Ava - Back to Work

We returned from Lavender Motel on Friday evening. Jaxon returned home on Saturday morning the next day, I was feeling just a little bit sad even though I knew we could still communicate via WhatsApp. Still nothing like being with someone physically. I gave him a hug before he got into the car and drove off. Now, I'm wishing I'd been bolder and given him a kiss because he deserved one for being so supportive and patient with me. Then again I didn't want to move too fast with him and end up getting hurt all over again. What was I thinking either way I was going to get hurt and that's the downside of love but like the saying goes it's better to love than to never have loved at all.

Life resumed like normal, filled with its mundane activities. I woke up one morning and decided I was sick of not doing anything productive, so I started looking for work. I found a job position as a secretary for a company that dealt with chocolate products. Yes, you got it, all that lovely chocolatey goodness at my fingertips. My new boss was a nice lady in her early forties who was expecting her second child, which meant she spent most of her time working from home.

I was mostly tasked with paperwork, filing, recording, labelling and sorting. My hours were pretty decent a nine to five shift and I relished the fact that I was doing something with my life instead of staying at home.

Tania comes over to me, she's one of my colleagues and she's really stylish, she gets away with wearing bright colours to work.

"Ava would you mind helping Josh with some of the invoices at the back office."

"Sure," I reply.

I find the back office and walk in, Josh another colleague of mine is trying to fix a paper jam in the copier machine.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Tania said you needed help."

"That I do, you just need to file the stack of invoices over there according to date and the supplier's name, files are in the cabinet on the left."

"Ok."

"Hey, Ava you got a boyfriend?"

"Sorta."

"Sorta? Come on it's gotta be 'Definitely' ".

"We just got together." I confirm.

"Ahh young love, we're having bowling night, let me know if you can come, you can bring along your boyfriend too."

"That's nice of you Josh, I'll let you know."

I text Jaxon when I'm done with filing the invoices. I ask him about bowling night, he replies "sorry can't make it, I might be doing something with family." I get the sense that he just wants some space, but I don't want to miss this opportunity of bonding with my new colleagues who have been really nice to me. So I text Josh saying "I'm game for bowling but my boyfriend can't make it." He replies a second later "ok, yay! Sad your boyfriend can't come. Not to worry we'll have fun."

We do have fun, just the three of us on Saturday evening, Tania ends up winning, successfully knocking down all the pins each time. We celebrate with pop corn and catch a movie since it's still early in the night. We decide to watch 'She's So Lucky', a modern chick flick which Josh has no objections to, since he is outnumbered and the only other option is a horror film. My eyes are glued to the screen throughout the whole movie and I can't recall the number of times I came close to spilling all the popcorn onto Joshua's lap because we were laughing so hard.

Sunday creeped up on me unawares and I found myself binge watching my favourite TV series Arrow.

"Lazy bones mom wants to talk to you in the kitchen, she's making fried rice." Mary-Anne said,her face appearing in front of the TV screen.

"Fine, I'm going," I reply reluctantly.

"Mom,you wanted to talk to me?" I ask when I reach the kitchen.

"Yes, dear help me first by washing the dishes."

So I do just that. When I'm done I join Mama at the table, she pours me a cup of milk tea. We're drinking tea in her ceramic tea set that she got as a gift from my aunt Cressida.

"What's the occasion you must have something serious to discuss."

"Your sister is engaged, she has accepted Jedidiah as her future husband. That is not the only news I have. It appears someone has asked for your hand in marriage as well or is considering marriage if you so wish."

"Wow, that's wonderful news that Mary-Anne is engaged. I always knew she would be snatched up. Who would ask for my hand, Mama."

"Jaxon."

It's been what three months since he was last here, you can't be serious."

"I am serious Ava this is not a joke."

"You're father spoke to him here yesterday in the family game room. I believe they had a game of Carrom over it."

"I still hardly know him three months is nothing compared to Mary-Anne's two years."

"Which is why I wanted you to decide, he said he would like to marry you if you continued this relationship that you have between each other."

"I see."

"You need not look so frightened, he isn't marrying you tomorrow, I'm sure he intends to in a year's time."

"Well that's a relief to hear."

"I want to know how you feel about it?"

"I like him but I don't know, it's more on the grounds of friendship than it is on romantic. I had that with Dan and look what happened it didn't go anywhere."

"That is enough then dear, friendship is a good foundation for a successful marriage. I never imagined this day would come so soon for both my girls."

"Neither did I mom," I hug my mama and she's trying to hold back tears.

"You're both growing up too fast and moving away from me."

"We will always visit," I tell reassuringly.

"So you agree then, that someday you wil marry Jaxon."

"I do." I reply, sure for the first time of something happening in my life.

I'd rather face the world with Jaxon than without him.

That much I know for certain.

Now, if only I can tell that to someone who needs to hear it most. Jaxon.