Chapter 7 #3
“No. I mean, my parents had a big wedding, I’ve seen the pictures, and their marriage didn’t work out.
I’m not saying that ours won’t work out, but why go to all that bother when we can just say our ‘I do’ at the courthouse and get to live the rest of our lives with each other.
We can save our money and go on a huge honeymoon with the money we’ll save. ”
“What an excellent idea. Where would you like to go? When you heal up, that is.” She said she’d been all over the world, so seeing the States would be fine with her.
“I like that idea. We can travel around, seeing what the country has to offer, and still save money. I know. Let’s get us a camper and see the country that way.
It would be fun to see the sights by driving to them, I think.
That way, we can still save money. Though we really don’t have to.
We can do whatever we want and still not run out of money, love. ”
“I know, but this way we can take our time too. We won’t have to be on a work schedule or anything.
Just come and go as we please. Even if you have to work on some things for the family or with Zander, there’s still the internet that you can send things back and forth with.
” He told her that he had not thought of that.
“I think this is an excellent idea that you had. By the way, the doctor said that I can go home on Monday if I keep progressing the way that I am. Since this is Thursday, that gives me four days of working on getting out more and seeing around the hospital wing.”
“That’s wonderful news. Are you sure you don’t mind me having dinner with my brothers tonight?
I can cancel, no problem. We do this every Thursday night, and the women go out to dinner too.
” She said she wouldn’t hear of him canceling out on a tradition that they have going on.
“There won’t be anyone around to sit with you. I’ll be with the rest of them.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m getting around more and getting better at knowing when I’ve had enough.
I’m going to be just fine, I know it. Besides, there is no reason for you to sit around here with me when you could be having fun with your brothers.
I’m sure that you guys have a lot to say to one another.
” He said they end up staying late because of that.
“Good. Then it’s settled. You’ll go to dinner with them and hear more gossip that you can come back and tell me about it.
It’s a win-win for the two of us. Besides, I don’t want them to be mad at me because I had to have you miss the first dinner in a long time.
Just go and have fun, and I’ll be here when you’re finished. ”
Her lunch was brought to her. It was still soft food, but it wasn’t just mushy food.
She had things like soup and rolls. They brought her ice cream as well as a shake that she could get some calories from.
She wanted a burger and fries, but she’d have to wait a few more days for that.
Her lips were still stitched up and sore.
“I have an idea that you’ll love the house.
I’ve been putting things away since I knew you were going to be living with me.
I’ve been neglecting things by not putting them away.
The library is now fully finished, being filled out.
” She asked him what he meant. “Since I moved in, the books have been in boxes. I just never got around to putting them away. A few other things too. I have a dining room with a table and chairs, but the chairs were still wrapped up from being moved in. It’s not that I’ve been lazy, but I’ve never had anyone over who cared, so I didn’t bother with getting things finished up.
The kitchen is the only place that’s been finished.
And I think that solely on the cook. She wanted the space finished, and she did it on her own. ” They both laughed.
“I have my new apartment and all the new things that I have in it, as you know. I don’t know what to do with all of that.
” He said she could sublet it out, and that way she’d not have to worry about it.
Or he could buy out her lease, and she’d be finished.
“I’ll have to think about that. I’ve not paid any bills since I’ve been in here. I wonder how late my rent is now.”
“I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll go by the realtor’s office tomorrow and see what I can find out.
I think that your utilities are all paid with your rent, so you don’t have to worry about that.
” She asked him if he owned the apartment building.
“I do. That and the houses on either side of it. I rent them out for the extra income.”
“I wish I’d been that smart with my money.
I was making good money when I worked overseas.
But with the mess up of my checks, I was barely making it on my own without them.
” He said that she’d gotten it taken care of now.
“Thanks to Shipley. I don’t know how she did it, but she got the vice-president involved in my issues. I got my checks the next day.”
“She’s friends with both of them, the president as well.
When she met Dusty, they gave her the paperwork that she needed to get out with full benefits.
I know that she’s still in contact with them, but what she does is anyone’s guess.
” Elaine said that Shipley told her that she still has a house in DC that she uses when she has to go there.
“Yes, I’ve stayed there as well when I had to do some work in the area.
It’s a huge house with lots of staff all the time.
The government even rents it from her and keeps it safe when they have visitors who come to the White House. It’s a nice setup for the two of them.”
They talked about getting a camper, and since Knox had his laptop with him, they were able to look at the different kinds.
They had thought about getting one they could drive everywhere they wanted to go, but then they’d have no car.
They thought getting one that they pulled would serve them the best, and were excited about getting one for their trip.
“There’s even a big barn on the property that I had built when I moved in.
I didn’t think of a camper being put in it, but I thought that lawn equipment would be stored in it for sure.
It’s a nice way to have them keep in good working order while they’re not in use.
There’s plenty of room for a big camper.
” She asked how big he was talking. “As big as we can get. If we’re going to be traveling in it all the time, we will need plenty of room.
And when the kids come along, we’ll take them with us as well. We’ll make it a family thing.”
“I love that idea.” She did too. To travel with the kids to places that they could enjoy.
“Now all I can think about is traveling around the country and having a good time. It’ll have to wait until next year.
I should be completely healed by then.” He said that was the plan, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t take shorter trips to make sure they know what they’re doing.
“Good. Something like that could take a couple of trips to figure it out, I’m betting.
Like, how do you even hook it up to a truck?
I’ve seen them hooked up, but never how they do it. ”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll hire someone to show us the ropes before we even leave the driveway.
” Elaine thought that was a wonderful idea.
“Good. Then it’s settled. We’ll get us a camper and see what this old country has to offer us.
We might want to watch some of the camping tips they have on the internet, too. Just so we can be prepared.”
She thought that they could be prepared for anything, but still have trouble once they were out and about. There was no way that they could prepare for every little thing that came along. She was about as excited as she’d ever been for anything and couldn’t wait until next summer.