Alone Together

Chapter 3-Analeigh

My phone is connected to my Bluetooth stereo, playing a playlist that a client’s teenage daughter recommended to me the other week on Spotify. One thing about me is that I love listening to music and I listen to a little bit of everything. My favorite, currently, is alternative rock bands.

Right now, a band called The Score is playing and they have a nice, steady beat throughout their songs. In fact, it would be great for running if I were to do that kind of thing. Frankly, I much rather sit in front of the TV than run.

Of course, before long, I will be doing a different type of exercise. Moving.

I fell for a Colonial-style home that was in need of a lot of love. My mind flooded with ways of what I would do if I ever got the keys in my hand. Not much longer and I will have my very own home. A feat that very few Millennials have achieved, according to the older generations.

I went into the living room where I had a bunch of folded boxes sitting against the wall. I searched for the one that would work best, taking it to the kitchen with me. Taping the bottom, I begin to fill it up with the contents of a drawer I’m not using of miscellaneous gadgets that I’ve collected over the years. As I began to start taping the box closed, my phone began to ring.

I whirled around to my phone and groaned when I saw “Mom” pop up. I can imagine her sitting at her desk in her office, impatiently tapping her foot waiting for me to answer.

“Hello,” I said as I leaned against the counter.

“Ana, why did your sister tell me that you are moving?” I grimaced at the name Ana and silently cursed my sister for receiving this call.

“I don’t know mom,” I responded.

“Well, Mia wouldn’t lie,” she huffed.

“I’m not saying she would, I just don’t know why she would tell you,” I said simply, looking down at my nails that were in need of a buff.

The relationship between my parents and me is a complicated one. When my older sister Mia and I were younger, our parents were around. As we became older, dad got busy with his doctor’s office and mom moved up positions in the company she works for, leaving less time for us. By the time Mia was in high school she was practically raising me. Then, when I was in high school, I was alone.

I will not deny that I have resentment toward my parents. It was a big reason why I moved to another state. They weren’t around and when they were, everything about me was nitpicked. Well, that mostly came from my mother, while my father ignored what was being said and would agree just to get mother to stop her nagging.

Mia didn’t experience that to the same extent as me, so clearly she is still willing to offer information to those who don’t need it yet. I was going to tell them after I moved in because it is not like they come to visit.

“What were you just going to move and not tell us? What if we were going to come to visit you and find someone else living in your apartment?”

One thing I’ll give her is that she can apparently read minds.

“No. Everything is being processed right now. Inspections have to be done, and papers need to be signed. I just put in the offer,” I said just to placate her.

“Still you didn’t even inform me that you were even looking to buy a house. It’s like ever since you and Drew broke up I just don’t understand you.”

I sucked in my breath feeling my body begin to heat up with anger. No doubt my ears are tinged pink. Two years she still complains about the breakup. She acts like it was all my fault. I mean it was mostly my fault, but Drew and I didn’t fit.

“You quit your job and you ruined your future of settling down. What’s the point of even buying a house? It’s not like you have a boyfriend and are planning on settling down.”

“You know what I will talk to you when you stop criticizing me,” I said harshly back at her, hanging up. God, she makes me so irritated sometimes. I nearly slammed my phone down on the counter, taking ragged breaths as I fumed.

Every time she seemed to do this. She thinks that, at 26, I need to have a stable career and be married to someone with a good career as well. Just because Mia managed to do that doesn’t mean that is the path for me right now.

I look down at Tinkerbell who is sitting on the floor staring up at me with her head c****d to the right like she is trying to figure out what’s going on. I breathe in and out for a few seconds to calm myself down.

“Want to go for a walk?” I asked Tink, who perked up and her tail started thumping on the floor. I walked over to the front hall, putting on my coat, hat and gloves before strapping Tinkerbell into her harness. I gather up my phone and keys, shoving them into my pocket after I lock up. Tinkerbell happily trots down the hall and down the stairs ready to get outside.

There isn’t any snow on the ground, but it is bitter cold outside. I led Tinkerbell to the backside of the apartment where there was an open field. Tinkerbell walked around sometimes back and forth searching for the perfect spot to do her business. As I watched her, I began to calm down. It’s hard to stay mad when the same s**t keeps happening to me.

My mother, frankly, has not been happy since I made some changes in my life. Unfortunately, Drew, the man she adored and was happy I found a decent man, did not end up being part of those changes. She hasn’t let me forget it since.

I was more than happy to return home and curl up on the couch, abandoning all packing for the evening. Tinkerbell, sensing my mood, sprawled out on the other end, making sure I couldn’t stretch out as well.

“You could share Tink,” I said with a mock glare. She looks at me for a second before closing her eyes.

“ It must be nice to be a dog in a loving home. Not much you have to deal with.”

It is at times like this I wish I wasn’t living alone. Most of my friends are off building their lives with their significant others. Being single, I don’t fit in with couple groupings. Thankfully, my girls still enjoy a lady’s night once in a while to escape the monotony of their relationships.

I pet the top of Tinkerbell’s head while I send Mia a text.

Thanks for telling mom about my house.

I’m not mad at my sister, though sometimes I feel like Mia has loose lips around our mother. I guess it was because she is closer to our parents than I am. No matter how they get after her and she doesn’t like it, a part of her still wants to please them. I can’t blame Mia because I was doing the same thing.

I didn’t want to go to college after high school because I had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise. I listened to my parents because they are successful people. They must know what they are talking about. There was no way I was going to school near them. I found one with a good accounting program in Indiana because that was one of the few subjects I found easy while I was in high school.

My last two years of college were honestly the easiest for me. I didn’t put a lot of time into studying, so I had more time to work. I had a couple of different internships, saving up money for the future. It was one of those internships that landed me my future job and future boyfriend.

I did what my parents wanted, but I was not happy. Accounting dulled my day and I was bored out of my mind. I looked forward to finding discrepancies because that gave me a challenge. It wasn’t until Mia and her husband Jarred were house hunting that I found my calling.

I worked hard and got my real estate license and started part-time until I was ready to go full-time over a year later. I finally felt like I was thriving, while my parents felt like I lost my mind. I wouldn’t change how I got here. The only thing I wish I could do over is how Drew and I ended.