Common Sense Doesn't Become Me (19 page)

Of course, plans can change; they always do.
Somehow though, I got the impression that Mason and I made a great
team in compromising. Like the fact that we spent almost every
Sunday from noon to three at his parents for brunch. I did not mind
as I was starting to feel like one of the family. It might have
helped that his sisters and mother treated me better than my own
family. Mason knew how to deal with me after I might have a bad mom
experience with my mother, and he had picked my dad up from the bar
a few times without trying to let me know. I thought it was sweet,
as we both had discussed that it was a problem we can only deal
with by not letting him drive drunk. However, Mason's biggest
compromise of all was when he asked me to marry him, and I told him
not until I finished the management course. Although, as soon as I
said that, he quit trying to persuade me from studying, to do other
entertaining things, like having sex. We were not doing so well on
the Catholic thing, but I had a great study partner who wanted me
to get this course done in six months instead of the typical year
to two years it takes a full-time worker to accomplish.

As I walked out of the Senior Center where I
volunteered, there he stood. Dark hair freshly cut, a bouquet of
flowers, dressed in nice khaki slacks, leather loafers and a blue
silk dress shirt that made his eyes pop with color, and if I wasn't
mistaken, there was a bit of mischievousness to them.

"Hello gorgeous, how were your listeners?" I
knew he was referring to the seniors I read to; they were always
appreciative. However, for the old men, the fact that I always
dressed up in my Sunday best might make them a bit more pleasant.
Today I was wearing a soft pink dress that curved my body and
flowed gracefully. Sophia, Mason's mom, had made it for me in
practice for my bridesmaid dresses she wanted to make. It turns
out; she is a great sewer.

After I kissed him, I took the bouquet of
flowers and sniffed them, and then I gave him a wink. "The seniors
were great as always. So are these for me or are we taking them to
your moms?" I was referring to the flowers as he always brought his
mom something on Sundays, usually wine or flowers, but often he
would surprise everyone with a sentimental gift like an old picture
of them framed or all the family recipes put into digital files. I
really liked having a romantic boyfriend. Even if it was his
youngest sister helping in making him look like the perfect
son.

He opened the passenger-side door to his
black BMW and winked. "I have a little something in store for
you."

I climbed into his car and reached for my
seatbelt to buckle up, just as he closed the door, he practically
danced around the front of the car to the driver side. As soon as
he got in, I gave him the one eye raised eyebrow look. "What is
it?" I teased.

"You'll see. By the way, Carl took me to the
car repair shop, so I could pick up your car for repair. I don't
know why you insisted on buying another used-car lot special. Any
ways, it's at the apartment parking space."

"Thanks. I guess I figured why wreck a new
car, when a used car is cheaper." I teased with referral to my car
wreck not so long ago.

"I see. Well, when we are married, I am going
to buy you a new car." He stated it so affirmatively, and then he
added. "If you'll let me, dear." He was learning quickly.

"I suppose." I laughed, but deep down, I
could see a few advantages to marrying a man who was financially on
the upside. So did my mother, she was thrilled about it. Come to
think of it, ever since we announced our engagement, my mother
hadn't said one bad thing about Mason. I guess I could scratch
pleasing my mother off my thirty-year-old plan, in fact, after
meeting Mason, there were a lot of things I could scratch off and
that pleased me tremendously.

Just as we pulled up in front of an elegant
old Victorian house that was nestled among other old homes turned
into businesses, I noticed the sign. Bernstein Private Jeweler.
When Mason had asked me to marry him, it had been after one of his
famous planned dates. He had given me his great grandma's antique
ring as a symbol, but asked if we could go shopping for a ring when
I had time, which seemed fewer and fewer as I was rushing with
every spare minute to get this management course done, so I could
marry him. Me and my personal promises to myself - ugh, but I was
sticking this one out to prove not only to myself, but everyone
else.

When I turned to look at Mason, he had that
kid in the candy store look. "I can't wait for you to pick out the
biggest diamond so that the whole world can see how much I love
you."

I unclipped my seat belt and leaned over to
gather his face in my hands. I gave him a quick kiss and pulled
back, still holding his face. "It's not the diamond size that
matters, but the thought."

He laughed. "That's what you women tell us
when you are telling your girlfriends that size matters." We both
started to laugh, because there was a bit of truth to that,
however, in that department, Mason had no worries, no worries at
all.

We walked up the sidewalk together with a
hitch in both our steps. His grandma's ring was lovely, but I knew
this meant a lot to him as he had been bugging me to do this. Now
that we were here, I think I was excited to have a ring that he
buys me on my finger. A little materialistic part of me could not
wait to shove it into the faces of the females at work that kept
stating that they thought Mason came from a rich family.

Three hours later and about a hundred
different rings tried on, we came away with purchasing a beautiful
two-caret diamond ring with a gold band. I think Mr. Bernstein was
happy to have me finally make my choice as he had several customers
in the store and only two other helpers that day.

As soon as we walked into his mom's kitchen,
I walked with my hand forward and an 'oh my would you look at that'
look on my face. The four women swooned around my hand as Mason
said something about catching the game on TV with the other
husbands. It had a sweet ring to it, all the way around.

By the time we left his mother's house around
three, the late-summer storm clouds blew in fast and furious.
Running to get into his car in pouring rain, in a soft pink dress
that became see-though when it was wet, had Mason smiling, such a
man he is. Then I saw him start up his car and reach for his cell
phone. Before he backed out of his parent's driveway, he had
canceled the carriage ride on account of the weather. Then he
turned to me. "You ok if we postpone this date, seeing as the
weather for our outdoor date has put a damper on things?"

"Sure. Besides, I am so full from your mom's
cooking that I don't think I want to eat anytime soon."

As he backed out of the driveway, he tossed
me one of his sultry looks that warmed me with shivers. "Besides,
with that dress see through now, I have other ideas."

I started to giggle, because that was one
thing, he always came through on.

After our lovemaking, we found ourselves
sitting on my apartment window bench seat at the early hours of six
p.m. The storm had only intensified, and we both loved to sit and
watch the storm in the sky the best we could from the window seat.
Sitting in nothing under our bathroom robes, me nestled in his
arms, sitting between his legs, I sighed heavily.

He whispered against my ear. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing really. I was just thinking how
when we get our first home, I would love to have a window like
this, so we could sit like this, and watch the storms over the
mountains."

"That can be done. Want to start looking? I
was going to tell you I've been looking, but you've been spending
every extra second finishing this management course." He kissed the
side of my neck, and I let out a soft moan.

"Yeah. I mean, we can look, but I don't want
to move into the house until after we are married. What would your
Catholic relatives think?" I teased.

"Who cares? They already know that I moved
into your apartment, and I know you and Marion have spent the last
two weeks nonstop talking about wedding plans instead of your
typical baby talk. Carl told me. Not to mention the talk in the
kitchen today with you and my sisters, and my mother at the brunch
table. With the way you guys have so much planned out; we could get
married next week." He teased.

"Ok." I let it out there so calm and
collected that I was not sure if he heard.

When he finally turned me in his arms towards
him and looked me in the eyes, I saw his excitement. "Really? You
mean that? Because if you do, I'll pay the church extra to get us
in next weekend."

I laughed. "Well, not next weekend. But I
think you've shown me the most support on this management course.
How would getting married now make any difference?" I sat back down
on the cushion seat, facing him and held out my new engagement
ring, looking at it in awe. "Besides, life gets off course and
having you by my side as my husband makes it that much easier to
deal with. This living in sin thing is killing my Catholic side of
the family, well except for my aunt, but I don't think she is a
Catholic, she just says she is to keep the family off her back. I
have a good feeling that you will help me no matter what career or
family decision I make in the future. I love my job as it is, and I
only took the management course for my mom and well for Wally too,
but I don't know if I really want that job. I do want to finish the
courses though, just so I see it through, and in case I change my
mind. Because I am a woman after all, and we tend to do that
sometimes." We both laughed.

"As long as you don't change your mind about
me." He joked.

"Not a prayer and if I must confess, Marion
and I have been sneaking in wedding talk here and there; we
couldn't help ourselves. However, you know me; I'll make a list and
organize, and we could be married soon."

I felt the warmth of his lips touch mine, and
then I watched him sit back down. "I love you." He said it with a
dreamy sound to his voice.

Just as he professed his love to me for the
tenth time that night, lightning flashed across the sky causing an
image to flash before like the lightning. The internal image of me
as a troublemaker in my life fizzled away and was replaced with an
image of Mason and me as a married couple, and helping each other
out, no matter what problems arise.

I know I have caused more trouble in my life,
more times than I can count. I know I always had this needless
pursuit to push away anyone who might actually love me for who I
am. Here before me was a man who was telling me he loves me for who
I am, I pushed him away like a test, and he passed with flying
colors - all straight As. His excitement for our future together
was the best confirmation a woman could ever ask for.

The next loud clap of the thunder that came
before the next flash of lightning brought me back to Mason,
looking at me tenderly, holding my hand while we sat on the bench.
Before me was a man whom I fell head over heels, literally, just
from the sight of him. His first flirt, to me ending it with a
kiss, sent me into a tailspin, and now, he has shown me he is just
as committed to me as he is to his career, his family and their
relationship, and mine as well. How could I not want this for
myself? Could I be so stupid as to push him away again as to some
test of his love? No. I am thirty now, and I left all of that
lesson learning shenanigans behind me; I hope!
The End.

Note from the author:

Dear readers,

Most of my books have these characters that
are, uhm, flawed. The majority of my female characters have a witty
sense of humor and a way of looking at life as to say 'Hell yeah;
I'm not perfect, but I look damn cute in these ____! (Fill in the
word here with boots, heels, flip-flops.) The men in my book, well
they make McDreamy look average, well sometimes. Because it's hard
to write about a perfect man when we women all know they don't
exist and the ones that are out there and close to our radar of
perfect, well they are only that way because of a great woman!
However, writing about romance, quirky everyday what-ifs and oops
did I really do that is so much fun when you know there is a hot
manageable guy waiting somewhere in the book to romance her.
Besides, I was once told, if you can dream him, he will come. So
keep on dreaming my female friends and may one day your perfect
handsome hero sweep you off your feet, although he might be four
legged and furry, he will love you perfectly all the same.

If you liked this book, you might like one of
my others and let me tell you no two books are the same. Each of
them develops a character style all their own. Some sultry hot,
some witty humor with light hearted romance and even a few
mysteries with romance. Take your pick based on what style of cute
you want, for the moment, and enjoy.

CJ Hawk -
May the wings of freedom lift
you higher.

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