Chapter 21

“Are you ready?” I asked, turning to Jake as we sat in the driveway of my parent’s house. This was the house that I grew up in. My parents had lived in this house for nearly 25 years. When they first got married, they couldn’t afford much. My dad got a big promotion when I was a young and this was their big purchase. They loved this house and I loved growing up here. The neighborhood was quiet but friendly, a far cry from many of the neighborhoods in the city. My parents lived far enough away from Chicago that they didn’t have to deal with all the crap of the city, but close enough that visiting was easy.

Jake smiled at me, grabbing my hand. “Of course I’m ready.”

“Well, I am glad one of us is ready.” I said as we exited the car. I could hear laughing coming from the backyard and decided to bypass going into the house and head straight around to the back. Opening the gate, the squeezing noise caught my mom’s attention and she turned quickly towards us.

“Amali