Page 16 of Ever After

“They are. I have some friends that had them at a young age. It changes your life. I think that’s why I’ve waited.”

“You’re still young, though.”

“I know I am, but living in Utah, if you don’t have kids by the time you’re twenty-one, you’re an old maid.”

“Twenty-one,” he says, his mouth open and eyes wide.

“Yup.”

“Your life is barely starting at that age.”

“It has to do a lot with the Mormon culture over there. They turn eighteen, graduate high school, get married, and start a family. Some people that aren’t Mormon fall into that, too. There was a high school teacher that I ran into. I think I was nineteen, and he asked me if I was married with kids yet. The shock on his face looked like I told him I killed someone when I said no.”

“That’s crazy. How did you not fall into that?”

“Watching them made me not want to fall into that. I got married young. That would be the only thing I fell into. Kids are on a whole other level. I didn’t want to bring into the mix being that young. A few of my friends had kids at a young age, and watching how hard it was on them, made me want to wait.”

“How old were you when you got married?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Did you guys ever talk about kids?”

“We did and we never wanted them at the time. Then our problems came, and we both knew kids couldn’t be in the picture. Did you and your ex talk about kids?”

“Briefly, I would always change the subject. Deep down, I’m not sure what I was thinking about the whole marriage thing. Every time subject of children came up, I would run from it. You live and you learn. Sometimes I think it is a blessing that she cheated on me. I just wish it wasn’t with a friend of mine,” he says and shrugs his shoulders.

I’m glad I stayed with Jay. He’s fun and helps me take my mind off of things. I was dwelling on my marriage and trying to do everything the therapist told us to do. That’s all my life was about for too long.

Light shinesstraight into my eyes, making my head throb harder than it already is and wakes me up. I toss a pillow over my head to shield the light, but then in the distance, I hear clinking noises. The covers on the bed fall off as I lift my head and body to see where the noise is coming from. That’s when I look down and notice I’m still in my swimsuit from yesterday.

“Good morning.”

I lift myself up more and look over at Jay setting up breakfast on the table. My head is throbbing worse than before, and I lay my head back down on my hands and close my eyes.

“Do you have a hangover?”

My head barely nods.

“Want any breakfast?”

The second I hear those words, my hands come up to my mouth, stopping the vomit that’s about to protrude out. I throw the covers off of me and rush to the bathroom.

After about ten minutes, I’m able to lift my head off the toilet. I start the shower and get in to scrub off yesterday’s sunscreen and sweat. The steam from the hot water is helping the pressure ease off my head.

I’m trying to rewind my brain to yesterday to see if there is anything I did to make myself look stupid. I can remember how I got to our room. He didn’t carry me back. At least I could walk.

I stumble my way out of the bathroom to the table in a robe.

“Do you feel better?” he asks.

“Better than before. My brain is still thumping against my skull.”

“Eat some breakfast.”

I reach over and grab a bagel and spread strawberry cream cheese on it. There are so many options he always outdoes himself.

“You should let me pay for our meals since you’re paying for the room.”

---