Sometimes my days are lonely, sometimes not all the times. She's always on my mind, like right now. Like what we could be doing right now if she was here with me. I often think about her but then again who wouldn't? I'd probably think about her 24/7 if I didn't work all the time. Right now the silence is hurting my ears but that should be over soon. I heard her footsteps coming up the steps and I knew she was home, yay!
"Honey, I'm home!" she giggled. She came into the back of the dining room where I was ironing. "I've always wanted to say that."
"Hey beautiful" I smiled. She stood on her toes and gave me a kiss. Still to this day I love those kisses.
"Hey, how are ya?"
"I'm good and you?"
"Even better." I just smiled at her with this big cheesy smile. She looked at me like she was crazy, yeah I would've looked at me like I was crazy too if someone was looking at me like that.
"Nick…….you're ironing a suit…….you got it?!"
"Yup."
"YOU GOT IT?!"
"YUP!"
"AHHHH THAT'S AMAZING!!" Kristina jumped in my arms and I held her tight. I got the social services job downtown in the McNamarra building. These past few years had been interesting. As you can tell now I chose Kristina. She convinced me to go to school but I had no clue what to do. After working at the rec I decided that I wanted to help with the community so I went for social work. So far I only have an associates but I'm going back during the summer so I can work on a bachelors. Kristina finished school too, she's a teacher (she teaches Economics, go figure). She still works in the neighborhood, actually at Chadsey high school right down the street. Apparently they really like her despite the fact that she's could be their older sister. I don't tell her this but I think they really like her not just because she's a good teacher and she's nice but because she's pretty hot. Sometimes I get angry looks because I'm her husband and she's off the market. Yup you heard me right, I'm her husband, going on three years now. We've been together for going on five years We spent that year and a half getting everything situated and adjusted to everything which I must say was mind boggling. My adjustment was the hardest because you know I was the suburban kid used to anything and everything I wanted but then I realized what I wanted was Kristina and that was good enough.
"I am so proud of you! Really I am!"
"Thank you, I still can't believe that I got the job."
"I can. You're an amazing guy and you're really going to help a lot of kids and families."
"I'll do what I can."
"I know you will."
"Hey I picked up dinner, Chinese."
"Yum, cuz I am starving!" Kristina got everything together for dinner. We talked to each other, I told her about the interview and how I couldn't wait for tomorrow when I'd start. Almost every night was like that. We'd meet up with each other at home, usually around 6 and have dinner together at the table. We'd do a little of our work and then spend the rest of the night together. It didn't matter what we did, whether it was watching The Mole or making love, as long as it was together. Some weekends we'd visit the rec, just to see how things were going or help out a little. You know we had to go back to the place where we met you know. It always made me feel good to go back. I know you're wondering about Krystal right? Odd to say, even odd to hear, we're cool with each other. She still makes smart ass comments here and there but she's a friend now. She was one of the only people at our wedding, her, Kristina's mother and grandmother and Romeo. Kim, her sister didn't even bother coming and I've only met her once or twice but if it doesn't phase Kristina then it doesn't phase me. Romeo on the other hand dumped Krystal for some skanky looking ho which crushed Krystal. He better be lucky he took his ass back to England or I would've beat his ass. Yeah I would've. Last I heard he back there with Harvey to start some bogus rap band…..So solid crew or something. Who cares right? Anyways we both watched a little television….made a little love *sigh* called it a night. Well Kristina did, my mind was plagued with everything. I was sitting at the window looking down at the backyard below. Just five years ago I probably wouldn't have set foot in neighborhood now it was home. Home sweet home.
"Hey" I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard Kristina standing beside me.
"Hey" I whispered. Kristina was wearing one of my shirts which I thought was dead sexy. She took my hand in hers and walked over to the windowsill to have a seat. She gave me that look, you know that look that you're saying hey what's going on look. From what I can tell every wife has it.
"I couldn't sleep."
"I know why. Her birthday is tomorrow." I looked up into her deep brown eyes.
"Yeah."
"You still miss her don't you?"
"I know I shouldn't."
"But you do and its nothing wrong with that." Still to this day no matter how angry I am at her I still miss her. She's still my mother after all. I still remember that day, the last I looked at her.

"Who's it gonna be Justin? Us or her?" A.J. asked. I tightened my hold on Kristina's hand so tight that I'm sure that it was painful. I looked back at Kristina who had her eyes dead on me.
"If you walk out of that door you don't come back." I looked at my mother one more time.
"Gladly." It was fast I didn't see it coming but I felt my mother's hand slam across my face.
"I have no son." I looked at each person in the room one last time before I carrying Kristina out of there. We jumped in the car and sped off. There are no words to describe the anger that flowed through my body at the moment. I was so upset that I could feel myself shaking. I couldn't do it anymore. I pulled over into a supermarket parking lot and just stopped. I felt Kristina rubbing her finger across my red swollen face.
"Its ok to cry" she whispered. I looked over to her and I guess I wasn't paying any attention but she had already been crying herself. She was crying, she was hurt, I was hurt we were both just hurting. I laid my head on her chest and just let loose. I probably cried all the tears out of my body right then and there in the Farmer Jack parking lot.

So me and mother left on bad terms. I still haven't spoken to her or any of my friends. Shows me who my real friends were huh? I thought they were down but overtime I understood where Kristina was coming from by seeing how Kristina was with Krystal. They were always there through thick and thin no matter what the situation was.
"I miss her sometimes. I just wish….I just wish that she understood how happy I am right now."
"I know….."
"I mean she doesn't even know about N.J." I ran my hand across Kristina's stomach. Oh yeah that's one more thing, we're having a baby. We just found out the other day that it's a boy so we've already established he'll be Nick junior. If my mother only knew that we were married and that we were having her first grandchild. Would it make any difference? Would she accept this child? This marriage? Or would she turn her back like she did all those years ago? I don't know.
"I know, if you want we can tell her."
"What if she doesn't love him? I'm not going to let N.J. go through what I did."
"I know but regardless of how your mother feels towards N.J. he's gonna have all the love in the world from his mother, his father, my mother and grandmother and Krystal. And from what I can tell that's good enough." I took Kristina in my arms and held her.
"How did I get so lucky? Hmm? How'd I meet this amazing woman who's giving me the greatest love in the world?"
"That I have no clue" she laughed.
"You're starting to sound like me."
"Your ways have rubbed off, oh no!" she laughed. "Come on." Kristina took my hand and carried me over to the bed to lay back down. I laid my head in the crook of her neck as she cradled me in her arms. I wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my left hand on the small bulge of her stomach. "Nick?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I know." I felt her smack my shoulder, you know I was just playing with her. "I'm kidding, I love you too always." Kristina leaned in and kissed my forehead. I felt her fingers running through my hair causing me to drift off to sleep. I know it took some time to get her but now that I have her I know I'll have her forever. What did I tell you? I knew she wanted me.