It was a breezy, mid-October night. Crisp brown and yellow leaves were falling from the trees. There was a slight chill in the soft breeze. I could feel winter was around the corner. Soon the ground would be covered with a white blanket of glistening snow.
It is our first night as a married couple in our own place. We now live together in a small, but comfortable 2-bedroom duplex. The right side. I am 7 months pregnant with you, little girl. My belly is now rather large and round. My once tiny ladybug tattoo from that crazy night in college was growing ever larger. The red of the wings has stretched and are now a dark shade of pink. The spots no longer black, but large and purple. It was often said that you were fully cooked because below my ladybug sat a piercing. A half circle piece of silver metal. A round black bead with bright flames of gold and red sat on each end. My round, hard belly caused it to stick up as a turkey thermometer does when it is ready to eat.
We had an exhausting day of moving overstuffed boxes from our former homes to our new home. The extra 40 pounds added to my petite frame made the work that much harder. Tonight would be a lazy night.
We sit together on the newly installed hunter green carpet, for we have yet to purchase any furniture. It feels soft and almost pillow like beneath my bottom. In the corner of the room sits my little 13-inch tv. It is plugged into the ornate gold outlet cover that contrasts the cream colored walls. The cord for the cable runs across the green carpet to the wall on the other side of the room.
We are still waiting for the cable company to hook our cable up, but I know we can find a few basic channels. I start clicking the buttons but the only results are static and snow. I push and push, but snow and static are all I continue to see. I finally come to a channel where I see a person, not just snow. I place the remote on the floor next to me, glad to finally have something to watch. There is a woman. I can tell she is not an actor. Perhaps this is an infomercial? We quickly realize that we have found the religion channel. We each have our own set of beliefs, but I know one thing for sure. The religion channel is not what either of us want to watch.
As I reach for the remote, we both start to laugh. Growing up we both had to deal with many power outages. The transformers on the poles in our respective neighborhoods were most likely as old as our parents. When the blistering heat of summer came and lasted through the nights, families cranked up their AC. Like a pregnant woman trying to move, it was too much work for those transformers. The religion channel would be the only channel that would come in.
I push and push the grey buttons of the remote again, but snow and static are all I continue to see. Your daddy crawls on his hands and knees to the tv and begins to change the angle in which it sits. Perhaps closer to the window? Maybe by the front window will work better? We might have had better luck with metal rabbit ears on that little box!
After some pushing and moving we finally land o channel 11. It's a little static-y, but I can see a picture. I think I can see Benson! Or perhaps it's Stabler? Your daddy moves the tv just barely an inch to the right. It's a miracle! We have Law and Order to keep us amused.
I glance over at my new husband. His John Lennon glasses and dirty blond hair. I can feel our little girl rolling in my ever growing belly. I hope we have many happy years ahead of us. But at the very least, we will always have our Law & Order.
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If I died and could give my children a five-minute glimpse into my life, this is one of the times I would pick. I want my children to see the mess around us but to also be aware of where we started. It took a lot of work and a lot of love to get from where we started to where we are today.
This post is written as part of the red dress club's memoir prompt. And yes, somehow, I kept it under 700 words!
After a long hiatus, I am trying to get back into writing. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Good, bad, or ugly, as long as it's honest.
This post is written as part of the red dress club's memoir prompt. And yes, somehow, I kept it under 700 words!
After a long hiatus, I am trying to get back into writing. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Good, bad, or ugly, as long as it's honest.
9 comments:
That was great. I love how descriptive it was as well.
I have a similar memory of me and Jdaddy sitting around, trying get channels in on our TV, while waiting for cable.
Sooooo Sweet!
This made me giggle. There will forever and always be, Law and Order. I hope your home ended up being filled to the rim with memories and continuous laughter.
For now? I'm off to read an older post of yours because the title "Your butt is nasty" is a must read in my book.
What a great post. When Ben and I moved into our place, we only had one room set up - the bedroom. We would eat, sleep, and generally hang out in that room for almost two months before we had fixed up the rest of the house.
Good times, indeed :)
I like that you chose a simple night - not some big event. An important night, still, but part of the daily mundane. Well done!
Simple and sweet!
Such a sweet moment to share!
Oh Jules, this made me want to cry just thinking about all the joy and mystery just starting out. You put it all into words just beautifully.
oh I loved this...seriously, I could have been sitting on that floor with you. It's wonderful.
and since I am a L&O junkie, that made it even better. :)
the words were wonderful, I hope when your daughter reads this later on in life..she knows how much happiness, contentment, love she was coming into .
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