I cut the engine to the car and take a deep breath before getting out to stretch and gather my many things. I make multiple trips from my car to the front door, before locking up my car and unlocking the front door to then bring all of the bags in the house. Hearing me come into the house, Jackson who is in the kitchen, helps me bring the rest of my things into the house. Going as far as taking them up to my room.
"Heyyy, I'm home," I call out to the rest of my family and take out my phone to quickly text Mekhi.
"Hey honey," Mom says walking out of her office with Dad.
"Hey Na na," Journey says coming down the stairs.
"So, how was your weekend," Mom asks sitting on the couch patting the seat next to her.
"It was really good," I say going to sit next to her.
"I'm going to check on a few things before we head out," Dad says kissing Mom then me on the forehead.
"Yes dear," Mom says lovingly looking at Dad.
"I'll go with Dad," Jackson says returning from his room and following Dad's steps.
"Alright, be safe and come back soon,"' Mom says as they walk out the door and Journee join us on the couch.
"Now, let's have it. How was Mekhi's mother," Mom says getting right to the point.
"She was very nice, I gifted her a silk scarf and her favorite perfume…with Mekhi's help. She asked a lot of questions and is very protective of him like Dad is with me. She also helped me to realize that I should learn how to run your and Dad's businesses. We had an early dinner together, she was excited to meet me which I guess is a bonus," I reply to her.
"Did she give you a hard time," Mom asks with a concerned look.
"No, not really. She asked about my studies and plans after graduating because of our age difference," I reply smoothly.
"So do you think she has accepted you," she asks.
"Yes, she wants to set a date to meet you and Dad with her husband. I know you are going on a second honeymoon so I will wait for you to let me know when you're free to do so. She does want to meet before classes start up again," I say to her.
"I know we have had this conversation before, but I want to know if you are truly ready to be with Mekhi before I agree to meet his parents. I have been worried about you and feel like maybe I've pushed you too fast," she asks seriously.
"I can only speak for the present and the foreseeable future mother. As long as he is loyal to me and can love me I am willing to be with him. So yes, I am ready to be with him. Without your pushing, I truly believe we would still be here having this conversation since my running into him was truly accidental and if I hadn't he would have introduced himself purposely," I say confidently with a smile.
"Alright, as long as you are this confident about it then I will support you. I'll talk to your father about a day for everyone to sit down and meet one another," she says nodding with a smile.
"Thank you Mom. I really appreciate you guys and everything you have done for me," I say grateful and humble.
"You are more than welcome Nani. Your father and I will always be there for you and your siblings whether you want us or not," she says looking at both me and Journee.
"Alright, that's enough mushy stuff! How was the mall trip yesterday," Journee asks changing the mood.
"It was huge! We got a lot of stuff from there. I didn't get a chance to explore the mall in its entirety, but I want to go back for sure. Jackson brought the bags to my room, I can show you all the things I bought later on," I say excitedly.
"How much time did you get to spend in there," Journee asks with a smile.
"Maybe six or seven hours, but with the time we took to have lunch and spent in the first department store it feels so much shorter," I reply to her.
"How is Mekhi doing by the way," Mom asks.
"He's doing really well. He actually bought me something for the new place," I say with a smile.
"Well you could have invited him to go over and look at the new place with us," Mom says encouraging.
"No, it's alright he has some things he has to take care of as well as preparing for the championship match," I say to her with a smile.
"That's right! I almost forgot about that," Mom says nodding her head.
"And they've just spent all weekend together, Mom. I'm sure they need a little bit of space from one another. Plus with midterms starting tomorrow, Mekhi is considerate enough to give her some time to focus on her studies," Journee says wisely.
"You seem to know him very well," Mom says raising an eyebrow.
"No…it's just that he's so into Lena that everything he does seems to be in her benefit and making or keeping her happy. I think it's a good thing, it reminds me of you and Dad," Journee responds to her and I look at her in amazement.
"That's good to hear, him caring about Lena so much that it reminds you me and Dad is definitely a good thing," Mom says smiling at me.
"Yes, he is very considerate of me and pays attention to my needs for sure," I say nodding my head.
We chat for a little while longer before Dad and Jackson are back to pick us up to head to my new place. We all pile into the family's SUV filled with excitement and I am reminded of how grateful I am for the family I have. The drive is barely fifteen minutes away, when we arrive the community is somewhat secluded yet beautiful. It has both single family and town homes as well as its own park, pond, community center, and pool. We finally pull into the driveway of a beautiful single family home.
"Let's get out and explore Lena's new home," Dad says with a beaming smile and we all climb out of the SUV.
"Wow, this is nice," Jackson says appreciatively looking around.
"Yes, this is nice," Journee agrees.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad. This is so much more than I imagined," I say gratefully with tears in my eyes.
"You are more than welcome and deserving of this Nani," Dad says hugging me and kissing the top of my head.
"Absolutely, you've worked hard and we can afford to do this for you. We expect you to continue working hard to achieve your dreams," Mom says hugging me after Dad releases me.
"Here's the key, go ahead and open the door," Dad says handing me the key and we all walk to the door.
"Okay," I say and as we arrive to the door my heart pounds violently as I extend my hand to unlock the door of my very own place.
'I cannot believe we are finally here and I am doing this! OMG! This is seriously my place!'
Unlocking the door and entering the house feels so overwhelming yet amazing. I stand just a little inside of the entryway allowing space for everyone to enter as I take in the look of my very own space. It has furniture, but leaves room for me to decorate it in my own style. Walking through the main floor, I can see the house is not overwhelmingly big that I would feel too lonely staying in. Yet it is big enough for me to be able to entertain all of my friends and their significant others comfortably. The kitchen is modern and sleek with new appliances and it boasts an accent wall in the color of turquoise blue in which the breakfast table is in front of. We walk into the dining room and the table seats six people comfortably and has a beautiful crystal chandelier that I more than approve of.
My parents and the twins then wait in the kitchen as I explore the rest of my new home. Walking into my room it is massive with a king sized canopy bed without hangings or a comforter set. I see that it has two closets; I enter the first one and it is massive enough to fit all of my clothes and shoes and still have space for more. I check out the second closet, which is not as big as the first, but I could use it to store my shoes alone and maybe place a vanity there as well. Leaving the closet I walk to the opening that is for the bathroom. Entering the bathroom, I see it has a toilet, double sink and counter length mirror and looking to my right I see a vintage soaking tub with a wooden tray going across it. This immediately causes my jaw to drop and tears of appreciation fall from my eyes. I am really moved by my parents' efforts. I look to my left and see a huge walk in shower. I walk over to the shower and see there's a bench against the wall as well as three shower heads. Two facing each other on opposite walls and one big one in the center hanging from the ceiling. After exploring my bathroom, I leave the room and see that there are three extra rooms and two bathrooms on the same floor as mine. I go back to the living area and see that there's a den that is set up as an office/study area. I then, go to the basement and see that it has an additional room and bathroom. It is loosely furnished as well and has enough space for me to practice my martial arts or meditate. When I go back to the main level with my family, they are all looking at me with expectant looks on their faces.
"So, what do you think," Dad asks with a curious smile.
"It's amazing! Thank you guys so much! The furniture, the house, it's all wonderful! I am so happy," I say
"You are welcome, again," Mom says and I take the twins around the house to explore a second time.
When we're finished exploring, Dad orders take out for lunch and I have my first meal in my new home with my family. During lunch, I talk about my future plans with school and when I plan to fully move in. The twins talk excitedly about their spring break plans and going to driving school. Mom and Dad discuss baby plans and their second honey moon. They decide to return from their trip a few days early so as to meet with Mekhi's parents. It has me both nervous and excited to finally have a date set. They are still under the impression that they are meeting the Johnsons. Finding out that they will be meeting with the prestigious Eason family will certainly shock them as much as it has shocked me. We spend a few more hours there before we decide it's time to lock up, leave, and head home. Taking one last look at my new place before climbing into the SUV, I smile a small smile thinking of all the new memories that awaits me there.