Chapter 16
Alex woke up relatively early and was annoyed with herself as she knew she needed more sleep, but her inner clock never fails her and never asks how she feels. So she pulled a dressing gown on and tapped into the kitchen clicking the kettle for a coffee and glanced outside. She scrunched her face at the cloudy rainy dinghy morning and hoped that later it will clear out just a bit as they planned to meet Sonya for a lunch.
She made a coffee and sat at the bar going through the photos of the property she was looking at recently. She hasn't told anything about this to Yaz but she had her eye on a tiny house not far from where they lived. It wasn't any bigger than their apartment, with one bedroom and a study but it had tiny front and back garden. Something she knew would make them both happy. Yaz always spoke about wanting to sit in a garden and work on a sunny day and this would be perfect. She also knew that house this small is hard to find. Her plan was to drive up to it later in a day just before they meet Sonya and see what Yaz has to say. She looked through the photos dreamy and hoped that Yaz would like it.
"Hey..." Yaz yawned walking into the kitchen and Alex quickly closed down her phone "Why the hell are you up?" she dragged her feet sleepy to the bar kissing her shortly and went for the fridge
"You know me and my brain...I think it's the night shift just messing me up again"
"Go to bed baby...you need sleep" Yaz drank some juice and cuddled up to her "Come ooon...go back to bed with me" she begged tucking her face into her neck making Alex laugh
"You're tickling me...that will only make me more awake" she giggled "I just made a coffee"
"Fuck the coffee I need my snuggle" she slipped her hands inside her dressing gown "And you're so nice and warm and smell like baby powder" she continued making Alex laugh even more
"Oh alright then" she gave in and got up wrapping her arms around Yaz "Come on snuggle buggle"
"Yeeeey..."
Bedroom was nice and cozy with a sound of rain outside and Yaz wrapped around her like a koala it made her quickly sleepy again.
They were on a way to mee Sonya and Alex suddenly made a detour with a car. Yaz was chatting so much she didn't notice at first, they were driving in a wrong direction. She hasn't even noticed the obvious GPS on Alex's dashboard pointing her to the destination and Alex was struggling to stay serious as by the minute she felt like bursting out laughing.
"So anyway, I've sent nanny pictures of what I ordered and she had a fit asked me where's the rest of of my outfit"
"Oh Yaz...in a way I do feel sorry for her"
"I know I must admit me too"...She actually said she's gonna give me some bangles she has how they will go nice with what I'm gonna wear"
"That's really nice. My mum is giving me necklace and it made cry so much.... you know...It gets passed to a girl...and that was always Annie"
"OMG that's so beautiful"
"It is and Annie agreed to it so they really floored me"
"Alex darling...where are you going? I don't think this thing works properly?" she leaned over to the display
Alex laughed "No Yazee...we are going the right way...In fact we're gonna be there in less than a minute" she said as she made a turn into a small road
"Why are we parking in front of someone's house babe? This isn't another shelter, is it?"
"Nooo" Alex burst out laughing and turned in her seat "Right...so that cute, adorable house there on a corner...How would like to live in it?"
"Whaaaat?" Yaz turned around confused
Alex leaned over and rested her chin on her shoulder "If we sell the apartment we have just enough money for it"
"What for a house?"
"Aha...as it goes our apartment is worth more now than what it was when I bought it...And this house is going for really good price"
"What's the ketch?"
"No ketch...The lady had to go into a home and her daughter needs the money fast"
"Are you fucking serious?" she jumped exited and turned around
"Yeeees...as a heart attack...we can be in it before Christmas"
"OMFG garden"
"Yeeeees"
"And we can have a house" she brought her hands to Alex's shoulders shaking her exited
"Yeeees! Yes!!....Also Yazee were getting married so it will in both our names...Properly" she smiled chirfully
"Aleeeeex!...You fucking queen I love you" she showered her face with kisses making her laugh
"Here goes my makeup" Alex laughed
"Can we see...can we have a look?"
"We can from outside but I need to arrange to have a look from inside...It's no bigger than our flat...Buut it has a kitchen looking at the garden and it has study"
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!....Pleaseeee let's have a look pleaseeee"
"Come on...get your ass out of the car then" Alex grabbed the door handle and went outside all hyper
"OMG Alex it is so so cute"
"I knoooow.. God I was hoping you're gonna like it...See up there is the bedroom...and next to it is one small room...Look" she fumbled with her phone and brought up the photos "Seeee....look at the price...So that leaves us small amount of money if we need something done as weel"
"It's all so kept...what the hell"
"Yeah they had it all done recently but the lady fell and broke her hip...It's so sad really"
"Poor woman...like what happened to my nanny...same thing"
Alex took her hand and showed her the side of the house and tried to peak over the fence to see the garden
"OMG look at all the flowers...it's so pretty"
"I knoooow...soo...should we put in the offer?"
"Yes yes yes yes yes yes" Yaz hang herself over her shoulders
"Aaaaaa...Yazee...we're gonna have house...Well hopefully...I'm gonna lose my shit if we lose this one"
"Me too" she laughed
"We need to go...we're gonna be late for Sonya" Alex said "And it's starting to rain again" she looked at the sky "Oh the parking is on a road but I don't give a shit"
"Me neither...it's a fuuuuucking house" she laughed
....
Alex called her mum as soon as they were back in a car. She couldn't keep quite even she tried.
"Hey baby" Charlie chirped from the other end "Give me a second I'm just cutting this branch that broke
"Alright mum ...hurry up I'm dying here"
"Hey Charlie!" Yaz
"Hey honey.... What’s up girls? ....Here I'm done"
"We're gonna put an offer for a house"
"Whaaat? A house?"
"Yeeeees"
"Oh Alex darling houses are expensive..."
"Well not this one" Alex said confidently "It's cute and adorable and not any bigger than our flat...It's soooo cuuute mum" Alex gushed over the phone and Yaz had a permanent smile on her face
"It really is Charlie..." Yaz added
"I don't mean to break your bubble girls but are you sure everything is ok with this house....Besides what kind of a house...where?"
"No mum it's fine...Nothing wrong with house just lady ended up in a home....I'll send you photos"
"Oh Alex...you would believe if someone told you their dog got ill and they need the money...People say all kinda stuff...Don't believe everything you hear....Please honey send me everything and give me a phone number of the agent...I'm not having you shafted by someone....I know you two are exited now and your brains are in your asses...But I wanna see what that is...Also I want your uncle Tyler to have a look at that properly and tell you in advance if something needs to be done so at least you know and he can do it for you"
Alex laughed "Alright mum...don't burst from excitement"
"I will be excited when I see it's ok"
"Ok grumpy"
"I know you since I popped you out....Alex sees, Alex wants Alex gets...and she asks questions later"
"Mmmmm...But it's nice and all renovated"
"Right...now I'm really worried...Never trust that Alex they can do it to hide all kinda shit you're gonna find out after six months"
"Oh..."
"Yeah oooh...Come oooon...just send me everything"
"Alright mum"
"Anyway...when are you two coming? I can't wait to see you"
"Nex week mum...But Yazee will have to work from home she can't take a week off she's got some stuff she needs to finish"
"That's ok baby"
"Sorry about that Charlie" Yaz said
"Don't be silly...I'll tell boys to move the table upstairs for you. I still have Ollies desk in a garage...Is that ok?"
"Perfect...thaaaank you"
"It means you get to spend more time with me" Alex smiled
"I really miss you Alex...I'm talking to roses"
"Don't...you're gonna make me cry...Love you"
"I love you too baby and you Yazee"
"Love you too Charlie"
"Oh let me know what you wanna eat"
"We still have six days mum" Alex laughed
"Well a girl needs to plan"
"Alright mum...bye...Looooooveeee youuuuuu"
"Love you too silly"
She hang up and couldn't stop laughing
"She's right" Yaz said "And now I'm suddenly deflated"
"Don't be...uncle will know...so if there is anything we can drop the price even more Yazee and have it done. We will have money from the apartment"
"Who's uncle Tyler?"
"Oh, my dad's brother"
"Oh"
"Noooo Yaz...don't worry...He loves me to bits and he's not talking to dad since forever"
"Aaaaa...ok...just that each time you say dad I get digestion issues"
"You and me both" she smiled and looked at her brushing her knuckles over her cheek "Don't worry...we'll have a house....Unless someone buys it in front of our noses...then I'm gonna have digestion issues"
"I never bought anything like that...how long does it take?"
"What to buy a house?"
"Yeah"
"Dunno Yaz...I was a first time buyer so there was no chain...This will be different...We have to sell ours to get this...The good thing is they aren't buying anything so it stops there"
"I see...seems simple enough"
"Well the apartment is in good area so it shouldn't be a problem to sell it...Uuuu we are really late for Sonya and we'll have to run to the restaurant" she laughed "She's got her schedule I don't wanna mess it up for her"
"True...but she's coming with Prem"
"Is she?" Alex jumped and wiggled in her seat existed
"Yeeees...she was gonna leave him then I asked her to take him cause you're gonna go gaga" she laughed "God I sound like the world's worst auntie"
"Noooo you don't"
"I do...and you're biased...Here's you gushing over my sisters baby like it's your sister's baby and I'm like...Yeah he's cute...I love him...but two hours is more than enough"
"It's different when the baby is yours Yaz...My mum doesn't gush over other people's kids and she made it very clear to my siblings that she's done her bit with us and not doing babysitting for all the kids or she might as well open up a day care considering how many kids we have in a family. She loves them but it has a limit"
"Mmmm...I just can't help but feel horrible"
"Don't" she reached for her hand "You're gonna be a great mum Yaz"
"Oh yeah...how do you know that?"
"Cause there's noooo way...noooo fucking way that such a loving, kind and beautiful person can be a bad parent...So I know" she smiled
"I adore you...you know that...and you're making me soppy "
Alex turned around with smile "Love you too...And we gonna have a house!!!!" she yelled from the top of her voice and turned up the music in a car making Yaz laughed like crazy
....
"Hiya! " Alex grinned the biggest smile as they walked into the restaurant and went straight for the baby
"Hey girl" Sonya laughed "He's all yours...he hasn't stopped winging since we came"
"You been giving your mum a hard time? We spoke about that...." she picked him up and in a second she was gone in her own word
"Hey" Yaz kissed her sister rolling her eyes laughing "Well you made her day. I'm sorry for being late"
"That's fine I just came twenty minutes ago"
"We have some news" Alex said grinning haply rocking the baby in her arms
"Yeah? Well...go on?"
"We just went to look at the house"
"Get out!" Sonya jumped "Nooo fucking way"
"Waay ..and it's so cuuuute" Yaz smiled "Alex found it.. though her mum's not too thrilled"
"Whyyy?"
"Oh...she thinks because it's cheap somethings wrong with it" Alex said
"She's got a point ..Want dad to have a look?"
"That's sweet babe but Alex's uncle is doing renovations so he will have a look"
"Aaa good...you really should...Also two girls buying a house...People can be ass holes"
"True" Yaz said
"Anyway...look at the photos" Alex shifted the baby into her other hand and pulled her phone out "Yaz go under our house folder...it's there"
"It has a folder?"
"Absolutely" she grinned
"OMG but that looks like new?" Sonya asked confused
"Oh well...yeah" Alex twisted her face "That's what worries mum.... she said they could be hiding flaws"
"Mmmm...smart lady" Sonya said "But it looks awesome...Can you adopt me?" She laughed
"Might do..." Alex said "I'll have a look at it legally...do I get a custody of him as well?" She laughed kissing Prem
"He comes for free" Sonya laughed "No terms needed"
"Goodie...Wanna come and live with us?" She squeezed his cheeks
"Honest this is fucking amazing...I'm jealous" Sonya laughed
"Well I was thinking" Alex said "Let's all go and see it together when I arrange it with the agency...I'd love for your parents to be there"
"Yeah" Yaz said "That'd be nice...it would make them happy and maybe they see what we don't...fresh pair of eyes"
"I'll let them know today" Sonya said "Group house viewing...they're gonna think we're all moving in" she laughed "Oh by the way guess who called?"
"Who?" Yaz frowned "Nooooo...noooo come oooon"
"What? Who?" Alex looked confused
"Prem’s dad"
"Oooh"
"So? What the fuck does he want?"
"You wouldn't guess in million years" Sonya shook her head
"Test me" Yaz raised her eyebrow "He needs something...right?"
"Yeah...he actually does...he wants me to sign a legal document at his lawyers that I will never ever basically ask anything from him for Prem or mention his name in any capacity because the fucker is getting married...So he wants to sweep Prem underneath the carpet"
"Un fucking believable" Yaz leaned back into her chair "What fucking piece of shit"
"So what will you do?" Alex asked concerned
"Well, his family is offering to pay out 50 grand for my...well...silence"
"Fuck it...take it" Yaz said "That's all he's ever gonna get from them anyway"
"Exactly...There's no way I'm gonna put him on a court anyway cause A I don't want him in our lives and B I have noooo fucking stomach for that shit...Prem has a loving family"
"Too right"
"There's a part of me that just wants to tell him to go and fuck himself and his money...But we are struggling and this isn't about me it's about Prem...He may need it one day...we don't have that kinda money"
"The whole thing just makes me feel ill...look at this way...You're never gonna get maintenance anyway"
"That's what mum said" Sonya said
"Sonya...do you need a layer to have a look at that?" Alex asked
"Absolutely girl...know someone?"
"Yes in fact I do...you know that group I have...for transgender youth...Well we have a really good layer. He is volunteering for us so you will probably have to pay him some fee but he's so sweet and he definitely knows everything about the family law and all that"
"Oh you're a star...don't worry babe I'll pay whatever it is I wanna know what I'm signing"
Yaz shook her head "Unbelievable..."
"You know me mate Pam?" Sonya said
"Yeah...the one with that beautiful long hair"
"Yeah...she found out he was already engaged when he went out with me. Apparently, this was already going on two years ago"
"I feel fucking sorry for his wife...poor woman" Yaz said fuming "At least you got the best part of him...she's just gonna marry a fucking wanker. It makes me sad for Prem though....At some point he will start asking and what the fuck do say to him"
"The fucking truth...It will hurt but I don't want him living in a fantasy...It will just hurt him more...He will find out eventually anyway"
"Poor little love...how can someone not love you" Alex pressed him to her chest "I would die to have a baby...I will never understand that"
"That's because you're a beautiful person" Sonya said "He's just a waist of space" she sat back in her chair and her eyes filled with tears as she was looking at Prem
"Heeeey...I love you" Yaz took her hand gently
"I love you too...I'm more upset with myself...I should've chosen someone normal...Someone who's gonna be proper father to him...What the fuck was wrong with me"
"Don't beat yourself up" Alex said "My mum was asking herself that same question for years...But this wasn't a continuous choice you know...We fall for people...it just happens...but sometimes you don't see their true colors until it's too late...That's on their soul....not yours...you were just looking for love"
She took a big sigh "Thank you...both of you...I don't know what I'd do without my family...I'd fucking lose my shit"
"We all would" Alex said "Believe me I know"
"Come on ..let's order some food finally or they'll tell us to get the fuck out" she laughed
"I'm really hungry now" Alex said "And I saw that lady over there had something really nice on her plate"
Sonya turned around and had a look "Oh...I had that...it's beautiful salmon salad and those are some toasties with vegetables and turkey...really nice"
"Uuuuuuu I'll have that"
....
"What's wrong?" Alex asked worried on a way back home
"I kinda feel like we are prostitutes" Yaz said
"Whaaaat?" Alex looked at her laughing "Do I get included in that? Cause I'm confused how did I earn that title"
Yaz couldn't help but laugh "Noooo baby...I meant with the money for Prem....Cause you know...my family doesn't have much...and this legit feels like buying us...Well my sister...but I kinda look at it as a whole family"
"Oh....well, I can understand why you feel that way Yaz...but you need to understand why they are doing it"
"You lost me?"
"Mmmmm....well....sounds to me like they are not buying you Yaz...They are paying for keeping their dirty laundry as far away from the bride's family as possible...Because as you said yourself he legally would have to pay...he is just avoiding that...So nothing to feel bad about Yaz...In fact your sister and Prem are initialed to much more. Not to mention other legal obligations he had twards the child"
"Mmmmm....there's that way of looking at it I suppose"
"It's the only way of looking at it Yaz...Your sister didn't keep the baby and blackmail him for money...she didn't ask anything"
"No ..she never did"
"See on say 50 grand per annum he would have to cash out close to 500£ a month that's 6 grand a year that he would have to pay till Prem is at least 16 and that's 97 000 pounds Yaz"
"Fuck me ....you're quick" she laughed
Alex chuckled "So see...if Prem is still in school it can go on until he's 20 and that's 120 000 pounds....I'd say this is a bargain"
"Woooow....it is isn't it?"
"Yeah" she smiled
"Right well that made me feel better"
"That's why your mum and dad said to take it Yaz....they are just trying to protect your sister and Prem...You try getting maintenance out of him if he goes back to Pakistan..."
"That's true....Well...I feel a lot better now" she said and took Alex's hand kissing her knuckles
....