28 Blind Dates: After the Costumes (Part 54)

Family Moments (2)

Lia and Me-Me meet up with their friends, Shania and Kendra, at the community garden.

Melisa: *to Shania* Didn’t you apply to university, too?

Shania: Yes, why?

Melisa: Have you heard anything back yet?

Shania: No, but I hear they’ll be sending out acceptance letters in the next few days.

Melisa: *relieved* Whew! I was worried because I hadn’t heard anything.

Shania: You’re one of the best students in school. Why would you be worried?

Jamelia: *to Kendra* Me-Me is obsessed with her college applications. I can’t be bothered with all of that. I’m glad I didn’t even apply to go to college.

Kendra: Neither did I.  I’m going to go straight to work after high school.

Lia is glad to hear that she’s not the only one skipping out on attending university.

Meanwhile, Me-Me finally finds something to do to take her mind off of her college applications.

Jalisa arrives home with a promotion and the hope that she won’t have to come up with a punishment for Jalin. She enters his bedroom and is pleased that the room is clean and fresh-smelling.

Jalisa: This is more like it! Now you need to keep it like this!

Jalin: *distracted by his game* Yes, mom.

Jalisa: I’m serious, Jay!

Jalin: I know, mom. I’ll keep it clean.

The family gathers together for dinner.

Merlin: *to Melisa* Have you heard back from admissions yet?

Melisa: No, not yet, dad. But my friend Shania says that they’ll be sending out letters soon.

Merlin:  Which school would you like to attend?

Melisa: I’d like to go to Foxbury if I get in.

Jamelia: Well, I have no doubt that you’ll get in, sis.

Melisa: Thanks, Lia. That means a lot to me.

Merlin loves that the girls have been so supportive of one another. He turns to Jay.

Merlin: What about you? Have you been jogging and doing push-ups in preparation for the military fitness exam?

Jalin: No. I haven’t done any of that.

Merlin:  That’s okay. We can work on it together – first thing in the morning.

Jay does not like the sound of that.

Jalisa loves this time together with the family, but she knows that soon all of her children will be young adults and going their separate ways in life.  It’s a bittersweet moment. She thinks back to when she first met Merlin during the blind date challenge. She would never have thought that they’d be where they are now.

Jalisa: *to Lia and Me-Me* Have I told you about when I first saw your father?

Jamelia: Yes, mom, several times. *recites the story* He was in a knight costume, and you were in a purple Voidcritter suit.

Melisa: *continues* And you thought he had a lot of swag, and you liked him right away.

Jamelia: And you told a bunch of corny jokes.

Jalisa: That covers the basics, but it was more than just that. Someday each of you will meet someone that you’ll want to spend the rest of your life with, and you’ll understand what it feels like when you first meet them.

Jamelia: I doubt it, mom.

Melisa: Yeah, I’ll be too busy with school.

Jalisa: Okay, you say that now. But you won’t be in school for the rest of your life.

Lia and Me-Me don’t get what their mom is saying, but Jalisa knows there will come a time when they will. So she’ll leave it at that for now.

Later, in the kitchen, Lia helps her father clean up the after-dinner dishes.

Merlin: Soon, you’ll only have one set of dishes to wash.

Jamelia: And you’ll only have two.

Merlin: Don’t remind me.

The evening winds down, and everyone retreats to their bedrooms.

Jay relaxes on his bed, wondering how to tell his parents that he wants to go into the social media career as a gamer rather than the military. Me-Me takes some time to do something fun for a change. Lia studies another gourmet cookbook, and Jalisa and Merlin try to prepare themselves to become empty nesters.

Merlin: What will we do without the children?

Jalisa: Go to Sulani?

Merlin: Yeah, I guess we could.

That’s enough to put a smile on Jalisa’s face.

BDC: After the Costumes Summaries | read from the beginning

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