Chapter two: Future

A/N: OK, this is where we start off in my future. I will be having lots of flashbacks to explain things from 14 to 33 years of age. So, dun worry and dun be confused.

Oh, and I’m not gonna make everything run by computers and Robots cause I dun wanna, so things aren’t going to be VERY futuristic, cause…well, I dun wanna make it like dat!!!

“Sonny! Eric and I are going to the scenic route. You take Emily and I’ll meet you in Baker!” I yelled at my new husband from my SUV. We were piling into our two large vehicles on Christmas morning in the year 2022. We were headed off to my mother’s house in California, or what was left of it from the big quake of 2011. Cali had been split in half by a large earthquake and now part of it and it’s inhabitants were an island. But my mother and father lived on the connected half. They loved fat from each other but close enough for family gatherings to take place.

My 14 year old son Eric and I were taking the scenic route, like we always had, to get there. My 13 year old daughter was in the other car with my husband, Sonny.

I was 33, and two months pregnant. I planned to tell my parents that night at Christmas dinner. It was my first child with Sonny, and I was overjoyed, despite the difference in age from my older children. Speaking of my children I should tell you a little bit about them.

*
First, I must make a statement. In the teen world of 2022 there are three main groups: Goths, Punks (rockers), and Preps. There are no boy preps, only girls…well, there are a few boy preps but they’re.…gay…heh

My son, Eric, is 14, and extremely tall which is expected since I am tall as is his father. He is a punk. He has brown hair in a tousled bowl cut kind of style. He wears large jeans and baggy shirts. He listens to hard metal, a type of music that was still going strong. He has a girlfriend. A very nice preppy girl named…Erica. She is blonde tall and has green eyes. She was my good friend Angela’s daughter.

My daughter, Emily is 13. She is a bit short, a gene extracted from some old relative or her neglectance to drink milk. She is a Goth. Not something I’m too proud of but, I support the way she wants to dress. She is also tall. Her hair is dyed black and she is always wearing black baggy jeans and black tank tops. Her father hates it but loves her. I love her as well, so we let her dress her own way.

Now I guess I must reveal their father. I met him in the 7th grade. He was a jack-ass but later on, he grew soft and we pretty much fell in love in 9th grade. We finished high school and stayed in Vegas to go to Collage at UNLV. He played basket ball and I was at every game.

We were married at 19. Why so early you ask? Well, because I got pregnant. I had Eric and we managed to both stay in college and finish for a Bachelors Degree. We both got degrees in Journalism. He wrights sports for the Review Journal and has his own sports AM talk show. I moved on to editing books and sending them to publishers. When I was 20, I had my daughter Emily.

But when I was 24 and Eric was 5 Emily 4, I knew that I didn’t want to do just this. My life long dream ever since September 11th, 2001 was to do something for my country and become a fire-fighter. They had gone from dreams to goals when my history teacher said to our class, “American children are getting lazy. China could walk right in and take us over right now, and we could all be sitting on our butts watching T.V. throughout the whole thing. A few days later, I started to exercise and got my self in shape.

So it was no sweat getting through the physical exam for fire-fighters and soon I was in my yellow outfit, riding the red trucks.

To this day I am firefighter but I have been skipping around the point we started with. Who is the father…well, his name is Jordan Poole.

Anyway, back to the future:

We were driving along the mountains and Eric kept freaking with the radio. He passed by stations very fast and even faster on the 90’s and 10’s music. But in that spilt second I heard the sound of a country song that I had loved so long ago. I pushed his hand away and turned the volume up.

“Mom? Come on…you don’t like country!”

“Eric, PLEASE! Be quiet!”

I listened to the song of long ago and some of the words struck me right in the heart (those words are marked with *’s)

Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days
Sometimes it feels like this worlds gone crazy
Grandpa, take me back to yesterday
When the line between right and wrong
Didn't seem so hazy

(Chorus)

*Did lovers really fall in love to stay*
*And stand beside each other, come what may*
*Was a promise really something people kept*
*Not just something they would say*
*Did families really bow their heads to pray*
******Did daddies really never go away*****
Oh, grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days

*Grandpa, everything is changing fast*
We call it progress, but I just don't know
*And grandpa, Let's wander back into the past
And paint me the picture of long ago*

(Repeat Chorus)

*Did lovers really fall in love to stay*
*And stand beside each other come what may*
*Was a promise really something people kept*
*Not just something they would say and then forget*
*Did families really bow their heads to pray*
*********Did daddies really never go away************
Oh, grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days
Oh, grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days

As the song neared it’s end, Eric started to listen to the chorus and he heard the words. He looked over at me just in time to see the tear roll down my cheek.

“Mom…”

“Yes, Eric?” I said, smiling and wiping the tear from my cheek.

“Mom, why did you leave dad?”

I looked out the window wondering if it was time to tell him.

“Was it because you didn’t love him?”

“Oh, Eric, no. I loved your father and I still do. He will always have that special place in my heart.”

“Then why did you divorce him and marry Sonny AND get pregnant with Sonny.”

“Your father and I met in the…7th grade. He was a real jerk. He went out with…Angela first. Then during the end of 7th grade, I started to get a bit more…feminine. I died my hair, waxed my eyebrows, stopped drinking Soda. This made him like me. We went out for a while and in 9th grade, he knew that he loved me not for my hair, but for my…personality. We married at 19, and we both went to the same college. I had you then Emily. Then last year …..”

“Mom…”

“I have known Sonny since….3rd grade and he was a great friend until 6th grade, then he was a jerk until 8th grade then we became friends. When your father and I broke it off, he was there as much as Holly, Angela, Jessica and DeDe.” I told him of my four best friends, whom he’s referred to as Aunty Jessica, Aunty Angela etc…until a few years ago.

“Ok, now can you get to the part of why you left my father?”

I sighed in frustration...teenagers were horrible….

“Eric, your father and I made this decision together. We got divorced because…we were both in love with someone else….I have been in love with Sonny since…forever, same with him and….Casey. But we still loved each other. It all came down who we loved more. We talked about it for a year, but decided to stay together for the two of you. Then, one night your father came home drunk and told me he loved Casey more then he loved me. It hurt so bad. When he was sober again, he told me he didn’t mean it. He told me he loved me. Then he sat down and cried…I had never seen your father cry before.’

“That night we decided that this couldn‘t happen again, and we broke it off.”

“And he went to Casey and you went to Sonny….” Eric trailed off.

“Yes. But you must know that your father and I love each other and you and your sister. And he is still welcome at my parents house for Christmas.”

“Dad’s coming to grandma’s!?”

“Yep.”

‘With Casey…”

“Oh, no. Nope, no no no” We both laughed. Casey was a self-centered lunatic. Eric and Emily both hated her, but they liked Sonny, which made me happy.

We arrived in Baker, California and met Sonny and Emily in Star Burger, a burger joint that sold salad. While we were eating Jordan walked in. He looked around and Sonny loudly placed his fork down. Emily ran up to him and hugged him tightly. Eric walked up to him, keeping him cool but still gave him a hug.

He walked back with them, gave me a hug, but didn’t look into my eyes. He shook Sonny’s hand, but said no more. He sat down next to Emily and listened to her talk about school.

I looked at Sonny while he glared at Jordan’s back. Sonny and Jordan had been good friends, but ever since that day a year ago, after the divorce, Sonny hadn’t spoken to him…that was one reason that I knew Sonny loved me. To think of me over one of his best friends.

We finished eating and were on the road again. Jordan was following me and I was following Sonny. We arrived at my father’s house shortly and dropped our stuff at his house. Jordan plugged up in a room, Eric, Emily and sonny went out to play football, and my father and I started to talk.

“Pumpkin…Zach is coming tonight. For Christmas.” My dad said. I let my jaw drop.

Zach….here I hadn’t seen him in…15 years…ever since my first wedding….

.+.FlashBack.+.

I was standing at the alter after the vows were said and before the cake, surrounded by my father, mother, Alex and Noah (my other brothers ages 12 and 11) Jordan’s Family and his brother. Suddenly the doors opened and a large woman walked in followed by a small seven year old boy…my (half) brother, Zachary.

I hadn’t seen Zach since he was 5 and only briefly. Seeing my father, he ran to him and hugged him. Then he looked up at me. He ran up to me and opened his arms and was about to hug me when Lisa stepped in front of him.

“What do you think you Are doing!?” She yelled.

“I was going to give Rachel a hug, mommy.”

She laughed and looked at him. “Why would you do that.”

“Because she’s my big sister, mommy.”

She laughed. “No…she’s not.”

That put me over the top…I got very angry, walked up to her, with my wedding dress on, drew back my fist and punched her in the face. Something I had been aching to do since I was 8. My brothers, Alex and Noah started to crack up, my mother giggled behind her hand, My grandparents from both sides smiled happily, my father tried to look worried but let out a snort. Soon everyone, even little Zach him self was laughing at the large figure holding her bleeding nose.

But she had gotten over it, and ran away….with Zach.

“You’ll never see Zachary again, Rachel.” Lisa at the door.

I smiled at Zach, waved and said: “See you soon Buddy.” Lisa huffed and pushed him out the door.

+..+

“He...he…is?” I said. I looked at my father in disbelief.

“Yes. He called me yesterday, and said that he had finally gotten away from Lisa. She is in a hospital. He found my number and called me.”

“Oh, my God, daddy! That’s great!” I hugged him and walked out to the front yard where Emily and Eric were playing one on one basket ball. I looked around and saw Sonny and Jordan talking on two chairs by the street. I smiled. I hoped they would get over their differences and become friends again. Sonny had been one of Jordan’s best men at the wedding.

I walked over to them and sat next to Sonny. Jordan looked away and over at Eric and Emily.

“Sonny, Jordan, Zachary, my little half-brother is coming over for Christmas!”

Sonny hugged me and smiled “That’s great Rachel.”

Jordan smiled at me again, but didn’t look straight into my eyes.

I frowned and went and told the kids.

Soon, Sonny, Eric, Emily, me, a reluctant Jordan, my dad and my brothers were in a game of foot ball in the large back yard.

-*-*-*-*that night*-*-*-*

After a tearful reunion with Zachary. I went to sleep. I woke up with a letter under my door. It said:

Mom,
We went out to look at lights. WE left at 7:30. (I looked at the clock..7:40) We thought you’d like to sleep. We are all gone except for Dad. He’s is in the den, looking at photo albums. Luv ya!
-Emily

I slowly walked into the Den and saw Jordan facing the other way, looking in photo album. I walked forward and saw that it was our wedding album. I walked closer and saw that he had taken one of the pictures out. It was the one of us feeding each other cake. I smiled and let out a giggle.

He turned around and I saw that his eyes were cloudy.

He tried to smile but didn’t.

“Come on, Jordan, let’s go for a walk.” I took his hand and pulled him up. We left the house and walked down the street. It started to rain hard.

We kept walking, staying silent.

Suddenly, Jordan stopped. I turned to him and saw that rain drops were not the only thing running down his face. There were tears also.

He said, “Rachel, I’m so sorry. I just…was stupid.”

“Jordan! It’s been a year, please get on with your life! We’re over.”

“I know but…I miss you. And…I left Casey, because she is crazy, but I still feel incomplete…I need closure.”

Suddenly, for the first time in a year Jordan looked down at me with his brown eyes. I forgot about Sonny, Eric, Emily and the baby inside me. I forgot it all, and I lifted my toes and kissed him. The rains fell around us and we stayed embraced.

He moved his hands to my stomach and I let go and let out a cry, placing my hands over my stomach. It surprised even me.

Jordan stared. “You…your, pregnant…Oh, God, Rachel, What’ve I done. I’m sorry.” He started to turn away but I grabbed his shoulder.

“Jordan, it was my fault. I’m sorry.”

He looked at me with a face I’d never seen on him before. The rain matted his hair against his face. The rain drops dripped down his face, which made the grave look on his face seem even more horrible. His eyes were not bright brown anymore…but a dark, almost burnt color.

He placed a hand on my cheek and rubbed it.

“I love you, and I always will.”

And for the second time, Jordan Poole walked away, breaking my heart.

a/n: JESUS! Punks don’t cry, so why am I starting too…ok, I’m fine..but anyway, the rest will be put up soon.