Anthony's Angel

III. Triplets

TWO YEARS LATER

Angelica Chisai: Age 12

***

Angelica’s POV:

I sat on the table, drawing, or attempting to draw a reindeer for art class. Why did I take art? I should’ve taken cooking. At least I get cookies.

Looking up, I saw the same man walking in. Hands were shaking, Lips trembled, and I swear I could see his heart beating through his thick jacket.

He glanced at me and smiled, basically skipping towards the front register. “H-Hi S-S-Sarah, nice w-weather today, isn’t it?” He said, stuttering nearly every word.

“Welcome back, again, Jordan. The usual?” my mom replies with her professional smile.

“Yes, please!” he said while oozing over her.

Roughly half a year after we moved out of Da- ahem Dextor’s house to my mom’s parent house, they passed away. They left whatever they had for mom, but it wasn’t much.

Honestly, I never met Grandma Jessie and Grandpa George until we left Dextor’s house. But, they were really nice, nicer than Dextor’s parents.

Yes, Dextor’s parent always buys me nice gifts like a pony, boat, mini car, and fancy stuff. I will be lying if I say I didn’t miss the silky clothes, chauffeur, maids, and a large bed.

But I know Grandma Jessie and Grandpa George really did love me despite barely knowing me. I regret being a brat for the first month being there, complaining about everything. But can you blame me? I went from a millionaire’s daughter to barely surviving.

I remember when Grandma Jessie will stay up late at night to sew me new clothes out of old fabrics and how Grandpa George would work extra so he can buy me something nice.

When I started loving them, cancer viciously took away Grandma Jessie. A month later, Grandpa George passed due to heartbreak.

It tore my mom apart. I remember when she was sitting on the backyard bench crying for days when they passed away, mumbling how she is a bad daughter for not spending enough time with them.

One lesson I learn from all of this: appreciate what you have before it’s gone.

Roughly two weeks after Grandpa George’s funeral, we had to move out of their house because mom couldn’t make the payments. We moved several towns over to a small one-bedroom apartment, and mom took a job at a cafe.

A few weeks later, mom met Jordan. It’s blatantly obvious Jordan likes my mom. He comes to the cafe for coffee five times a day. Either he likes her, or he loves coffee a bit too much.

“So uh, Sarah, what are you doing tonight?” Jordan asks while scratching his head.

“The usual watching tv with Angelica. What about you? Probably getting ready for a date,” she teases.

“No! Nothing, I’m doing nothing!” He screams, causing a few heads to turn.

“What a shame, I think that girl over there likes you,” she said while subtly gesturing towards a girl.

That’s what mom always do to Jordan. She indirectly turns him down — poor guy.

After several more attempts, Jordan drags his legs towards me, eyes fixated on the hard tile floor. He pulls out the seat in front of me and looks at me with the look of a puppy that had been kicked to the curb.

I release a breath and put my pencil down. “Mom, turn you down again, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said, running a hand through his messy hair and handing me the coffee cup.

Jordan works in construction. He says it doesn’t pay much, but it’s simple, and he is happy doing it.

I sat there, pitying him.

He had been trying to get my mom out on a date for over a year.

Setting the cup down, I clasp my hands together and lean forward. “Jordan, I am starting to feel bad for you, so I am willing to help you out. Follow my lead, okay?”

His eyes brightened as a broad smile crossed his lips. I start walking; he follows me. “Mom?”

“Yes, pumpkin?”

“I think our heater is broken again.”

“Again? But we don’t have the money to fix it,” she mumbles the second part.

I glance at Jordan and elbow him in the gut.

He rubs his stomach. “Ow, Angelica, why did you-”

I send him a glare.

“Ohhh ahem, I can help you both with the heater,” he said with a smile as he continued not so subtly glance at me.

“You know how to fix a heater?” Mom looks at him and raises a brow.

“Oh, uh, yes!” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

I look at mom, who narrows her eyes, knowing Jordan is lying. We both know that when Jordan lies, he always scratches the back of his neck.

Before my mom can say anything, “Can you come over tonight to fix it?” I cut my mom off.

“Yes!” Jordan replies.

“Oh no, Jordan may be bus-”

“Fantastic! We will see you tonight,” I said, cutting mom off again.

“Wait, I haven-”

“Great! I’ll see both of you tonight!” He shot us both a smile and dashed out of the cafe before mom could say anything. I take out a piece of paper and start writing while mom glares at me. The cafe bell rings, and Jordan walks back inside. “I don’t know your addre-” I hand him a note with our address and mom’s phone number.

He ruffles my hair. “You are the best!” He said and ran out before mom could say anything. I looked at mom, and she shot me another death stare. Shrugging my shoulders, I skip back towards the table.

Later that night, I sat on the couch, watching the TV until I heard the bell ringing. “I got it!” I unnecessarily scream in the small apartment.

Opening the door, Jordan was holding flowers and wearing fancy clothes. “You are here to fix the heater,” I said slowly.

He takes a few blinks. “Oh yeah,” he said and threw the flowers in the bushes. While he unbuttons his shirt, I ruffle his hair to make it look messy. After several minutes, I nod in approval of his grubby looks and gesture him to come inside.

“Who is there?” Mom asks, stepping out of the bathroom.

“Jordan is here to fix the heater.”

Mom walks over. “Hey Jordan, don’t you need tools?” She said, looking down at his empty hands.

“Oooooh yeah tools, that would’ve been a good idea,” he said, glancing at me with pleading eyes.

“Sorry, my fault. I told Jordan I would ask Lily’s parents for the tool.”

Looking at Jordan, he mouths: “Thank you.”

I sway my body towards Lily’s place, knowing on the door. “Oh, what do you want?”

“Tools of any kind. Jordan is fixing my heater,” I said with quotations.

“Okay,” she shrugged and went to go get the tools.

Lily likes Jordan since he always takes us out for movies, ice cream, baseball games, buys us gifts, etc etc.

“Here. Don’t wait tomorrow morning for me,” she said, handing me the tools.

“Pretending to be sick to binge-watch Atypical?”

Placing a hand on her chest, she releases a breath. “You know me so well.” We did our secret handshake, and I went back to my place.

I met Lily when I moved to this town. Mom wasn’t doing well, adjusting to the new environment, so her parents helped her. Lily and I didn’t get along well. We bicker about nearly everything. We started getting along when a few neighborhood kids started picking on me because I didn’t have a dad.

The first time she caught them picking on me, she beat them all up. I yelled at her, saying I didn’t need her help. She started beating me up. After our fighting session, we laid on the ground and started talking about random things. Somehow, we just became close friends.

“Here,” I hand the tool to Jordan, who nods slowly and goes to the heater. He crouches down and pretends to analyze the heater.

I crouch down with him. “It’s not broken but pretend to fix it. By the way, don’t break it,” I whisper, and he returns with a firm nod.

Roughly two hours later, Jordan came out with black stuff all over his face and a new shirt, “Okay, done,” he smiles.

“Thank you, Jordan,” mom gave her usual professional smile.

“No problem at all. You can call me back anytime,” Jordan said with a broad goofy smile as he continues drooling over her.

“Mom, why don’t we invite Jordan for dinner? As a thank you?” Jordan turned towards me and gave me a thumbs up.

“Oh, yes. Jordan, would you like -”

“Yes,” he replies before she can finish.

We sat there eating dinner, listening to Jordan’s endless amount of cringy jokes. “What’s the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?”

Mom rests her chin in her hands, “What?”

“You can tuna a piano, but you can’t piano a tuna.”

I sat there, and my beef dropped onto my plate while mom burst out laughing.

“What about the glue?” She replies while twisting her hair. Ugh.

“I knew you get stuck there.”

They start laughing together, while I try to hold back the gag lingering in my throat.

Old people should not be allowed to flirt. Ugh.

Afterward, Jordan secretly bribes me with new shoes if I can help him spend a longer time with my mom.

Of course, I would say: “Throw in a new backpack, and you got yourself a deal.”

We shake hands, and I somehow magically twist the situation and got Jordan to stay with us to watch a movie. He did that old move and yawn while throwing his arms around my mom. My left eye twitches when I saw mom cuddle inward. “I need to use the bathroom to throw up.” I didn’t mention the throw-up part.

After I finish using the bathroom, mom appear out of nowhere and pulled me aside into the bedroom

“I know what you and Jordan are doing, and there is no way we are-”

***

TWO YEARS LATER

Angelica Chisai: Age 14

***

Angelica’s POV:

“Do you, Sarah Chisai, take Jordan Timberland as your lawfully wedded husband?” The minister states.

I stand there with a bouquet in my hands next to Lily, who’s sobbing out a river of tears with her parents. Mom glances at me, and I give her a wink. “I do,” she said confidently with a broad smile plastered on her face. Jordan stands there, biting his bottom lips and takes a loud sniff.

“By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Jordan dips mom and plants a kiss on her as everyone hollers. I grip the bouquet, and tears fall. Lily looks at me and sobs louder while hugging me. Lily loves weddings.

“Done. Everything is packed!” I said to myself as I looked at my minimum amount of stuff that took an hour to pack but two months to start.

Jordan said he wants us to move into his house with him. He says I’m getting my own room, so whoooooopieeee.

When I finish carrying the last box to Jordan’s car, Lily is still attached to my hip. “Lily, I’m moving a block away.”

Yes, Jordan bought a house a block away from the apartment complex after discovering where we live. To be honest, I thought it was creepy. He said it gives him more excuses to see my mom, plus if things get serious, then I don’t have to move away from my friends.

Wait, I mean, friend. I don’t have friends.

“I-I know b-but I have to w-w-walk a block away,” she cries out.

After a good hour of prying off Lily with her parents, I finally settled into the new place.

After dinner, I caught mom sitting on the backyard patio. “Hey mom,” I said, handing her a cup of hot chocolate.

“Hi, pumpkin,” she replies. She grabs the cup and kisses my forehead.

We sat there, silently staring at the decorative Christmas lights in the backyard. I chuckle, “Jordan really outdid himself.”

Mom smiles, “Yeah, he did.”

Jordan decorated the backyard with Christmas lights, built a treehouse, planted small fruit trees and some flowers, and made a swing set. Precisely the way mom described her dream backyard.

I rest my head on her shoulder, “Are you, happy mom?”

She places a hand on my head, stroking it. “Yes, pumpkin. I am.”

“Pumpkin, are you happy?” She said softly.

“Yes, mommy, I am. How can I not when your husband basically begged me to ask for your hand in marriage.” I laugh at the memory.

I remember when Jordan came to my school to pick me up. He took me out for pizza and didn’t eat a single slice. He just sat there, legs shaking, hands tremblings, as his face got whiter and whiter. I thought he was going to have a stroke.

“Oh, there are my two most favorite ladies in the whole wide world,” Jordan sang as he took a seat next to me.

I lift the blanket, offering it to him. He grabs it and wraps it around his legs while releasing a deep breath. “Thank you, both of you,” he said, breaking the comfortable silence.

Mom and I glance at each other. “For what?” I asked.

“For giving me this happiness.”

I sat there, tightening my lips as I fought the urge to cry.

Damn it, Jordan. Always with those feels.

It was too late for mom because I can hear her taking several sniffs along with some whimpering. Jordan wraps his arms around us, causing mom and me to erupt into a hideous cry. I couldn’t see his face, but I can feel water dripping on my head. After our little family bonding, we start talking about random things.

Out of nowhere, a serious subject came up.

“Jordan sweety, I only want one more child,” mom said with a tight smile.

“But boo, I want three," Jordan clenches his teeth.

Most awkward part?

I’m squished between them.

“We are having one more child!”

“Three!”

“One!”

“Three!”

***

ROUGHLY TEN MONTHS LATERS

Angelica Chisai - Age 15

***

“Congratulations on your triplets!” Everyone screams.

Jordan stands there, grinning as he holds one of the babies.

Mom rolls her eyes as she attempts to burp the other baby.

I stand there, entirely deprived of sleep while rocking the third baby.

Yes, mom had triplets, boy triplets.

Bruce, Clark, and David.

Guess where those names come from.

When the party is over, I sneak into the backyard to get some peace.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Jordan said as he hands me a cup of hot chocolate and takes a seat next to me.

“Thanks,” I mumble and offer him some of the blankets.

He took it, and we sat there, staring at the lights while sipping hot chocolate. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“For what?”

“We haven’t been paying attention to you since the triplets arrive, and you have to stay at home babysitting them too, instead of playing with your friends.”

I smack my lips and shrug, “I don’t mind.”

I really didn’t mind, since Lily is here most of the time babysitting with me. We don’t really like hanging out in public. We prefer more of the comfort of our place or, more precisely, my house. Lily basically lives here since she took over half of my room. She has more stuff here than her own place.

Jordan brows furrow together. “Really?”

I nod in confirmation. “Yes, really.”

He released a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Kiddo, if you are unhap-”

“Dad, I’m not unhappy,” I said, cutting him off.

“I don’t want you to hold your feel- wait, did you just call me dad?” He said with a huge grin.

“Yeah, you are my dad, right?” I nudged him.

Oh crap, don’t tell me.

Water starts forming in his eyes. “You called me dad,” he said with a sniff and hugged me.

I smile and start rubbing his back.

“I’m going to kill the boys who tried to touch my daughter,” he mumbles as he cries louder.

“Okay. Okay. Daddy, calm down,” I said, continuing patting his back.

“I’m going to buy a gun,” he grumbles.

“Can you guys - awww, you’re bonding,” mom said and whipped out her phone to take a picture.

“What is it, mom?”

“Babies. Crying. Not sleeping. Help,” she huffs out.

I scanned mom and dad, baggy red eyes indicating they are extremely deprived of sleep. Their bags have bags. They had been working endlessly and taking care of the triplets. Three kids are expensive. I nod and pat dad’s back. “You two go get some rest. I’ll take care of the triplets.”

“Are you sure, pumpkin?” Mom asks.

“Yeah, kiddo. You sure?” Dad looks at me with concern.

I grab both of their wrists and drag them into their room.

“Pumpkin I don’t kn-” I slammed the door shut on both of their faces.

“Call us if you need us!” Dad shouts.

I look at the end of the hallway, hearing loud crying babies. Exhaling a deep breath, I walk towards the room. Releasing a silent yawn, I hold Clark and Barry while rocking David in his crib.

“Go to sleep, baby brothers. Big sister is here. Big sister will protect and love all of you.”