Johanna left work earlier than expected. She parked her car in the driveway and walked to the front porch, unlocking the door. She removed her key and returned it into her bag and pushed the door open. She met Challis, Snuggles & Ginger dozing off on the big couch. Martino was deeply engulfed with a game on his system. His laptop sat comfortably on his lap.
“Welcome home, mom,” Martino said, greeting his mom without lifting his eyes off the screen.
“Thanks, baby. Where is your daddy?”
“Dad’s in the garage,” he replied. Johanna’s, raising an eyebrow asked, “What’s he doing there?” Martino was about to answer, but Challis quickly replied for him and said, “He is building Ginger a doghouse.” She carried with her a big bowl of ice cream, smiling with excitement. Johanna put her purse down on the couch, surprised.
“Oh, and welcome home Mom, you are home early. It’s just a few minutes past five.”
“Thanks, dear. Yes, I decided to leave early, as there wasn’t so much to do. I wanted to spend a little extra time with my wonderful kids.”
“Aw! Thanks, Mom,” Nicola said. “But you better go and check up on your Daddy,” Challis said while giggling.
“Alright, I still can’t imagine your father with tools,” she yawned and continued, “Oh boy, I’m exhausted. I will be right back.” Johanna was very curious and puzzled at the same time. The Brandon she knew only used the garage to drink beers and store beer cartons, not to build things. He never fixed anything around the house, not the tap, or the phone, nothing. She stepped out of the house and was about to head to the garage when she saw Lisa Bright, who lived three houses down. She was pushing her baby in a stroller down the sidewalk. They were taking a walk as always and Johanna stopped to greet them.
“Hello, Lisa,” she waved at her from the front porch.
“Hello to you too, Johanna. How have you been?” Lisa asked.
“Fine, thank you. Enjoy your stroll with Todd.”
“Thank you. How is your husband?” she asked. She was one of the kindest neighbors Johanna had ever met. She and her husband just moved into the neighborhood less than a year ago. They were newlyweds and her husband was a successful attorney. Lisa was a stay home mom, mainly because of their son, Todd.
“He is fine.”
“That’s always good to hear. Have a nice evening,” she said as she continued walking.
Johanna then headed to the garage and found Brandon, shirtless with beads of sweat dripping down his chest. The sight of him had her speechless. He looked amazing, for someone who had been in an accident barely three months ago, his recovery had been fast. He looked so hot. She did not want to distract him from what he was doing and she was enjoying the view. Watching him was almost equivalent to watching a steamy film on the late night channel.
Unluckily for her, he turned around and saw her standing and staring at him. He smiled and then wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Hey you, I thought you were working late today.”
Johanna smiled and responded in a calm tone, though her heart was beating very fast. “No. I mean, yes. I was supposed to but it was quiet at the hospital so I left early,” she said, walking over to him and observing the doghouse he was building.
“Well, well. Look what we have here. The doghouse looks amazing,” Johanna said.
Brandon smiled. He then grabbed his shirt, which he had carelessly tossed on a chair outside the garage and put it on.
“I can finish the rest later. First, I need to show you the rest of the things I did today.” Johanna looked at him curiously. “What other things?” she asked.
He simply took her hand and led her to the garage door towards the backyard.
“Close your eyes. Don’t you dare try and peak,” he said, leading the way to the backyard.
“You can open them now,” Brandon said, smiling.
Johanna slowly opened her eyes and widened them in awe. Their old, unfinished patio and unmaintained lawn, was now replaced with a gorgeous deck, along with patio chairs, a table, and a fire pit. She turned around to face Brandon.
“You did all this?” she asked in amazement.
He nodded his head, “Yes, anything for you babe.”
She jumped on him, giving him a tight hug and shrieking in amusement. She didn’t know what to say. She was so happy, she forgot the grudges she held against him. It had been a very long time since he last held her like this. She has been longing to feel him close to her. She looked into his eyes and both their lips quivered. As their lips were about to meet, Nicola cleared her throat.
“Mom, there’s a call for you,” Nicola said. Johanna motioned for Nicola to go inside and she followed behind her, leaving Brandon outside.
Johanna picked up the phone and put it to her ear, “Hello?”
The voice on the end spoke excitedly. She sounded eager to hear Johanna’s voice.
“Hey, Johanna. It’s Teeba.”
“Hi, Teeba. How have you been? How is your vacation going?”
“I just got back from my trip. I heard about Brandon’s accident. Is he okay? Are you okay?” she gushed.
Johanna felt a sense of relief. She really missed Teeba. They had been friends since high school. She lived a few miles outside Chicago and went on a long adventure – the perks of not having kids. She just returned after three months.
“I’m alright. The kids are good and Brandon is fantastic.”
Teeba who is very chatty stopped for a minute. She had never heard Johanna refer to Brandon as fantastic.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” she asked, doubting Johanna’s response.
Johanna looked around to make sure Brandon was not in the house. She moved to the window, with the phone in her hand and confirmed he was still outside.
“I need to see you, Teeba. I need to talk to you.”
Teeba seemed perplexed. Johanna’s tone had her slightly worried. One minute she was fine then the other minute, she needed someone to talk to.
“Yes, of course. When?” asked Teeba. Johanna turned around to find Nicola by the door.
“Hey, Nicky, are you going to be around for a while?” Johanna asked.
Nicola nodded her head, “I’ve got to study for my midterm exam, and so I will be in my room.
“I can meet you in an hour at Silver Shack on 4th & Blursen Street,” said Johanna.
“I’ll meet be there in thirty,” replied Teeba.
Johanna grabbed her purse and keys and headed to her car from the back door.
“I’m going to go see a friend. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” she said to Brandon, getting into her car.
“Have fun,” he said, which surprised her.
Johanna got to the bar a bit earlier than expected since traffic was low. She sat at their favorite table, which was at the far end of the room. The view from that corner was perfect for Teeba, who loved to get a quick glimpse of the hot cooks in the kitchen and flirt with the bartender.
Teeba arrived, five minutes later carrying a gift bag. She was wearing a short, orange colored dress and brown gladiator sandals. She had her hair in two French braids. Her hair was short and stopped at her shoulders. Johanna slid out of the booth to hug her and they savored the moment for a few minutes before sitting down. Teeba gleefully passed the gift bag to Johanna.
“This is for you,” said Teeba.
Johanna opened the bag and pulled out a large square gift box wrapped in a blue envelope, tied neatly with a pink ribbon. She shook the box next to her ear, without untying the ribbon and then asked, “What is this?”
Teeba motioned for her to open it.
In the box was a gorgeous leather jacket. It was very similar to the one Johanna wore when they had first met in high school.
“Oh my goodness! This looks like the jacket I used to wear when we first met. Where did you get this?” Johanna asked astounded.
“It’s the same jacket, silly. My mom was cleaning out the apartment when she found it and sent me a photo asking whom it belonged to. I recognized it right away,” Teeba said while laughing.
Johanna stood up and slipped into the jacket, a little snug, it still fit her pretty well. “It still fits. That’s a surprise,” Teeba patted the seat next to her and Johanna sat down.
“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Teeba ordered two Megadown Margaritas. They were made with strawberry and peach puree and a large amount of vodka.
As soon as the drinks were brought to the table, Johanna knew she had to tell Teeba everything about Brandon. She took a gulp, placed the glass on the table and started talking.
Teeba was in shock, as she had never seen Johanna down Margaritas in quick succession. She had two glasses in the last twenty minutes. Johanna drank alcohol, but never this much. The news about Brandon almost losing his life after an argument they had gotten into was too much news. The affairs he was involved in were disappointing as she thought he loved her, even though he had a weird way of showing it. The newly improved version seemed like a dream come true and she was glad Johanna had gotten another chance to be happy. Teeba was not close to Brandon but she had a knack for picking up on liars.
“I want to see him, Jo. When can I come over?” Johanna, who was starting to develop a headache looked up at her friend.
“Well, the kids and I planned a surprise party for him tomorrow. It’s his birthday. He probably doesn’t remember it’s his birthday. I decided it was time for people he used to know to see him. I’m hoping it’ll help him remember again, you know? So can you make it tomorrow?”
“Of course, I will be there early enough to help you set up,” Teeba said and nodded her head and Johanna smiled. She hoped this party would help juggle some memories. Ever since he had remembered seeing himself in a mirror, he didn’t seem to remember anything else. She had to at least try her best to help him remember.
Johanna slowly crept up the stairs, carrying her heels in her hands to avoid the creaking sound the stairs made. She peered into the kid’s rooms. Nicola was snuggled up with Ginger on her bed and Johanna was surprised to see those two together. Nicola hasn’t been very fond of Ginger since Brandon brought him into the house. She hardly played with him. Johanna closed the door and tiptoed over to Martino’s room, which was adjacent to Nicola’s room. He had the bed lamp on and she just left it that way because she knew that if she tried to put it off he would wake up and put it on instantly. Lastly, she checked on Challis, whose room was the closest to her bedroom. She confirmed they were fast asleep and headed to her own bed to sleep.
When she got to her bedroom, she expected Brandon to be sleeping, partly because of his behavior before the accident and of his sweet nature lately. Brandon was wide-awake, reading a newspaper shirtless. He was sitting comfortably on the bed. He peered at her from the side of the paper.
“Hey babe, did you have a good time?”
She nodded sheepishly, embarrassed at the time she returned, but she could tell he didn’t mind at all. He seemed genuinely happy she had a good time.
She slipped into her closet, changed into a t-shirt and shorts and hopped into bed beside him. She snuggled close, so she could feel his warmth. He folded the newspaper, put it aside and then turned off the night lamp. He gave her a quick kiss and then smiled.
“Oh, margaritas. Yum,” he said without a worry, turned around and went to sleep. Johanna was in a confused state of mind. Who was this man? Was this the same Brandon I married?” she wondered. It was like being with the man of her dreams, except before his accident, he seemed to be the direct opposite. As much as she found herself falling for him again, she still had doubts and her biggest fear was if Brandon remembered the past. Would he change? Revert back to his old self? Hopefully, throwing a party for him to meet his old friends wasn’t going to backfire.