Page 7 of How is This My Life? (Shorts)

Adrian’s POV

Turning down the radio in my truck as my phone rang, I saw it was Aaron, my best friend since we were in diapers.

I had just driven fifteen, maybe more, hours from base where I got my discharge papers, to make it here in time to help with any last-minute shit that needed done for this wedding.

Also, this way I could spend time with my brother before he got hitched to his college sweetheart and love of his life.

I was happy for him. As fucked up as I was in the head, knowing I’d never have that, that I wasn’t capable of such love, I wanted that for him at the very least. I answered the phone, and hearing the smile in his voice had me smiling.

“Yeah, man. Pulling up to the townhouse now.”

The door to the left side of the townhouse swung open, and out barreled this giant bear that was my brotha from anotha motha , Aaron.

After the doctors told me I was most likely going to be medically discharged six months ago, thanks to the injury I got overseas nine months ago.

At this point, I was ready to just be a civilian and get started on my new life.

Aaron was pretty much the only one I stayed in touch with from our hometown when I left for the military.

Never had family worth staying in touch with, not after all the shit I went through growing up.

My mama loved the needle and the shit she could shoot into her veins, more than she loved her kids.

My older sister and older brother both left the house when they turned eighteen and never looked back.

Not even for me.

When they both left me at ten years old, Aaron became my brother.

His house became my second home, where I knew they would feed me and I’d even get a few things for Christmas or my birthday.

It was all I ever got. They took me in like it was no problem.

So, when he called me two years after finishing high school, saying that he’d met the love of his life at college freshman year and that he was going to marry her, I was happy for him.

When he called the next time to say that their families didn’t approve because he was black and she was white, it baffled me because they’d taken me in for years.

I was just a scrawny white kid whose mother was an addict, but that never stopped them from caring for me.

I called his mom, his dad, even his memaw, and they all told me exactly what he’d told me.

That I was different than someone marrying into the family.

That was the last time I spoke to his family.

I called Aaron back and asked him about my future sister-in-law.

He told me all about his girl, and we talked damn near every day, except for deployments.

He called me on a video call last year while I was deployed, and he said he needed to talk.

He told me about Denise’s best friend, the girl he claimed he looked after like a little sister.

He told me a little bit about what happened with her ex.

I hated that this was happening. It sounded like a lot of drama and headaches.

When he called me two months ago, he asked if I remembered the girl.

He then informed me, she was who I’d be staying with for the wedding, and I was cool with it.

She sounded nice. I knew she had a kid, but kids had never bothered me.

Never been around small babies, but I’d be on a different floor from them, which I thought would be alright.

I didn’t want my pacing to keep them up.

Getting out of my truck, I rushed up to him, wrapping him in a hug. It felt good to be reunited with my friend again.

“Missed you, man. Happy you’re here,” he mumbled to me.

“Missed you, too. Might be sticking around here. Ain’t got anywhere to go home to anyway,” He just nodded when we pulled back from the hug. I went to grab my seabag out of the truck when I noticed a woman behind him. Aaron noticed my staring and glanced over his shoulder.

“Oh! This is my girl, Denise, and our boy.” He said, rubbing her stomach lovingly, “We haven’t picked out a name yet.” He beamed, his chest puffed out like the proud papa I always knew he would be when the day came. Sticking my hand out to shake hers, she grabbed it and pulled me into a hug.

“You’re family, Adrian. Welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you.

” She was cute, friendly, and just perfect for him.

I could see it in the way he fussed over her, making sure she wasn’t stressing herself out or doing too much.

He wouldn’t let her stand up for too long.

He set the table and did a lot of the cooking.

At dinner that night, I saw how she fussed over him, too.

Making sure to serve Aaron dinner, then me, and as she served me, he was putting food on her plate.

They were both so wrapped up in each other that I couldn’t help but smile.

This is what love looked like. This was what love was supposed to be, and what a loving home was supposed to feel like. Not like hunger and drug needles. As we were about to finally dig in and eat, I heard a cry that sounded like it came from somewhere upstairs.

“I’ll grab her. You guys eat,” Aaron said, wiping his face with his napkin and kissing Denise on the head.

He came down a few minutes later with a little pink bundle.

I looked at him, confused as hell. Did he have more than one kid?

I thought he and Denise were pregnant with their first. Just as I was about to ask, he answered my unspoken question.

“This is our god-daughter, Tennley. Isn’t she just a cutie? ”

He was pulling over a highchair while Denise got up to get a bowl and some baby food for the girl. Tennley.

“Sorry, I’m late!” I froze, spoon halfway to my mouth, as the most angelic voice I’d ever heard shouted from the front of the townhouse, followed by a sigh.

The voice began talking again, and it was like electricity was surging through my veins, making every hair on my body stand on end.

Even my hearing had improved, and it was like I could hear all of the different sound waves that made up her voice.

“Today was insane, an absolute freaking mad house, and they floated me to the ER! I swear to god I will never do that again. I need a heads-up so I can mentally prepare for that. People try to fit things they shouldn’t in places they shouldn’t, just to see if they can be taken out.

” Her voice was getting closer, while I just sat there, still frozen.

The voice was so beautiful, I felt like I was in a dream.

“Who would have thought a freaking light bulb would fit in someone’s—Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you guys had a guest.” She paused in her talking before she came into view.

“Oh! You must be Adrian. I’m Elise.” She held her hand out for me to shake, but I just stared at her like a complete idiot.

She was beautiful, and not just your basic beautiful woman; she was strikingly beautiful.

Her eyes drew you in, her scrubs fit her but didn’t hug her, and her hair was up in a beautiful bun.

Pretty sure my jaw was on the floor as I watched all of the grace and beauty she had.

How could any one person be so damn pretty?

So perfect? She had this chocolate brown hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. She was even tinier than Denise.

Like a little pixie.

“Or not.” She said as she started to pull her hand back. Shit . This wasn’t how I wanted the first meeting with my new house guest to go. I stood, towering over her.

“I am. Sorry. I’m Adrian, roomie for the next couple of weeks.

I didn’t mean to be a dick just now, it’s just, you took my breath away.

” Woah! That wasn’t supposed to come out of my mouth, “Nice to meet you.” I said, trying to smooth things over, hoping she wouldn’t freak out at the words that spilled from my mouth, as she took the baby from Aaron.

“How was my girl today?” She cooed at the little girl in her arms. Was that her baby? That was when it clicked. Aaron told me she had a baby recently. She had a baby recently. How did I forget that?! I mentally face-palm myself, trying not to beat myself up.

Great first impression I’ve made.

“She just woke up. I’m thinking she’s a hungry girl,” Denise said.

Aaron had dished up dinner for Elise, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

She pulled her shirt up to feed the baby, as I quickly looked away.

When the little girl was done breastfeeding, she set Tennley in her high chair and let the girl eat her baby mush.

Dinner continued that way, with Elise feeding herself and Tennley while Denise and Aaron took care of cutting her food and fussing over who was going to burp the baby.

I sat there, watching the four of them working together, fussing over each other and talking, joking, like they’d been family for years. And maybe they had.

“I’ll burp her,” I offered since I was the only one done eating, “If you show me how.” Elise looked at me. Those beautiful eyes, taking me in, seeing if she could trust me with her world. She nodded, standing and moving toward me.

“Put this on your shoulder,” she thrust a cloth at me.

Once it was there. She came closer and set the baby on my shoulder.

“Support her,” she moved my hands to help me hold the baby, “So she doesn’t slide down, then gently pat her back until she burps.

” She never took her eyes off what I was doing, making sure I was following her instructions, until Tennley burped, making my eyes go wide.

There was no way that man-sized burp came from the tiny baby in my arms. Elise laughed at me while I asked, incredibly concerned.

“Does she always burp like that? That was a grown man's burp!” Everyone was laughing now, and I swear, I joined in a little because Elise had the most beautiful laugh. It sounded like peace and felt like sunshine, warm, happy, loving.

“Yes. She does most of the time.” She smiled at me, wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. The dinner was full of talking, wedding planning, getting the to-do list together for the next day, and we just spent time together. It was nice, almost normal.

After everyone was done, we said goodnight and all went to our respective homes, well, I went with Elise and Tennley to their townhouse right next to where Denise and Aaron stayed.

Elise showed me to my room on the first floor and showed me how to pull down the Murphy bed, where the bathroom was, and apologized in advance for Tennley waking up in the middle of the night.

“She’s still breastfeeding and wakes up every few hours at night. Thankfully, it's only once or twice.” She gave a small smile before heading upstairs. I watched her go as she carried her little girl up the stairs.

Once it was quiet in the house, I checked the locks again, then finally laid down on the pull-down bed.

I couldn’t sleep, laying there staring at the ceiling, looking out the window at the street light that was flickering in the parking lot.

I always had trouble sleeping, especially in new places.

I think it was the PTS, from all the overseas deployments.

Maybe I would look for a job here in this little town, maybe I’d live the first couple of months on the disability check I’d get from the military, or see if there was another townhouse available close by.

Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I checked online for jobs, places to live, and things to do in town.

I applied to a few different jobs and the website for the townhouses here, and another set of them that were close to the dot I had on my location.

I set my phone down, not wanting to doom scroll, and stared out the window at the flickering light again.

How was this my life? I had planned to be in the full twenty so I could retire with benefits, a pension, and wouldn’t have to worry the rest of my life, but here I was out in just thirteen years.

I still had seven more to go, but getting myself blown up had thrown a wrench in that plan.

I tried my hardest to get myself back in the fight, but the docs wouldn’t let me.

I got up and started pacing the room, like I did every night.

How was this my life?