Brent's Story (A "Living With The Choices We Make" Novella) ✔️

8 - Valentine's Day

This story is dedicated to palara26. Thanks so much for your support XD.

Valentine's Day

My fingers run over the soft plush of the little red bear who is grinning at me sillily, holding a heart shaped cookie in his hands which reads 'I Love You'. I'm sure that Ruth would love him and he is not even five dollars, plus Valentine's Day is only once a year after all.

The box of chocolates is already wrapped in a cute gift bag and the lady is just getting the bouquet of roses together. I ordered twelve long stemmed ones which will look pretty on her dresser next to the snow globe I bought her for Christmas. The next surprise I have planned will be in two weeks - on our six months anniversary. I already bought the present, a little necklace with a heart and a key.

I quickly add up my purchases in my head to ensure I will still have enough money for tonight's dinner. My dad has been quite stingy with my allowance lately, expecting me to get a part-time job after school which I have neither the time nor patience for. What does he want me to do - bag groceries in a supermarket? That's totally pathetic and so beneath me. Luckily my mom sees it my way and has been slipping me some extra money on the side.

In best of moods, I stroll out of the shopping center and get into my Ford pickup truck I got for my sixteenth birthday. I had been thrilled, wondering how my dad could afford a brand new car just for me until I found out that it was actually paid for by my trust fund money that I got from my mom's parents who died when I was little. Apparently, getting my own means of transportation was part of their will.

I hum to the latest Emeli Sande song on the radio, I believe it is called 'Clown'. Usually, I am not that much into slow songs but Ruth absolutely loves it and since we have been going out dancing a lot, I have been enjoying our closeness while grooving to the mellow sounds.

I have been ready to take our relationship to the next level for quite some time now, itching to finally get a good glimpse of what is underneath my girlfriend's clothes, but Ruth has been holding back and I figured that I, at least, deserved to grind her up during a slow song.

I pull into the driveway of my house and check my watch. I am supposed to pick up Ruth in two hours - plenty of time to get ready. When I slide out of the truck, my eyes fall onto the back door and I cuss under my breath. There is a small scratch I didn't notice before, likely some dumbass woman who let her shopping cart get loose in the parking lot without consideration for anyone else's property. Whoever that bitch was deserves a good slapping.

I hop under the shower and after some more mumbling and swearing, calm halfway down again. No need to let the damage on the car spoil my mood, there is nothing I can do about it anyways. I will tell my dad in the morning and he could take the truck to the shop to have it fixed. I tell myself that it is not a big deal since it is hardly noticeable but it still irks the shit out of me.

I get dressed in nice slacks and a linen shirt, planning to take Ruth to a fancy Thai restaurant in Alexandria. There are no real nice places in Quantico, only family joints to accommodate the soldiers on the base and those would be full of screaming children with snotty noses.

I have never liked kids who are misbehaved and disobedient to their parents but those seem to be typical phenomenon these days. I don't necessarily blame the little brutes but their incompetent parents. Discipline and order seem to be words to have vanished from family dictionaries and children can get away with murder without suffering any consequences. It is truly ridiculous and I have very little expectations of the leaders of tomorrow.

Still grouchy, I make my way to Ruth's house, hoping she will be ready. I hate waiting but she is the complete opposite which I find more than annoying. Her father answers the door, beaming at me with those weasely eyes. He is a clerk at a local gas station and dumber than a brick and as usual, I have to remind myself that Ruth was not only spared with most of his genes but also had no say in the matter when it came down to choosing her family.