Bridgette - Chapter Twelve: Homecoming - Part Three

A few weeks later I had decided that it was time to talk to my parents about school. Carson had offered to come over to give me support but I thought it would be better if I talked to them alone. We had just finished dinner and Mom and Dad were in the kitchen.

“Mom, Dad, can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure, Bridge.”

“No, Dad. In the living room.” This was code in our family that it was important.

We walked into the living room and they sat down. I looked at them and for a minute I almost lost my nerve.

“What is it, Bridge? Did you and Carson break up.”

“No. It’s about school.”

“We are so proud of you! We know you worked hard.”

“Thank you. Do you remember how you told me that if after a year I didn’t like school that I could stop?” They both nodded. “I want to stop.” Mom started to object. “Let me finish before you respond.” She nodded and I continued. “I tried; I tried my hardest to like it. I learned some things but most of it was stuff I didn’t need to know. I had one professor who taught my painting class and throughout the year, I would talk to her about what I wanted to do. She agreed to be a mentor for me, that way I can paint but still have guidance from someone who’s been in the art world. I would very much like to do that. Instead of going to school, I want to learn from one teacher.”

They looked surprisingly okay with that. “It’s obvious that you tried this past year, Bridge; and the fact that you took the effort to find a middle road is evidence to that. I don’t think we could have any objection to you doing that.” Dad looked at Mom and she agreed.

“There’s only one problem though. I wouldn’t be a university student which means I couldn’t live on campus.”

“Isn’t there off campus housing?” Mom asked.

“Yes, but most of them are houses and have multiple bedrooms. They’re made for more than one person to live in. Kind of like dorm living but with more roommates. And, it costs more.” That was one of my biggest concerns. Mom and Dad had paid for school and my dorm and I wasn’t sure if they wanted to pay more money for a house.

“So you would need roommates.  What about Julia?” Dad asked.

“Julia said her parents would be okay with it.”

“Well who else could you get to live with you.”

This was the tricky part. I knew Mom and Dad had lived together before they got married but they were very protective of us kids. “Trent and Carson could.” I offered.

They looked at me shocked. “I don’t know if I like the idea of two dating couples living in the same house together.” Mom said.

“Oh come on Mom. You and Dad lived together before you got married.”

“That was different.”

I rolled my eyes “Okay, what can I say or do that will convince you to agree to this?” I asked them.

“I just don’t want you to be in a situation that could cause you to make a decision that you’ll later regret.”

“Mom, I’m 19 years old now.  I may still be young but I think I know how to avoid the situation you’re talking about.” Mom looked shocked and Dad tried not to smile. “Plus, Carson and I would be sleeping in separate rooms.” I really didn’t want to have to go into any more detail and tell my parents about how Carson and I hadn’t slept together and as far as I knew, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“I’m going to need to think about this for a little bit, Bridge.”

“Well, don’t take too long. Housing will go fast.” I warned them.

The next day Carson was over and we were watching a movie in the family room when Mom and Dad came in.

“Can we talk to you two for a moment?” Dad asked.

“Is this a living room discussion?” I asked him. He nodded and we followed both of them.

We sat down and Dad started talking. “Your Mom and I have thought about what you said last night Bridge. Before I tell you our decision, I want to explain a few things. First of all, we know how hard you tried in school last year and that speaks a lot about you being conscientious. Second we are very proud of how you thought to find a mentor who could help you even though you’re not in school; that shows us that you are responsible. Thirdly, I think you realize by now that we were serious that if you decided that you didn’t want to continue with college after the first year, we weren’t going to make you continue.” I shook my head and sensed a big ‘but’ coming. “Having said that. . .” I braced myself for the worst. “Your Mom and I feel that because of all those things, and the fact that you’re nineteen, that we can trust you in living off campus with Carson, Trent, and Julia.” I was about to jump up and thank him but he stopped me.

“Don’t thank me yet. Another reason we are agreeing to this is because we have known Carson for a while and we trust him.” I wanted to crawl under a rug somewhere. “I hope that we are correct about that young man.”

“Yes sir.” Carson said without hesitation.

“Then as long as we are all on the same page, we can start looking for a house.” Dad said.

“What do you mean? I figured we’d rent one.”

“We might as well use it as an investment.  We can buy a house there and when you all are done with college, we can rent it out to other students.”

“Wait, so you’re going to buy a house?”

“Like I said, it will be a good investment. We’ll go down this weekend and look at properties.” At this point I jumped up and hugged him.

“Thank you Daddy!” Mom stood up and I hugged her too. “Thank you! You guys are the best!”

“Can we go call Julia and Trent and tell them the news?”

“Yes.” Dad said and smiled.

Carson and I walked into the family room and he smiled at me. “I can’t believe that they agreed.”

“I can’t believe what my dad said to you in there.”

“He’s just trying to protect his daughter. I would too if it was me.”

We called Julia and Trent and told them the news. Several days later Mom, Dad, Carson and I went to look at houses near campus. We had looked at two that required too much work and were on our way to look at a third. We stood outside looking at it.

“This is the brownstone district off campus. Not many of these go on the market and this one was just listed today.” The realtor informed us.

It was nice looking on the outside but the other two had also looked nice on the outside. The realtor opened the door and we entered. The inside was definitely better than the other two. The first floor had a living area, kitchen, dining area, a restroom, and a bedroom . There were stairs leading to a second floor.  The second floor partially opened to the first floor and had another living area, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was another set of stairs that led to a third floor. We climbed those and we saw another bedroom, bathroom, study, and then something that caught my attention. There was large room at the front of the house that had lots of windows. I walked in and immediately walked over to the them.

“What is this room?” Mom wondered.

“I’m not sure what the previous owners used it as maybe you could use it as. . .”

“A studio.” Carson and I said at the same time.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Mom agreed.

We walked down all the stairs and stood in the living area. “So, what do you think?” The realtor asked.

“How flexible do you think they are in price?” Dad asked.

“Most buildings in this area sell very quickly and pretty close to asking price. I’d say if you offered close to or at list price, there’s a good chance they’ll accept an offer.”

Mom and Dad quietly discussed while the rest of us waited. After several minutes of talking they walked back over. “How soon could we put an offer in?”

“I have the paperwork with me. We can do it right now.”

“Okay, we’ll make an offer at list price and tell them we won’t need financing. That might help sway them if they have multiple offers.”

“I’m sorry; did you say you don’t need financing?”

“Yes. We’ll pay them with cashier’s check.” The realtor’s eyes got huge.

“Hobble. . .you’re that Amanda Hobble.” The realtor said with understanding.

Mom politely smiled. “Okay, if you’ll both sign here, and here, I’ll go back to the office and fax this to the other agent. We should hear something back soon. I’ll call you on your cell phone when I know something.” We all walked out of the house and decided to get something to eat. We had just finished eating when the realtor called Dad back. After several minutes on the phone he hung up.

“They accepted the offer.” He said with a smile.

A closing date was soon picked and before we knew it Julia, Trent, Carson and I were in the house getting settled in.  Carson took the downstairs bedroom. All the parents had suggested that one of the guys take the downstairs bedroom for safety reasons and since Carson got up early to go running and be at the football stadium for practice, he offered to take it.

Julia and I chose the bedrooms on the second floor and Trent ended up with the top floor bedroom. It didn’t take long for Julia to start sleeping in Trent’s room. I was happy that they had at least gone to his room so I wouldn’t have to hear noises from next door.

We spent the remainder of the summer getting settled and decorating the house.

Mom and Dad came one last time to visit before school started. They made sure we were all settled and that I had everything I needed.


They were getting ready to go back home and we were saying goodbye.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Mom asked.

“I’m sure. Don’t worry, there are two big guys living here.” I tried to reassure her.

“I know but I can’t help worrying.”

“Thanks, you guys. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me. I love you.”

“We love you too and you’re welcome. We better get going, Sweetheart.”  Dad suggested to Mom.

“Call us if you need anything.” Mom said.

“I will.” I watched them get in the SUV and drive away.

I turned around and looked at the house that I now called home.  I saw Carson standing in the living area and smiled. This is definitely my home now. I thought as I walked up the stairs.

Credits:
Poses:
Dream Angel's Life Style Poses