Page 9 of Summer Message

I wonder if I should call him to let him know about all of this. I’ll get Al and my mom’s opinion.

We eat dinner, making small talk. My mom lets me know how my sister and brothers are doing. She’s going to be a grandma soon, so she’s going to stay with my brother and sister-in-law for a month once my brother goes back to work after his paternity leave is up. She wants the three of them to bond before she takes over smothering her grandbaby.

“Are you feeling okay, baby?” Mom brushes my brown hair from my forehead.

“Yeah. I’m debating on how to handle my job interview in two days. The swelling will be gone, but the bruises will still be front and center.”

“Call the interviewer tomorrow and fill him in on everything. You have the paperwork to back it all up,” Al tells me in between bites of lasagna.

I can’t help but laugh.”Slow down man or you’re going to choke.”

I laugh and throw a piece of garlic bread at him. My mom laughs but tries to cover it up with a cough.

“We’re hitting the club tonight, right, Mrs. C?” Al asks after swallowing his huge bite.

“Yes, we are. I want to do some line dancing.”

I groan. Line dancing isn’t something I’ll be up for tonight.

After dinner, I do the dishes while my mom goes upstairs to my room to get ready. I’m going to jump in the shower while she’s changing.

Nashville has a lot to offer for the country music fan. There is something for everyone in this city, though. Mom made a list of everything that she wants to see while she’s here. We’re going to get her tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. It’s been her dream since she was a child to sit in the audience. I’m happy to make that dream a reality. Al leaves in a week to head to camp, so we’re going to try to make the most of the time until then since he won’t be home a lot.

“Mom, are you done in my room?”I call from the bathroom.

“Yes, honey. I’m downstairs,” she yells back.

As I get dressed in jeans and a dress shirt, I try to let my phone charge some. I want to make sure to take pictures of my mom so she can remember her trip. I’m finally ready, but I’m a little nervous about my face, head, and leg. The bruising from the fall looks awful and my leg is still feeling pretty tender. I know I’m pushing it. But my mom deserves to be spoiled, so she gets whatever she wants.

I sigh before walking down the steps to join Al and mom in the living room. She’s ready to go, dressed to the nines. She has on her turquoise cowboy boots and some weird looking brown skirt. I shake my head at her outfit. Everyone is going to know that she’s a tourist.

Hopefully, she has a good time.

5

Kristina

The house is finally starting to look like a home.

Mom and I are putting personal touches to everything. We decided to start with the upstairs first because it would be easier to put everything in the dining room and living room to navigate upstairs instead of working around the already set living room.

Each room is going to have a bed, dresser, and nightstand. One of the rooms is going to be an office/gym. Randi called and said once she gets her vacation time, then she’ll come visit me. I wish she were here already so she could do her own work.

Thankfully, we’ll be sleeping up here tonight instead of on the air mattresses. It’ll save our backs, that’s for sure. My phone starts ringing. It’s the school I’m going to be working at.

“Hello.”

“Hi. I’m looking for Kristina West.” The voice on the other end is professional and almost curt.

“This is she. How may I help you?” I walk into the kitchen to get away from the noise.

Her voice warms a little. “My name is Alice Turner and I’m the Vice Principal. I wanted to welcome you personally. Do you want to get lunch as soon as you’re here?”

I smile.”I’m already here, and working on my new house as we speak. My parents are here to help get the major part of it done. So I’m available anytime.”

“Why don’t we get lunch when your parents are gone? Spend some time with them and relax in your new home. Welcome again.”

Alice and I talk for a few minutes and I learn that she lives in the next town over from me. She’s so nice and makes me feel like I made the right choice.

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