"Life, Love, and Other Mysteries" Chapter 1

Life, Love, and Other Mysteries

Chapter 1

The sun was already shining, when Jael's alarm clock began blaring signaling time to start what she knew was going to be a busy day. It was the day that her youngest sisters Bryna and Maeryn were making their trip from home to their new school The University of Delaware, making two more members of the family to join them in their new home. Sighing, she realized that meant she was definitely getting old. Not only in this year had she become a mother, her baby sisters had graduated high school and turned eighteen. Babbling from the nursery alerted her that her daughter Eliana was already awake. Grabbing her robe, Jael climbed out of bed and fixed the covers unwilling to let her little corner of the apartment become a wreck, partially because of her ocd. Then, she threw open the door and made her way to the nursery waving a hasty hello to Cambria and Carina who were at the kitchen table enjoying what was most likely a low-carb, no substance breakfast.

"Mommy's little girl is awake already?" she asked as she entered the nursery, which was freshly painted a serene color of sage to welcome their newest addition. Eliana had only been with them for three months, but it seemed as if she'd been part of the Douglas family for a lifetime.

Babbling greeted Jael, as she reached into the white sleigh crib to retrieve her chubby Haitian baby. A smile spread Eliana's chubby cheeks as she greeted the world in her own special way. Talking to her baby as if she was going to reply, Jael made her way to the kitchen to begin the day that would most likely change their lives again for the better. There had been a few of them lately, and so far everything was going fine. She hoped it would stay that way.

"Jae, Elisha already called for you." stated Cambria, as they entered the kitchen.

"Thanks, I'm going to give him a call and invite him to the party tomorrow. I figure he and Khalil will want to come." she replied as she set Eliana in her high chair and buckled her in securely.

Carina turned to Cambria, "I guess we suck at life. No one calls us this early in the morning...except maybe Mom."

"I'd call you guys...if I was up that early, or I wasn't in the same apartment." Jael laughed and began heating up the baby's cereal.

"Right," they answered in sync.

The phone rang, and Cambria grabbed it. "Hello!" she answered cheerfully. Her face turned a bright shade of red as she listened to the person on the other side of the phone call.

Jael looked at Carina and raised an eyebrow, "Who do you think it is?"

"Chippendale dancer?" asked Carina with a laugh.

"Probably." Jael shrugged and went back to feeding the baby, keeping an ear open for clues into who it was on the phone.

"Are you serious?! MOM!" Cambria exclaimed.

"Mom?" Jael and Carina asked at once.

After five more minutes of something akin to bickering and embarrassment, Cambria hung up the phone and dropped into a kitchen chair covering her face with her hands.

"So?" asked Carina, turning toward Cambria.

"Don't leave us in suspense!" added Jael.

Eliana seemed to add her two cents in a babble and hand gesture at her aunt.

"Ezra asked if he could help mom and dad move the girls stuff up here. Which means he'll be staying for the week as well, and he'll be staying in our apartment!"

Carina and Jael traded surprised glances, and then smiles.

"Perfect." said Jael.

"Perfect? Are you kidding me?! He's coming HERE...to our house, in our church, he'll be all over...I could barely get by at home with seeing him every so often. How am I going to live with him for a whole week?" demanded Cambria, covering her face again.

"Most women would be excited to live with the 'man of their dreams' for a week...not you, it's a disaster." sighed Carina.

"Really, I don't get it." Jael announced, wiping off Eliana's face with a rag. "He's gorgeous and probably getting more handsome as we speak. You know it's going to be good."

Carina covered her mouth to keep from laughing, as Cambria jumped up from her seat. "You couldn't get it, Miss. I'm-in-love-and-everyone-else-should-be-too!" She stormed out of the kitchen and into her bedroom slamming the door behind her.

Jael turned to Carina with a sigh, "Who said this week was going to be boring?"

"Not me that's for sure!" she replied with a sigh of her own.
--
The sun shone through the window as Cambria laid on her bed screaming into her pillow. "WHY GOD?!" She screamed. Her world was truly ending and nobody realized why. The line played through her head like a broken record. "He wanted to help" her mother had said. She rolled her eyes than stood up. Why was she acting like a high school girl? So much drama. But no really this was going to be the worst week of her life! She would have to try her best to cook for this man when surely he knew she did not cook. She had a feeling her family was against her. Heck the whole world was against her at this moment and she wasn't sure why. She looked at herself in the mirror and smirked. STOP IT! She told herself than wondered why. Maybe this would be a good thing. Maybe he would realize how much he was truly in love with her and the whole world would love her again. She threw herself on her bed and squeeled into her pillow.

"Cambria!" She jumped up at the sound of her sister's voice and ran out of the room trying to now hide her excitement.

"What's up?" She asked watching Jael and Carina standing with their purses.

"Carina and I are going shopping to get some food for this house for our company." She said exchanging smiles with Carina. Cambria rolled her eyes and smiled."So can you watch Eliana?" She asked.

"Of course. Take your time." Cambria said. The said goodbyes than left. Cambria walked into the living room where Eliana sat in her playpen. "Hey little one how are you doing?" She asked. The doorbell rang just as she was about to change the channel. She picked up Eliana and walked out to the door. "Who is it?" She asked.

"Jessie." She heard her neighbor yell.

"AND KASSARAH AND JUDY!" Her other neighbors yelled. It took all her power not to yell
"ONLY JESSIE PLEASE". She opened the door and let them all in.

"What's up girls?" She asked as they all walked in. Jessie looked at her than walked to the kitchen to get a drink. She often came over just for something to snack on. And some company since she lived alone.

"We heard noise and wanted to know what was up!" Kassarah said. Cambria walked into the living room hoping they'd leave. But, of course they followed.

"So what was it?" Judy asked.

"It was nothing!" Cami said setting Eliana in the play pen.

"Screaming did not sound like nothing." Kassarah piped sitting down on the couch. Judy wasnt to far behind her.

"My family is coming in tomorrow with a friend." She said flipping through the channels.

"A cute friend?" Jessie now asked walking into the room with a carrot and a bottle of water.

"I believe so." Cami said with a smirk looking at Jessie.

"Do we get to meet him?" Kassarah and Judy asked in unison.

"Sure whatever." She said rolling her eyes. They both got up and walked into Jael's room as though they had gotten the answer they came for. Cami looked at Jessie and they both laughed.

"So who is he?" Jessie asked. She got herself comfortable on the couch. Cami laughed.

"Why does it have to be a guy? Why can't it be a girl?" Cami asked.

"Because, you wouldn't say a girl is cute. Or atleast I would hope you wouldn't. Which in that case I should be leaving now." Jesse said. They both laughed.

"Ok ok It's Ezra. You know I told you about him." She said blushing once more.

"Oh yea! He's coming here? That's awesome. When do I get to meet him?" Jessie asked.

"Tomorrow when he gets here? He's moving the twins stuff into your apartment! You'll also be at our party right?" She asked putting on Disney Channel.

"What party?" Kassarah and Judy both asked coming from 2 differant rooms.

"No party!" Jesse and Cami both answered at the same time. The two girls shrugged and went off into the rooms again.

--

The store was extremely ordinary as always, as was Carina's life as of late. She often woke up and wondered what she was doing with her life, she went to work and came home and that was pretty much it. If she went anywhere it was with her sisters, not that she didn't want to be with them but for once in her life she'd like to say she was in love. Honestly, truly, hopelessly, madly in love. She glanced at Jael, who was pushing the cart beside her and humming happily as she grabbed various items off of the shelf. Jael had Elisha in her life, and she'd gone from unhappy and life-less to upbeat and excited adopting a baby and talking over wedding plans incessantly. Not that most people enjoyed being married off and parents, but honestly she'd always wanted a baby of her own. She was having fun spoiling her niece now though, and hopefully in the future more nieces and nephews.

She was daydreaming about a child of her own when Jael tapped her on the shoulder, "I'm going to get the chicken and such from over here, could you get the dairy products?" Jael asked, thrusting a list of products into her hand.

Carina nodded and turned her cart toward the dairy section hoping she wouldn't be run over by an elderly woman in search of milk and cheese. She was still daydreaming, but she came too really quickly when she ran her cart into the back of an extremely tall, muscular man. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she spouted, pulling her cart back.

He turned around and flashed her a quick smile, "No problem, just trying not to get run over by that old woman over there." he gestured with his head and whispered as if she was part of his conspiracy.

A flicker of recollection came to life in Carina's mind as she stared at his face. BJ! Shaking her head she smiled at him as much as at her thoughts, she was going crazy. "I hear ya." she said, casually strolling around him and grabbing the items from her list and tossing them into the cart. "Sorry again." she said, turning back and heading to the meat department.

"Was that BJ?" asked Jael, turning her cart back toward the dairy. "BJ!"

Turning what she knew must be six shades of red, Carina wished that the floor would just open up and swallow her whole cart and all. It was him! It was the guy she'd met when her sister had been tutoring the basketball team back at home and she'd taken an instant liking to him. Here she'd thought she was losing it...

BJ and Jael were carrying on a conversation, and Carina couldn't be any more embarrassed, so she chose to tune them out and grab the remaining products on the list. Casually, she strolled up to the line of registers and caught sight of Jael coming up beside her wearing a large smile looking much like the proverbial cat who'd eaten the canary.

"What did you do?" Carina demanded, pinning her sister with a look.

"Nothing. I invited an old friend to the party tomorrow is all." she winked and began unloading the groceries onto the conveyor belt.

"Lovely, just lovely. This party is headed for disaster within an hour!" Carina exclaimed grabbing her cell phone and texting Cami to let her know that she wasn't the only one being sabotaged. Their family had it in for them, that was for sure.