Heading out of the house to start my first day back at work was bittersweet. I wanted to stay home with Justin being that he had the day off and wouldn’t be returning to work until tomorrow. Since Justin was a firefighter, he had to work forty-eight hours on and twenty-four hours off, which meant that I would only get to see him tonight then I’d have to go two whole days without him. I hated that about his job, but it was what it was. I had gotten somewhat used to his schedule over the years we dated. I just didn’t care for it. I guess I had gotten used to being with him every day all day since we had been spending so much time together since the wedding.
On my drive to work, I decided to call my sister Dawn. I knew that she would be up and starting her day. Her salon was the only hair salon that was open on Mondays in the town that we lived in. My sister was THE best hair stylist around, and because of that, her schedule stayed booked. She was the only person that I would allow to do my hair ‘cause she was a beast at it. She could style both long and short hair, which was rare in a stylist.
“Hey sissy, I knew I would be hearing from you this morning.” Dawn giggled.
It was normal for me to call her every morning on my way to work. Since I had been off and honeymooning, my morning calls to her had been put on hold.
“Hey, sissy! I miss our morning talks.”
“Me too, girly,” Dawn gushed then continued. “Girl, I’m trying to rush to get to the shop, but I done ran into some traffic. My client gon’ be pissed.”
“I swear you never on time for shit. I don’t understand why you book early appointments when you know you can’t get to work on time.”
“Shit, it don’t matter what time I schedule my first appointment for, I always manage to run late.”
“That’s some crazy shit.”
“I know, it’s safe to say time is my enemy.” Dawn laughed. “So, tell me, how does it feel being a married woman now?”
“It feels absolutely amazing, sissy. Justin is truly the love of my life. He makes me so happy. I’m so blessed to have him in my life.”
“I’m so happy for you, sissy. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. You two make a very good-looking couple. There for a minute I was worried about you two.”
“Thanks, sissy, that means a lot. I know how you are about the guys I date, so you liking Justin really means the world to me.”
“I like him because he’s making you happy now. If you like it, I love it… you know how I roll. I just hope he doesn’t switch up ‘cause he was acting real suspect before the wedding.”
“I feel you, and I hope he doesn’t change up either. I think he was getting a case of cold feet before the wedding honestly. Hell, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about getting married also.”
“I’m not talking about before the wedding, sissy. I’m talking before the proposal.”
“No relationship is perfect, Dawn. Yeah, we had a few bumps in the road, but he has been doing a lot better,” I defended.
The only thing I hated about discussing my relationship woes with Dawn was the fact that she never allowed for me to forget them. She was the only person, other than my best friend Shane, that I trusted to vent too about my relationship. Before Justin proposed to me, we had gone through what I call a weird phase. Our relationship had hit rocky times, and Justin was spending the majority of his time off with his homeboys instead of me. I was feeling very lonely and ready to end things with him.
When I addressed my feelings with him, he sincerely apologized, claiming that I meant the world to him and he wanted to fight for our relationship. Months later, he proposed. I get my sister being concerned and all, but he and I had been doing just fine, so that was what I was going to focus on.
“For now, but you know what people say. After the wedding, folks tend to get super comfortable and start slacking. He already has slacker tendencies, so all I’m saying is I hope he stays on the right path is all.”
“I know, and I hear you loud and clear. I’m not trying to focus on anything negative though. No one is perfect, and like I said, ever since I brought my concerns to him, there haven’t been any issues since. Now that we are married, things are better than ever, so why focus on the past?”
“Okkkaaayyy! Don’t be gettin’ snappy with me, ma’am. I’m just looking out for my lil’ sissy. I want nothing but the best for you and Justin both. Trust and believe that. I just don’t like to see or hear you upset is all.”
“I get it, D, and I appreciate you for always being here for me to vent to, but you have to ease up a little. Just try to give Justin a chance. Let’s move forward and keep the past woes in the past.”
“I get it. All is forgiven; just not forgotten. It’s hard for me to forget how upset you were when you guys were on the brink of breaking up. I’m glad that he saw your worth and stepped it up. Cause I was seconds away from putting my foot in his ass.” Dawn laughed then continued. “You deserve nothing but the best, sissy. We have gone through so much with losing mom and dad. A failed relationship is the last thing I want for you or for you to not be happy.”
“I get it, and that’s why I love you to death. Well, I’m pulling up to the school now. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good day, sissy.”
“Love you, too. Same to you.”
Hanging up with Dawn, I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. I knew that she meant well, but sometimes she drove me bonkers bringing up negative vibes. I get why she was so concerned though because when Justin and I were having our issues, I was devastated thinking that he was cheating on me. But every time I’d follow him or checked his phone, which he didn’t appreciate so he put a password on it, he’d be right where he said he was with his friends.
Before he and I moved in together, I didn’t realize how much time he spent with his friends, but once I moved in, it had become way too much. I was feeling neglected all the time, so as a result, I vented and cried to Dawn just about every day. So, I could definitely understand why she was being so guarded and concerned about me. She was only doing what big sisters did.
After parking, I grabbed my things and headed inside the high school to get started with my first day back. Making my way through the crowd of teenagers and approaching the front entrance, I saw Kevin, one of the security guards.
“Welcome back, Ms. Smith. It’s good to see you,” Kevin said as he held the door open for me.
