My Life

Chapter 1

    It's finally been five years since I left Louisiana.

    My baby Adrianno has been getting so big. He is now four years old. He has dark brown curls, just like his father. Golden tan skin like me, blue-green eyes like his father, and he is tall. He is only five, but he is 3'5, and the doctor says that is extremely tall for his age.

    He obviously didn't get it from me because I am 5'6 and I am 23 years old.

    Five months ago, Adrianno and I moved to a house I bought, just outside the city. For two years we were living in an apartment in the city. It was not that big, but it was what I could afford. When he was a year and a half, we moved out of my grandparents' house. I hated to bother them so much. While I had to work, they always cared for him, or in the middle of the night hearing his yelling and crying.

    The first few months it was hard, but we were able to get through it. Now the house I bought is a one-story house. It has three rooms, a pretty big kitchen, with an open living room. The rooms are pretty spacious. I made the third room, my office, and my workroom. 

    There are two bathrooms. The yard has this big tree where I hung up a swing set, a small kiddie pool, a patio with a seating area for a party or a family gathering.

    It may not be like the house I grew up in or my grandparents' house, but it was something I could call my own. Something where my heart and sweat went into, and it is something I am very proud of.

    Three years ago, as I said I started my own fashion line. I design clothes, put them up for sale on my website online, and it sells instantly. I have to package my orders, and I send them out to my customers.

    A few months ago, I was able to hire two workers, and a babysitter. Since Adrianno can't attend daycare yet, he has to be five years old, he stays home with me. I don't want him to start either. Maybe it's just me being a mother, but I feel like he would be better off here with me at home.

    I buy him books and flashcards to practice on. For his spelling, and reading, and a bunch of other stuff.     The babysitter is Paige. She is this sweet, nineteen years old girl. She graduated early from high school and is in her last year of college. She goes to class online in the morning. She does it here from my house because, during that time, I am working, and Adrianno should wake up halfway through her class.

    When she finishes with the few classes she has to go to in a day, she teaches Adrianno things. Math, reading, writing, even a little bit of science. She is super smart and is great with him. Paige takes care of him while I am working, on breaks I will take him and the girls for ice cream before I go back to work.

    Nicole is my assistant. She is only twenty years old, and she is really good at her job. She is in charge of making sure the packages get packaged up, sent to the post office, and gives us the lists of orders every morning. She deals with the technical side of everything. She deals with customers, updating our online store, everything.

    Monica is my other designer. She helps me make the designs. She buys all the materials we need to work and helps out making all the items that we have to ship out. With her help, everything moves along faster and smoother.

    These three girls are a huge help. My life is going pretty good right now. Business is going great, I work a lot, but I still have a social life. I am so happy with how everything is going.

    Right now I was picking up around the house. I had just let the girls go home early since we had finished early.

    While Adrianno was watching tv in the living room, I was cooking dinner.

    I was halfway done with cooking when the doorbell rang.

    "I'll get it!" Adrianno yelled and got up off the couch.

    "No, stay right there. Remember. Always let mommy open the door." I said as I walked to the door. He went back to the couch and continued watching tv.

    I open the door and see that it was Isabella, my little sister. Bella was only two years younger than me, that's maybe why we always got along very well. We were always super close.

    Bella has been visiting a lot lately. Ever since she moved out of my parents' house. She now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is attending a university, majoring in finances. She has always been great with numbers and all that.

    "Bella!" I said excitedly and pulled her in for a hug.

    "Madds! I missed you!" she said hugging me back.

    "Auntie Bella!" Adrianno screamed jumping from the couch and running to hug Bella.

    She crouched down and gave him a hug.

    "Hey sweetie pie!" she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

    "Look how tall you are?" she said standing back up, and messy with his hair.

    "I a bwig boy now!" he yelled and ran off.

    "Adrianno! What did I say? No running in the house!" I yelled scolding him. He frowned and walked back to the couch.

    Bella laughed and turned to smile at me.

    "Well come on in," I said grabbing her hand, and pushing her in. She picked up her bag from the steps and walked in.

    I closed the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen.

    "Just leave your bag there," I said pointing to the chair. She set it down and sat on one of the island stools that face the kitchen from the island counter.

    "Do you want anything to drink? Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.?" I asked her.

    "No thank you, I am good." She responded.

    "So, tell me. How has the business been going?" She asked.

    "Well, it's been going pretty good. Just yesterday, Nicole had to send out more than a hundred packages. And they were all ordered on the same day. Today was just sending the normal orders who didn't pay for express shipping." I said as I moved around the kitchen, finishing up the alfredo pasta I was cooking.

    "That's amazing Madds." She said with a smile.

    "Yeah. Well, tell me about you?" I asked her.

    "It's a long weekend, so I decided to come down here for the weekend. See what my big sis was up to." She said and giggled.

    "What are your plans for the weekend?" She asked.

    "Umm, I don't have to work Monday, and the girls aren't coming in, so I'll probably take Adrianno to the park or something?" I responded.

    "Why?" I asked.

    "Well, I got invited to this party. It's the opening of this club, and they say it's going to be super fun. Free drinks for an hour, amazing music....and my friend got us VIP tickets. Meaning we'll have a table and access to the second floor. It's less crowded there. And lastly, it's in New York. We can stay the whole weekend, come back Monday. We leave tomorrow afternoon. The party is Saturday night...You get some time out of the house, and did I say free drinks for an hour?" She said trying to get me intrigued. I looked at her.

    "One. Who is going to watch over Adrianno?-" I was about to continue, but she cut me off.

    "Grandma and grandpa said they would watch him for the weekend. Anndd...Aunt Susan said she would pick him up and take him to the park with Charles and Lily." She said.

     Aunt Susan is our dad's younger sister. She has two kids, Charles and Lily. They are twins, of the age of fourteen. They love hanging out with Adrianno.

    "Isabella!" I yelled at her. Why is she doing this to me?

    "Look, it's only two days and a half. It is a five-hour drive. If we leave tomorrow at eleven in the morning, after we drop Adrianno off, we get there by 5:30 pm. We pass by the university, pick up Rachel, and we keep driving. My friend left his apartment for the weekend. Said we could stay there until Monday. It has two rooms, an amazing view of the city, and is only three blocks from the club. I have thought and planned absolutely everything. I even left my car back on campus and came in an Uber. That way we leave in your car, and after you drop Rachel and me off on the way back, you return home." Bella explained everything.

    "Okay..." I said and she instantly started cheering.

    "BUT! But, I can't get wasted. In case something happens, I have to be at least 45% able to pick up my phone. Just if I might be needed. Deal?" I said strictly.

    I knew Bella will want me to take shots with her, and party hard, but I have to be responsible now. I have a child to care for. Like what if something happens, and I am too drunk to answer the phone? No, I am not doing that.

    "Fine. But that doesn't mean you can't drink. Just have fun, and that is all that matters." She said with a smile.

    "Correct. Now go get that nephew of yours. Dinner is ready." I said and started to serve them the pasta.

    "Sweetie Pie!" Bella called out.