where are you guys going to live?”
“Calvin and I have talked about it, and it seems to make more sense to sell his place and live in mine . . . at least for the time being. We might decide to move back home when we start our family. You know, the city is no place to raise a big family, and that’s what we want. I’m thinking at least five little ones.”
Preston’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. “Five? You want five kids? Holy hell, Piper. Those little shits will be walking out of there by the end of it. Then again, with Calvin’s Maglite, even the first one might walk out,” he jokes.
Calvin holds up his middle finger and I reach behind my seat, swinging blindly at Preston. I never land a hit, so he keeps laughing.
“We’re getting started on the plan, so you need to hurry and catch up,” I tell him.
“What are you talking about?” Preston asks.
I spin in my seat to look at him. “We agreed that we’d live next to each other and raise our kids together, so our kids can have a childhood like we did. You’d better hurry up and find the one you’re going to marry!”
He rolls his eyes. “Ugh, I’m going to need a little more time. If you buy a house, just make sure there’s one next door for me.”
Since it’s not possible to go back home right now to tell our parents about the engagement, we settle for video chatting with them instead. As soon as we unpack, clean up, and settle in, he calls his parents from his phone.
“What the hell is this shit?” his dad asks, flipping the phone in different directions trying to figure out the video call. He puts it up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Dad, look at the screen,” Calvin says, making us both giggle.
He pulls the phone away from his ear and looks at the screen. Calvin raises his hand and waves. “It’s a video call, Dad.”
“What the hell is a video call?”
“It’s exactly like it sounds. Where’s Mom?”
“Oh, she’s in the kitchen cooking something.”
“Can you go to her? We have something we want to tell both of you.”
“Well, all right,” he says, moving the phone all around to get up out of his recliner.
After a minute, they’re both on the screen.
“Oh, it’s Calvin and Piper. What are you two up to?” his mom asks.
“Well, we just got back from our vacation in Hawaii, and we wanted to call and tell you that . . .”
“We’re engaged!” we both say at the same time as I hold up my hand and show them the ring.
His mom giggles and jumps and squeals and cries. To say she’s excited is an understatement. His dad smiles, gives him a head nod, and says, “Congratulations, Son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Does Preston know yet?” his mom asks, sounding a little worried.
“Yeah, he knows and he’s happy for us,” Calvin replies.
“Well, good. How did your mom take the news, Piper?”
“Uh, we actually haven’t told her yet. We’re calling them next.”
“We’re the first?” This makes her start crying again. She wants to know everything: What’s the date? Which location did we choose? Why so soon? When are we going to start having kids and making her a grandma? She peppers us with question after question until we finally have to end the call to share the news with my parents.
I call my dad from my phone and he answers, “What’s up, Pipes?”
“Where’s Mom? We want to talk to you both.”
“She’s knitting,” he says, sounding confused.
“Knitting? When did she start that?” I ask, trying to remember if I’ve ever seen my mom knit.
He shrugs as he gets up from his seat in the living room. “It’s the damnedest thing. She took up knitting when she was pregnant with Jake. Then she stopped and didn’t start again until she was pregnant with you. Then she stopped again and hasn’t touched the knitting needles for, well, 25 years. The other day, she just picked them up and has been knitting ever since.”
My jaw drops. “Dad, did you knock up my mother?” I almost yell.
“Motherfucker better not have,” he mumbles as he walks into the bedroom where my mom is.
She smiles at the phone. “Hi, honey.”
“Hey, Mom. Did Dad knock you up again?”
Her eye stretch wide. “What? Good Lord, no! I can’t get pregnant anymore. I’m too old for that nonsense.”
“So what’s with the knitting?”
She shrugs. “I was cleaning out the attic and came across it.