay with me; Rhonda and Dad will be fine planning the wedding without us for a few more days,” Krissy said, so very happy that Jamie was coming with her. It never sat right with her when they were apart from one another.
“So, when do you think we should tell them?” Jamie asked as he taped up the bottom of the box.
“Why wait? Let’s do it when we arrive. All we’re going to do is renew our vows and take that honeymoon you promised me,” Krissy said, smirking coyly at Jamie as she helped to pack up their things.
As the day arrived for their departure, both Jamie and Krissy were wrapped in his family’s warm embrace. Sal, having become a surrogate father for Jamie, gave him some very wise advice when he set out to start his own life. Sam just held Jamie like it would be the last time the two would see each other. It wasn’t; however, that didn’t stop her from thinking that. A little moisture gathered in his eyes at his grandparents’ parting words, telling him he looked so much like his father when he was Jamie’s age when he told them he was moving up north for the job he had landed when he got out of college. Promising to come back as often as they could before they climbed into their car and departed back to the northern climes where they were raised.
******
It was closing in on six pm that evening when Jamie pulled his SUV to a stop by the curb. They barely got out of the car before Suzie, now seven, came barreling out of the house, shrieking to the high heavens at the sight of her older siblings. Ben, now four, waddled out behind his sister, who had taken up to sticking by her side like glue. Who was quickly picked up by David so Ben didn’t run into the street.
“My, Suzie, didn’t know you’ve gotten so strong,” Jamie said as his little sister squeezed the life out of him.
“You’re staying for good, right?” Suzie asked, peering up at Jamie.
“For a while,” Jamie admitted, seeing her sadness flooding her eyes. “But then we’ll be living somewhere… ow!” Jamie hissed when Krissy slapped his left shoulder.
“Don’t tease her; that’s mean,” Krissy stated, getting a ‘Yea!’ out of Suzie.
“You know that’s spousal abuse, right?” Jamie retorted, grinning madly at Krissy when he noted how Rhonda and David stopped in their tracks and had rather unpleasant looks on their faces.
“You’ll live,” Krissy stated, smirking at her husband, getting her own hug from Suzie. Noting how Ben’s hand latched onto Jamie’s right leg, she noticed how Ben would orbit Jamie whenever they came back home to visit. At first, Jamie would brush Ben off when he was just a babe, given how Rhonda would try to get him to hold his brother. It was when she and Rhonda forced him to hold their half-brother, and soon Jamie was treating Ben just like he did with Suzie before they had left for Wilmington.
“I think you two need to come in and tell us what’s going on, now,” David barked with a displeased look on his face as his eyes couldn’t look away from the gold ring on Jamie’s ring finger. Something he knew was never there when they would visit during their school breaks.
“Yes, I thought we agreed you would wait, but let’s speak of this inside and not out in the open,” Rhonda said, incensed that her son had hoodwinked Krissy into something.
“Come,” Suzie said, taking hold of her brother’s hand, smiling up at him, knowing she had so much to tell Jamie about everything that’s been happening with her. Looking back as Krissy held her hand out to Ben, who was happy to take it as they followed after David and Rhonda. She wasn’t about to let go of Jamie’s hand as she led them into the living room. Not now, not when she knew Jamie and Krissy wouldn’t be leaving ever again. Before Krissy could lower herself down beside Jamie on the couch across from her parents, Suzie climbed onto it and snuggled up to her brother, who wore a huge smile as she peered up at him.
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