The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, chapter 8
*Joe's POV*
It was the fourth day of our vacation. Sadie and I were exhausted. We had been walking around and going to all these different places on the island constantly. We had gone to many of the different beaches and restaurants, and numerous tourist attractions. We met some friendly locals who spoke English, and they took us sailing on their boat. We were going out for dinner later tonight, but right now Sadie and I were having a nap in the hammock.
The weather was beautiful every day. Very warm, but not too humid. This was good, because Sadie's always quite warm, and extra humidity is the last thing she needs. Her morning sickness is almost completely gone. She just gets a little nauseous, and then it disappears. It went away quite fast. Her stomach is also starting to get a little bigger. She's only about two months into the pregnancy, but she is progressing quite quickly. She hasn't been that emotional from what I've seen, but I reckon that in a while that'll change. She's been in a good mood all week really. She's always glowing. But that may be from the hot weather.
I'm pretty sure Sadie had fallen asleep, because her breathing was regular. When she was awake her breathing was always crazy. I don't know how she survives. It looks like she never breathes, when actually she's taking ridiculously small breaths every couple of seconds. I do the opposite. I practically sigh every ten seconds.
I put my arm around Sadie's waist, causing the hammock to rock lightly. My face was buried in Sadie's head of blue hair. Sadie always asked me not to do that because apparently I drool terribly while I sleep, but I like to anyways. Her hair smells nice.
Suddenly my phone rang. It didn't wake up Sadie though. I got it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was my dad.
"Hey Dad," I said quietly. I didn't want to wake Sadie, even though she was a really heavy sleeper. Nothing wakes her up.
"Hey. Are you losing your voice? You're all quiet."
"No, Sadie's just sleeping, and we're in the hammock so if I get out and go to the other room, the hammock will flip over."
"Ah, I see. Well, how's you're trip been? How's Sadie doing?"
"Both have been really good. We met a nice couple here and we've been hanging out with them a lot. We went sailing yesterday."
"Oh that's cool. Man, it's getting cold around here. I reckon it's stifling hot where you are?"
"Yup. But it isn't humid at all. So, what have you and Mom been up to?"
"Us? Uh, we're just hanging around, the usual. Been kind of bust with Adeline. We signed a new band to the label. Oh and, Jakob's in for the week and he's staying at our place. Get this, he has another new girlfriend."
"Seriously? Jeez, how many has he gone through in the past two years?"
"I lost count. I probably haven't ever heard of around half of them."
If you haven't guessed, Jakob was becoming a total player. He defined the term 'Serial Dater.' I've only dated four girls in my whole life. Two girls before Sadie, and drugged-up Ingrid. Joe however, had a new chick every month. Every type is Jakob's type.
"That wouldn't surprise me. So, what is it that he wants to get a degree in?"
"Literature. Then he wants to become a TV anchorman."
"TV anchorman? You've got to be kidding me."
"I know. It's crazy. But, I'll let him follow his dreams."
"His only dream is to date every female celebrity from Dakota Fanning to Tallulah Belle Willis."
"Joe...Who the hell are they?"
"What? You don't know who they are?"
"No...You read to many of Sadie's fashion magazines."
"Hey, they're a good read."
"Uh, whatever. I'm getting worried about your twins. You're weird, and Sadie's over-enthusiastic and crazy. Your kids will probably end up as circus freaks." Dad giggled.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny. And by the way, my weirdness is 100% genetic. I have you to thank for that." I replied, laughing. Dad snorted in reply and called Mom over.
"Joe, Mom wants to talk to you. Stay safe bud. Look after Sadie okay?"
"Yeah I will. Bye Dad."
"Bye Joe."
I heard the phone rustle around and mom picked it up.
"Hi Joe sweetie. How've you been?"
"Really good. And really busy up until now. I just went down to sleep with Sadie when Dad called."
"Oh I hope he didn't wake you."
"Nah, I was awake. Sadie was asleep though."
"Oh, alright. How's Sadie been doing? She isn't working too hard is she?" Mom asked.
"Well she's been pretty hot here. She needs a good nap. Her morning sickness is almost completely gone, and her stomach is starting to stick out a bit."
"Really? Already? Well I guess with twins it probably sticks out more. Oh jeez, I still can't believe she's pregnant. You guys are gonna be great parents."
"Well, Dad begs to differ."
"What? What did he say?"
"He said me and Sadie were both insane and our kids would grow up to be circus freaks."
Mom gasped. "That's not nice! Well, don't listen to him."
"Never have."
"Right."
I continued to talk to mum, and she passed it on to Jakob. After a while I got so tired that I had to excuse myself from the conversation. I had been talking for a half hour, and I really needed a rest.
"Well Jake I gotta go. See you later man."
"Bye Joe."
I hung up and put my arm around Sadie again.
"So how's your family?" Sadie asked.
"Oh shit, I woke you."
"Nah, it's okay. I'll be asleep in five seconds flat."
I laughed and laid my head down next to Sadie's. I kissed her neck, causing her to laugh and swat me lightly in the head.
"Joe I'm trying to sleep."
"I know. But...it's just so tempting. Your neck is right there by my face. I can't just, lie here next to it without kissing it."
"Try," Sadie said, curling up into a ball.
***
*Sadie's POV*
I cut off another piece of my moussaka and ate it while Joe sipped his drink. The restaurant we were in was really hectic and full. I always like restaurants that have a lot going on inside. It's entertaining. The restaurant also had amazing food. I'm a sucker for Greek food.
Suddenly the door of the joint opened up, and some men with mandolins walked in. They were greeted by one of the restaurant owners who pointed to a large, open space in the front of the restaurant. The men spoke something in Greek that I didn't understand, and they started to play a song. It was a really nice, slow song. Two of the four men there started to sing in Greek, and the lights of the restaurant dimmed slightly.
I looked over at Joe, who was drumming his fingers on the table to the beat of the music. His eyes met with mine, and he smiled. His hair was slightly matted from before. He didn't get a chance to look in the mirror after getting out of the hammock. He always managed to look presentable though. He was usually quite concerned about whether he looked decent, but for some reason he always threw on the first thing he sees lying on the floor while he's on vacation. I don't mind it really. It's better than having to wait for him to get ready in the morning at home, where it usually takes half an hour or longer.
Unexpectedly, Joe's phone rang. He took it from his pocket and quickly turned to me.
"You don't mind if I take this call do you?"
"Nah, I don't mind."
He flipped open his phone and greeted whoever was on the other line.
*Joe's POV*
Mark was calling me. Probably about the baby room he was making for us.
"Hello?"
"Hey man. Is Sadie around? Cuz I don't want to risk having her hearing the conversation, therefore ruining the surprise."
"Oh, yeah. Just a second."
I took the phone away from my ear and looked at Sadie again.
"Uh, I can't hear the phone too well so I'm gonna quickly take this call in the bathroom. I won't be long I promise."
Sadie laughed, and swatted my arm.
"Joe I don't mind. Go on," she said smiling. I got up from my seat and made my way to the washroom. I closed the door behind me and put the phone to my ear once again.
"Hey man. I just had to run into the washroom in this restaurant so Sadie wouldn't hear me. We were just having dinner."
"Oh, hey if I was interrupting anything than I can just call back another time."
"Nah, it's okay. So, what's up?"
"Uh, I was just giving you an update on what we've done to the room. Basically, we've got the room painted up. Pale green and white like you asked. We've got two cradles in, a white one and a green one, and we've got the white curtains in. I painted two rocking chairs for you Sadie. One in the room and one on the balcony. I just have to install a couple of light fixtures and get the shelves in, and the room will be set. It looks way better than it did before."
"Nice. Thanks for doing this for me man. But uh, what do you mean by 'we?' I thought this was a project you were doing yourself."
"Oh yeah. Uh, Sadie's Dad dropped by to pick up his coat that he had left here a while ago, and heard noise upstairs. So he found me working on the room, and I basically explained to him what we had planned. So, he said he could give me some extra help if I needed it, which I did. But then we were a little behind, so he got Mike to help too. You're Dad wasn't home when your Sadie's Dad called so he doesn't know about the room."
"Cool. So, it'll be done in two days when we come back?"
"Definitely. So you'll be back home by 3:00 Thursday?"
"Around then. Give or take a half hour."
"Alright man. Take care."
"You too. Bye."
I hung up, put the phone back in my pocket, and walked out of the bathroom. I sat back down at the table with Sadie, who had finished her dinner already. I had a couple bites left of my souvlaki, and a pile of boiled carrots. I'd just eat the rest quickly.
"Hey babe. Sorry if I took a while."
"It's okay. You were only gone a minute. So, who was on the phone?"
I thought of a reply as quickly as possible.
"Uh, my boss. He wanted to compliment me on my most recent article. One of my best apparently."
"Really? Well that's good. You work hard on your articles."
"Yeah, that's true," I said, forking a piece of souvlaki. I ate it quickly and sipped my drink. The band finished a song and started another one.
It didn't take me long to finish my food. And when I did, I went up to the front desk and paid the tab. Sadie left a tip on the table, and we left the restaurant hand in hand. It had become very dark outside, and the only sources of light were those of the houses across the street, and the moon.
"It's so gorgeous outside. It hasn't been muggy at all this week," Sadie said.
"Yeah, it's been so nice out. The weather is great. I'm so glad we aren't stuck in Cali right now. It's probably pretty cool out there now."
"Definitely. It sucks that we have to go back so soon though. But we both have to go to work."
"Yeah. Hey uh, I've noticed you've been sketching some new designs while we've been here."
"Oh yeah. Actually, I'm working on my new winter line. My last one for fall was inspired by New York, and this one is inspired by Greece. It's not as racy or wild as my other lines. This line is going to be a lot tamer, and the main color scheme will be whites and browns."
"That sounds neat. I saw one of the dresses you were drawing. It was nice."
"Yeah? Which one was it?"
"Uh, it didn't have a low neckline, and it had sleeves that were held together with little beads."
"Oh that one. Yeah, that's called a stola. It's what women wore in ancient Greece. Tunics came back in style at one point, so I figured, why couldn't stolas?"
"Huh. That's actually a really good idea. Man, you're good at what you do," I said.
"Thanks. Hey, you're not to shabby at writing you know. That article you did a year ago about Hank the Albino Hippo was incredible," Sadie laughed. I started my job at the newspaper a year ago, and at first I was stuck with really lame topics. My boss finally saw how great I was at writing, and started giving me some more challenging topics that weren't based on things appealing to a toddler.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny dear."
"I know! I'm just so hilarious. It's incredible really. I mean, I'm just...amazing," Sadie laughed.
"Jeez, you're turning into your Dad."
"You know, I've actually found myself thinking that on countless occasions."
Sadie and I laughed, and made our way to the front door of our hotel. I opened it and we walked down the hall, and up the staircase to our suite on the top floor. I slipped my shirt off, and as soon as we got inside, Sadie went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. I knew what that meant.
I went in and brushed my teeth as well, and as quickly as possible. I spat in the sink at the same time as Sadie, and she rinsed out the sink. As soon as we put our brushes away, I got a hold of Sadie by the waist and turned her to face me. I kissed her, and started to undo my pants while continuing to kiss her. Sadie broke apart from the kiss and pulled her shirt off. I picked her up, both of us laughing, and plopped her down on the bed. I turned the lamp off and ended the night in a way I quite enjoyed.
It was the fourth day of our vacation. Sadie and I were exhausted. We had been walking around and going to all these different places on the island constantly. We had gone to many of the different beaches and restaurants, and numerous tourist attractions. We met some friendly locals who spoke English, and they took us sailing on their boat. We were going out for dinner later tonight, but right now Sadie and I were having a nap in the hammock.
The weather was beautiful every day. Very warm, but not too humid. This was good, because Sadie's always quite warm, and extra humidity is the last thing she needs. Her morning sickness is almost completely gone. She just gets a little nauseous, and then it disappears. It went away quite fast. Her stomach is also starting to get a little bigger. She's only about two months into the pregnancy, but she is progressing quite quickly. She hasn't been that emotional from what I've seen, but I reckon that in a while that'll change. She's been in a good mood all week really. She's always glowing. But that may be from the hot weather.
I'm pretty sure Sadie had fallen asleep, because her breathing was regular. When she was awake her breathing was always crazy. I don't know how she survives. It looks like she never breathes, when actually she's taking ridiculously small breaths every couple of seconds. I do the opposite. I practically sigh every ten seconds.
I put my arm around Sadie's waist, causing the hammock to rock lightly. My face was buried in Sadie's head of blue hair. Sadie always asked me not to do that because apparently I drool terribly while I sleep, but I like to anyways. Her hair smells nice.
Suddenly my phone rang. It didn't wake up Sadie though. I got it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was my dad.
"Hey Dad," I said quietly. I didn't want to wake Sadie, even though she was a really heavy sleeper. Nothing wakes her up.
"Hey. Are you losing your voice? You're all quiet."
"No, Sadie's just sleeping, and we're in the hammock so if I get out and go to the other room, the hammock will flip over."
"Ah, I see. Well, how's you're trip been? How's Sadie doing?"
"Both have been really good. We met a nice couple here and we've been hanging out with them a lot. We went sailing yesterday."
"Oh that's cool. Man, it's getting cold around here. I reckon it's stifling hot where you are?"
"Yup. But it isn't humid at all. So, what have you and Mom been up to?"
"Us? Uh, we're just hanging around, the usual. Been kind of bust with Adeline. We signed a new band to the label. Oh and, Jakob's in for the week and he's staying at our place. Get this, he has another new girlfriend."
"Seriously? Jeez, how many has he gone through in the past two years?"
"I lost count. I probably haven't ever heard of around half of them."
If you haven't guessed, Jakob was becoming a total player. He defined the term 'Serial Dater.' I've only dated four girls in my whole life. Two girls before Sadie, and drugged-up Ingrid. Joe however, had a new chick every month. Every type is Jakob's type.
"That wouldn't surprise me. So, what is it that he wants to get a degree in?"
"Literature. Then he wants to become a TV anchorman."
"TV anchorman? You've got to be kidding me."
"I know. It's crazy. But, I'll let him follow his dreams."
"His only dream is to date every female celebrity from Dakota Fanning to Tallulah Belle Willis."
"Joe...Who the hell are they?"
"What? You don't know who they are?"
"No...You read to many of Sadie's fashion magazines."
"Hey, they're a good read."
"Uh, whatever. I'm getting worried about your twins. You're weird, and Sadie's over-enthusiastic and crazy. Your kids will probably end up as circus freaks." Dad giggled.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny. And by the way, my weirdness is 100% genetic. I have you to thank for that." I replied, laughing. Dad snorted in reply and called Mom over.
"Joe, Mom wants to talk to you. Stay safe bud. Look after Sadie okay?"
"Yeah I will. Bye Dad."
"Bye Joe."
I heard the phone rustle around and mom picked it up.
"Hi Joe sweetie. How've you been?"
"Really good. And really busy up until now. I just went down to sleep with Sadie when Dad called."
"Oh I hope he didn't wake you."
"Nah, I was awake. Sadie was asleep though."
"Oh, alright. How's Sadie been doing? She isn't working too hard is she?" Mom asked.
"Well she's been pretty hot here. She needs a good nap. Her morning sickness is almost completely gone, and her stomach is starting to stick out a bit."
"Really? Already? Well I guess with twins it probably sticks out more. Oh jeez, I still can't believe she's pregnant. You guys are gonna be great parents."
"Well, Dad begs to differ."
"What? What did he say?"
"He said me and Sadie were both insane and our kids would grow up to be circus freaks."
Mom gasped. "That's not nice! Well, don't listen to him."
"Never have."
"Right."
I continued to talk to mum, and she passed it on to Jakob. After a while I got so tired that I had to excuse myself from the conversation. I had been talking for a half hour, and I really needed a rest.
"Well Jake I gotta go. See you later man."
"Bye Joe."
I hung up and put my arm around Sadie again.
"So how's your family?" Sadie asked.
"Oh shit, I woke you."
"Nah, it's okay. I'll be asleep in five seconds flat."
I laughed and laid my head down next to Sadie's. I kissed her neck, causing her to laugh and swat me lightly in the head.
"Joe I'm trying to sleep."
"I know. But...it's just so tempting. Your neck is right there by my face. I can't just, lie here next to it without kissing it."
"Try," Sadie said, curling up into a ball.
***
*Sadie's POV*
I cut off another piece of my moussaka and ate it while Joe sipped his drink. The restaurant we were in was really hectic and full. I always like restaurants that have a lot going on inside. It's entertaining. The restaurant also had amazing food. I'm a sucker for Greek food.
Suddenly the door of the joint opened up, and some men with mandolins walked in. They were greeted by one of the restaurant owners who pointed to a large, open space in the front of the restaurant. The men spoke something in Greek that I didn't understand, and they started to play a song. It was a really nice, slow song. Two of the four men there started to sing in Greek, and the lights of the restaurant dimmed slightly.
I looked over at Joe, who was drumming his fingers on the table to the beat of the music. His eyes met with mine, and he smiled. His hair was slightly matted from before. He didn't get a chance to look in the mirror after getting out of the hammock. He always managed to look presentable though. He was usually quite concerned about whether he looked decent, but for some reason he always threw on the first thing he sees lying on the floor while he's on vacation. I don't mind it really. It's better than having to wait for him to get ready in the morning at home, where it usually takes half an hour or longer.
Unexpectedly, Joe's phone rang. He took it from his pocket and quickly turned to me.
"You don't mind if I take this call do you?"
"Nah, I don't mind."
He flipped open his phone and greeted whoever was on the other line.
*Joe's POV*
Mark was calling me. Probably about the baby room he was making for us.
"Hello?"
"Hey man. Is Sadie around? Cuz I don't want to risk having her hearing the conversation, therefore ruining the surprise."
"Oh, yeah. Just a second."
I took the phone away from my ear and looked at Sadie again.
"Uh, I can't hear the phone too well so I'm gonna quickly take this call in the bathroom. I won't be long I promise."
Sadie laughed, and swatted my arm.
"Joe I don't mind. Go on," she said smiling. I got up from my seat and made my way to the washroom. I closed the door behind me and put the phone to my ear once again.
"Hey man. I just had to run into the washroom in this restaurant so Sadie wouldn't hear me. We were just having dinner."
"Oh, hey if I was interrupting anything than I can just call back another time."
"Nah, it's okay. So, what's up?"
"Uh, I was just giving you an update on what we've done to the room. Basically, we've got the room painted up. Pale green and white like you asked. We've got two cradles in, a white one and a green one, and we've got the white curtains in. I painted two rocking chairs for you Sadie. One in the room and one on the balcony. I just have to install a couple of light fixtures and get the shelves in, and the room will be set. It looks way better than it did before."
"Nice. Thanks for doing this for me man. But uh, what do you mean by 'we?' I thought this was a project you were doing yourself."
"Oh yeah. Uh, Sadie's Dad dropped by to pick up his coat that he had left here a while ago, and heard noise upstairs. So he found me working on the room, and I basically explained to him what we had planned. So, he said he could give me some extra help if I needed it, which I did. But then we were a little behind, so he got Mike to help too. You're Dad wasn't home when your Sadie's Dad called so he doesn't know about the room."
"Cool. So, it'll be done in two days when we come back?"
"Definitely. So you'll be back home by 3:00 Thursday?"
"Around then. Give or take a half hour."
"Alright man. Take care."
"You too. Bye."
I hung up, put the phone back in my pocket, and walked out of the bathroom. I sat back down at the table with Sadie, who had finished her dinner already. I had a couple bites left of my souvlaki, and a pile of boiled carrots. I'd just eat the rest quickly.
"Hey babe. Sorry if I took a while."
"It's okay. You were only gone a minute. So, who was on the phone?"
I thought of a reply as quickly as possible.
"Uh, my boss. He wanted to compliment me on my most recent article. One of my best apparently."
"Really? Well that's good. You work hard on your articles."
"Yeah, that's true," I said, forking a piece of souvlaki. I ate it quickly and sipped my drink. The band finished a song and started another one.
It didn't take me long to finish my food. And when I did, I went up to the front desk and paid the tab. Sadie left a tip on the table, and we left the restaurant hand in hand. It had become very dark outside, and the only sources of light were those of the houses across the street, and the moon.
"It's so gorgeous outside. It hasn't been muggy at all this week," Sadie said.
"Yeah, it's been so nice out. The weather is great. I'm so glad we aren't stuck in Cali right now. It's probably pretty cool out there now."
"Definitely. It sucks that we have to go back so soon though. But we both have to go to work."
"Yeah. Hey uh, I've noticed you've been sketching some new designs while we've been here."
"Oh yeah. Actually, I'm working on my new winter line. My last one for fall was inspired by New York, and this one is inspired by Greece. It's not as racy or wild as my other lines. This line is going to be a lot tamer, and the main color scheme will be whites and browns."
"That sounds neat. I saw one of the dresses you were drawing. It was nice."
"Yeah? Which one was it?"
"Uh, it didn't have a low neckline, and it had sleeves that were held together with little beads."
"Oh that one. Yeah, that's called a stola. It's what women wore in ancient Greece. Tunics came back in style at one point, so I figured, why couldn't stolas?"
"Huh. That's actually a really good idea. Man, you're good at what you do," I said.
"Thanks. Hey, you're not to shabby at writing you know. That article you did a year ago about Hank the Albino Hippo was incredible," Sadie laughed. I started my job at the newspaper a year ago, and at first I was stuck with really lame topics. My boss finally saw how great I was at writing, and started giving me some more challenging topics that weren't based on things appealing to a toddler.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny dear."
"I know! I'm just so hilarious. It's incredible really. I mean, I'm just...amazing," Sadie laughed.
"Jeez, you're turning into your Dad."
"You know, I've actually found myself thinking that on countless occasions."
Sadie and I laughed, and made our way to the front door of our hotel. I opened it and we walked down the hall, and up the staircase to our suite on the top floor. I slipped my shirt off, and as soon as we got inside, Sadie went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. I knew what that meant.
I went in and brushed my teeth as well, and as quickly as possible. I spat in the sink at the same time as Sadie, and she rinsed out the sink. As soon as we put our brushes away, I got a hold of Sadie by the waist and turned her to face me. I kissed her, and started to undo my pants while continuing to kiss her. Sadie broke apart from the kiss and pulled her shirt off. I picked her up, both of us laughing, and plopped her down on the bed. I turned the lamp off and ended the night in a way I quite enjoyed.
