Chapter 17
Bad News
About two months later, in March, I received a
phone call from my mother. I galnced at Teri, Jayme, and Cassidy
with a worried look.
“Yeah, Mom?”
“Sweetie, it’s about time that you can come home,”
my mom said.
“B-But,” I stammered.
“No, but’s about it,” she said. “You are
coming home.” She then hung up. My chin dropped. I felt
sick. My hands trembled as I tried to hang up the phone. I felt
to my knees. Jayme came over to me and wrapped her arm around me.
They all sensed what was going on.
“It’ll be okay,” she said.
I started crying.
“No! No it won’t!” I bawled.
“Well, then,” Cassidy said. “We’ll make it be
all right.”
“How?” I asked, my face turning a deep red.
“Well, we all have email and Teri, Jayme, and I all have
your home address. We can always write,” she said.
“But it won’t be the same!”
“We’ll visit you when we can. And I’m sure you
will be coming back to Tulsa more won’t you?” Teri
asked. I nodded. Then I remembered about leaving Taylor.
“What about Taylor?” I asked, in almost a whisper.
“We should go tell him. I mean, he does need to know that
his girl is leaving,” Jayme said.
“Okay.” I stood up and we headed to the door. Walking
across the street, getting closer and closer to Taylor’s
house, I started crying again.
Now I know how Linny and Allie May felt when they had to leave, I
thought. Teri knocked on the door and we stood back. My tears had
slowed by the time that Zac answered the door.
“Ashlee!” he cried. “What happened?” I looked
at him and burst out crying harder. I walked over to him and
hugged him. He hugged me back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked again.
“Where’s Taylor?” Was all I could say. He led me
to Taylor and stood there. We were in the guys’ room. Isaac
was in there too. When Taylor saw me, he jumped up and came over
to me. I stood there my face buried in my hands. Isaac came over
to me, too. I hugged him for a moment and then finally, I hugged
Taylor and said,
“I have to gohome.”
“Home? You meant, Aunt Lynn’s home, right?” He
questioned. When he saw the look on his face, he continued,
“Please tell me you meant Aunt Lynn’s home!” He
stood there and pleaded with me to say what he wanted to hear,
but I shook my head no.
Chapter 18
So much to say, so little time
“Well, I guess this is good-bye,”
Taylor said, as Aunt Lynn drove Taylor, Teri, Cassidy, Jayme,
Josh, Uncle John, herself, and me to the airport.
“Soon, Taylor, soon,” I looked at him in the eye and
hugged him. I practically squeezed the life out of him before I
let go, but he didn’t care.
“I’ll miss you guys,” I said. “All of you.”
“Yeah, me to,” I heard three girls say at once. At the
airport, we found my plane. I first hugged Aunt Lynn and Uncle
John and told them thank-you for letting me stay with them the
whole summer. That said your welcome and moved out of the way. I
hugged Josh next.
“You’re a really great cousin,” I said.
“Thanks,” he replied, and kissed me on the cheek. Jayme
was the next I said good-bye to.
“If you don’t forget to write me, I won’t forget
to write you,” Jayme promised.
“I won’t forget,” I said, and pinky-sweared her. I
hugged her and moved on to Cassidy.
“You are one of three great people that have ever entered my
life,” she said. Smiling, she added, “So, I don’t
think you’ll have a problem with me forgeting you.” I
smiled and hugged her. Teri hugged me first and then said,
“Girl, I’ll miss you. You were just as close to a
sister as anything.” It was true. Teri and I were like
sisters. We were the bestest of friends. But now, I had to leave.
“I’ll miss you more,” I said. “And I’ll
never forget you.” I held up the picture I had of the four
of us when we went on our first camping trip in the
wilderness together......just the four of us, no adults and
definatly NO BOYS! I hugged her again and went to Taylor.
“I’ll miss you, Angel,” he said, hugging me.
“I’ll miss you too, Taylor. Will you promise to not
forget and write me?” I asked him.
“I’ll email you, too,” he said.
We kissed. Just before I turn to leave, I said,
“Everyone, I still have so much to say, but there is so
little time.” I then turned to leave. At the gate, I turned
around, and looked at everybody.
Teri held up her fingers in a countdown:
3..........2..........1..........then, Teri, Jayme, Cassidy, and
I did our handshake. OUR handshake. I knew I was going to miss
them.
Chapter 19
Back to the Future
“So, how did you like my story?” I ask
everyone. Everyone starts applauding.
“When is Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Lacey and Uncle Jeremy
and Uncle James gonna get here?” Jessica asks me.
“Soon, baby,” I say. “They’ll be here around
ten o’clock or so.” I look at the clock and notice that
it’s only nine-thirty.
“Why don’t we put all of the presents that are already
here in an organized fashion under the tree?” Isaac asks.
“So we don’t have to waste time in the morning and just
OPEN!”
“Yeah!” While Kamillah, Krysten, Erin, Tyler, Rebecca,
Kimberly, and Jessica are organizing presents, Linny and I go to
the kitchen to finish baking the Christmas cookies that we had
started earlier.
“You do remember that summer as if it were just the last,”
Linny comments, placing cookies into the oven.
“I know,” I say. Thirty minutes later, we are all
sitting around the fireplace when the doorbell rings. I stand up
and go answer the door.
“Mom! Dad!” I cry.
“Baby, how are you?” Mom asks.
“Great,” I reply. I smile as Jeremy, James, and Lacey
show up not long later. I hug each as they walk into the living
room.
“This is going to be one nice long, happy Christmas,”
Mom says, smiling at each and every one of her children and
grandchilden.