《A Completely Different Story》{Ten}
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You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.
-Unknown.
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"Look Graham! It's a balloon!" I exclaimed. Two hours later and our photo appointment is over. Sarah had so many ideas she wanted Graham and I to do after scrolling through Pinterest last night, at least that's what she told me. Alfonso, the photographer gave me a big blue folder with the photos inside and handed Graham a green balloon.
As we headed back home Graham had started to cry.
I took off my seat belt and leaned over to look for Graham's bottle in the baby bag I had in the back seat. Graham continued to cry as I rummaged through the bag to find the bottle. "Graham hold on, I know it's somewhere in here."
I gave him his bottle once I finally found it and he started drinking from it, slowly ending his crying.
The rest of the day Sarah and I spent at the park with Graham. As I started swinging him softly Sarah sighed and nudged my shoulder. "What's on your mind?" I looked up at her and shrugged. "Nothing important. Just zoning out." I tried sounding convincing, but by the look on her face I knew I wasn't fooling anyone.
"Fine. I was thinking about how everything was before Graham. Dad and I were best friends, and all I had to worry about was which college I was planning on going. It was all easy. My point is, that of I didn't end up with Graham, I wouldn't be how I am now. I wouldn't have known how it really feels like to be responsible. I would've just been another breathing girl with that picket white fence. I'm now realizing that I don't want simple. I want to work hard to achieve stuff, you know? And Graham helped me see that." Sarah smiled and hugged me tightly.
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"I love it when you get all motivational." We both shared a laugh and continued playing with Graham in the park; occasionally going down the slides and playing hide and seek. It was a good day nonetheless, and I'm glad I got to convince Sarah away from my real thoughts. My thoughts about Graham's father.
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After spending a few hours at the park I decided to take Graham back home. Right now he was sleeping and I was laying down on my bed doing some homework after taking a shower. It took me awhile to finish but when I finally completed the essay for English I had only one thing in my mind. Food. I got off my bed and headed downstairs to see if there was some leftover spaghetti.
As I heated up my plate in the microwave I heard the front door open and close. A few seconds later my dad walked in and all the awkward tension filled up the room real quick. He didn't spare one glance at me as he walked to the fridge and furrowed his eyebrows as he looked for something. The only sound in the room was the soft hum of the microwave and my dad rummaging through the fridge.
"The chocolate cake is in the bottom drawer." I mumbled. He froze and looked at me from the top of the fridge door and slowly nodded. It went stayed quiet as he took it out and served himself a slice. In my mind I was urging the microwave to hurry up; this silence was killing me and I was so nervous I felt like peeing. Is that weird?
Yes, yes it is.
Right when I heard those four beats I opened the microwave and took my plate out. I got my Dr. Pepper and a fork, stabbing it into the spaghetti before picking both things up and heading to the dining room. "Thanks Maggie." I froze and looked back, but my dad was already walking out towards the living room. He spoke to me, and it wasn't a negative comment. A smile found my face as I walked to the dining room. Sarah just might be right about him needing time.
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———
"Nooo, I don't wanna go." Sarah groaned into her pillow and hit her mattress. I sighed and pulled on her foot. "Please Sarah, it's only one trip and it won't even take long. I don't want to go alone." She huffed and shook her head. "Take Graham." I rolled my eyes. "He's asleep and he's sick. Just come with me. I'll buy you Nerds." Sarah instantly perked up and slid on her flats, running down the stairs. I laughed and followed her, stopping by the living room where my dad was watching baseball.
"Uh, dad? I'm going to Target withSarah to buy a few things for Graham. He's asleep in his room and should stay like that until I get back, but if he wakes up could you give him a bottle?" He looked away from the screen and nodded. "Okay. Drive safe." I nodded slowly and turned around, heading outside.
"Is it just me or is dad actually being nice to me again?" I was in a daze as I got in the car and reversed since Sarah had already started the engine. She grinned and put the window down, sticking her hand out as she turned up the radio. "Told you he just needed time." I smiled and started singing to the radio, suddenly in a happy mood.
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