Foreword
Foreword |
The day I met the love of my life. It was the hottest Fourth of July I’ve ever experienced. I was sweating while getting ready. While waiting for siblings to get ready so that we can watch the fireworks at the High School Football Stadium, I watch the new people moving across the street. Two teen boys jump in and out of the moving truck, and a man paces near the front door. There was a third boy, lying in the grass, pulling at the weeds. I move away from my bedroom window going downstairs, where my mother was still packing snacks and my father was still flipping through channels on TV.
“I’m waiting outside!” I shout, before swinging open the front door and jumping outside. I slam the door behind me, jumping off the porch and walking towards the car. “You know there are a lot of fire ants on that lawn,” I say, leaning against my mother’s car. The boy looks up at me, before down at the grass.
“And how would you know?” he asks.
“I’ve lived across the street all my life, I think I know more about this street then you do newbie,” I say, he nods to himself before pushing out of the grass.
“I’m Abraham, but you can call me Braum,” he says.
“Adeya,” I say.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“To watch fireworks, want to come? We have the room,” I say, he looks back at his house seeing his brothers working before shrugging.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he says, on cue my front door swings open and my mom walks out followed my older brother and sister, and my dad.
“Come on Deya, get in the car! We have to hurry!” she says.
“Can Braum come with us?” I ask.
“Who?” she asks, I point across the street at Braum who sheepishly waves back at my family.
“Uh… Is that okay with your parents honey?” my mom asks, and Braum just nods. “Then alright with me, come on!” Braum crosses the street and joins me in the furthest seat of the minivan, my sister and brother taking the middle seat. When we make it to the high school, Laila waits for me outside of the entrance. Bouncing from one foot to the other, her mother dressed her in color overalls, and her bright orange hair is pulled into two pig tails, for a 9-year-old she sure looked like a.4-year-old.
“Hey!” she says.
“Hey Laila, this is Braum,” I say, pulling Braum to my side. “He just moved across the street,” I say.
“Hello Braum, short for something I suppose?” Laila asks, looking at Braum up and down. “I’m Laila,”
“My full name is Abraham, but no one calls me that,” Braum says. Laila wraps her arms with me.
“Well Abraham,” Laila says, with a wide smile. “We have to get good seats, before the show starts!” she says excitedly, pulling us through the entrance. We join the rest of the kids our age sitting on the grass of the football field with the best view of everything. From that night forward, we became the three musketeers. We did everything together Vacation, Birthday Parties, slumber parties, it was just us three. We went through middle school together and were going do high school the same. I never saw Braum as anything else but my best friend, I could tell him everything all my fear, all my pain, all my woes with my family, he was like my diary.
“I’ve been thinking,” Braum says, pushing me on the swing. “I have something to tell you,”
“What’s up?” I say, letting my feet drag so he doesn’t push me so high.
“We’re starting high school soon, and I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” he says. “And I like you,” Braum says, before stepping in front of me.
“I like you too Braum,” I say, he rubs the back of his neck.
“No, you don’t understand, I like you Adeya,” he says, grabbing the swing chains. “Like, Like you…. For the longest of time,” he says.
“Oh, seriously…” I say, he nods. “Well…. I like you too Braum,” I say. He smiles pulling me to my feet and pulling me into a kiss, his lips were rough. Braum was my first kiss, he was my first everything. My first date, my first love, my first everything, he was my everything.
++
“Rue,” Braum says, running his fingers through my hair. I look up at him, and he’s staring at his TV.
“Who?” I ask.
“The name of our first daughter, Rue,” he says, looking down at me. “Do you like it?”
“So, we’re naming our children now?” I ask, with a smile.
“Of course, we’re going to get married we have to think of these things ahead of time,” he says, falling back in bed.
“Alright, so our first daughter is Rue,” I say, crawling over and resting my head on his chest. “What about our first son”
“Collin,” he says, running his fingers through my hair. “And we’ll have one dog and a cat”
“Ruffles and Caramel,” I say, he chuckles, and it vibrates my head. I lift looking down at him. “We’ll live somewhere quiet,” I say, he stares up at me, his hands running up and down my back.
“You’ll be a badass songwriter, and I’ll be your groupie” he smiles, I lean down pecking him on his lips.
“And you’ll be an amazing photographer,” I whisper.
“And we’ll grow old together,”
“Together forever,” I say.
“Forever and ever” he smiles. “Don’t worry about the test baby, you’re the smartest person I know?” he says.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve someone so great” I whisper.
“Ditto”
