Better on our own - English

Joy and Sorrow

Penny had been out and about a lot yesterday and so she had the day off and I didn't run into her even when I was home late in the afternoon because she left again as soon as she got home. In the evening, Cody was brought home by Jody, where he must have spent the afternoon after school.

I smiled and thought back to yesterday evening, when Sarah spontaneously came to my home after class at the academy and we spent the evening together. She had stayed with me overnight even more spontaneously and I could get used to holding her in my arms every night as I fell asleep and seeing her as the first thing in the morning when I open my eyes. It was definitely a nicer sight than my Care Bear, which my Mum had sent after me so I didn't feel so alone and which always sat in bed with me. I've had it since I was little and it was nice to have it with me because it always reminded me of home. Still, I would have preferred if Sarah had never seen it. While I was able to hide it from her the first night, I had completely forgotten about it last night because Cody was sitting with me and we were gaming when Sarah came.

Each of the three of us learned something that evening: I, that Sarah was unbeatable at Mario Kart, no matter how hard I tried. Sarah that boys were sore losers when it came to gambling and Cody that being in love was disgusting - for a 7 year old. Not for me of course! Sarah always wiped away my gloom over my defeats with a kiss, and she then brightened Cody's mood with cookies and jelly beans that she had bought for class. So we all got something out of it.

We had so much fun that we didn't hear Penny calling for Cody and were caught off guard when Cody was doing a victory dance with Sarah because they had taken 1st and 2nd place after I was constantly bombarded with tanks, bombs and banana peels by them and I was only in 8th place because of that. I was startled when Penny opened the door and I looked up at her anxiously, surrounded by Sarah's sweets and two more bags of chips that I had contributed, but to our amazement she took it easy and even played a round because she herself wanted to know what was so great about this game. She wasn't that bad. After all, the second to last place was better than the last, right? But she took it in good humor before taking Cody away and we bid them goodnight.

Afterwards I called my mother, which turned out to be a terrible mistake to do it in front of Sarah because it was just embarrassing. Sighing, I thought back to the conversation.

"Hey, Mum!" I greeted her with a smile, not knowing what would happen next.

"Niall, my baby! How nice of you to call," she sighed happily, while my father shouted from the background that she shouldn't always call me baby and reminded her that I was 22 years old. Sarah giggled quietly next to me. I always had my cell phone set pretty loud, which I definitely had to change. "You're not calling to cancel for the weekend, are you? That would make your father really sad." I rolled my eyes at my mother's warning tone while my father complained in the background that she shouldn't always use him as an excuse because she couldn't let go of me. I glanced at Sarah, who was having a great time next to me as she continued to watch the screen and play Animal Crossing.

"No, Mum, it's quite the opposite. I'd like to bring someone else with me, if that's okay with you," I answered her instead.

"Oh, my baby has made new friends, how great! Bring as many as you want. We have enough space. I'll get the guest room ready right away," she exclaimed with enthusiasm and it sounded like she already was on the way up. I could imagine it vividly.

"No, Mum, you don't need to do that! She can sleep upstairs with me...right?" I stopped my mother immediately and then paused before I looked at Sarah questioningly. Maybe she wanted the guest room instead? To my relief, she nodded in confirmation.

"She? A girl?" I had to take the cell phone away from my ear when my mother burst into a scream of joy that even made Sarah look up in surprise. "A girl! Did you hear Will? Your son is bringing a girl with him!" my mother shouted from behind her, from where the only dry answer was that it was about time and that my Dad had already believed that I was gay, but I hadn't even hooked up a guy in all the years since I started puberty. I slapped my hand on my forehead and turned bright red while Sarah giggled again and covered her mouth with her hand, apparently not wanting to be heard by my mother. "What's she like? Tell me everything! What does she like? Should I cook something special? Your favorite dish perhaps? No, better hers! What does she like?"