10/29/2008

"Are you sure we made the right decision?" Kira looked up at her husband Anthony standing in the open refrigerator from her box of new paper wrapped wine glasses.
"Yes. I mean, you've got family really close, and there has to be a lot of work. This place is, after all, tornado alley. And, unlike Phoenix, Tulsa doesn't have the worst economy in the country right now." She wateched Anthony nod, then she returned to unpacking her glasses, and letting her mind wander. She'd always wanted to live in Tulsa, ever since she became loyal to her favorite band back on that warm May day in 1997. Now, almost twelve years later, her dream was finally coming true. She had done her research, and told the realtor up front exactly the neighborhood she'd wanted to live in, in hopes of increasing her chances of running into her band. But she knew times had changed since 1997. She was now 26, married, and had three kids. Her band had all married now, and had eight kids between the three of them. She sighed. There wasn't anything she could do about that now. So she had to settle for this, and that was fine. Just to run into them would be enough. It had to be.
She finished the box of wine glasses, and opened another box of regular glasses. They had just moved from Phoenix, in time for her two oldest children to start the new school year in Tulsa. With her oldens in first grade, her second in kindergarten, and staying home with her seven month old son, she planned on visiting the local malls and exercising- walking while pushing a stroller around her hew neighborhood- for the first couple weeks after the house was settled.
"I'll get it." Anthony called, breaking Kira's concentration. She watched her husband of just over seven years disappear from the kitchen. She looked at the monitor, praying the doorbell hadn't wakened her kids sleeping upstairs. After a moment, Anthony reappeared in the archway from the kitchen to the dining room. "We have guests." Kira raised her eyebrows, then looked at the clock. It was now eight thirty pm. She debated on bringing out a pitcher of lemonaid, or sodas. But what if it was just the cops here to tell them to move their giant moving van because they were blocking somebody? She crept over to the archway and looked right, into the living room. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, hoping the scream rising in her throat wouldn't come out. She disapeared back into the kitchen and went to the island to brace herself. Had she really seen what she thought she had? Was it statistically possible that on their first night in their new house that one of the band members and their wife were in her house?! She had to think or do something fast. She was taking too long. She could hear her husband and Taylor talking. God how Taylor's voice sounded amazing. Even after all the long speeches on the walks she'd listened to, she stil loved the sound of his voice. She quickly ran a hand over her newly salon spoiled curly milk chocolate brown hair with blond highlights and found the rubber band holding her long hair away from her face. She winced as she ripped it out, and thanked God again she was back down to a size six after her baby, and her husbands present to her on her birthday were pretty much healed. She adjusted her shirt to show them off as much as she could, then opened the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of lemonaid.
"Kira!" Anthony called. Crap! She raced across the kitchen to the cups she'd just unpacked and carried four and the pitcher with a bright smile on her face out to the living room. The second she walked in, her dark hazel eyes made contact with Taylor's sky blue ones. Her heart jumped in unison with her stomach, and forced herself not to give any sign of recognition away as she joined her husband, sitting on the the love seat with the coffee table between him and the guests, sitting on the long sofa. She carefully placed the glasses and lemonaid on the table, wishing she'd worn a shirt that would have shown some of her new birthday present, but no. Bummer. She sat down slowly next to her husband.
"Hi, I'm Kira." She reached for and shook Natalie's hand.
"I'm Natalie, and this is my husband Taylor. We live right next door."
"Hello," she said, as she took his hand. She watched him squint quickly at her, then it disappeared as he released her hand. She began to pour the lemonaid and told herself not to stare and ordered her hands not to shake.
"Anthony was just telling us about how you just moved from Phoenix. Is this a dramatic change for you?" Natalie asked. Kira handed a glass to Natalie, then answered.
"Kind of. I grew up in Minnesota, so I miss the rainy days, green grass, water and seasonal changes. Don't really miss the snow though." She smiled at Natalie and Taylor when they laughed. She wanted to ask them what their favorite part of the country was, with all the touring, or ask about Georgia, but she kept quiet, and poured another glass of lemonaid and handed it to Taylor, trying not to look at him.
"Minnesota, huh? That's one of our favorite places to pla-" He stopped when Natalie elbowed him then inturrupted.
"What part of Minnesota? We've been there a few times in our travels. It's very beautiful." Natalie asked, recovering for her husband. Kira laughed quietly.
"South Minneapolis. It is pretty, with all the lakes. Like I said. I miss the water."
"So why here, in Tulsa, from Phoenix?" Taylor asked. Kira saw Anthony look to her for an answer, even though she knew the question had been for her husband. And when he turned his attention from Anthony to her as she started to speak, she felt her temperature rise and hope she wasn't blushing.
"Anthony's got family here, unlike Phoenix, and the construction biz is really really bad there. Here, there's weather to boost the business every once in a while, unlike there." Kira saw Natalie looked at her husband, then jump in to change the subject.
"So do you guys have any kids? I thought I saw a couple running around outside earlier."
"Hey, so ah, Kira, I'm going out for a cigarette while you talk girlie stuff. Taylor?"
"Ah, sure." They got up and went outside through the front door.
"Sorry about that," Kira said. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all."
"Anyway..." Kira told Natalie about her kids, and asked about Natalie's, even though she knew a lot about them. She was glad when Natalie was excited that they had kids close to the same ages, and how they both stayed at home. By the time the guys came back in, Natalie and Kira were making plans to go to the mall together with their youngest tomorrow.
"Natalie, let's go now. They need to finish and I have to get back to work. Sorry Kira. Thanks for the lemonaid." He smiled appologetically as he helped his wife stand up.
"Sure."
"I'll see you tomorrow. My place at ten?" Natalie asked, and Kira had to repress a smile when Taylor's eyes grew big.
"Definitely. See you tomorrow." She smiled and gave a small finger wiggle as they made their way to the door.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Kira picked up the glasses and the lemonaid. She didn't plan on ever washing the cup Taylor had used. Well, maybe she'll just keep it to the side for a while. And the thought of him living right next door to her made her grin into the fridge as she put the lemonaid away. She managed to get that far when Anthony came into the kitchen.
"They were cool. I'm glad we live next to them."
"Me too. I'm looking forward to going with Natalie tomorrow." Yay! Kira thought. She hoped Anthony would like Taylor before he found out what he did for a living, because if he found out before then, he'd probably hate Taylor just for being Taylor, and that would be the quick and painful end to all of her newly blossomed hopes of all of them hanging out together. Hopefully it'd get to that.
"Plans already?"
"Yeah. It'll be nice to have friends here."
"It would. But I"m going to bed, because I'm exhausted. I've been lifting heavy things all day. We need to get the truck back tomorrow."
"I know. I'll be in in a minute."
"Kay." He left the kitchen. She listened for his foot steps up the stairs and down the hall. When she knew he was in their room, she let out a silent scream. She couldn't believe he'd been in her house. She was becoming friends his his wife. She could only hope that he was becoming friends with her husband. After freaking out for a good five minutes, she got herself calmed down. Turning off the lights as she went, she made her way to her new bedroom, in her new home, finally, in Tulsa.

Chapter Two