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"New kids on the block had a bunch of hits..." Standing on the front porch, I waited for something to strike my attention. The radio was playing, and I sang along quietly. Nothing like a sticky summer afternoon to change one's mood, I always say.
Suddenly the heat was too much for me, and I moved inside, glancing out the screen door before moving into my kitchen, glad the air conditioning was working again. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was time to start making dinner. As I prepared the meal, my thoughts traveled back in time, and I remembered why I was in the summer hell in the first place.
~~~~
"Mommy, Mommy!!! Chester hit me!"
"Don't call me that! Mom, she won't stop teasing me," the fourteen year old male complained to his mother. The two mothers looked at each other and sighed, knowing where this was going. The nine year old girl would stalk off crying, leaving the boy frustrated and upset, after which he would run after her and make her feel better. Then the whole process would start over again... unless...
The boy's mother got an idea. "Oh Sylvia, isn't it cute when these two play together? You just know they're going to end up married." A knowing smile lit up the other woman's face.
"I agree, Maria. They are so adorable! And they even fight like lovers! It's destiny!" she cried with a sparkle in her eye. Staring off into space, the older woman looked almost thirteen again, when she had first met her own husband. It was a beautiful transformation that lasted a mere second, but seemed an eternity to Maria.
Looking each other directly in the eye, the two kids cried, "Ewwwwwwwwww!" and ran off together, leaving the two moms laughing hysterically. Grabbing the younger girl's hand, Chester dragged her off behind a house, where they collapsed into a pile of giggles.
"I can't believe they just said that! I mean... Misty? Misty, are you okay?" he asked worriedly. The young girl nodded slowly, resting her cheek on his chest, curling up to him. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her, letting her cuddle up to him. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about the future her mother had just predicted, and wondered if it could ever be true.
"Chet?" He looked down at her questioningly. "What are we going to do when we grow up?"
"I don't know about you, baby, but I'm gonna stay right here. Have a nice little family and live in that big house on the hill..." His mind trailed off and he smiled to himself, knowing exactly what the house would look like, and how he would set it up.
"Well," the girl in his arms began, inturrupting his daydreams. "I want to travel. I don't think I ever want to get married, ever. I want to see the world!" His smile softened and he brought the girl's eyes up to meet his.
"Then it shall be so, my dear," he promised, although niether of them really understood those words just then. Nodding, she settled herself back against him to sleep, feeling safe in his arms, as she always had.
The next few years passed by in mere seconds it seemed, as the two stuck through an overwhelmingly rough friendship. Chet was always getting jealous of Misty's boyfriends, and usually drove them away by promising to kill them if they hurt her. Misty, on the other hand, wasn't any better, shunning the girls Chet dated and playing nasty pranks on them until they left. It continued this way for some time, yet they were always best friends in the end, and they tried to keep it at that. Even if her first kiss was from Chet, even if his first dream about girls starred Misty, they were only friends, nothing more, nothing less.
Until one day when she got restless with the southern life, and took off leaving only a note for Chet. He had been heartbroken, and decided to never leave the house again, except to buy the house on the hill and fix it up in case he ever met the love of his life. And he knew if she ever came /back/, he would take her anywhere she wanted to go /because she loves to travel/, and he would never stop her from going after her ambitions /because that would kill the fire in her eyes/.
~~~~
When Misty had finally come back from her travels, she had arrived on Chet's doorstep in the rain, looking ragged nad tattered yet somehow more at peace with herself and the world. She explained to him later that his mother had told her where to find him, smiling conspiratorially and winking. He had enjoyed that story immensly, knowing his own mother well enough to recognize those movements.
"Let me get you something," he had requested, but she had declined, teling him she wanted him to learn of her new domestic skills. Casting her a skeptical glance, he had agreed, letting her have the kitchen to herself.
Preparing the meal, she had become lost in thought, wondering if Chet would ever forgive her mistake, and if he had realized yet that he was the one she had been waiting for. She knew it would be possible for her to settle down now, and maybe a vacation only once a year would satisfy her. She knew he was the one she needed in her life, and she could only hope he felt the same.
"Baby, are you burning macaroni and cheese?" had come the voice from the kitchen doorway. Gasping, she had hurriedly turned off the oven and tried desperatly to save the meal, but lost an already downhill battle. Smiling gently, the man had come to his maiden's rescue, teaching her to cook and other things, bringing them closer than ever. That night they had realized their feelings for each other, and celebrated them. It was the most wonderful experience of both of their lives.
~~~~
"Burning the Mac and Cheese again, are we? Baby, I thought you would've known better!" came a teasing voice from the kitchen doorway. Gasping, I looked at the blackened and charred meal in the cooking pot, and quickly turned off the stove, even though I knew this meal was unsalvageable. Feeling arms around my waist, I leaned against my husband.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Chester?" I teased him. Moving his hand to my side, he tickled me, making me squirm around. "No fair!"
"It is too, Misty, my baby. I love you," he whispered in my ear, making me sigh happily.
"I love you too, Chet."
That night we celebrated our 5 year anniversary.
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