One Road

It was already dark by the time Jordan came home from work that night. Tired and just wanting to shower and get something to eat, he didn’t really want to talk about anything, especially anything that had to do with Joshua Baker. I tried to talk to him about his day – I asked him what was wrong – but he told me everything was fine.

I didn’t believe him but I had house on my mind so I just wanted to talk about it since he wasn’t in the mood to do any talking. “So guess what?” I said cheerfully as I checked on the stew I had been keeping on warm until he got home. Jordan didn’t reply but a quick glance over my shoulder told me he was listening, barely, as he stood by the fridge drinking a glass of chocolate milk. “After practice today, Josh wanted to talk to me. At first I didn’t –”

“Anna, can’t this wait?”

“Well…” I hesitated but nodded. “It can but I just want to tell you –”

“If it can wait, then it can wait.”

“But Jordan, I –”

“Anna!”

After snapping at me numerous times for trying to bring up the conversation with Josh, I had enough of his pissy mood. “Find me when you aren’t such an ass,” I snapped at him before stomping out of the kitchen.

This house is too freakin’ small! I thought when I left the kitchen in a huff. There’s nowhere to go to blow off steam!

As I stomped down the hallway towards my old room, I heard Jenna’s little feet running on the floor behind me. “Ahh-naa-naa,” she called as she ran. “Wey Ahh-naa-naa, wey!” It was very difficult to continue my angry stomp down the hall.

I stopped, waited for her to get to me and then I knelt in front of her. “Hey Sweetie Pie, what do you have there?” Her eyes widened in childlike wonder as she held the sheet of construction paper she had been drawing on since we got home from school. “Oh! Wow!” I stared down at the multiple, multi-color circles she had drawn all over the paper. “That’s so pretty Jenna.” Handing the page back to her, I gave her a hug and suggested that she go show her daddy. “I bet he’ll want to hang it on the fridge.”

When Jenna ran to show Jordan, I continued down the hall, although, I wasn’t quite so pissed off. I ended up in my old room, a room that now consisted mainly of broken down boxes I picked up for Jordan to pack and other junk that migrated into the room over the last few months.

After moving some stuff around, I settled onto the carpet with a roll of tape and utility knife in my hand, intent on taping together some of the boxes so I could clean out that room. I’m not sure how long I was barred in the spare room before I heard the door open. I knew I should acknowledge him but I really didn’t wish to argue again, so I continued sorting through the pile of old clothes in front of me.

“Do you remember when you bought me that t-shirt?” He asked as I held up a ratty Bon Jovi t-shirt that had certainly seen better days.

“You swore up and down, you would never ever wear a non metal band shirt.”

“True,” he came further into the room. “I did say that but didn’t I wear it?” He plopped down next to me. “Hmm?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, not taking my eyes off the shirt. “Only because I got upset and cried.”

Slipping his arm around my stiff shoulders, he leaned into me. “I hate when I upset you, I never feel right.”

“Yeah…” I tossed the shirt into a trash pile while shrugging his arm off my shoulder. “What’s Jenna doing? She’s awful quiet.”

“Drawing you a picture.”

Nodding, I pushed off the floor and wandered over to another pile of stuff in the far corner. “She doesn’t have to do that.”

“No,” he followed me. “She doesn’t have to but she wants to because she loves you, just like I do.”

“Jordan…” I sighed as I turned to face him. “I know you love me, just like you know I love you with all my heart but –”

“Some times I’m an ass?”

I chuckled softly, my hand slipping over his chest. “Did I ever tell you that I over react?”

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he looked surprised. “Over react? You?” He shook his head. “No way Babe, you don’t over react at all.”

“Oh shush.” I lifted my face towards his and waited until he lowered his to kiss him. “I’m so sorry, you obviously weren’t having a great day and I didn’t…” I sighed. “I didn’t mean to keep pushing; I was just excited about the house Josh told me about. That’s all.”

“House?” Jordan frowned. “What house?”

“The one he wouldn’t let me leave the school without tell me about.” My eyes widened as I told Jordan it sounded like something we were looking for. “He told me that a friend of his in real estate told him about the house – it’s not yet listed with a company but the current owner had been talking to his friend about listing the house.”

“And Josh just knew it was what we were looking for?”

“Well…” I chewed nervously on my bottom lip.

Jordan sighed, glancing away for a moment. “When you two were together, you talked about houses, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Jordan asked me how that worked. “I tried to talk about a house that I would love to live in someday but he never really did give much.” I shrugged. “He always talked about the future but never anything real. You know?”

“I hope you never feel that way with me Anna.” His arms tightened around me as he held me against his chest. “I want…” He sighed. “Do you know why I was in such a mood when I got home?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Wanda called me, the couple that want to buy this house, want to move in before the end of the month – it’s a deal breaker if they can’t.”

“What?!?!”

He groaned. “I have to pack, move and clean everything in less than two weeks!”