The phone call

At 4:45 pm I sent the following text:

My aunt asked if I could help her move some stuff for her tonight. Would you mind if I go help her?

That was a complete lie. You didn't respond so hopefully you aren't mad.

I'm really nervous about calling your mom. I've put it off as long as I could. I need to talk to her tonight because this way, I will have some wiggle room on Thursday if I need to for some reason before I have the kids and before the weekend.

I don't know what she is going to say - I'm obviously hoping that she will just be happy and plan a family dinner for us that Sunday night. I realize this is just a hope….. eh, more like a fantasy. If anything, I hope she doesn't just flat out and say F%^& NO

I went out side and paced for about 10 minutes before I got the nerve to actually call. I made the call at 6:19pm. I got her voicemail and I hung up. I didn't want to leave a message in case she tries to call you for some reason.

Almost an hour passes and I go back outside - no pacing this time, I just made the call at 7:11pm. Answering machine again, only this time she picked up.

-Heart stopped -

"Hi Barbara, this is TJ - Annie's TJ. How are you?"

--"Hi, I'm fine thanks."

There was about two seconds of deafening silence.

"I'm calling because I wanted to ask for your blessing in asking Annie to marry me."

She was completely taken by surprise and kinda flipped out. I imagined her head spinning and steam coming out of her ears as I stood there next to my house with sprinkles of rain on my face in the heavy wind.

I added, "I'm also calling to answer any questions or concerns."

She asked if I was serious about two times and said that we needed to be having this conversation in person because she has concerns. She asked if she could talk truthfully because she has concerns.

I said, "I don't blame you, if Annie was my daughter, I would have concerns too - of course we can meet in person-this is why I'm calling."

She continued her utter surprise and even asked if you had any idea. She seemed completely taken by surprised as it has never even remotely occurred to her that it was a possibility.

Which - gotta be honest - completely annoyed me.

I was annoyed at first that maybe you were portraying something different to her. After thinking about it for a second though I realized it was her either playing dumb or has completely ignored the obvious that we were serious. I wouldn't expect you to say we were going to get married, but I believe there was enough from your conversations you've told me and just our relationship in general that she could have read between the lines enough that it wouldn't have been such a surprised.

Anyways… so yeah. We set up a time on Thursday to talk in person at 7pm at her house. She kept saying "TJ!...."

It is going to totally suck.

I feel like I'm going in front of a firing squad on my own free will.