The Way We Were (A Jeffrey Dean Morgan Story)

Chapter 12

'"This next guest is someone who has been appearing in a lot of shows and movies and making a rise in Hollywood. Please help me in welcoming Jeffrey Dean Morgan!" the host stood up as Jeffrey wlaked on stage waving at the crowd. My eyes couldn't tear away from the screen. I couldn't believe he was on my TV right now!

My hand itched for the remote but I couldn't bring myself to turn it off. My eyes were looking him over through the screen. He looked good, extremely good, but he also looked tired, like he hadn't slept in two weeks. The host started asking him questions, but my brain wasn't processing what was being said.

All I could do was stare. I felt something warm hit my arm and that's when I realized that a few tears slipped. It had been a little over a year since I walked out of what used to be our apartment and didn't look back. I wondered how he was doing.

I wondered if he ever thought about me. I quickly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. I groaned as I dropped the remote on the coffee table and ran my hands through my hair. Maybe watching TV wasn't such a good idea after all. Now I felt terrible again.

~~

Now

I looked down at Charlie who was sleeping contently in my arms. Today was the day of her field trip. She had barely slept the night before because she was so excited. By the time she had fallen asleep I was wide awake to the world. I had laid out our clothes and packed a small bag with some snacks before I had turned in for the night feeling exhausted.

Now I was laying here watching the clock waiting for the alarm to go off telling us we had to get ready. I sighed and decided to go ahead and start getting ready. I slowly slid out from under Charlie and tucked a blanket around her. After a shower I wrapped my hair in a towel and went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

I knew Brittany and I were going to need it to deal with these kids all day. After drinking one cup I put the rest in a travel thermos and headed back to the bathroom to keep getting ready. I peeped in on Charlie on my way back to see she was still snoozing.

I went back in the bathroom and started on my make up first. I kept it simple knowing that it would most likely be a little warm and I didn't want it melting off my face. I decided after blow drying my hair to leave it with its natural wave. I grabbed a hair tie and put it around my wrist just in case I needed it for later.

Looking in the mirror one last time I was satisfied with how I looked. I walked quietly into my bedroom trying not to disturb Charlie. We needed to be leaving for Brittany's house in about forty minutes. I had plenty of time. I picked out a pair of ripped jeans and a red and black flannel.

I grabbed my boots in the back of the closet. God only knows what we were going to be walking around in. I looked up the weather on my phone to see that it was supposed to warm up today. I decided to grab a t-shirt to wear under the flannel. I blindly grabbed a gray shirt and threw it over my head seeing I only had twenty minutes to get Charlie and me out the door.

I shrugged on the flannel and rolled up the sleeves before going to gently shake Charlie awake. "Charlie, baby," I said while gently rubbing her shoulder. She grumbled but rolled over and looked up at me. Her eyes became wide with excitement.

"Momma! It's farm day!" she said while jumping out of bed. I chuckled as she instantly ran to the bathroom. I followed behind. She had already got up on her stool and was brushing her teeth. I grabbed a brush and ran it gently through her hair.

"Do you want pigtails?" I asked her as she spit her toothpaste in the sink and put up her toothbrush. She nodded and stood still while I quickly fixed her hair in two pigtails. She hopped down when I was done and took off to her room. I followed right behind her with a smile on my face.