Elli opened the door to let Emma in. She beamed looking at the genuine smile on Emma's face.
"I want every damn details of the date."
Emma blushed a little, she looked gorgeous in her black dress which reached just above her knees, light make up and those killer heels. The date with Jonathon went really good, actually better than she thought it would be. There was no awkwardness, no second thoughts. Jonathon was a really nice guy who seemed to care for her every second of when they were together. He was the perfect gentleman and knew how to charm a lady. Emma didn't know how the three hours with him in that fancy restaurant passed, Jonathon was the perfect companion for a beautiful, romantic evening and she definitely had fun with him.
She felt another fit of blush creeping up on her cheeks at the thought of how it seemed like he was going to kiss her. Jonathon had dropped her home and when they were in the car in front of her house, he leaned down at her. For a second she gasped thinking that he was gong to kiss but then his lips touched her cheek in stead.
"Hello!! Heaven to earth... Emma Stwert... come back." Elli cooed waving a hand in front of her face. Smiling, Emma walked past Elli who followed like a overenthusiastic puppy.
Ignoring the teasing looks Elli was throwing her way, Emma asked instead. "Where are the kids?"
Elli answered her hurriedly. "They are watching some kind of hanky panky movie. Don't worry, I got them to eat properly and they behaved. Did you guys kiss?"
Elli was clearly desperate. Emma chuckled before entering the living room. "No we didn't, it was just my first date with him Elli."
Elli now gasped in shock. "What? You didn't even kiss! Do you know people do so much more in their first dates like tearing each other's clothes apart, then getting a room and..."
"I don't care about all those other people's uncultured activities Elli." Emma yelled back with slight irritation now before approaching the kids, she dropped herself beside them after hearing Elli scoff from the hallway.
"Yeah, yeah. The typical, old school mommy." Elli stomped away after that making Emma shake head and chuckle at her tantrum. There were apparently more than two kids under this roof.
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Stepping out of the ever bustling JFK airport Brandan stretched his arms and breathed in the summer air of the New york city. He had been here twice before, both trips were during his teen years. He looked around lazily, no wonder his favorite season was summer. Going to the beach, moving around freely without those woolen coats and furry hats, a relief from the dull whiteness of the snowy city.
Right at that moment, a sweet breeze hit his face and ruffled his hair in smooth caresses, like it was a miracle that touched him. Brandan was left in a form of blissful stupification.
Something was in the air here, something that screamed that he was finally home.
He was confused, how could he feel like this !!
Brandan's pleasure and puzzlement was short lived when he felt a hard push on his back and with a thud he found himself falling on the ground with Oliver sprawled half on top of him and both of their luggage flying around them while the cart strolled away.
"What the hell, Oliver! Where are your eyes... damn it !!" Brandan grunted dangerously.
Oliver groaned, it seemed like he was hurt. Badly. "I was looking around for you man but who knew you were standing over here like a statue. But... were you sniffing air? Are you freaking alright, Brandan ?"
Brandan stood up and brushed away the dirt from his clothes, as he began picking up their heavy bags whistling to a cab, Oliver hissed and lifted a hand. "Would you mind? Help me up buddy."
Brandan shrugged with indifference. "Help yourself."
Putting their luggage inside the hailed cab Brandan slid in and waited for Oliver, he heard Oliver muttering something like - "Selfish jerk" under his breath.
Brandan didn't mind, Oliver was his personal stress reliever of some sort with all his crazy antics and sometimes stupidity. He also could be the best advisor to him in both professional and personal level, and Brandan appreciated his one and only friend in recent times. Sometimes he wished he had Oliver during those years of his past when he was going astray being with those so called friends he had in college, then maybe Emma would now still be with him.
The sky scraper buildings and eye catching constructions zoomed passed, Brandan gazed at his own reflection upon the crystal clear glass of the cab. The two day's unshaven beard, his puffy red eyes and messy hair, results of the long tiring journey stared back at him on the glass as he craved to reach his new house that he had just bought recently. He thought of having a hot shower first and foremost and then put some food in his grumbling stomach before the fatigue and jet lag could kick in. This city's air had already put some kind of weird drug in his system, it was jumbling up all his nerves at the moment while his instincts whirled up into a storm and looked forward with batted breath - for something unknown.
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Emma was trying to make Sarah and Sammy go to bed since the last half an hour, but it looked like they were way too energized to do so. Emma was running after them in the whole room and nearly going out of her mind.
"Sarah. It's sleeping time honey, come here and get under the blankets right now."
Sarah jumped up and down on her bed making her pink duvet slid down on the floor. Her hair bounced up and down wildly as she shook her head in negative.
"But mommy! I no sleepyyy." The little girl sang.
Sammy had decided to crawl under the bed with his new bus, weird types of car horns made by his pouting mouth could be heard from under there.
Putting her hands on her hips getting really annoyed now, Emma yelled. "Come out, Sammy. Right now."
Sammy didn't say anything, just some gurgling sound imitating car engines was what Emma got in reply.
Emma huffed, it was a good thing that tomorrow was the weekend which meant no office, extra hours to sleep and a lot of pending household works to do, including the cleaning process of the whole damn house and of course the most important thing - grocery shopping.
But why the hell these little devils were not sleepy today! They bounced around like someone had fed them a hell lot of chocolates or cookies or coke. A light-bulb went off in her head, what might be the reason of the kids' vigorous energy clicked in her mind.
Standing in the space between their beds, Emma crossed her arms in an authoritative way. Someone was going to see the wrath of an angry mommy.
Emma tried to cool down taking a deep breath. "Sarah. Baby. "
Sarah was now having her puffy bear upon her head while still bouncing up and down on the mattress. "What - what, mommy?"
"Had someone given you candies or cookies ?"
Sarah nodded her head up and down.
Emma patted her foot on the floor, her suspicion was right. Now the name of the culprit. "Ahh huh. And who is that?"
Sarah yelled, "Savanah dada."
That woman. Emma narrowed her eyes.
Savanah was their neighbor, a nosy old widow in her mid sixties. She was into all kinds of bad habits - alcohol, smoking, butting into other neighbors' business and so on. In the inside though, the cranky old woman was a good person. It was this Savanah who had stepped forward and stood by Emma in hard times when she least expected it.
Emma still remembered how Savanah had helped her when she had an early labor during Sarah and Sammy's birth. And Emma would always be thankful to her for that especially when she had gone through the complicated pregnancy of the twins and was also in trouble building up her career at the same time.
Emma shook her head heaving a sigh, this was not the time to think about the tough turns of her past, this was the time to rectify the situation she had in hand right here right now and she knew exactly what to do. Taking a few steps forward she knelt down on the furry carpet in front of the glass door of the balcony.
She waited closing her eyes over there. Suddenly the noises in the room seemed to calm down.
Sarah's sweet voice could be heard. "Mommy what you doing ?"
By the noise of shuffling and rustling, Emma guessed Sammy must have also come out from under the bed.
"I am praying to God so that He gives us this chance to go to Hawaii during this summer vacation." Emma answered in a hushed tone with her eyes still closed.
There was an eery silence, Emma guessed the kids were holding their breaths while processing her words in their innocent minds. Then hurried footsteps stopped right behind her and she felt two presence in her both sides.
Now Sammy was the one who spoke. "Really ?"
Emma didn't say anything.
Curious, Sammy asked again. "If you pray to God we can go to ha- wee this summer ?"
"Yeah obviously but I think if both of you join me in the prayer God would take the matter more seriously." Emma answered quietly.
"Me pray mommy, me." Sarah said with bubbling enthusiasm.
Sammy joined in. "Me too. I want to go to ha-wee. The count dracula in hotel Transylvisa has gone there too."
Of course Sammy couldn't say Transylvania correctly but it made the name even more cute.
Then more shuffling noises and everything was quite again. Emma opened her eyes and looked at both of her sides to find her children kneeling down with their hands folded, just like her. Both of them were looking up at her with their big wide eyes. Expectantly.
"But you know the rules. You have to go to bed right after you say your prayers. Otherwise He hardly listens to naughty kids." Emma said them with all seriousness.
The answers came immediately as expected.
"We'll go to sleep mommy. We'll and I will make sure Sarah.. " Before Sammy could complete Sarah's urgent voice came out added with a scowl on her face, glaring cutely at her brother. "I go by myself mommy. Sammy not sure anything."
She showed Sammy her tongue poking it out adorably followed by Sammy reflecting her action.
So, the group of three sat there knelt down on the floor, their hands folded as they prayed to dear God in highest heavens so that He bestow them with the chance to go ha-wee this summer.
A bright star twinkled up above the sky and it twinkled so bright. They didn't know that right at that moment they were blessed with more than what they had asked for, more than what they could ever imagine.
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The new house and the suburb was quite nice, Brandan agreed. It wasn't the high profile type but not that low profile too. The comfortable friendly atmosphere around added to the plus points.
Getting out of the shower wearing only his trousers Brandan threw the towel upon his king size bed which looked so inviting. Raking a hand through his wet hair he opened the glass door of his balcony, freshness of sweet summer breeze hit his face making his knotted muscles relax immediately. Brandan slowly walked out and leaned down lazily placing his elbows upon the wooden railings.
He looked around not really paying much attention on anything particularly while his eyes suddenly stopped at the house across the street right in front of his house. To his eye level he watched three figures knelt down on the floor before the balcony, their hands folded. He guessed they were probably praying. What a wonderful sight !
A smile involuntarily spread across his lips. He couldn't see their faces clearly but it was pretty obvious that the only adult figure was of a woman and the other two on her both sides were children. They looked so engrossed in what they were doing.
Brandan leaned forward a little bit more, he had a strange wish raised in his heart suddenly. To kneel down just like them, beside them and pray or do whatever they were doing.
His heart soared.
He didn't know how long he was just watching them, their silhouette. After a while the group of three stood up, the woman who Brandan imagined to be the mother of those little children ushered her kids to bed. Then the light was turned off engulfing them into darkness and hiding them properly from his eyes.
Brandan's smile grew even wider, it had been so long since he had smiled like this. Then he strolled towards his own bed now feeling sleepy and exhausted till his bones but his heart, this part of his anatomy suddenly filled with a strange kind of blissful euphoria.
He closed his eyes wishing to dream of Emma like always but could only see the shadows of the woman and those two little one's praying.
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