Chapter 15:
"We finally made it to Florida!!" both girls said out loud. After a quick discussion about where to eat and when the next rest stop would be, the car settled into a comfortable silence. Winter was making little noises as if she were a dog trying to catch a rabbit in a dream, Sam was trying not to worry about every car on the road behind them, and Christina was lost in her own thoughts. She looked up to the sky and watched as a bald eagle flew lazily ahead of them. She smiled as she watched its tremendous wings flapping once in a while as it seemed to follow their car. She had actually spotted the eagle back in Georgia and although she had no frame of reference, whenever she saw this majestic creature in the sky, she felt a little lighter. She silently thanked it for sticking with them as long as it had and with that thought, she laid her head on the headrest, let out the breath she had been holding, closed her heavy lids and fell right to sleep.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Chapter 14
Chapter 14:
Christina knew some of the story from miss Winter but she was not about to rat out her 5 year old confidante. She signaled for Sam to leave the windows down and to get out of the car so they could talk in complete privacy. Winter usually slept pretty hard but with a conversation like this neither girls wanted to take any chances that she might wake up in the middle of a bad part. Even though David was stalking his exwife, Sam did everything in her power not to badmouth him, even when doing so would have been completely acceptable.
"So tell me everything," Christina said once they were out of earshot. "You have to understand that I wanted to tell you all of this. But I thought I could get home without any incidents. I'm so sorry," Sam said, her voice cracking a bit. "No need to be sorry. There's nothing he can do. He's crafty, I'll give him that much. But he's about a smart as a box of hair. I'm pretty sure he had some help with this. He wouldn't have been able to pull this off on his own. We would have seen him and Winter most certainly would have."
Sam calmed down a bit at that. She knew her exhusband could be conniving, jealous, even manipulative. But he didn't have the brains to pull it off, or even know where to get the brains to do so. All she could do was shake her head. "It started happening more frequently about a week ago. I was distracted thinking of you getting here and didn't have my guard down as much. He started texting me again, sending me pictures like this of places he had seen me. I went to the police and they told me to report any suspicious activity, but there was nothing they could do if I didn't physically catch him taking my picture. He'd have to be close enough to take it and I haven't seen him." Christina listened intently as Sam went on about the hang up calls, mysterious door bell ringing, and everything else that had escalated in the past week. "That's why you came up here," she said, nonaccusingly. "Well of course not the only reason. I was sick of waiting for you to get here. But yes... he was getting worse and I was going crazy from everything he was doing so I packed Winter up and here we are."
"Hmmm.... well if he's following us now, chances are if we stay here like morons he'll be more likely to find us so let's just try and get as much of a head start as possible," Christina said. They gave each other a hug and kept their arms around each other as they headed back to the car. Checking to see if Winter was still asleep (which she was, peacefully), Sam put the key into the ignition and once again they were on their way home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She looked down from the sky at them, trying to remain incognito. Her parents would wonder where she was, although they should really be starting to get used to her "alerts" as she liked to call them. She couldn't answer each one she got, and for those she couldn't she usually found someone else to help her out. But this one came in so strong she had no choice but to follow it. And she could see why. The two older females were tough, the one in the passenger seat could clearly take on Dwane "The Rock" Johnson if she had to, so their physical safety wasn't so much of an issue. But then there was the female driving who was clearly afraid of this man (as she had every reason to be), and the little angel sleeping in the backseat.
She was glad it was summertime and she wasn't expected back at school for at least another month and a half. They only had a couple days to go until they reached their destination but if she had a paper due she's have to abandon this post and for whatever reason she felt that this was where she needed to be right now. She could see the man about 4 hours behind, calculating his next move. The tough chick was right, he was calculating, but did not have the brains to pull it off. But whoever did was right under their nose, nobody that would attract enough attention but definitely someone the driver knew from her past life, another perk to being married to this asshole.
She knew she couldn't meddle in their lives. If they were in serious danger of being hurt she would swoop in and make her move but aside from that, they were on their own. They were both more well-equiped than they realized but she understood the urgency of the call. It is always smart to have backup in case of emergency. And that's what Molly was.
She sailed through the sky following their car in the shape of a bald eagle. At first he did not appreciate being taken over but as soon as she offered him his favorite meal of freshly "picked" rabbit, they were fast friends. She herself was a vegetarian, and for good reason. But she couldn't risk having her cover blown. She had to remain as invisible in the sky as she could be. So bald eagle it was. This one was a handsome chap, with a lovely sense of humor. She let him take the reigns as long as they both remained in eyesight of the car with the precious cargo inside. And she told him the story of how she was born. They were so ensconced in conversation that she almost missed the two other cars that were important to this story. One still harbored feelings for the passenger of the car, had to feel like he could have closure before "moving on." She chuckled to herself a bit on that one. She could definitely understand why the girl would run away from that one. But maybe he'd be better suited for the driver?
And then there was the bus driver, who was out on the road now thinking about one special girl as he was manuvering a large greyhound bus. Molly looked deep into his heart to see if there were any alterior motives but found none besides that of pure love and joy. When they would be reunited, everything would fall into place.
Molly let the eagle steer some more as the Sunshine State sign finally came into view. Only 6 more hours to go and they'd be home. Molly flew ahead to make sure the creep those two women were running from hadn't set any booby traps. What she found was not surprising...
Christina knew some of the story from miss Winter but she was not about to rat out her 5 year old confidante. She signaled for Sam to leave the windows down and to get out of the car so they could talk in complete privacy. Winter usually slept pretty hard but with a conversation like this neither girls wanted to take any chances that she might wake up in the middle of a bad part. Even though David was stalking his exwife, Sam did everything in her power not to badmouth him, even when doing so would have been completely acceptable.
"So tell me everything," Christina said once they were out of earshot. "You have to understand that I wanted to tell you all of this. But I thought I could get home without any incidents. I'm so sorry," Sam said, her voice cracking a bit. "No need to be sorry. There's nothing he can do. He's crafty, I'll give him that much. But he's about a smart as a box of hair. I'm pretty sure he had some help with this. He wouldn't have been able to pull this off on his own. We would have seen him and Winter most certainly would have."
Sam calmed down a bit at that. She knew her exhusband could be conniving, jealous, even manipulative. But he didn't have the brains to pull it off, or even know where to get the brains to do so. All she could do was shake her head. "It started happening more frequently about a week ago. I was distracted thinking of you getting here and didn't have my guard down as much. He started texting me again, sending me pictures like this of places he had seen me. I went to the police and they told me to report any suspicious activity, but there was nothing they could do if I didn't physically catch him taking my picture. He'd have to be close enough to take it and I haven't seen him." Christina listened intently as Sam went on about the hang up calls, mysterious door bell ringing, and everything else that had escalated in the past week. "That's why you came up here," she said, nonaccusingly. "Well of course not the only reason. I was sick of waiting for you to get here. But yes... he was getting worse and I was going crazy from everything he was doing so I packed Winter up and here we are."
"Hmmm.... well if he's following us now, chances are if we stay here like morons he'll be more likely to find us so let's just try and get as much of a head start as possible," Christina said. They gave each other a hug and kept their arms around each other as they headed back to the car. Checking to see if Winter was still asleep (which she was, peacefully), Sam put the key into the ignition and once again they were on their way home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She looked down from the sky at them, trying to remain incognito. Her parents would wonder where she was, although they should really be starting to get used to her "alerts" as she liked to call them. She couldn't answer each one she got, and for those she couldn't she usually found someone else to help her out. But this one came in so strong she had no choice but to follow it. And she could see why. The two older females were tough, the one in the passenger seat could clearly take on Dwane "The Rock" Johnson if she had to, so their physical safety wasn't so much of an issue. But then there was the female driving who was clearly afraid of this man (as she had every reason to be), and the little angel sleeping in the backseat.
She was glad it was summertime and she wasn't expected back at school for at least another month and a half. They only had a couple days to go until they reached their destination but if she had a paper due she's have to abandon this post and for whatever reason she felt that this was where she needed to be right now. She could see the man about 4 hours behind, calculating his next move. The tough chick was right, he was calculating, but did not have the brains to pull it off. But whoever did was right under their nose, nobody that would attract enough attention but definitely someone the driver knew from her past life, another perk to being married to this asshole.
She knew she couldn't meddle in their lives. If they were in serious danger of being hurt she would swoop in and make her move but aside from that, they were on their own. They were both more well-equiped than they realized but she understood the urgency of the call. It is always smart to have backup in case of emergency. And that's what Molly was.
She sailed through the sky following their car in the shape of a bald eagle. At first he did not appreciate being taken over but as soon as she offered him his favorite meal of freshly "picked" rabbit, they were fast friends. She herself was a vegetarian, and for good reason. But she couldn't risk having her cover blown. She had to remain as invisible in the sky as she could be. So bald eagle it was. This one was a handsome chap, with a lovely sense of humor. She let him take the reigns as long as they both remained in eyesight of the car with the precious cargo inside. And she told him the story of how she was born. They were so ensconced in conversation that she almost missed the two other cars that were important to this story. One still harbored feelings for the passenger of the car, had to feel like he could have closure before "moving on." She chuckled to herself a bit on that one. She could definitely understand why the girl would run away from that one. But maybe he'd be better suited for the driver?
And then there was the bus driver, who was out on the road now thinking about one special girl as he was manuvering a large greyhound bus. Molly looked deep into his heart to see if there were any alterior motives but found none besides that of pure love and joy. When they would be reunited, everything would fall into place.
Molly let the eagle steer some more as the Sunshine State sign finally came into view. Only 6 more hours to go and they'd be home. Molly flew ahead to make sure the creep those two women were running from hadn't set any booby traps. What she found was not surprising...
Chapter 13
Chapter 13:
Being in the passenger seat again reminded Christina of the last car she was in, Ryan's. She sighed a little to herself, feeling a little foolish for letting him get to her like this. They had only known each other for a few days. She had to keep reminding herself of this as she thought back to all the moments they had shared: her talking his ear off as he drove the bus, finding him asleep in his car in the blazing hot sun, the one night they were able to spend together. She didn't want to dump all of this on Sam, although she knew eventually the whole truth would come out. For now she was satisfied sending him texts that she was safe and was currently on the last leg of her trip. He replied back with a smily face and said that the living room was just as she left it.
As she read over that last text, she couldn't help but smile. Her face blushed a bit as she hurredly tried to pick up on the conversation in the car to make it seem like she was, in fact, paying attention. She was out of luck when the last thing she heard was Gracie asking her what she thought. "What I thought of what?" She asked, a little stupidly.
Sam turned her attention from the road for a second to assess the situation. Judging from her friend's dazed expression and the flush of crimson on her cheeks she could only assume that there was one reason for that. "Don't mind your aunt, baby. She just had her head up in the clouds. I think she has come back down though... right, Chris?"
Chris looked at her friend and blushed again sheepishly. "Right," she answered. "All I wanted to know was, when we get to the beach house, can you help me find sea shells?" Winter asked with an air of 5 year old frustration at having to repeat herself. "Of course I will! We can even have a place for the really cool ones we find so everyone who comes to visit can see them," Christina replied. She could hear Winter chriping on about all the cool shells they would find as her cell phone vibrated again. She could see that she had a new text and at first her heart jumped, but as she opened her phone her breath paused. She didn't recognize the number, but she definitely recognized the tone of the text. She didn't want to alarm anyone, but she couldn't shake the ever-growing feeling of dread as the words kept repeating themselves over and over again in her mind. How had he found this number? And what made him think his silly threats could scare her off?
Sam noticed a change in her friend right away. It wasn't the same doe-eyed haze she was in a minute ago. This was serious. As quickly as she could, Sam pulled over to the side of the road. "Hand it over," she said to Chris as she held her hand out, waiting. At first Chris was going to fight her, she didn't want her friend to see this, but she knew she'd have to come clean eventually. Reluctantly she handed the phone over to Sam. Winter was still rattling on about sea shells and decorations and the beach as Sam flipped the phone up to see the home screen. Going back to the last text, she looked Chris in the eyes as she pressed the "open" button. Looking at her friend for a moment longer, she finally steeled the strength to look down. The number was strange, she could tell that already. There weren't any words, just a series of pictures. One of a very familiar hotel, one of 2 women walking with a small child in between them, 2 women talking over a table... wait. The pictures were kind of blurry but she could definitely make out... a tiny head of small blond curls. At this point the talking from the back seat of the car had stopped. Both women looked back to see little Winter Grace had exhausted herself and was currently taking up residence in Sleepyland. Still, the women didn't speak above a whisper. "what does this mean?" Sam asked. "Umm... I think it means he was at the hotel," Christina answered back. Sam couldn't say anything for a long time, just stared off into space as tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "Listen to me," Christina whispered. "I am here. I will not let anything happen to you, you know that. Do we want to go to the police?"
"No, not yet," Sam replied. "So far apparently all he's done is take pictures." "Yes, but he broke the restraining order, obviously, and he somehow found MY number. I didn't even know you guys were still in contact," Chris said, trying to remain quiet but not always succeeding. "I'm not... but he is." Sam said as she collapsed into a heap onto the steering wheel of her car.
Being in the passenger seat again reminded Christina of the last car she was in, Ryan's. She sighed a little to herself, feeling a little foolish for letting him get to her like this. They had only known each other for a few days. She had to keep reminding herself of this as she thought back to all the moments they had shared: her talking his ear off as he drove the bus, finding him asleep in his car in the blazing hot sun, the one night they were able to spend together. She didn't want to dump all of this on Sam, although she knew eventually the whole truth would come out. For now she was satisfied sending him texts that she was safe and was currently on the last leg of her trip. He replied back with a smily face and said that the living room was just as she left it.
As she read over that last text, she couldn't help but smile. Her face blushed a bit as she hurredly tried to pick up on the conversation in the car to make it seem like she was, in fact, paying attention. She was out of luck when the last thing she heard was Gracie asking her what she thought. "What I thought of what?" She asked, a little stupidly.
Sam turned her attention from the road for a second to assess the situation. Judging from her friend's dazed expression and the flush of crimson on her cheeks she could only assume that there was one reason for that. "Don't mind your aunt, baby. She just had her head up in the clouds. I think she has come back down though... right, Chris?"
Chris looked at her friend and blushed again sheepishly. "Right," she answered. "All I wanted to know was, when we get to the beach house, can you help me find sea shells?" Winter asked with an air of 5 year old frustration at having to repeat herself. "Of course I will! We can even have a place for the really cool ones we find so everyone who comes to visit can see them," Christina replied. She could hear Winter chriping on about all the cool shells they would find as her cell phone vibrated again. She could see that she had a new text and at first her heart jumped, but as she opened her phone her breath paused. She didn't recognize the number, but she definitely recognized the tone of the text. She didn't want to alarm anyone, but she couldn't shake the ever-growing feeling of dread as the words kept repeating themselves over and over again in her mind. How had he found this number? And what made him think his silly threats could scare her off?
Sam noticed a change in her friend right away. It wasn't the same doe-eyed haze she was in a minute ago. This was serious. As quickly as she could, Sam pulled over to the side of the road. "Hand it over," she said to Chris as she held her hand out, waiting. At first Chris was going to fight her, she didn't want her friend to see this, but she knew she'd have to come clean eventually. Reluctantly she handed the phone over to Sam. Winter was still rattling on about sea shells and decorations and the beach as Sam flipped the phone up to see the home screen. Going back to the last text, she looked Chris in the eyes as she pressed the "open" button. Looking at her friend for a moment longer, she finally steeled the strength to look down. The number was strange, she could tell that already. There weren't any words, just a series of pictures. One of a very familiar hotel, one of 2 women walking with a small child in between them, 2 women talking over a table... wait. The pictures were kind of blurry but she could definitely make out... a tiny head of small blond curls. At this point the talking from the back seat of the car had stopped. Both women looked back to see little Winter Grace had exhausted herself and was currently taking up residence in Sleepyland. Still, the women didn't speak above a whisper. "what does this mean?" Sam asked. "Umm... I think it means he was at the hotel," Christina answered back. Sam couldn't say anything for a long time, just stared off into space as tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "Listen to me," Christina whispered. "I am here. I will not let anything happen to you, you know that. Do we want to go to the police?"
"No, not yet," Sam replied. "So far apparently all he's done is take pictures." "Yes, but he broke the restraining order, obviously, and he somehow found MY number. I didn't even know you guys were still in contact," Chris said, trying to remain quiet but not always succeeding. "I'm not... but he is." Sam said as she collapsed into a heap onto the steering wheel of her car.
Chapter 12
Chapter 12:
Christina was back at her beach house. Except this time it wasn't a far off place, it was the picture she had seen right before her eyes in the presence of her best friend and niece. She knew that this was a real place, with 4 walls and a roof, right off the beach. This place was just as much a part of her as the air she was breathing, the sounds of Winter Grace screaming in delight as the cold water lapped at her feet, and the ground beneath her feet. She could feel the hardwood floors on her feet, and it felt good to walk around in a place she could finally call home.
This time she heard a dog barking. Her heart lept out of her chest as she heard the familiar bark. She practically ran out of the house, not bothering to close the door to the back porch behind her. Right there with Winter and Sam was her dog, Hunter. He was wagging his tail and barking at Winter as she splashed water at him. He licked her tiny face and she squeeled. At first the noise made him stop but only for a second before giving her more kisses. As Christina approached, she tried to be as quiet as possible. She ached to be near her dog but the scene unfolding before her was so adorable that she didn't want to ruin it. But it didn't matter.
Hunter stopped what he was doing and stayed very still. He sniffed the air around him and then turned his head, doggie tongue sticking out of the side of his snout as he followed the scent to her. He immediately ran to her, all 85 pounds of black fur and sand rushing to greet her. Christina was knocked onto her butt at the impact but she didn't care as she gave him a hug and he licked her face. In that moment, she didn't care if it was just a dream. She could feel his sandy fur in her hands, could hear his cries of joy as they were once again reunited. "I missed you so much, baby boy," she whispered into his ear. "I will never leave you again, I promise." He answered with a few licks to her face before plopping down at her side.
She looked out at the horizon and saw Sam and Winter holding hands looking over at her. She waved them over and soon enough, Hunter was in heaven as he had 3 beautiful ladies petting him. As he calmed down, Christina laid down next to him. He wrapped his front paws around her and she held onto his black fur. Suddenly she felt like she might cry. She tried pushing back the tears but they came anyway, in a rush of emotion. In her waking life, Christina had been showing too much emotion lately. It was all part of becoming herself again, all a part of feeling human again. She wondered as she laid in the sand with her people (and dog) if she would ever feel like herself enough to stop the tears from flooding her face. In that moment, the scene changed.
Suddenly she was back at Ryan's house. The house itself was empty, but she could see that there was a bit more life in it than when she had first set foot in it. The pillows and blankets from the night she stayed over were still on the floor, arranged the way she had put them. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she felt a ping of emotion for this place. Suddenly she realized that this felt like home to her as well, and with that thought, the vision of her and Ryan laying down on those pillows came to life. In an instant she was watching herself sleep. But for some reason she couldn't keep her eyes off of Ryan. He looked so adorable sleeping, but she could see the struggle in his eyes. She could see him wanting to do more than just snuggle with her, but not daring make a move, especially while she was asleep. She was even more impressed by his restraint after seeing this play out a second time. He really did not do anything to make a move besides hold her. And she looked so content, just laying there.
She woke up with a start. The room was just beginning to light up which meant it had to have been not more than a little past sunrise. She stretched her body to get a better look at the clock on the end table between the two beds. Ugh, she was right. It was about 7:43am. Both Sam and Winter were still fast asleep, obviously not affected a bit by all the moving around she must have been doing. Slowly she scootched herself off the bed, careful not to wake either of her girls. She told herself she was just going to the bathroom, and if her phone just happened to be on the way, who was she not to check it?
First she had to find out if it even still worked. All of her phones were a little damp but this was the one in her pocket so it had the most damage. She quietly fished the battery out of the rice and slide it back into the phone. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until after hitting the power button and upon seeing the welcome screen, she let her breath out. She did a silent victory dance in her head as the phone slowly puttered to life, taking forever to load but slowly getting there. She decided, or rather her bladder decided for her, that she would take this time to use the bathroom upon waiting for everything to load all the way. After she was finished she walked slowly back to her phone, holding in a breath again as she checked the screen. Holy crap, she had 15 text messages.
A few of them were from her mom, wondering where in the heck she was. Her mom sent a few "please tell me if you're alright" texts before sending a REALLY nasty one, right before sending a "Sam tells me you guys are together and safe so... please disregard the last text." She sighed as she deleted all but the last one, reminding herself to text her mom when she felt up to it. The next text was hard to read. It nearly took her breath away to watch the words upon the screen. It was from Jimmy. "I miss you, my darling. I think about you all the time and I know you still love me. Please text me back. If not, I will try again soon."
Christina knew by now that she didn't exactly handle the whole Jimmy situation the right way. In her heart she knew she had hurt him. But at that same token, she knew that she still had a ways to go before she got to this point. He had loved a woman who was still very broken and although he tried his best, he couldn't shake the demons within her. She had to give him props for that and tell him thank you for everything but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet. But she didn't exactly delete this text, either. She decided that she was going to hang onto it for as long as she felt she needed to, to be reminded of this man who showed her what it was like to be loved.
The last text came from Ryan (of course). He just said he missed her and please let him know when she makes it to Florida and when can he come visit. She smiled at this for a minute before responding back. "Hello, handsome. At the hotel now with my bff and niece, should be arriving in Florida within the next couple of days. Will let you know when you can visit." She felt her whole face smile as she pressed the send button. She was just about to crawl back into bed and fall back asleep when she saw Winter opening her eyes.
"Auntie Christina!!! Why are you all the way over there?"
"Excuse me, I had to pee," Christina answered, her face still flushed. She saw the screen light up on the old flip phone that she had a new text, but instead of answering back she set the phone down and scooped her niece up and snuggled back in between her and Sam. "Let's not wake your mom up just yet, little one," Christina said softly. "She's had a long day."
Winter looked at Christina with a concerned face. Christina knew that face, it was the one she wore when she was thinking intently. Chistina waited patiently for the little girl to collect her thoughts. Winter signaled for her aunt to come closer to her so she could whisper in her ear. It had been such a long time since they'd shared any secrets. Christina felt her heart strings tug as she lowered her face to allow her niece to whisper in her ear. "Daddy is trying to get back with Mommy," she whispered. Christina couldn't hide her disappointment. "Uh oh," she said, trying to be quiet. "what is he doing?"
"He's sending her letters, calling her, texting her, saying how much he misses her," Winter said sadly.
"And how do you think your mom feels about this?"
"She doesn't miss him back."
"Really? How can you tell?"
"She never answers back. Just tells me we're going on an adventure and then takes me to the beach. We walk along the edge picking sea shells for a while until she feels better and then we go back home."
Christina contemplated this for a little bit. No wonder why Sam was in such a hurry to get out of there. Christina's slow pace gave her the courage she needed to leave Florida altogether and not come back until they were all together again. But she wondered why Sam didn't say anything last night at dinner. She would keep this thought to herself until her friend decided to tell her later. She gave Winter a little squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "You know what I'm glad for?"
"What's that, auntie Christina?"
"I'm glad we're all together again. Your mom has been through a lot and I'm so thankful for the two of you."
Winter held onto her aunt a little tighter. At that moment, Sam decided to wake up. She opened her eyes slowly and stretched her whole body, making a bunch of strange cat noises as she did so. "Look who's awake!!!" Christina said, as Winter let go of her to pounce on her mom. "Yay, mom's awake!! Now we can get some breakfast!!!!"
"Ugh, not before I wake up a little bit," Sam said grogily. "You okay?" Christina asked. "Yeah, just had some very strange dreams," Sam answered. "I had an awesome dream," Christina said, her face smiling. "OOoooh did someone get lucky?" Sam asked seductively. "No, you silly goose," Christina answered, blushing a little bit. "I just saw Hunter, that's all." "Awwww.... I miss him," Sam said. "I know, me too."
"Alright, we got a long way to go today," Sam said. "Let me get dressed and then we'll go down to breakfast and then head out."
"Sounds good to me," Christina answered. She could feel the rumblings start in her stomach. She couldn't believe how hungry she was. In the past year there were so many times she would go all day before realizing she hadn't eaten anything but just like her tears, her apetite was coming back as well. Instead of ignoring it she decided to just go with it, giving into the most important meal of the day.
The three of them walked hand in hand (in tiny hand) down the hallway and to the elevator, pressed the button, and made it to the lobby before all the good food was taken. They talked about everything: from their dreams, to checking the weather report, to Chris's mom's crazy texts. Sam never mentioned her exhusband though, and it was just as well. Christina liked that he wasn't even a thought in her mind. She smiled to herself as she sliced through her strawberry pancakes, savoring every piece. She was ready to get on with the next chapter in her life.
Christina was back at her beach house. Except this time it wasn't a far off place, it was the picture she had seen right before her eyes in the presence of her best friend and niece. She knew that this was a real place, with 4 walls and a roof, right off the beach. This place was just as much a part of her as the air she was breathing, the sounds of Winter Grace screaming in delight as the cold water lapped at her feet, and the ground beneath her feet. She could feel the hardwood floors on her feet, and it felt good to walk around in a place she could finally call home.
This time she heard a dog barking. Her heart lept out of her chest as she heard the familiar bark. She practically ran out of the house, not bothering to close the door to the back porch behind her. Right there with Winter and Sam was her dog, Hunter. He was wagging his tail and barking at Winter as she splashed water at him. He licked her tiny face and she squeeled. At first the noise made him stop but only for a second before giving her more kisses. As Christina approached, she tried to be as quiet as possible. She ached to be near her dog but the scene unfolding before her was so adorable that she didn't want to ruin it. But it didn't matter.
Hunter stopped what he was doing and stayed very still. He sniffed the air around him and then turned his head, doggie tongue sticking out of the side of his snout as he followed the scent to her. He immediately ran to her, all 85 pounds of black fur and sand rushing to greet her. Christina was knocked onto her butt at the impact but she didn't care as she gave him a hug and he licked her face. In that moment, she didn't care if it was just a dream. She could feel his sandy fur in her hands, could hear his cries of joy as they were once again reunited. "I missed you so much, baby boy," she whispered into his ear. "I will never leave you again, I promise." He answered with a few licks to her face before plopping down at her side.
She looked out at the horizon and saw Sam and Winter holding hands looking over at her. She waved them over and soon enough, Hunter was in heaven as he had 3 beautiful ladies petting him. As he calmed down, Christina laid down next to him. He wrapped his front paws around her and she held onto his black fur. Suddenly she felt like she might cry. She tried pushing back the tears but they came anyway, in a rush of emotion. In her waking life, Christina had been showing too much emotion lately. It was all part of becoming herself again, all a part of feeling human again. She wondered as she laid in the sand with her people (and dog) if she would ever feel like herself enough to stop the tears from flooding her face. In that moment, the scene changed.
Suddenly she was back at Ryan's house. The house itself was empty, but she could see that there was a bit more life in it than when she had first set foot in it. The pillows and blankets from the night she stayed over were still on the floor, arranged the way she had put them. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she felt a ping of emotion for this place. Suddenly she realized that this felt like home to her as well, and with that thought, the vision of her and Ryan laying down on those pillows came to life. In an instant she was watching herself sleep. But for some reason she couldn't keep her eyes off of Ryan. He looked so adorable sleeping, but she could see the struggle in his eyes. She could see him wanting to do more than just snuggle with her, but not daring make a move, especially while she was asleep. She was even more impressed by his restraint after seeing this play out a second time. He really did not do anything to make a move besides hold her. And she looked so content, just laying there.
She woke up with a start. The room was just beginning to light up which meant it had to have been not more than a little past sunrise. She stretched her body to get a better look at the clock on the end table between the two beds. Ugh, she was right. It was about 7:43am. Both Sam and Winter were still fast asleep, obviously not affected a bit by all the moving around she must have been doing. Slowly she scootched herself off the bed, careful not to wake either of her girls. She told herself she was just going to the bathroom, and if her phone just happened to be on the way, who was she not to check it?
First she had to find out if it even still worked. All of her phones were a little damp but this was the one in her pocket so it had the most damage. She quietly fished the battery out of the rice and slide it back into the phone. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until after hitting the power button and upon seeing the welcome screen, she let her breath out. She did a silent victory dance in her head as the phone slowly puttered to life, taking forever to load but slowly getting there. She decided, or rather her bladder decided for her, that she would take this time to use the bathroom upon waiting for everything to load all the way. After she was finished she walked slowly back to her phone, holding in a breath again as she checked the screen. Holy crap, she had 15 text messages.
A few of them were from her mom, wondering where in the heck she was. Her mom sent a few "please tell me if you're alright" texts before sending a REALLY nasty one, right before sending a "Sam tells me you guys are together and safe so... please disregard the last text." She sighed as she deleted all but the last one, reminding herself to text her mom when she felt up to it. The next text was hard to read. It nearly took her breath away to watch the words upon the screen. It was from Jimmy. "I miss you, my darling. I think about you all the time and I know you still love me. Please text me back. If not, I will try again soon."
Christina knew by now that she didn't exactly handle the whole Jimmy situation the right way. In her heart she knew she had hurt him. But at that same token, she knew that she still had a ways to go before she got to this point. He had loved a woman who was still very broken and although he tried his best, he couldn't shake the demons within her. She had to give him props for that and tell him thank you for everything but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet. But she didn't exactly delete this text, either. She decided that she was going to hang onto it for as long as she felt she needed to, to be reminded of this man who showed her what it was like to be loved.
The last text came from Ryan (of course). He just said he missed her and please let him know when she makes it to Florida and when can he come visit. She smiled at this for a minute before responding back. "Hello, handsome. At the hotel now with my bff and niece, should be arriving in Florida within the next couple of days. Will let you know when you can visit." She felt her whole face smile as she pressed the send button. She was just about to crawl back into bed and fall back asleep when she saw Winter opening her eyes.
"Auntie Christina!!! Why are you all the way over there?"
"Excuse me, I had to pee," Christina answered, her face still flushed. She saw the screen light up on the old flip phone that she had a new text, but instead of answering back she set the phone down and scooped her niece up and snuggled back in between her and Sam. "Let's not wake your mom up just yet, little one," Christina said softly. "She's had a long day."
Winter looked at Christina with a concerned face. Christina knew that face, it was the one she wore when she was thinking intently. Chistina waited patiently for the little girl to collect her thoughts. Winter signaled for her aunt to come closer to her so she could whisper in her ear. It had been such a long time since they'd shared any secrets. Christina felt her heart strings tug as she lowered her face to allow her niece to whisper in her ear. "Daddy is trying to get back with Mommy," she whispered. Christina couldn't hide her disappointment. "Uh oh," she said, trying to be quiet. "what is he doing?"
"He's sending her letters, calling her, texting her, saying how much he misses her," Winter said sadly.
"And how do you think your mom feels about this?"
"She doesn't miss him back."
"Really? How can you tell?"
"She never answers back. Just tells me we're going on an adventure and then takes me to the beach. We walk along the edge picking sea shells for a while until she feels better and then we go back home."
Christina contemplated this for a little bit. No wonder why Sam was in such a hurry to get out of there. Christina's slow pace gave her the courage she needed to leave Florida altogether and not come back until they were all together again. But she wondered why Sam didn't say anything last night at dinner. She would keep this thought to herself until her friend decided to tell her later. She gave Winter a little squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "You know what I'm glad for?"
"What's that, auntie Christina?"
"I'm glad we're all together again. Your mom has been through a lot and I'm so thankful for the two of you."
Winter held onto her aunt a little tighter. At that moment, Sam decided to wake up. She opened her eyes slowly and stretched her whole body, making a bunch of strange cat noises as she did so. "Look who's awake!!!" Christina said, as Winter let go of her to pounce on her mom. "Yay, mom's awake!! Now we can get some breakfast!!!!"
"Ugh, not before I wake up a little bit," Sam said grogily. "You okay?" Christina asked. "Yeah, just had some very strange dreams," Sam answered. "I had an awesome dream," Christina said, her face smiling. "OOoooh did someone get lucky?" Sam asked seductively. "No, you silly goose," Christina answered, blushing a little bit. "I just saw Hunter, that's all." "Awwww.... I miss him," Sam said. "I know, me too."
"Alright, we got a long way to go today," Sam said. "Let me get dressed and then we'll go down to breakfast and then head out."
"Sounds good to me," Christina answered. She could feel the rumblings start in her stomach. She couldn't believe how hungry she was. In the past year there were so many times she would go all day before realizing she hadn't eaten anything but just like her tears, her apetite was coming back as well. Instead of ignoring it she decided to just go with it, giving into the most important meal of the day.
The three of them walked hand in hand (in tiny hand) down the hallway and to the elevator, pressed the button, and made it to the lobby before all the good food was taken. They talked about everything: from their dreams, to checking the weather report, to Chris's mom's crazy texts. Sam never mentioned her exhusband though, and it was just as well. Christina liked that he wasn't even a thought in her mind. She smiled to herself as she sliced through her strawberry pancakes, savoring every piece. She was ready to get on with the next chapter in her life.
Chapter 11
Chapter 11:
She saw Winter Grace's blonde tendrils before anything else. Samantha looked exhausted, but at the sight of her friend Christina could see her features soften.
"you look better," Samantha commented.
"yep, I'm dry," Christina answered back.
"So, tell me about the guy."
Winter, who had been coloring mostly on the table cloth rather than the designated paper place mat, stopped immediately and looked up at her aunt. "what guy?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. "what have you been telling her?" Christina asked Sam. "oh, nothing. Aside from the fact that the reason you weren't with us was because you were with some guy you had just met."
Christina looked hurt. She had no idea why her friend was acting this way. It wasn't like she meant for anything to happen. And then she remembered... Jimmy. He and Sam had actually gotten along. They never met in person but they had spoken on the phone a few times and had a rapport going. Samantha was looking forward to meeting him until he was abruptly cut out of the picture. Oops.
Christina bit her bottom lip. She had no idea how to explain what happened, so she just went for the first thing she could think of. "Jim told me he loved me."
Sam looked unimpressed. She raised an eyebrow. "And...?"
"and nothing. He told me he loved me and I left."
Samantha saw the pain in her friend's eyes and knew she had to tread lightly. She grabbed Christina's hand. "it got too hard, didn't it?"
Christina bit her bottom lip again. She could feel her throat tighten, stray tears threatening to fall. She hadn't really given herself that much time to think about Jimmy but in that instant she missed him. "it was just time to move on, I had to keep moving so I could see my two favorite girls," she said.
"okay so that explains Jimmy. Tell us about Ryan." Winter's face perked up at the sound of a new boy's name. "oooooohhhh auntie Christina has a new boyfriend," she said loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear. Christina felt her cheeks redden but she managed to keep her embarrassment to a minimum. "he's not my boyfriend," stated. "he was just a guy who wanted to make sure I was safe."
"a complete stranger?" Samantha asked.
"well... Yeah."
"and he didn't want anything from you?"
"nope."
"hmmmm...."
Christina could see the wheels turning in Sam's brain. If she listened closely, she could probably hear them as well. "so a complete stranger who you've never met offers you to stay at his house for a whole night and doesn't want anything from you?"
"yes."
"somehow I really doubt that."
"well, he might have wanted something from me but he didn't get anything."
"fair enough. Did you want anything from him?"
"nothing besides his friendship."
"that's not what your mom said."
"look, I know you liked Jimmy and you were excited to meet him but I couldn't deal with his feelings. Or mine for that matter. But that has nothing to do with Ryan. He took me in and was a complete gentleman and for once I didn't have to run away from him. He knew I was coming to see you and wanted me to be safe."
As soon as she said those words, the whole room felt lighter. Samantha could see the toll that the whole past year was taking on her friend and with that last statement she retreated, throwing up her white flag. "as long as he didn't try anything on you, I guess I'm okay with him."
"well, I'm glad to hear you say that because I think I might invite him over when we finally find our house."
"ooh yeah, about that, miss Winter and I have a surprise for you. But we have to finish our dinner first."
Christina was usually the one with the surprises. She spent the whole rest of her meal wondering what in the world kind of surprise could be bigger than both of her favorite people being here right now.
They all finished the rest of their meals with the usual banter, Sam asking about the rest of Christina's trip and Winter being her usual cute self. By the time they got back to their room, Christina was exhausted. She almost thought of telling her friend to wait until the next morning to tell her the surprise, until she saw it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right on top of Samantha's bed there was a huge binder. Christina's eyes widened. "oh my goodness, is this the surprise?"
"duh, why don't you check it out?"
Christina sat in the middle of the bed, cross legged. Samantha was on one side of her, Winter on the other. Looking down she saw a binder with the words "Christina's dream house" on the cover with some pictures obviously drawn by a very crayon savvy 5 year old. "oh my Goddess, what is this?"
"just open it!!"
Christina opened the binder up to the front page. Instantly she felt herself tear up. There were just so many things in this book, such an outpouring of love. From page one there were pictures of different beach houses, floor plans, even pictures of Sam and Winter at the actual houses. Some of the places were really far away from Boynton Beach. There were houses in Tallahassee, Kissamee, Juno beach, Tampa, just all around the Sunshine state. As Christina turned each page and saw the detail of every house that Sam and Winter had looked at, she realized something. It didn't matter where she ended up as long as she never left those two again. She could find a photography job anywhere. She would get Hunter back somehow, maybe travel up to get him and then come back down. But she knew from then on that it wasn't just going to be her dream house. It was going to be theirs.
And with that, she turned the page and immediately drew breath.
"this house... Where did you find it?"
Samantha looked down to see which house Christina was pointing to. "that's a real beauty up in St Petersburg. The area was really nice and Winter really loved that it was by the water."
"it's this one."
"this one what?"
"it's this one, this is the house."
"you haven't even looked through--"
"no. It's this one. There's beach stuff all around and pictures of us and a quilt--" she stopped herself before she could say Jimmy's name. But that was the beach house of her dreams, the one that kept coming back to her.
Christina didn't have to look at the rest of the houses. "that's where we're going."
Samantha knew not to question her friend. Especially when she had that look on her face, the one that said "all who question me will get cut." "don't you even want to look at the rest of the book? We worked our asses off to finish it before coming to get you."
"okay, okay. I will finish the rest of the book. Tomorrow after I get some sleep."
"fair enough," Sam said, a little yawn to show that she herself could use some sleep.
Christina didn't care that she hadn't moved from the spot where she found her house. She bookmarked the page immediately, as if she would lose her place and never find it again if she simply closed the book. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she was aware that she had her own bed, but she didn't want to leave the comfort of her best friend on one side of her and her little niece on the other side. They all lay down on the queen sized bed, all snuggled into one another, the feeling so familiar that Christina had wondered how she could have gone so long without it. Back when Winter was just a little one, back when Sam's husband had left her in tears again, Christina would snuggle with them both. Sam would only stop crying when Christina was there with her, and in turn the baby would sleep through the night. Christina knew they couldn't carry on forever that way, so as much as it broke her heart, she knew she had to leave.
And now it was Samantha's turn to comfort her. Winter fell right to sleep snuggled in Christina's arms, and Christina could feel herself drifting off to sleep as she listened to her best friend's sleeping breaths beside her. It took almost a year, but she was finally home again.
She saw Winter Grace's blonde tendrils before anything else. Samantha looked exhausted, but at the sight of her friend Christina could see her features soften.
"you look better," Samantha commented.
"yep, I'm dry," Christina answered back.
"So, tell me about the guy."
Winter, who had been coloring mostly on the table cloth rather than the designated paper place mat, stopped immediately and looked up at her aunt. "what guy?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. "what have you been telling her?" Christina asked Sam. "oh, nothing. Aside from the fact that the reason you weren't with us was because you were with some guy you had just met."
Christina looked hurt. She had no idea why her friend was acting this way. It wasn't like she meant for anything to happen. And then she remembered... Jimmy. He and Sam had actually gotten along. They never met in person but they had spoken on the phone a few times and had a rapport going. Samantha was looking forward to meeting him until he was abruptly cut out of the picture. Oops.
Christina bit her bottom lip. She had no idea how to explain what happened, so she just went for the first thing she could think of. "Jim told me he loved me."
Sam looked unimpressed. She raised an eyebrow. "And...?"
"and nothing. He told me he loved me and I left."
Samantha saw the pain in her friend's eyes and knew she had to tread lightly. She grabbed Christina's hand. "it got too hard, didn't it?"
Christina bit her bottom lip again. She could feel her throat tighten, stray tears threatening to fall. She hadn't really given herself that much time to think about Jimmy but in that instant she missed him. "it was just time to move on, I had to keep moving so I could see my two favorite girls," she said.
"okay so that explains Jimmy. Tell us about Ryan." Winter's face perked up at the sound of a new boy's name. "oooooohhhh auntie Christina has a new boyfriend," she said loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear. Christina felt her cheeks redden but she managed to keep her embarrassment to a minimum. "he's not my boyfriend," stated. "he was just a guy who wanted to make sure I was safe."
"a complete stranger?" Samantha asked.
"well... Yeah."
"and he didn't want anything from you?"
"nope."
"hmmmm...."
Christina could see the wheels turning in Sam's brain. If she listened closely, she could probably hear them as well. "so a complete stranger who you've never met offers you to stay at his house for a whole night and doesn't want anything from you?"
"yes."
"somehow I really doubt that."
"well, he might have wanted something from me but he didn't get anything."
"fair enough. Did you want anything from him?"
"nothing besides his friendship."
"that's not what your mom said."
"look, I know you liked Jimmy and you were excited to meet him but I couldn't deal with his feelings. Or mine for that matter. But that has nothing to do with Ryan. He took me in and was a complete gentleman and for once I didn't have to run away from him. He knew I was coming to see you and wanted me to be safe."
As soon as she said those words, the whole room felt lighter. Samantha could see the toll that the whole past year was taking on her friend and with that last statement she retreated, throwing up her white flag. "as long as he didn't try anything on you, I guess I'm okay with him."
"well, I'm glad to hear you say that because I think I might invite him over when we finally find our house."
"ooh yeah, about that, miss Winter and I have a surprise for you. But we have to finish our dinner first."
Christina was usually the one with the surprises. She spent the whole rest of her meal wondering what in the world kind of surprise could be bigger than both of her favorite people being here right now.
They all finished the rest of their meals with the usual banter, Sam asking about the rest of Christina's trip and Winter being her usual cute self. By the time they got back to their room, Christina was exhausted. She almost thought of telling her friend to wait until the next morning to tell her the surprise, until she saw it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right on top of Samantha's bed there was a huge binder. Christina's eyes widened. "oh my goodness, is this the surprise?"
"duh, why don't you check it out?"
Christina sat in the middle of the bed, cross legged. Samantha was on one side of her, Winter on the other. Looking down she saw a binder with the words "Christina's dream house" on the cover with some pictures obviously drawn by a very crayon savvy 5 year old. "oh my Goddess, what is this?"
"just open it!!"
Christina opened the binder up to the front page. Instantly she felt herself tear up. There were just so many things in this book, such an outpouring of love. From page one there were pictures of different beach houses, floor plans, even pictures of Sam and Winter at the actual houses. Some of the places were really far away from Boynton Beach. There were houses in Tallahassee, Kissamee, Juno beach, Tampa, just all around the Sunshine state. As Christina turned each page and saw the detail of every house that Sam and Winter had looked at, she realized something. It didn't matter where she ended up as long as she never left those two again. She could find a photography job anywhere. She would get Hunter back somehow, maybe travel up to get him and then come back down. But she knew from then on that it wasn't just going to be her dream house. It was going to be theirs.
And with that, she turned the page and immediately drew breath.
"this house... Where did you find it?"
Samantha looked down to see which house Christina was pointing to. "that's a real beauty up in St Petersburg. The area was really nice and Winter really loved that it was by the water."
"it's this one."
"this one what?"
"it's this one, this is the house."
"you haven't even looked through--"
"no. It's this one. There's beach stuff all around and pictures of us and a quilt--" she stopped herself before she could say Jimmy's name. But that was the beach house of her dreams, the one that kept coming back to her.
Christina didn't have to look at the rest of the houses. "that's where we're going."
Samantha knew not to question her friend. Especially when she had that look on her face, the one that said "all who question me will get cut." "don't you even want to look at the rest of the book? We worked our asses off to finish it before coming to get you."
"okay, okay. I will finish the rest of the book. Tomorrow after I get some sleep."
"fair enough," Sam said, a little yawn to show that she herself could use some sleep.
Christina didn't care that she hadn't moved from the spot where she found her house. She bookmarked the page immediately, as if she would lose her place and never find it again if she simply closed the book. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she was aware that she had her own bed, but she didn't want to leave the comfort of her best friend on one side of her and her little niece on the other side. They all lay down on the queen sized bed, all snuggled into one another, the feeling so familiar that Christina had wondered how she could have gone so long without it. Back when Winter was just a little one, back when Sam's husband had left her in tears again, Christina would snuggle with them both. Sam would only stop crying when Christina was there with her, and in turn the baby would sleep through the night. Christina knew they couldn't carry on forever that way, so as much as it broke her heart, she knew she had to leave.
And now it was Samantha's turn to comfort her. Winter fell right to sleep snuggled in Christina's arms, and Christina could feel herself drifting off to sleep as she listened to her best friend's sleeping breaths beside her. It took almost a year, but she was finally home again.
Chapter 10
Chapter 10:
At last it was time to go. Christina couldn't put it off any longer. She had done her laundry, taken a much needed shower, had breakfast and watched her favorite comedy, Tommy Boy, before reluctantly getting up. Ryan knew it was time for her to go. He knew it was selfish of him to ask her to stay, it was her journey and he couldn't stall her any longer. Her friend in Florida, Samantha, was already blowing up her phone and asking if she was on the road yet. After the 8th "get up off your ass and get down here" message, Christina sighed loudly. It was time.
"you will text me and let me know you're safe?" Ryan asked. As if he even had to. After all he'd done for her, she knew that he was a part of her life, a perfect addition to her circle of friends. "of course! Now I really have to go before I end up spending another day here." it was 11am and she was itching to get on the road before she felt it would be too late to get very far. She grabbed her bike and he grabbed her backpack and slid it on her back. Silently, they made it outside. The heat of the Georgia day was already upon them, and Christina was grateful for the extra water bottle Ryan insisted on lending to her. She looked into his eyes, wanting to savor this moment. This was the first time she had felt at home somewhere in a long time. As much as it pained her to admit, she felt the first pangs of anxiety upon leaving. But of course she powered through them, she had to get to Boynton Beach. Her heart was aching for the beach, her bff, and her beautiful niece.
Ryan held out his arms and Christina fell into them. She took a deep breath in, inhaling his scent. He smelled like the beautiful breakfast he had made for them. She felt her emotions giving her away as a tear ran down her cheek. And another, and another. Ryan took Christina's face in his palms as he gently brushed her tears away with his thumbs. Still holding her face, he gave her a simple kiss on her lips. "don't be a stranger, you big cry baby," he said with a wink.
Christina let him kiss her again and gave him another huge hug. "I need to go," she said quietly.
"I know," he answered.
"what if I don't come back?"
"you will."
"how do you know?"
"I don't."
With that she finally let go of him. She gave the house one final glance. She silently thanked it for letting her feel at home, and she made a promise to herself that no matter what, this wouldn't be the last time she laid eyes on it. But she wouldn't say the words out loud. She didn't want to promise something she had no way of keeping. She'd just have to make the effort.
With that, she left Ryan standing in the driveway as she pedaled off, into her newest adventure.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She was pedaling for a while when she noticed something. Even though it was autumn it still felt like summer and she was about another few hours to her next hotel room stay (and another couple of days to sunny Florida). Out of nowhere the air seemed a bit chillier. She glanced up and noticed a very angry looking cloud hovering overhead. Before she could bike for cover she felt the first few drops of rain before the sky literally opened up.
She was about an hour away from Ryan's place. That thought made her heart leap out of her chest, but she kept it in and tried to drown out the emotion with more pressing matters. She would have just enjoyed the rain but soon it was coming down so heavy she couldn't even see a few feet past her nose. This was getting ridiculous. She had just cleaned all of her clothes, including what she was wearing that was now completely soaked through. All the rest of her belongings were in her trusty duffel bag... Which wasn't exactly water proof but kept everything dry enough. She would have just put up with it but even her pride wasn't a match for this storm. "fine," she said, looking up to the angry clouds looming above her head. "I'll check into the first hotel that I see. Happy now?" she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn at that statement the rain let up a little bit. Not enough to make her think she could ride through it, but enough for her to find a Holiday Inn just around the corner. It had been a very long time since she had treated herself to a real hotel. The ones she normally stayed at were clean enough but provided nothing more than the bare essentials. This one at least had an indoor swimming pool. If she was lucky she would get a room with a Jacuzzi in it as well.
Very carefully as to not slip and fall on the wet pavement, she carefully made her way to the hotel.
She made it to the hotel with some effort. She made sure to stay to the side in the foyer of the lobby as more dry guests came in and out. She was too soaked through to make it to the receptionist. She had been still seated on her bike too wet to move trying not to attract too much attention when a familiar face came her way.
She noticed the gorgeous baby curls on the five year old's head first before anything else. "auntie Christina!!"
"Miss Winter Grace. Where is your mama?"
Sure enough, Samantha appeared as if out of nowhere. It had been so long since she had seen her friend that they just stared at each other for a while. "Sammy!!!" Christina shouted. "I'd give you a hug but I'm soaked through," she explained.
Samantha looked her best friend up and down before speaking. The sight of her brought tears to her eyes and she had to blink them back before they came spilling out everywhere. She hadn't seen Christina in such a long time, at least before the accident. She couldn't wait for Christina to get to the beach house so she piled her daughter into her car and started driving. She made it as far as this Holiday Inn in Fort Stewart, an hour north of Savannah, Georgia when the sky opened up and she was forced to pull over. She hadn't even checked in yet when Winter started running around and that's when she saw the bike.
She just stood close to her friend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "will somebody get this woman a damn towel?!?" she shouted. Samantha had such a commanding presence that at the volume of that inquiry, at least 4 bellhops showed up with towels. "thanks," Christina muttered as everybody, including her 5 year old niece, started patting her down. After a few minutes she felt like she could move again and thanked everyone for their help and could someone please help her off her bike? One of the bellhops took one arm and Samantha took the other as they helped her off.
As soon as she was free, she felt so much better. "now I can hug you!"
"oh no ya don't, I can still see through your shirt."
"since when has that ever stopped a best friend forever hug?"
Samantha rolled her eyes at this but her eyes smiled as she finally gave in, not caring that her shirt was going to get wet as well. She still had her hoodie on at least.
"well come on, let's get us a room so you can feel like yourself again... Right after you tell me about this Ryan guy that your mom has not shut up about."
Christina blushed a little at the sound of Ryan's name, but she didn't think anything of it as she followed her best friend and niece to their room. Samantha didn't even have to ask Christina what kind of room she preferred, she got one with 2 queen sized beds and a Jacuzzi. Christina didn't care about that right now as much as she cared about getting out of her wet (and freezing cold, thanks to the hotel's policy of keeping the temp at a frosty 60*) clothes. All the way to room 358, Christina listened to her niece go on and on about everything they had seen on their trip already. Christina knew that it was a huge deal for Samantha to be even this far away from home. She hadn't gotten her license until she was almost 25 and that was only because she had a daughter and the man who got her pregnant had left her so she had no choice but to get her license. But having it didn't mean she drove much, only to work and to run errands. But definitely not across state lines.
Winter was just getting into the part about the rain starting when the room number finally appeared. "yay! We're here!" Christina exclaimed.
Samantha had been very quiet on the walk up, but Christina knew it was only a front for what would come later. She'd wait until Christina was warm and dry before bombarding her with a million questions. The only reason why her mom knew she was with Ryan in the first place was because she didn't want her mom to worry. But as far as she knew, she might never see him again so what was the point of rehashing everything? And to top things off, Sam only knew bits and pieces of what happened to Jimmy, mostly through Christina's mother as well. She just wanted to wait until she was in Florida before breaking down completely. But she knew Sam well enough to know that she was extremely impatient and she probably couldn't wait for her friend any longer before packing up the kid and heading out.
"okay, I get this bed," Christina said as she dropped her wet duffel bag on the comforter of the nearest available bed. "okay, you go take your shower and we will see you in a bit," Samantha answered, giving her best friend a warm smile. Christina grabbed the first dry thing she could grab, scared to venture too far into her bag, and went into the bathroom. She kept the door unlocked just in case someone had to use the toilet and turned the water on. As she was waiting for the water to warm up, she peeled off her clothes. Thankfully the water was starting to steam as soon as she was done, because the air made little goosebumps appear on her skin and she started to shiver. Pulling the curtain back, she welcomed the almost too hot water on her skin. She stopped shivering almost immediately. After she felt more like herself, she turned the water down so she didn't end up scorching her skin, letting her mind wander. It wasn't something she did often; the past had been too painful for her to revisit. But as she looked back to the past few days, she realized that she was really beginning to feel better. For the first time since seeing her dead exboyfriend laying in a pool of his own blood, she felt like she was running to something instead of away from it. Jimmy had finally started leaving her alone, she met a new friend named Ryan, and she was reunited with her best friend and niece. It had been almost a year since this journey began and for the first time since the start of it, she felt like she could breathe. She knew that running away wasn't the answer, but she was still on this journey had vowed to see it through. As much as she would have liked to do the whole thing by herself, fate had already stepped in and had decided for her that she wasn't meant to be alone for this. She smiled to herself as she turned the water off, the bathroom still steamy and warm, and wrapped the white Terry cloth hotel towel around her body.
Upon opening the door and letting out a puff of steam, she noticed something strange. Her bag was empty and her best friend was nowhere to be found. She started to panic a little but then saw the note. "dumped out your bag to see what the damage was, most stuff was salvageable. Your clothes are in the dryer, your cell phones are all in rice, and the munchkin and I are downstairs waiting for you to get dressed so we can have dinner. Love, Sam and Gracie."
Christina loved it when Sam used her nickname for her niece. She hated that Sam had gotten pregnant by some asshole who didn't even deserve her and put her through hell, but she was thankful when he left. She had felt bad for her friend, but she knew they were all better off.
David wasn't a bad looking guy. In fact, he was the type of guy who knew he was cute enough to get what he wanted, and that was good enough for him. Having dyslexia he could barely write and never read. Talking to him was like talking to a wall. But Samantha swore up and down that they were going to be married one day.
By the time he met Samantha at a friend's Halloween party, he was already married. He had gotten married at age 18 because he got his girlfriend pregnant. They lived in a small town called Troy, Ohio. He moved back down to Florida after the baby was 7 months old. He and Sam were together for 4 months in Boynton Beach, Florida, before his wife was threatening to take his parental rights away. So, he moved back up to Troy, and Sam followed shortly. They lived up there for 2 1/2 years, enduring drama after drama, before he finally got divorced from his first wife only to propose to her 4 days later on Valentine's day. They were married on June 5th, 2006. In October 2006, she had to be rescued by her dad because things had gotten so bad that she shut down mentally. She was being accused of child abuse and was trying to keep her head above water only to get knocked down everytime. Her dad flew to Troy and picked her up and he drove her car back down. A month later David followed and they were together for a while longer, having a baby in the process. Winter Grace brought her joy, but the constant fighting didn't. Shortly after a particularly nasty argument about her cheating on him (he was convinced that the baby's throw up on all of her clothes was something different), he slammed the front door and never opened it again.
Samantha cried for a long time, sometimes finding it difficult to get out of bed. Christina was determined to not lose her best friend so she flew to Florida and stayed with her and her new baby until Sam could pull herself up again. They all celebrated Winter's first birthday together before she had to go back to her own life. But she kept the photography job going and managed to sell some beautiful pictures of her time in the Sunshine state: the beach, waves, different animals. She even documented her time with her best friend and niece, creating a whole scrapbook of memories of that time for the 3 of them.
Returning back to the present, Christina pulled on her new outfit, not caring so much about her appearance as she did having dinner with her family. Grabbing the room key just in case Sam forgot it (which she always did), and her purse, she started her journey into the interrogation.
At last it was time to go. Christina couldn't put it off any longer. She had done her laundry, taken a much needed shower, had breakfast and watched her favorite comedy, Tommy Boy, before reluctantly getting up. Ryan knew it was time for her to go. He knew it was selfish of him to ask her to stay, it was her journey and he couldn't stall her any longer. Her friend in Florida, Samantha, was already blowing up her phone and asking if she was on the road yet. After the 8th "get up off your ass and get down here" message, Christina sighed loudly. It was time.
"you will text me and let me know you're safe?" Ryan asked. As if he even had to. After all he'd done for her, she knew that he was a part of her life, a perfect addition to her circle of friends. "of course! Now I really have to go before I end up spending another day here." it was 11am and she was itching to get on the road before she felt it would be too late to get very far. She grabbed her bike and he grabbed her backpack and slid it on her back. Silently, they made it outside. The heat of the Georgia day was already upon them, and Christina was grateful for the extra water bottle Ryan insisted on lending to her. She looked into his eyes, wanting to savor this moment. This was the first time she had felt at home somewhere in a long time. As much as it pained her to admit, she felt the first pangs of anxiety upon leaving. But of course she powered through them, she had to get to Boynton Beach. Her heart was aching for the beach, her bff, and her beautiful niece.
Ryan held out his arms and Christina fell into them. She took a deep breath in, inhaling his scent. He smelled like the beautiful breakfast he had made for them. She felt her emotions giving her away as a tear ran down her cheek. And another, and another. Ryan took Christina's face in his palms as he gently brushed her tears away with his thumbs. Still holding her face, he gave her a simple kiss on her lips. "don't be a stranger, you big cry baby," he said with a wink.
Christina let him kiss her again and gave him another huge hug. "I need to go," she said quietly.
"I know," he answered.
"what if I don't come back?"
"you will."
"how do you know?"
"I don't."
With that she finally let go of him. She gave the house one final glance. She silently thanked it for letting her feel at home, and she made a promise to herself that no matter what, this wouldn't be the last time she laid eyes on it. But she wouldn't say the words out loud. She didn't want to promise something she had no way of keeping. She'd just have to make the effort.
With that, she left Ryan standing in the driveway as she pedaled off, into her newest adventure.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She was pedaling for a while when she noticed something. Even though it was autumn it still felt like summer and she was about another few hours to her next hotel room stay (and another couple of days to sunny Florida). Out of nowhere the air seemed a bit chillier. She glanced up and noticed a very angry looking cloud hovering overhead. Before she could bike for cover she felt the first few drops of rain before the sky literally opened up.
She was about an hour away from Ryan's place. That thought made her heart leap out of her chest, but she kept it in and tried to drown out the emotion with more pressing matters. She would have just enjoyed the rain but soon it was coming down so heavy she couldn't even see a few feet past her nose. This was getting ridiculous. She had just cleaned all of her clothes, including what she was wearing that was now completely soaked through. All the rest of her belongings were in her trusty duffel bag... Which wasn't exactly water proof but kept everything dry enough. She would have just put up with it but even her pride wasn't a match for this storm. "fine," she said, looking up to the angry clouds looming above her head. "I'll check into the first hotel that I see. Happy now?" she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn at that statement the rain let up a little bit. Not enough to make her think she could ride through it, but enough for her to find a Holiday Inn just around the corner. It had been a very long time since she had treated herself to a real hotel. The ones she normally stayed at were clean enough but provided nothing more than the bare essentials. This one at least had an indoor swimming pool. If she was lucky she would get a room with a Jacuzzi in it as well.
Very carefully as to not slip and fall on the wet pavement, she carefully made her way to the hotel.
She made it to the hotel with some effort. She made sure to stay to the side in the foyer of the lobby as more dry guests came in and out. She was too soaked through to make it to the receptionist. She had been still seated on her bike too wet to move trying not to attract too much attention when a familiar face came her way.
She noticed the gorgeous baby curls on the five year old's head first before anything else. "auntie Christina!!"
"Miss Winter Grace. Where is your mama?"
Sure enough, Samantha appeared as if out of nowhere. It had been so long since she had seen her friend that they just stared at each other for a while. "Sammy!!!" Christina shouted. "I'd give you a hug but I'm soaked through," she explained.
Samantha looked her best friend up and down before speaking. The sight of her brought tears to her eyes and she had to blink them back before they came spilling out everywhere. She hadn't seen Christina in such a long time, at least before the accident. She couldn't wait for Christina to get to the beach house so she piled her daughter into her car and started driving. She made it as far as this Holiday Inn in Fort Stewart, an hour north of Savannah, Georgia when the sky opened up and she was forced to pull over. She hadn't even checked in yet when Winter started running around and that's when she saw the bike.
She just stood close to her friend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "will somebody get this woman a damn towel?!?" she shouted. Samantha had such a commanding presence that at the volume of that inquiry, at least 4 bellhops showed up with towels. "thanks," Christina muttered as everybody, including her 5 year old niece, started patting her down. After a few minutes she felt like she could move again and thanked everyone for their help and could someone please help her off her bike? One of the bellhops took one arm and Samantha took the other as they helped her off.
As soon as she was free, she felt so much better. "now I can hug you!"
"oh no ya don't, I can still see through your shirt."
"since when has that ever stopped a best friend forever hug?"
Samantha rolled her eyes at this but her eyes smiled as she finally gave in, not caring that her shirt was going to get wet as well. She still had her hoodie on at least.
"well come on, let's get us a room so you can feel like yourself again... Right after you tell me about this Ryan guy that your mom has not shut up about."
Christina blushed a little at the sound of Ryan's name, but she didn't think anything of it as she followed her best friend and niece to their room. Samantha didn't even have to ask Christina what kind of room she preferred, she got one with 2 queen sized beds and a Jacuzzi. Christina didn't care about that right now as much as she cared about getting out of her wet (and freezing cold, thanks to the hotel's policy of keeping the temp at a frosty 60*) clothes. All the way to room 358, Christina listened to her niece go on and on about everything they had seen on their trip already. Christina knew that it was a huge deal for Samantha to be even this far away from home. She hadn't gotten her license until she was almost 25 and that was only because she had a daughter and the man who got her pregnant had left her so she had no choice but to get her license. But having it didn't mean she drove much, only to work and to run errands. But definitely not across state lines.
Winter was just getting into the part about the rain starting when the room number finally appeared. "yay! We're here!" Christina exclaimed.
Samantha had been very quiet on the walk up, but Christina knew it was only a front for what would come later. She'd wait until Christina was warm and dry before bombarding her with a million questions. The only reason why her mom knew she was with Ryan in the first place was because she didn't want her mom to worry. But as far as she knew, she might never see him again so what was the point of rehashing everything? And to top things off, Sam only knew bits and pieces of what happened to Jimmy, mostly through Christina's mother as well. She just wanted to wait until she was in Florida before breaking down completely. But she knew Sam well enough to know that she was extremely impatient and she probably couldn't wait for her friend any longer before packing up the kid and heading out.
"okay, I get this bed," Christina said as she dropped her wet duffel bag on the comforter of the nearest available bed. "okay, you go take your shower and we will see you in a bit," Samantha answered, giving her best friend a warm smile. Christina grabbed the first dry thing she could grab, scared to venture too far into her bag, and went into the bathroom. She kept the door unlocked just in case someone had to use the toilet and turned the water on. As she was waiting for the water to warm up, she peeled off her clothes. Thankfully the water was starting to steam as soon as she was done, because the air made little goosebumps appear on her skin and she started to shiver. Pulling the curtain back, she welcomed the almost too hot water on her skin. She stopped shivering almost immediately. After she felt more like herself, she turned the water down so she didn't end up scorching her skin, letting her mind wander. It wasn't something she did often; the past had been too painful for her to revisit. But as she looked back to the past few days, she realized that she was really beginning to feel better. For the first time since seeing her dead exboyfriend laying in a pool of his own blood, she felt like she was running to something instead of away from it. Jimmy had finally started leaving her alone, she met a new friend named Ryan, and she was reunited with her best friend and niece. It had been almost a year since this journey began and for the first time since the start of it, she felt like she could breathe. She knew that running away wasn't the answer, but she was still on this journey had vowed to see it through. As much as she would have liked to do the whole thing by herself, fate had already stepped in and had decided for her that she wasn't meant to be alone for this. She smiled to herself as she turned the water off, the bathroom still steamy and warm, and wrapped the white Terry cloth hotel towel around her body.
Upon opening the door and letting out a puff of steam, she noticed something strange. Her bag was empty and her best friend was nowhere to be found. She started to panic a little but then saw the note. "dumped out your bag to see what the damage was, most stuff was salvageable. Your clothes are in the dryer, your cell phones are all in rice, and the munchkin and I are downstairs waiting for you to get dressed so we can have dinner. Love, Sam and Gracie."
Christina loved it when Sam used her nickname for her niece. She hated that Sam had gotten pregnant by some asshole who didn't even deserve her and put her through hell, but she was thankful when he left. She had felt bad for her friend, but she knew they were all better off.
David wasn't a bad looking guy. In fact, he was the type of guy who knew he was cute enough to get what he wanted, and that was good enough for him. Having dyslexia he could barely write and never read. Talking to him was like talking to a wall. But Samantha swore up and down that they were going to be married one day.
By the time he met Samantha at a friend's Halloween party, he was already married. He had gotten married at age 18 because he got his girlfriend pregnant. They lived in a small town called Troy, Ohio. He moved back down to Florida after the baby was 7 months old. He and Sam were together for 4 months in Boynton Beach, Florida, before his wife was threatening to take his parental rights away. So, he moved back up to Troy, and Sam followed shortly. They lived up there for 2 1/2 years, enduring drama after drama, before he finally got divorced from his first wife only to propose to her 4 days later on Valentine's day. They were married on June 5th, 2006. In October 2006, she had to be rescued by her dad because things had gotten so bad that she shut down mentally. She was being accused of child abuse and was trying to keep her head above water only to get knocked down everytime. Her dad flew to Troy and picked her up and he drove her car back down. A month later David followed and they were together for a while longer, having a baby in the process. Winter Grace brought her joy, but the constant fighting didn't. Shortly after a particularly nasty argument about her cheating on him (he was convinced that the baby's throw up on all of her clothes was something different), he slammed the front door and never opened it again.
Samantha cried for a long time, sometimes finding it difficult to get out of bed. Christina was determined to not lose her best friend so she flew to Florida and stayed with her and her new baby until Sam could pull herself up again. They all celebrated Winter's first birthday together before she had to go back to her own life. But she kept the photography job going and managed to sell some beautiful pictures of her time in the Sunshine state: the beach, waves, different animals. She even documented her time with her best friend and niece, creating a whole scrapbook of memories of that time for the 3 of them.
Returning back to the present, Christina pulled on her new outfit, not caring so much about her appearance as she did having dinner with her family. Grabbing the room key just in case Sam forgot it (which she always did), and her purse, she started her journey into the interrogation.
Chapter 9
Chapter 9:
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the first hint of sunlight, she opened her eyes a crack. She had a dreamless sleep, the first one since leaving Jimmy. She felt great though, as if she had finally slept all night. She opened her eyes all the way and realized she was still on Ryan's chest. It was so nice of him to stay with her and let her sleep in such a position and not even try anything. A piece of her felt at home here, and could really see herself putting down roots in this house. She smiled at the thought. She felt a slight tapping on her head. "you awake?" Ryan asked softly. "getting there," Christina answered back, her throat incredibly dry.
She opened her eyes fully after a minute of protest, her eyelids still incredibly heavy. When she looked around the room she could see that it looked so different in the sunlight. Besides all of the pillows they were laying on and the stacks of movies, there was something a little off-putting. She glanced around the room, studying all the little figurines and pictures collecting dust in their frames. Much like the bedroom Ryan had showed her that she did not want to sleep in, the rest of the house was still exactly the same, as if it was just waiting for the people in the pictures to come home.
Suddenly, instead of feeling warm and welcome, all she wanted to do now was get the hell out of there. How could she think about putting roots down in a place that was not meant for her? She suddenly felt incredibly foolish.
Ryan immediately felt the shift in the air. He knew she had to leave soon, but he couldn't put his finger on what the problem was. Even though they had spent the night together, ultimately nothing had happened so there was nothing she should be ashamed or embarrassed about. And yet he couldn't help but noticed the splash of crimson that suddenly appeared on her cheeks. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he gently coaxed her to turn around and look at him. "hey," he said softly. "what's wrong?"
Christina could feel her throat tighten as she attempted to speak. How could she tell him what she had been thinking? But he had been so kind to her when he didn't have to be that she felt like she had to say something. She could feel her old self screaming not to let him in. He had already seen too much. But suddenly all she wanted to do was pour her heart out to this gentle creature and tell him what was going on.
"I feel so stupid," she started. "I was beginning to feel like I belonged here or something. And then I looked around and saw all the pictures and knew that wasn't true. Do you hate me now?"
Ryan's eyes widened. She was the first woman he had taken home in a very long time, and certainly the only one that really meant anything. Sure, they had only known each other for a couple of days now, but he felt like she had already belonged with him. And yet he knew that if she stayed there, it was only a matter of time before she felt frantic again, and it would be harder on him when she finally did leave. He knew that if she was going to feel any sense of peace, she needed to finish her journey. And if she came back on her own, then that would be right.
He could feel his own throat tighten up, making it very difficult for him to say what he needed to. But he knew that it was the right thing to do. "Christina, listen to me." she gave him all of her attention as he continued on. "ever since you started chatting me up on that bus, I have felt incredibly blessed. And now that you're here I can see how special you are. You will always have a home here. But you know as well as I do that you can't stay here now. You have to see your best friend and have that time with her and I and this house will be here when you come back, if you decide to."
Christina nodded. He was right. She gave him a huge hug before getting up. "can I take a shower at least before I go?"
"of course, and then I will take you out for some breakfast so you are ready for your trip."
Christina smiled at him as she nodded again, her stomach suddenly growling angrily and her brain in much need of some yummy coffee. In a flash she was looking through her bag for some clean clothes, realizing too late that she was quickly running out. "hmmmm.... Maybe I can bring breakfast to you while you get cleaned up and do some laundry?" Ryan asked.
Christina beamed at this as she found her last clean outfit: a purple v-neck T-shirt with skeletons, bikini cut undies with a butterfly on the butt, and a pair of olive green cargo pants. It wasn't the best combination, but it would have to do.
"I will take a French vanilla coffee with two creams and two sugars," she said. "consider it done!" Ryan answered as he grabbed his keys.
Christina's stomach was seriously protesting as she put her laundry in the wash first before getting in the shower. By the time she was done, the first load would be done and ready to dry. Then they'd have breakfast and then maybe have time for a movie before everything was finished. And then she'd finally be off.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the first hint of sunlight, she opened her eyes a crack. She had a dreamless sleep, the first one since leaving Jimmy. She felt great though, as if she had finally slept all night. She opened her eyes all the way and realized she was still on Ryan's chest. It was so nice of him to stay with her and let her sleep in such a position and not even try anything. A piece of her felt at home here, and could really see herself putting down roots in this house. She smiled at the thought. She felt a slight tapping on her head. "you awake?" Ryan asked softly. "getting there," Christina answered back, her throat incredibly dry.
She opened her eyes fully after a minute of protest, her eyelids still incredibly heavy. When she looked around the room she could see that it looked so different in the sunlight. Besides all of the pillows they were laying on and the stacks of movies, there was something a little off-putting. She glanced around the room, studying all the little figurines and pictures collecting dust in their frames. Much like the bedroom Ryan had showed her that she did not want to sleep in, the rest of the house was still exactly the same, as if it was just waiting for the people in the pictures to come home.
Suddenly, instead of feeling warm and welcome, all she wanted to do now was get the hell out of there. How could she think about putting roots down in a place that was not meant for her? She suddenly felt incredibly foolish.
Ryan immediately felt the shift in the air. He knew she had to leave soon, but he couldn't put his finger on what the problem was. Even though they had spent the night together, ultimately nothing had happened so there was nothing she should be ashamed or embarrassed about. And yet he couldn't help but noticed the splash of crimson that suddenly appeared on her cheeks. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he gently coaxed her to turn around and look at him. "hey," he said softly. "what's wrong?"
Christina could feel her throat tighten as she attempted to speak. How could she tell him what she had been thinking? But he had been so kind to her when he didn't have to be that she felt like she had to say something. She could feel her old self screaming not to let him in. He had already seen too much. But suddenly all she wanted to do was pour her heart out to this gentle creature and tell him what was going on.
"I feel so stupid," she started. "I was beginning to feel like I belonged here or something. And then I looked around and saw all the pictures and knew that wasn't true. Do you hate me now?"
Ryan's eyes widened. She was the first woman he had taken home in a very long time, and certainly the only one that really meant anything. Sure, they had only known each other for a couple of days now, but he felt like she had already belonged with him. And yet he knew that if she stayed there, it was only a matter of time before she felt frantic again, and it would be harder on him when she finally did leave. He knew that if she was going to feel any sense of peace, she needed to finish her journey. And if she came back on her own, then that would be right.
He could feel his own throat tighten up, making it very difficult for him to say what he needed to. But he knew that it was the right thing to do. "Christina, listen to me." she gave him all of her attention as he continued on. "ever since you started chatting me up on that bus, I have felt incredibly blessed. And now that you're here I can see how special you are. You will always have a home here. But you know as well as I do that you can't stay here now. You have to see your best friend and have that time with her and I and this house will be here when you come back, if you decide to."
Christina nodded. He was right. She gave him a huge hug before getting up. "can I take a shower at least before I go?"
"of course, and then I will take you out for some breakfast so you are ready for your trip."
Christina smiled at him as she nodded again, her stomach suddenly growling angrily and her brain in much need of some yummy coffee. In a flash she was looking through her bag for some clean clothes, realizing too late that she was quickly running out. "hmmmm.... Maybe I can bring breakfast to you while you get cleaned up and do some laundry?" Ryan asked.
Christina beamed at this as she found her last clean outfit: a purple v-neck T-shirt with skeletons, bikini cut undies with a butterfly on the butt, and a pair of olive green cargo pants. It wasn't the best combination, but it would have to do.
"I will take a French vanilla coffee with two creams and two sugars," she said. "consider it done!" Ryan answered as he grabbed his keys.
Christina's stomach was seriously protesting as she put her laundry in the wash first before getting in the shower. By the time she was done, the first load would be done and ready to dry. Then they'd have breakfast and then maybe have time for a movie before everything was finished. And then she'd finally be off.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)