Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 59671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo. Stop fucking laughing,” Christopher whispers angrily.
“Stop sneezing like an idiot then,” Eddie fires back.
“You think I want to be sneezing like a motherfucker? Newsflash. No I don’t, Eduardo.”
I come around the corner to see Christopher, sneezing his head off, his eyes are swollen and red and he has toilet paper blowing his nose.
“What’s happening?” I frown.
“I’m having some kind of situation,” Christopher says as he blows his nose hard. “Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo.”
I look around. “Oh, it’s the flowers.”
“What?”
“The flowers are giving you hay fever”.
“Hay fever.” Eddie frowns. “But there isn’t any hay.”
“It’s the pollen from all the flowers,” I tell them, I pick up two vases of flowers and take them out to the front veranda. “Eddie, help me take them out of the house. He’s allergic.”
“Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo… Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo.”
I giggle as I continue to carry the vases outside, and Eddie helps too.
“Why did you buy so many?” Eddie huffs.
“To be romantic, dipshit. Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo…Ahhhhchooooooo, Ahhhhchooooooo.”
“Get out of the house while we carry them out, Eddie, open all the windows to let the pollen out,” I tell them. “Christopher, drive to the pharmacy and grab some antihistamines.”
“Where’s the pharmacy? Ahhhhchooooooo,” he sniffles.
“I don’t know, but you need to find one.”
He grabs his keys, “It’s probably a trek wherever it is, nowhere is close now that we live out here in the boondocks.”
“Why are you so dramatic?”
“Because I’m dying here, Hayden, that’s fucking why?” He coughs in an overdramatic way, “I’m going into anaphylactic shock now and I’m guessing the nearest hospital isn’t close.”
“Oh my god.” I roll my eyes. “Go with him, Eddie, so you can revive the big baby if he dies.”
Eddie and Christopher get into the car and disappear down the driveway and I look around at the living room full of flowers, I didn’t even take a photo of his over-the-top grand gesture. There must be at least one hundred bunches of roses here.
I run upstairs and grab my phone; I need to get this on film.
An hour and a half later I sit on the front veranda steps with a cup of tea, I have no idea where they went to buy the antihistamines but I’m thinking it must have been all the way back to Spain.
I’m itching to look around the property but I want them to be with me when I do the tour.
“God’s sakes, hurry up.”
What if he really did go into anaphylaxis?
He didn’t, he’s just overdramatic.
I can hear the wind in the trees and the bubbling stream in the distance and I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated being surrounded by nature as much as I do in this moment.
Our home.
I wanted to wait for Christopher to get here to call my parents, but I can’t wait any longer. I FaceTime a group chat to both of their phones.
“Hello.” My mom’s beautiful face comes into view.
The screen spins around as my dad struggles to answer. “That you, Hayden?” he says in his gruff voice.
“Hi guys.” I beam.
“You arrived safely then, love?” Mom asks.
“Yes, sorry I didn’t message last night. It was so hectic once we landed.”
“Is Eddie okay?” asks Mom.
“He’s great. I’m great, everything is so great.”
Dad frowns. “What’s so great about it?”
“Well…” I swallow the nervous lump in my throat. “Christopher asked me to marry him and he bought us a farm to live in just outside of London that I can run my own cattle on and there’s a house on the property for you,” I blurt out in a rush.
Mom’s face lights up. “Darling, that’s wonderful.”
Dad’s face stays somber.
“And its three hundred and fifty acres of the most beautiful land,” I gush.
Dad nods and my heart sinks, I can see the disappointment in his face, he really wanted me to come home and live permanently.
“You’re not happy, Dad?”
He shrugs. “I’m happy if you’re happy.”
“I am.” Tears well in my eyes, what is it with all these tears? “I tried to live without him, Dad, and I couldn’t. We belong together and this is his way of making me happy and I can come home anytime I want. I’m not tied here.”
He nods. “I’m happy for you. Happier for Christopher because he won the lottery.”
“I did too, Dad.”
“I know, he’s a good man.”
“So can you come over?”
“When?”
“Tomorrow?”
Mom chuckles. “Not yet this month, love. I have too many cows in calf, Hayden. We’ll have to wait a bit.”
“I’ll get to work renovating your house.” I beam. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too,” laughs Mom.
I hear the car coming up the driveway. “I’ve got to go, I’ll send you some pictures and call you later. Love you.”
“Love you too, bye, darling.”
Christopher and Eddie get out of the car, they’re carrying grocery bags.
“What took you so long, where did you go?” I ask as I meet them on the driveway.
“To the closest shop,” Christopher says, deadpan.