Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 12:56:24 GMT -5
It was a little over a month now since Andrea and Zane had started dating, and made the elective decision to keep that information to themselves. She wasn't usually one to keep secretive about her dating life - which, granted, she hadn't had much of one, but still - but in this case, it'd been out of necessity. They hadn't thought they could really get a real feel of what it might be like to date one another if people - namely Heather, and Karen as well in her case - got overly involved in their relationship. Of course, she did have an idea that Heather at the very least suspected it, because she had stopped bugging them and trying to push them together, which under any other circumstance would be highly suspicious, but she was appreciating the way the other girl was pulling back a little. She had no doubt that would stop once they confirmed it though, because her roommate wasn't one for holding back when she wanted information. The one thing that had been a bit harder for Andrea had been keeping it from her mother, because she knew the older woman would feel torn about keeping the information to herself, but Karen was now out of school, and as such had planned a visit over the weekend. She wasn't a fool, she knew what her sister was coming for, and as much as she hated to admit it, her sister typically got what she wanted. Since she didn't want her parents to hear the news from an overbearing fifteen year old, she'd decided she might as well give her mother a call while her dad was driving her kid sister over. Once Heather had been gone for work for about half an hour, she deemed it a safe enough time and took a seat on the couch as she picked up her phone and pressed the speed dial for home.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:06:57 GMT -5
Taylor had decided to go grocery shopping while Milo was driving Karen off to spend the weekend with Andrea in Columbia. She usually tried to do those food runs while he wasn't able to come with her, because for one thing it made it a lot shorter, and for another, it was less likely that they'd come home with enough junk to clutter the cupboards for months. Of course, by now, she'd mostly given up trying to get her husband to eat healthier, and the occasional bad stuff typically found its way in their house every so often, but that didn't mean she couldn't make some efforts to keep her family eating well. She'd just returned home and had set up the bags on the kitchen counters when she heard the house phone ring. Picking it up and checking the caller ID, smiling as she put the phone to her ear after answering the call. "Hey honey," she greeted her daughter as she brought her shoulder up slightly to keep the phone locked between it and her ear, starting to pull her groceries out of the bag. "Are your Dad and sister there already?" she asked with a slight frown of concern. She'd left just a few minutes after Milo, and even with the drive to and from and unloading the groceries from the car to the house, it was only about an hour or so since he'd gone, and that was a two hour drive. Her husband was prone to speeding a bit, that she knew, but still, that would be excessive.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:08:11 GMT -5
Andrea smiled as soon as she heard her mother's voice on the other end of the line. She'd always been a bit of a daddy's girl, there was no denying that, but it didn't change the fact that she'd also always been very close to her mom. They had similar interests and tastes, and her mother's gentle temperament was really hard to not get along with. She missed being able to spend days baking with her, or going shopping with her. Of course, she called and visited home as often as she could, and whenever she did head back to Kansas City she spent time catching up with her mother, but it obviously wasn't the same. "Hey mom," she greeted Taylor as she picked up the glass of water she'd set on the coffee table earlier, taking a sip as he heard her mother ask if her father and sister were here already. Due to the tone of her voice, she could tell they were not supposed to be, shaking her head a bit in amusement at her mother's concern - there had been times when she'd wondered how she and her dad had ended up together, but it'd seemed to work fine for them. "They're not here yet. I'm sure Dad would know better than to make me call you if he'd arrived early due to excessive speeding," she spoke a bit teasingly. "No, I was just calling to get some news and such," she added with a light shrug.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:10:50 GMT -5
Only after speaking up did Taylor realize that it was pretty unreasonable to expect Andrea's answer to her question to be positive. The speed at which Milo would have had to drive to make it to Columbia in half the time would have obviously been enough to get him pulled over, so although she had no doubt he'd get there faster than she typically did, she figured this particular call was not to let her know Karen and Milo had made it to her place safe and sound. Which did make her fairly curious as to why her eldest daughter would be calling at this time - not that she minded, of course, she always loved hearing from Andrea. Raising an eyebrow slightly as she said she was just calling to get some news, after confirming that her dad and sister had not yet arrived, which spiked up her curiosity even more. Milo would be there in less than an hour, most likely - so why call her now for news from home? "Oh well, you know, everything's going well around here," she told her as she pulled fruits and vegetables out of a reusable bag, folding it once it was empty and placing it on the far corner of the counter. "Not much new since Emily's graduation, to be honest," she added as she started emptying the next bag. "Although, she and Karen are set to go on a road trip with Shane and Thomas, and Chloe and Kylee in a few weeks, so I'm sure that'll be some good tales to hear once they come back," she went on with a light smile. "Your dad's just got a couple more weeks to go until he's on vacation, and I have to get the studio ready for the summer sessions sign ups, but that's really about it. What about you, sweetheart? How are things going with you?"
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:13:38 GMT -5
Andrea knew claiming that she was calling for news was a bit weak, considering the fact that she'd been home only just a couple of weeks ago for graduations, but she didn't want to jump right into the main conversation. She knew it'd come a bit out of the blue - she hadn't talked to her family about Zane really, aside from Karen, and it wasn't like those conversations had gone particularly well. She didn't think her youngest sister had shared much with her family though, so she doubted her mother was expecting her to announce she was dating someone. Listening as her mom listed off a few things, already having heard about the road trip in motion and definitely looking forward to getting reports of it, giving an absentminded nod as she added that her dad would be on vacation soon whereas she'd have to set up the summer sessions at the dance studio. "Well, I've picked up a few more shifts at work since school has been out, but I've been glad for the extra free time," she told her mother after she returned the question as to what was up with her. "And, erm... well, I actually have a bit of news, too," she said, her cheeks unexpectedly warming up as she picked lightly at the hem of her shorts.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:15:02 GMT -5
Taylor knew she couldn't have expected three more different daughters even if she'd tried to guess what each of them might be like before they were born. Andrea was their optimistic, bright and happy daughter who always tried to help people and see the best in everything. As a little one, she'd been good at practically everything she tried, and even as an adult she'd developed a wide set of skills that she knew would make her advance far in life. Emily was much more subdued than her sisters, although not shy per say, but closed off. It was a bit harder at times to break through her barriers, because they weren't up from feelings of distrust, but just based on her own quiet, temperate, private personality. She still had a creative and bright mind - they just didn't get to see the results of it as often, although Taylor knew she shared her writing with Milo a bit more often. And then, Karen... loud, confident, very dedicated to her talent, maybe a bit vain at times, but it wasn't like she could deny that she had reasons to be. She was a social soul, definitely taking after her father as far as her outlook on relationships went through her teenage years. Three blessings were more than anyone could hope for, really, and it did make it hard at time to watch them grow up and away. Smiling lightly as Andrea said she was glad for the extra free time she'd had since school had let out, feeling that they were finally getting to the real reason for the call though as she went on to say she had some news. "Oh, what news?" she asked her, unconsciously pausing her actions as she held a box of cereal halfway between the bag and the counter.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:17:19 GMT -5
Very few were the times Andrea had had this kind of conversation with her mother. Not counting the infatuations and 'boyfriends' from her early years, she had told her about her first major crush, and a few of her high school relationships. None of those had lasted very long, and college had followed that trend as well, so she'd kind of given up on sharing her dating life with her parents unless she felt there was a need for it. As it was, the kind of relationship she had with Zane wasn't like anything she'd experienced before. He definitely didn't fit even half the points on the stupid check list she'd made as a high school Senior, but even she'd known that list was a bit of a sham. Truth was, relationships had been frightening to her since her first hard breakup, and from that point on it'd been easier to say she wasn't finding a decent boyfriend because he didn't match her ideals than admitting she was afraid of allowing herself to be vulnerable with another guy. Taking a steadying breath as her mother asked what news she had to share, still not quite sure on what words to use, figuring there really weren't that many ways of going about it at the end of the day though. "Well, it's just.. I've been seeing someone," she said, a light smile unconsciously forming on her lips as she spoke the words.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:18:40 GMT -5
Taylor wasn't a naturally curious person, which was probably a good thing seeing as she would otherwise be bursting with it right now. There was something in Andrea's tone that made her think this was a bit bigger than the young girl was letting on. Her heart giving a small, strange pang as she finally spoke out the words, saying that she'd been seeing someone. She could almost hear the smile in her voice, and it made her feel a little nostalgic - although obviously extremely happy. Of course, she knew nothing of this whole thing yet, but it'd been years since Andrea had confided anything of her romantic life, and that in itself meant something big. "Oh honey, that's wonderful," she spoke with a smile as she finally set the down the box of cereal she'd held onto. "How long have you been seeing him?" she asked as she decided to take a break from unpacking the groceries for right now, wanting to focus her whole attention on the conversation. Putting away a couple of things first though, not wanting to leave out anything that needed to be refrigerated, before heading over to take a seat at the kitchen table.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:20:18 GMT -5
Andrea gave a light smile at her mother's reaction to her news, which she wouldn't have expected anything less from her. Bringing her feet up on the couch as she wrapped her free arm around her knees, wondering idly if the new position would help the slightly fluttery sensation in her stomach and finding that it didn't. "Well, I met him last fall, he's one of Heather's friends," she told her mom, although deciding to leave out for the time being the part about how they definitely hadn't hit it off right away. "But we started dating about two months ago," she added, also not finding it necessary to share their less than innocent encounter during Heather's birthday party. Her relationship with her mother was pretty open, but she still didn't really want to talk to her about her sex life, and she was pretty sure it wasn't something the older woman begrudged her. "We haven't really... told anyone yet, though. You're the first," she went on. "It's just, I wanted to be able to see how we were together without any outside influence, with Heather being both our friend and all. But I figured, with Karen spending the weekend... well, I wanted you to hear it from me," she concluded.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:30:30 GMT -5
This was clearly turning out to be a big year for all three of her girls, Taylor reflected on as she settled in her chair. Of course, for Emily and Thomas it had been years in the making, but still, it'd been a bit of a relief to finally see them together, and they were excessively sweet together. As part of the adult group, she didn't necessarily hear the comments and opinions of the younger crowd all that often - unless they wanted to be heard - but she did know of Shane's constant teasing, claiming that they were basically already married, and she couldn't deny that an engagement out of them wouldn't come as a surprise even if it were to happen before they'd been dating a year. Then, Karen and Chloe... well, that had definitely taken a different start up route, but it was clear to see that she'd developed feelings for the blonde over the course of their involvement, although she wasn't quite to the point of admitting that - not that it fooled anyone anymore. And now, Andrea was apparently in a relationship, which wasn't something that had happened in a long time, at least not a serious enough relationship that she'd shared details with her. Understanding when she said that they'd kept it to themselves for a bit, knowing how things could get when there was a mutual friend getting involved in things. "Well, do I get to know more about this boy?" she asked with a light smile.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:32:10 GMT -5
Andrea didn't need a whole lot of encouragement to give details about Zane, though it felt a little strange to be gushing about him. Well, not that she was gushing exactly - she wouldn't say she was that far gone. "Well, his name is Zane," she began, figuring that'd be a good place to start. "He's in his third year of Nursing school. He's a bit more... down to earth than I can be, I guess, and I mean, he's not as bad as Dad with junk food," she teased a bit. "But it's not a priority of his to not eat bad food at times. He was born in England, but his mother was from the States and they moved back here when he was a teenager to come live with his grandmother," she went on, not giving much more detail on that though seeing as it wasn't exactly her place to share it. "He's really smart and kind, not really big on animals which isn't ideal," she added, another edge of teasing slipping in her tone - honestly, so long as he didn't keep her from loving on her pets, and keeping on having pets, she could live with the fact that he wouldn't care for them as much as she did. "But I mean, I haven't seen him interact with his family but I can tell he's a family guy and they're important to him. And he cares about his friends, too, which is always a good thing," she spoke with a light smile. "He makes me feel... I don't know, it's all so new and different," she sighed a bit, leaning her head slightly against Heather's cat, who'd just come to settle on the back of the couch.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:34:21 GMT -5
Hearing the way Andrea spoke of her new boyfriend, Taylor could tell this was different than any other guy she'd told her about in the past. Granted, those had been high school relationships that had barely lasted a few weeks, but then, she wasn't exactly one for looking down on relationships that started during high school years, having met her own husband as a Junior. Of course, she didn't expect to know everything about Zane just from talking to her daughter - people's personalities were a bit more complex than that, they had to be experienced rather than described to really fully get a feel of what kind of a person someone was. Still, she liked hearing the way Andrea described him. Nothing she said was sending off red flags, and he did seem like a nice person. She was especially pleased to hear that some of his traits weren't part of the 'list' of characteristics she'd been looking for a in a guy, which really only Milo had been on board with, if only because everybody could tell such a guy didn't exist. "He sounds really nice, sweetie. I'll be looking forward to meeting him," she told her. "Maybe you can have him over some time this summer? Maybe bring him along on the 4th of July?" she suggested. Bringing someone for the first time during a holiday might seem a little intimidating, but at the same time, the more people were around when he first came in contact with Milo, the better it might be.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:35:39 GMT -5
It wasn't really a surprise for Andrea to hear her mother bring up already when she might get to meet Zane, giving a bit of a smile though wincing slightly at the suggestion of bringing him over for the 4th of July. For one thing, she didn't know what his stance on that holiday was - obviously it wasn't home he'd celebrated since childhood, and she had a hard time picturing him wanting to party on the day the United States had declared independence from the UK. Not that she thought he'd be against it either, but still, she'd have to run it by him. And then, there was also the matter of her entire family's entourage being there. It was usually a pretty big thing, with the Micklesens and the Hales joining in, and if it was bad enough to meet someone's entire close family upon a first meeting, she didn't think it'd be much better to throw Aunts, Uncles and cousins in the mix. Not that she figured anyone would be very hard on him, aside from teasing comments here and there - that would likely end up being more directed at her than him - aside from her father, and well, if they got more serious and kept dating, he'd have to meet her dad sooner or later. "I guess we'll see what happens with that idea. I don't think he celebrates the 4th, so he might volunteer to work that day," she pointed out.
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Post by Taylor Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:36:59 GMT -5
To say Milo was overprotective of his girls' sentimental lives was a bit of an understatement. Initially, even the idea of Emily and Thomas dating had been unpleasant to him, which was a bit ridiculous considering the fact that she didn't think Emily could have ever found as sweet and kind a boyfriend as Thomas was. Of course, there was no knowing what the future had in store for them, but she wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to last, and it shouldn't make Milo anything but glad to see his daughter so happy. He wasn't quite as bad with Karen, though, maybe because he could see what Karen was a little less likely to be the one getting hurt in a relationship, but he'd always been especially unreasonable when it came to Andrea dating. As such, she could understand why Andrea might have wanted to keep things quiet from her dad at first too, but she must also know that she wouldn't be able to keep this from her husband. "Alright, well, it's still a couple of weeks away, so you'll have a bit of time before you should bring it up and see what you want to do," she told her with a light nod. "Are you gonna tell your Dad today, then?" she asked, though she could almost tell what the answer would be.
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Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
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Post by Andrea Parker on Apr 13, 2016 13:38:12 GMT -5
Andrea had a hard time picturing Zane as someone who would be intimidated when meeting her family, but at the same time, she also didn't think he would necessarily look forward to being thrown into the bunch. She might just have to give a few warnings here and there, because if he'd felt like she was asking private questions from a stranger during their first meeting, he probably wouldn't appreciate any interrogation that might come his way once he met her family. Not that she had the slightest bit of hope she'd have any control over what her Dad would say to him or ask him, but she knew her mom and Emily would respect her requests, and she didn't think anybody else would really bother trying to get too personal. She had to keep herself from snorting when she heard her mom asked if she planned on telling her father today, shaking her head vehemently although it wasn't like she could see her. "I would really rather not give him that kind of information right before he gets behind the wheel for a two hour drive on the interstate," she told her mom with a light shudder. If she'd been worried about his potentially speeding on the way here earlier, she'd definitely agree that it was for the best not to share that information then. Not to mention, she didn't actually want to tell Karen. "I was actually kinda hoping that, you know, maybe you would tell him," she admitted a bit shamefully as she bit on the corner of her thumbnail.
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