Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
**The following is a work of fiction. No offense intended to anyone, it’s all meant in good fun. Strong language, semi-adult themes
Chapter Twenty-two
“Hello?” The voice at the other end of the line was not familiar. Alyx’s throat closed so tight that she could neither breathe nor speak. “Hello?” The man asked again, obviously irritated.
“Ahem… uh… Hello. Have I reached the Mullen residence?” She asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice. She had never really learned how to interact with the parents of her friends when she was a teenager, and she had hardly expected to do that now that she was in her mid twenties.
“Yes, you have.” The man replied brusquely. She had no doubt who he was, even without laying eyes on him, he was obviously Larry’s father.
“Could I speak to Larry. Erm, Junior, that is.” She corrected herself. He asked her who she was, and for a minute she feared he was asking her how she knew Larry and why she would be phoning on Christmas Eve. Then she realized he just wanted a name to tell Larry when he called him to the phone. Once she told him, he was gone and soon she heard the phone being picked up from where it had been resting.
“Hi!” Larry greeted her cheerily, and all her anxiety washed away in a heartbeat.
“Hi.” She told him, smiling such a smile that he could hear it in her voice. “I just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas.”
“I’d be happier if you were here.” He told her. She could hear the sound of him moving about, settling into a seat or onto the floor maybe. She bit her lower lip and wondered whether telling him now would spoil the surprise or not.
“I’ve been thinking.” She said, pausing to let him wonder for a moment. “About that. About being so far apart. I didn’t think it would mean anything to me, the holiday I mean. I haven’t really done much to celebrate it in years. Funny thing, though… I can’t seem to get any work done. I keep thinking about Dublin.”
“About Dublin?” He asked, smirking knowingly.
“Yes, Dublin. And you.” She told him, laying back on her sofa-bed and looking up at the portraits she had started of him from photograph. She didn’t like any of them, felt she had failed completely in capturing his beauty. Still, she could not stand to get rid of them.
“What have you been thinking about Dublin and me?” he asked playfully.
“I was thinking that maybe you could pick me up at the airport tomorrow.” She told him.
“What? You’re flying in? Tomorrow?” He asked, shocked but happy. He laughed a bit harder than she’d expected and she had to ask him just what was so funny. “My suitcase is packed and I have a ticket to fly out on Boxing Day. I was coming to London.”
“You didn’t!” She laughed, her heart swelling in her chest. Larry leaving his family behind and flying back just to see her told her how serious he was about being with her this way. He was close to his family, but, Alyx thought with a faint smile, almost closer to his money. He was the last to spend money, always caring for his belongings carefully and saving for a rainy day.
“Well, I thought you were too stubborn to come home.” He told her gently.
“I haven’t been back in Dublin in years.”
“I’m glad you decided to come.” He told her, and they fell into a rhythm of conversation which anyone who had ever been in love would recognize. Soft spoken, sometimes playful sometimes wistful, and completely oblivious to anything but the others voice. It was well into Christmas morning before they said goodbye.
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“Do you hear that?” Natalie mumbled into her pillow. Bono was stretched out along the length of her from behind, one arm draped over her waist, his face buried in her hair.
“You mean do I hear Andy running around outside our door trying to get us to wake up by making as much noise as possible?” Bono mumbled in reply, and Natalie chuckled.
“Should we torture him by laying here a while longer or torture ourselves by getting out of bed this early?”
“I thought you liked to get up early?” Bono teased.
“Not on vacation.” She grumbled playfully. There was a loud thump outside the door, as if something had been dropped from a moderate height. There was a bookshelf and an antique chair near the window at the end of the hall, and Natalie could practically see Andy climbing all over it. They heard someone calling from the first floor, and then Andy’s screamed response.
“No I’m not wakin’ ‘em up! I was just lookin’ for the crayons!” Was his response. They would have to have been deaf or drunk to have slept through that. Natalie was the first to laugh, but Bono was soon shaking with laughter as well.
They climbed out of bed and quickly donned any clothes that had gone missing the night before. Of particular interest were socks, as the hardwood floor was terribly cold on their bare feet. Natalie had to laugh at Bono’s quick search through his luggage while hopping back and forth from one foot to the other.
Even after being clothed in pajama pants and t-shirts, they were feeling the chill.
Natalie wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and Bono hurried to get under it as well.
“Get your own!” She laughed, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Andy was sitting in her mother’s antique chair, kicking his legs and rocking back and forth so that the legs scraped on the floor and the back of the chair banged against the wall every few seconds.
He looked up at her in surprise and for a moment was concerned he was going to get into trouble. Until Bono slipped under the back of the blanket and shimmied his way up until his head popped out behind Natalie’s, his hair a wild mess. Natalie was squealing and laughing throughout the process, so Andy deduced that neither of them posed a threat to his Christmas morning excitement.
“Is everyone else up?” Natalie asked, and Andy smiled and nodded in affirmation. “Well what are we waiting for, then?” She asked, giving the boy a wink. He hopped out of the chair and ran down the stairs so fast that it made her call out warning him to slow down and be more careful.
“I sound like a mom.” She complained, rolling her eyes. Bono’s arms were wrapped around her waist and his chin rested on her shoulder.
“You’ll be a great mom.” He told her.
“I’ve already tried and failed.” She told him sadly.
“You didn’t fail, Nat…” Bono started to argue, concern darkening his blue eyes.
“You know what? Forget I said that. I don’t want to think about the past today.” She told him, kissing him softly. He nodded in understanding and they made their way awkwardly into the living room, still wrapped up in one blanket.
There were easily twice as many presents as had been there the night before, including a new BMX bike with a big ribbon on it. Scott was already sitting on it, hands on the handlebars, one foot on the pedal while his other foot held him and the bike upright.
Once Nat and Bono were settled onto the couch the children were given permission to start handing out the presents. Scott read the tags and gave the package to Andy to deliver to it’s rightful recipient. Soon the presents were sorted into piles and ready to open, the boys practically frantic from having been made to wait until everyone had their gifts. Soon the entire living room seemed to be buried in torn wrapping paper and loose ribbons, toys and clothes, books and candies stacked in piles, each forgotten in anticipation of the next.
Ray Jr. stood and shushed the noisy room, lifting his coffee mug in toast and announcing that next year, there would be another little one opening presents for the very first time. Connie managed a weak smile and nodded in confirmation that she was pregnant.
“No wonder she looks so tired.” Angie muttered caustically, earning an elbow in the ribs from their mother. Everyone made a point of congratulating them on the new addition to their family. Soon after that , Angie and Joy were about to move into the kitchen to check on the Christmas turkey and the kids were starting to decide what to play with first, when Bono called Andy over.
“Are you sure there wasn’t one more present under the tree?” He asked, and Andy shook his head seriously.
“Can you check again for me?” he asked, and Natalie frowned. They had exchanged gifts and both seemed satisfied with what they had received. Her mother had even dipped into her emergency gift closet and wrapped a couple of presents up for Bono from her and Ray Sr. She didn’t know what he was up to, but it made her nervous.
Andy and Scott both made a point of getting down on their hands and knees and looking again. When they saw a small velvet box with the red bow on top, hanging from one of the lowest tree branches they cried out in excitement. They hadn’t even noticed it before! They both grabbed for it, and for a moment it looked as if they might tip the tree over on its side as they wrestled for the nearly overlooked gift.
Scott, being older and bigger, managed to get the box in hand and stagger to his feet first. He ran across the room and presented it proudly to Natalie, who stared in horror at it. *He wouldn’t!* She thought, screaming this over and over in her head. Andy, who had been chasing his brother, slammed into his back as he failed to stop short and the present was launched out of the boys hand and onto Natalie’s lap.
“Are you going to open it?” Bono asked, and Natalie glanced nervously around the room. Every eye was on her and that little box. That little black velvet jewelry box. Her heart was in her throat and she couldn’t seem to swallow it.
Bono reached out and took the box into his thick fingered hand. It looked so small and delicate when he held it. Deceptively so; as it was (if it was what she suspected) a very big and threatening thing within that box. He slid out from under their cozy blanket and down onto one knees in front of her. Natalie shook her head violently from side to side, her mouth opening but no words coming out.
“I’ve heard a saying that goes something like ‘you don’t marry the person you can live with, you marry the one you can not live without. That’s you, Nat. I want to always be with you. I want everyone to look at me and think of you. Marry me, Natalie.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“Hello?” The voice at the other end of the line was not familiar. Alyx’s throat closed so tight that she could neither breathe nor speak. “Hello?” The man asked again, obviously irritated.
“Ahem… uh… Hello. Have I reached the Mullen residence?” She asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice. She had never really learned how to interact with the parents of her friends when she was a teenager, and she had hardly expected to do that now that she was in her mid twenties.
“Yes, you have.” The man replied brusquely. She had no doubt who he was, even without laying eyes on him, he was obviously Larry’s father.
“Could I speak to Larry. Erm, Junior, that is.” She corrected herself. He asked her who she was, and for a minute she feared he was asking her how she knew Larry and why she would be phoning on Christmas Eve. Then she realized he just wanted a name to tell Larry when he called him to the phone. Once she told him, he was gone and soon she heard the phone being picked up from where it had been resting.
“Hi!” Larry greeted her cheerily, and all her anxiety washed away in a heartbeat.
“Hi.” She told him, smiling such a smile that he could hear it in her voice. “I just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas.”
“I’d be happier if you were here.” He told her. She could hear the sound of him moving about, settling into a seat or onto the floor maybe. She bit her lower lip and wondered whether telling him now would spoil the surprise or not.
“I’ve been thinking.” She said, pausing to let him wonder for a moment. “About that. About being so far apart. I didn’t think it would mean anything to me, the holiday I mean. I haven’t really done much to celebrate it in years. Funny thing, though… I can’t seem to get any work done. I keep thinking about Dublin.”
“About Dublin?” He asked, smirking knowingly.
“Yes, Dublin. And you.” She told him, laying back on her sofa-bed and looking up at the portraits she had started of him from photograph. She didn’t like any of them, felt she had failed completely in capturing his beauty. Still, she could not stand to get rid of them.
“What have you been thinking about Dublin and me?” he asked playfully.
“I was thinking that maybe you could pick me up at the airport tomorrow.” She told him.
“What? You’re flying in? Tomorrow?” He asked, shocked but happy. He laughed a bit harder than she’d expected and she had to ask him just what was so funny. “My suitcase is packed and I have a ticket to fly out on Boxing Day. I was coming to London.”
“You didn’t!” She laughed, her heart swelling in her chest. Larry leaving his family behind and flying back just to see her told her how serious he was about being with her this way. He was close to his family, but, Alyx thought with a faint smile, almost closer to his money. He was the last to spend money, always caring for his belongings carefully and saving for a rainy day.
“Well, I thought you were too stubborn to come home.” He told her gently.
“I haven’t been back in Dublin in years.”
“I’m glad you decided to come.” He told her, and they fell into a rhythm of conversation which anyone who had ever been in love would recognize. Soft spoken, sometimes playful sometimes wistful, and completely oblivious to anything but the others voice. It was well into Christmas morning before they said goodbye.
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“Do you hear that?” Natalie mumbled into her pillow. Bono was stretched out along the length of her from behind, one arm draped over her waist, his face buried in her hair.
“You mean do I hear Andy running around outside our door trying to get us to wake up by making as much noise as possible?” Bono mumbled in reply, and Natalie chuckled.
“Should we torture him by laying here a while longer or torture ourselves by getting out of bed this early?”
“I thought you liked to get up early?” Bono teased.
“Not on vacation.” She grumbled playfully. There was a loud thump outside the door, as if something had been dropped from a moderate height. There was a bookshelf and an antique chair near the window at the end of the hall, and Natalie could practically see Andy climbing all over it. They heard someone calling from the first floor, and then Andy’s screamed response.
“No I’m not wakin’ ‘em up! I was just lookin’ for the crayons!” Was his response. They would have to have been deaf or drunk to have slept through that. Natalie was the first to laugh, but Bono was soon shaking with laughter as well.
They climbed out of bed and quickly donned any clothes that had gone missing the night before. Of particular interest were socks, as the hardwood floor was terribly cold on their bare feet. Natalie had to laugh at Bono’s quick search through his luggage while hopping back and forth from one foot to the other.
Even after being clothed in pajama pants and t-shirts, they were feeling the chill.
Natalie wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and Bono hurried to get under it as well.
“Get your own!” She laughed, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Andy was sitting in her mother’s antique chair, kicking his legs and rocking back and forth so that the legs scraped on the floor and the back of the chair banged against the wall every few seconds.
He looked up at her in surprise and for a moment was concerned he was going to get into trouble. Until Bono slipped under the back of the blanket and shimmied his way up until his head popped out behind Natalie’s, his hair a wild mess. Natalie was squealing and laughing throughout the process, so Andy deduced that neither of them posed a threat to his Christmas morning excitement.
“Is everyone else up?” Natalie asked, and Andy smiled and nodded in affirmation. “Well what are we waiting for, then?” She asked, giving the boy a wink. He hopped out of the chair and ran down the stairs so fast that it made her call out warning him to slow down and be more careful.
“I sound like a mom.” She complained, rolling her eyes. Bono’s arms were wrapped around her waist and his chin rested on her shoulder.
“You’ll be a great mom.” He told her.
“I’ve already tried and failed.” She told him sadly.
“You didn’t fail, Nat…” Bono started to argue, concern darkening his blue eyes.
“You know what? Forget I said that. I don’t want to think about the past today.” She told him, kissing him softly. He nodded in understanding and they made their way awkwardly into the living room, still wrapped up in one blanket.
There were easily twice as many presents as had been there the night before, including a new BMX bike with a big ribbon on it. Scott was already sitting on it, hands on the handlebars, one foot on the pedal while his other foot held him and the bike upright.
Once Nat and Bono were settled onto the couch the children were given permission to start handing out the presents. Scott read the tags and gave the package to Andy to deliver to it’s rightful recipient. Soon the presents were sorted into piles and ready to open, the boys practically frantic from having been made to wait until everyone had their gifts. Soon the entire living room seemed to be buried in torn wrapping paper and loose ribbons, toys and clothes, books and candies stacked in piles, each forgotten in anticipation of the next.
Ray Jr. stood and shushed the noisy room, lifting his coffee mug in toast and announcing that next year, there would be another little one opening presents for the very first time. Connie managed a weak smile and nodded in confirmation that she was pregnant.
“No wonder she looks so tired.” Angie muttered caustically, earning an elbow in the ribs from their mother. Everyone made a point of congratulating them on the new addition to their family. Soon after that , Angie and Joy were about to move into the kitchen to check on the Christmas turkey and the kids were starting to decide what to play with first, when Bono called Andy over.
“Are you sure there wasn’t one more present under the tree?” He asked, and Andy shook his head seriously.
“Can you check again for me?” he asked, and Natalie frowned. They had exchanged gifts and both seemed satisfied with what they had received. Her mother had even dipped into her emergency gift closet and wrapped a couple of presents up for Bono from her and Ray Sr. She didn’t know what he was up to, but it made her nervous.
Andy and Scott both made a point of getting down on their hands and knees and looking again. When they saw a small velvet box with the red bow on top, hanging from one of the lowest tree branches they cried out in excitement. They hadn’t even noticed it before! They both grabbed for it, and for a moment it looked as if they might tip the tree over on its side as they wrestled for the nearly overlooked gift.
Scott, being older and bigger, managed to get the box in hand and stagger to his feet first. He ran across the room and presented it proudly to Natalie, who stared in horror at it. *He wouldn’t!* She thought, screaming this over and over in her head. Andy, who had been chasing his brother, slammed into his back as he failed to stop short and the present was launched out of the boys hand and onto Natalie’s lap.
“Are you going to open it?” Bono asked, and Natalie glanced nervously around the room. Every eye was on her and that little box. That little black velvet jewelry box. Her heart was in her throat and she couldn’t seem to swallow it.
Bono reached out and took the box into his thick fingered hand. It looked so small and delicate when he held it. Deceptively so; as it was (if it was what she suspected) a very big and threatening thing within that box. He slid out from under their cozy blanket and down onto one knees in front of her. Natalie shook her head violently from side to side, her mouth opening but no words coming out.
“I’ve heard a saying that goes something like ‘you don’t marry the person you can live with, you marry the one you can not live without. That’s you, Nat. I want to always be with you. I want everyone to look at me and think of you. Marry me, Natalie.”
More now! You can't leave us like this! YOur just a cruel, cruel woman! God I love this story I want more! NOW! 
You cannot leave us hanging!! 
SG how could you leave us hanging like that
