Sour Surprise

The morning sunlight entering through the window surprise them while they’re still in bed sleeping and cuddling. Of course they didn’t remember that it was a school day and that they were already late for wake up and getting ready. The alarm had sounded thirty minutes ago but neither of them has heard it. Nerissa was awaken by the sunlight hitting her face. She opened her eyes and looked around the room; she barely remembered what had happened the night before. But she smiled as soon as she saw him lying next to her. She slowly turned around and looked at him; he looked so peaceful as he slept. She kissed his cheek waking him up.

As Robert opened up his eyes, he immediately looked at her and smiled.

“Good morning” He said with a especial shine in his eyes.

“They really are” Nerissa told him and then kissed his lips.

“What time is it?” He asked rubbing his eyes.

“It’s past eight and we are late for school” Nerissa said smiling at him as if it was nothing wrong with it.

Robert quickly jumped out of bed and put on his pants and shirt.

“I gotta go home to change my clothes” He said as he was putting on his shoes.

Nerissa got up from bed and put on her clothes as well.

Neither of them dared to talk about what had happened the night before. They were trying to make it all look normal.

“Well, I’ll see you at school then” He said kissing her lips briefly before walking out.

Nerissa stood there smiling like never before and looking at him as he walked away.

Then she ran to take a quick shower and change her clothes. And since she had missed the bus and her mother wasn’t there to take her to school, Robert offered to give her a ride to school.

While they were on their way, it was only an awkward silence during the first minutes, but then Robert tried to make a conversation.

“It’s great that is not raining today uh?” He asked her.

“Yeah, I guess so” She simply said.

She had no idea either or not would be a good idea to bring the subject up, it was not like Robert was dumb not to remember what had happened, but she could perceive how nervous he really was. So instead of saying something right away she placed her hand over his and smiled at him. And of course that there was no need for words, he knew that they both were thinking about it.

Ironically, in Nerissa’s first class the teacher was talking to them about safe sex and relationships in general. Talking about prevent unwanted pregnancy made her feel sort of scared. She knew how much she loved him but she also knew that her mother would have a heart attack if she find out. When the ring finally sounded and was time to change classrooms, Nerissa quickly stood up from her chair and walked out to the hallway.

Among all the students coming and going on the hallway, she collided with Robert and as they were walking right by each other he slightly touched her hand with his and looked deeply at her eyes smiling. Nerissa looked right back at him and smiled, to them that moment felt in slow motion, as if everyone around them had just stopped. Nerissa immediately recognized that familiar look on his eyes, it was the same he had given to her since they met, but she knew now that he was not as bad as she thought. She knew and had seen how sweet he could really be. And about what they had done, well they were planning on not telling anyone, because they just knew how much their parents would freak out, especially Tess.

They returned to their home after school and Robert saw his father’s car in front of the house. He got scared, why was his father’s car there if he wasn’t supposed to return yet? He started to fear for the worst and quickly got out of the car and run inside, but his fear quickly disappeared as he saw his father sitting on the living room with a very happy Claudine on his lap.

“What?” He said surprised as he looked at him.

“Yeah, I’m glad to see you too Robert” James said slowly standing up.

“Well, sorry, but you are not supposed to be here right?” He said crossing his arms.

“You are right, I’m not supposed to be here yet, but things suddenly changed, and plans too” James said looking at his eyes.

“Changed? What plans?” Robert asked.

“Well, turns out they need me at the base in England now and I will no longer serve here”

That wasn’t exactly what Robert was expecting to hear, he felt confused and upset at the same time, he just couldn’t believe why his dad seemed to be determined to keep ruining his life. Just now that everything was starting to look good, he had to leave back to England.

“Oh my god you are incredible!” He said to his father.

“Robert I’m sorry all right! This was not my choice!” He said

“Well you know what? I’m not going anywhere, I’m just gonna stay here, that’s my decision” Robert almost yelled at him.

“You will not stay and you cannot stay, I’m sorry, I know you don’t believe me but if I could I would let you stay”

“Oh suddenly you worry about me? Oh please!” He said turning around.

He hated that feeling about not being able to do something to change his situation but unlike other times when he had held back his anger and disagreement feelings, this time he just couldn’t.

“I am so fed up of you and all of this!” Robert said almost starting to cry.

“Oh you are?” James replied to him.

“Yes, yes! I am! And I hate you so much, I think nobody really needs you in this family, we are better off without you so you might as well be death” He yelled at him and walked outside and drove off in his car.

Caroline has heard everything and she couldn’t contain the tears. Claudine was scared and sad about seeing her brother talk to her father like that and she innocently held her daddy’s hand. James looked at Caroline’s sad eyes, he knew how much it hurt her to be in that situation every time they had to move out, but not for the fact of moving but for the attitude that Robert took every single time that happened.

But to Robert, however, the situation was nothing similar as all the previous ones, he knew he had been upset every time because he simply hated not being able to have a normal life like most of the people his age, have friends, hang out, all those things he wished for, to have friends that would be there for years. But what made this time so different was without doubt the fact that he had fallen in love with Nerissa. He sure had been in love before, but not this way. Then Simon’s words echoed in his mind that time he had warn him that if he fell too hard for Nerissa, he would suffer when he had to go back to England. Only that Robert never thought that day was going to come so soon.

He thought that he would figure something out during those two years in Spokane, and maybe get a job and marry Nerissa. But suddenly, with his father’s new plan, all of his plans were gone.

He kept driving without a certain course. His hands gripping the steering wheel so hard was a reflection of all the mixed feelings he was feeling inside: anger, helplessness, sadness, disappointment, anguish, pain. He just kept hitting the steering wheel with his hands until he suddenly stopped the car. He looked around to find himself in a lonely road by the city limits. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the steering wheel; he simply didn’t know what to do anymore.