Counting Goodbyes Page 5

  The last half hour of the drive, I take the time to look at the scenery. It’s not much since everything looks the same. Cornfields, farms, and hay rolls are everywhere in this area and I wonder how anyone can distinguish where they are. It reminds me of those old horror movies like Children of the Corn. I wait to see if there are any kids running through the corn maze with pitchforks ready to attack unsuspecting tourists as they drive by. I can already imagine myself getting lost here as Sarah turns down one road to another and another with ease, but to me everything looks the same.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much. We live in a rural area. The town is tiny and it’s a drive to get to anything, but it’s safe and friendly. That’s what we wanted for our kids.” Sarah conveys.

  “Oh. Well, I could understand that. It will just take some time getting used to I guess.”

  “Once we get home, you can get settled and we can discuss a few things during dinner which is at six.”

  “Ok.” The rest of the drive is set in comfortable silence. Finally, the fields break way to a tiny town with people milling around, seemingly relaxed. The vehicles, I notice consist mostly of trucks and SUVs with a few cars here and there. There is a grocery store that seems miniscule in comparison to those in California and I wonder if it’s a Texas thing or if it’s a small-town thing. There are two small restaurants, a bank, and a couple miscellaneous stores all close together. It’s cute, but small and if you blink while driving through, you may miss it. It takes only a moment to drive through the town before its back to more empty fields with a few spots that are clustered with trees.

  We drive a little while down the road and it seems as if we may never arrive at our destination. Before long, we are turning down a long dirt drive with trees and foliage lining it before breaking through into a circular drive with a typical farmhouse at the end.

  “Home sweet home,” Levi says enthusiastically.

  I take a hard look at my new home and feel a sense of calm and comfort. It’s got a homey feel to it with the wrap around porch that has a swing hanging from the eves. There are chairs that look out onto the land and a couple steps that lead to the drive. The house is yellow with a brown roof and white trim, while bikes and toys are strewn about the yard. Off to the side of the house is a large tree with a tire swing hanging off a thick branch and it reminds me of a home you would see in a movie.

  “I’ll take your bags to your room while Sarah shows you around.”

  “Ok.” Once we park in front of the porch steps, I slide out of the car and brace myself.

  This is it.

  This is a fresh start.

  This is my new life.

  This is my new home.

  Sarah leads me up the steps and into the unlocked house. It’s a rule where we lived to always make sure to lock up when you leave. I guess living in such a tiny town; there is no reason to lock up here. The first room is the sitting room, which is warm and welcoming. The walls are painted a deep burgundy with cream accents and the couches face the fireplace that has photos lined along the mantle. On the walls are even more photos adorning it, all hung up strategically of the family. The furniture is dark brown with a three-cushioned couch and two recliners and wooden coffee tables sitting in between.

  “This is the sitting room. Next is the kitchen and dining room.” Sarah leads me through the house with ease.

  Further down the hall to the left are the double doors that lead to a large kitchen and dining room. The kitchen has an island with a dark counter top while the sink against the wall with a window looking out to the back yard. The dining room is separated by a long wooden bar with six stools on one side and cupboards above and below on the other. The colors are different in each room with the dining room painted a light yellow and the kitchen painted blue.

  Leading me out, she brings me to another open room that has a large television with shelves on either side of it, filled with a plethora of movies and a wraparound couch in the middle facing the television. The back wall is lined with bookshelves with an assortment of books and photos sitting atop them of all sorts of genres. The walls are a cream color with brown accents that keep the room feeling light and open especially with the large bay window across the room looking to the side of the house.

  “This is the living room. We usually watch TV and movies in here. Then there are four bedrooms as I made the guest bedroom into your room. You can change it however you like. I’ll show you where it is.” I follow Sarah out and down the hall where she points to the bathroom that is across from the living room and leads me further down to another set of doors. There are two white wooden doors on each side of the hall and I assume the last one on the right is the master bedroom. Pointing to the first door on the right she informs me this is my brothers room, same with the first door on the left.

  “Your bedroom is a little larger than the boy’s rooms which I thought was perfect. Your room is the last door on the left.” I wait for her to open it and am awed. She has done a lot to this room for me and I am speechless.

  “Wow.”

  “Do you like it?” She questions.

  “It’s perfect.” The room is modestly painted in a light grey tone, which looks simple and just how I like. The bed is strewn with grey and pink bedding while the desk in the corner is black with a blue Mac book and school supplies sitting on top. The dresser is black to match and has a simple pearl white lamp with a grey shade over it. Next to the dresser my bags rest, and I decide the first thing I’ll do is unpack my meager belongings.

  “Oh good. I was wanting it to be appropriate for a teenage girl.”

  “Thank you, Sarah.” She pulls me into her hold and instead of feeling awkward, I feel grateful that she is so caring.

  “No problem, honey. Go ahead and unpack.”

  “Ok.”

  “We will see you at dinner which is six o’clock and we can discuss the rules and any questions you may have then.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Sarah smiles before closing the door with a click behind her. Knowing that they went through all this trouble for me warms my heart. I never expected they’d do so much for me and in such a small amount of time. Maybe moving here won’t be so bad after all.

  Chapter 5

  Nothing is permanent

  in this world,

  not even our troubles.

  -Charlie Chaplin

  After putting my measly belongings away, I plop onto my plush bed with a sigh. My life has taken a drastic turn that I never expected. I feel out of my element with all these changes and the one person I wished was here to talk to about all of this is gone. I have shed so many tears since my mom’s death, but I know she wouldn’t want my tears, so instead I distract myself by drawing out my feelings.

  I’ve drawn black and white images for as long as I could remember, needing an outlet for my thoughts. But it seems as of late, my thoughts are a jumbled mess, as the images seem to make total sense, yet no sense at all. Sadness with an air of excitement, new beginnings with the past haunting me project out of the picture I’ve drawn, and I can’t decide if it’s beautiful, or haunting in it’s sadness. I feel so out of sorts that even my drawings don’t seem to help. I decide to call Lacy since she could always pull me out of my funk.

  “Please tell me you hijacked the plane and made the pilot turn it around to come back to me.” Lacy questions when answering my call.

  I chuckle grateful to hear her voice. “Nope. No hijacking of any kind on my end.”

  “Damn. So how was the flight then, since you decided to not go with plan B of hijacking the plane?”

  “Fine. It’s…tiny, the town that is. But there is so much space and so much farming land with barely any houses nearby. I feel like I am in a horror movie where at any moment Jeepers Creeper’s is gonna jump out and murder us, or the children of the corn will become my reality.”

  “So, does that mean you need me there to help you fight the monsters and murderers?”

  “No,
that’s not it.” I giggle. Lacy is so crazy sometimes. “I just mean that’s the sort of ideas that form in my mind driving here from the airport. It didn’t take long to leave the city behind for the small-town living. Just driving through the nearest town was quick. If I blinked I would have missed it, that’s how small it is. And Sarah…”

  “Who’s Sarah? Is she your new best friend? She better not be or I’ll be coming to set her straight.” Lacy harrumphs.

  “Sarah is my step-mom you nerd.”

  “Yeah she better be.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Only because I miss you, but seriously, no new BFF’s. That’s my title.”

  “Don’t worry. No new BFF’s. Anyway, Sarah said there is a large town about a half an hour away that has a lot more to see and do. I guess it’s like a tiny city.”

  “So, you’re in the boonies?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It’s pretty, though. The house is nice too.” It’s not exactly what I expected. I guess I don’t really know what I expected but this wasn’t it.

  “Is it huge?”

  “Nah. It’s a normal size four-bedroom house. There is a lot of land that it sits on and the drive is a dirt road that leads up to the house. It even has a porch swing and tire swing hanging off of a tree on the side of the house.”

  “Sounds completely different than the city.”

  “It’s homey. That’s the only way to explain it.”

  “So, tell me about Sarah. Is she the evil step-mom? Do I need to be your prince and rescue you?”

  “No. She’s nice. Really chipper. I’m not sure if that’s how she normally is, or if she is like that to make it an easier transition for me.”

  “Ugh. I was really hoping to find a flaw in your move, so you could come back. I need my partner in crime.” Lacy whines.

  “I need my partner, too. It’s going to be hard to start my senior year without my bestie.” I can hear Lacy’s mom yell to her in the background and I miss Julia just as much.

  “Same. Well I better let you go. Mom needs my help with groceries. Call me later?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.” I whisper wishing I could have my best friend with me.

  I decide to head to the kitchen now that the smell of dinner has my stomach grumbling for sustenance. I haven’t eaten much since losing my mom and apparently, it’s really catching up. I head to the kitchen seeing Sarah taking a pan out of the oven and turning the stove off at the same time. Sarah turns just in time to see me walk into the kitchen.

  “Wonderful. Dinner is just about done. Would you mind setting the table for me? Plates and cups are in this cupboard, and utensils are in that drawer over there.” Sarah points in the direction of the cupboard and drawer. I gather everything and amble over to the table and set the plates and utensils out before taking a seat in one of the chairs. The food smells delicious and the smell must have reached my dad as he moseys in from the living room.

  “Dinner smells good, Hun.” Levi, walks up behind Sarah and takes a look at what is on the stove as she swats at him playfully with the pot holder.

  “Go take a seat. I’ll bring dinner to the table in just a minute.” Watching my dad and Sarah interact, I realize they look good together. I wonder if my mom had never left, if I would think the same of my father and her.

  After my dad takes a seat and Sarah brings dinner to the table, we all take our turns spooning the noodles onto our plates and taking a piece of the baked chicken and white sauce to pour over it. I have no idea what this is supposed to be, but it looks and tastes delicious.

  “This is good, Sarah. Thank you.” I emphasized with a groan. My dad nods his head in agreement while Sarah brightens over our praise.

  “I am so glad you enjoy it, Kayla.” She beams. We continue to eat in silence with only the clinking of our forks on the plates as we grab another bite. When we all sit back, seemingly stuffed, Levi clears his throat indicating it’s time for the talk.

  “We wanted to speak with you about a few rules. They are nothing too bad, but we still need to point them out and I’d like to get them out of the way, so we can all relax.” I push my plate away and give my dad my undivided attention.

  “The rules are simple. You have a curfew, which is at eleven, unless it is a school night, then it is at nine. We can make exceptions, but it will be discussed beforehand. No sleepovers except on weekends. Boyfriends are fine except no sleepovers with them. We do need to meet them before you can go on a date, however. When school starts, we expect you to keep up on your grades and no ditching.”

  So far, the rules are simple and pretty much the same as my mom’s rules were, so they will be easy to follow. Not that I would intentionally break the rules, but I am just glad they are reasonable.

  “You have a phone, so we expect you to fill us in on if you are going out, where you’re going, with who, and for how long. You need to have it on you at all times and pick up when we call.” Levi watches me with soft, caring eyes waiting for me to agree. “That’s it so far for the rules. If something changes, or we think of something else, we will let you know. Are any of these going to be a problem for you?” Levi and Sarah look expectantly at me.

  “No. They are pretty much what mom had laid out for me, so it’s no problem.” Their relief was unexpected. Did they think my mom just let me loose on the world?

  “Ok. We didn’t want to make you feel as if we were bringing down the hammer on you, and we are trying to be reasonable, but if any of these are broken, without a legitimate excuse as to why, then we will become stricter.”

  “I understand. And it will not be an issue. Promise.” I smile trying to assure them.

  “Do you have your license yet?” Levi asks.

  “Um, no. I never needed one. I was always with either Lacy or mom, so they drove everywhere.”

  “We will work on that this summer, then. We won’t be able to take you to and from school and any activities you’d like to do because we both work, so you will need your license and a car to get you wherever you need to go.”

  “Oh. Um, thanks. That’s very generous of you.” It’s too much and honestly, I don’t want them spending all the money on a new car for me. It seems sort of ridiculous knowing I am only here for my senior year, and for the fact that I just moved into their lives. “Would you be willing to let me get a job? I would like to be able to pay for my own gas and anything else I may need.”

  “Oh honey, you don’t need to pay for anything.” Sarah replies.

  “I know. I would just like to have that option. I feel uncomfortable with you paying for everything for me and I only just got here.”

  “If that’s what you want, then we are fine with you having a job, but when school starts, you need to make sure it doesn’t interfere with school and homework.” Levi explains.

  I beamed. “Great. It won’t, I promise.”

  “Ok. We will start on your driving lessons this week, so you can have your license before school starts.” I dreaded learning to drive, having been worried about all the traffic and other people on the road, but with all this open space, maybe it won’t be so bad.

  ****

  Early the next morning as the sun peaks through the window in my bedroom, I hear a little boy whispering close to my face

  “She sure is pretty.”

  “Yeah. Do you think she’s nice?” Another boy whispers back.

  “I hope so. Do you think she will like us?”

  “Maybe. How come we never seen her before now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  As I listen to the two whispering voices that woke me up, it brings a small smile to my face. These must be my little brothers. I’m nervous and eager to meet them. I’ve never had a sibling before, but I guess I could almost count Lacy as one since our families were so close.

  One of the boys starts to touch my hair and I sit up quickly with a fake growl scaring them
as I fall back onto my pillow in a fit of laughter. They yelp before giggling as they peer at me with curious eyes.

  “Are you our new sister?” One of them questions. They look exactly alike, but one has a buzz cut and the other has his hair longer and combed to the side. This will make it easier to tell them apart because other than the hair, there is no tell-tale difference in their looks.

  “I am. And you guys must be my brothers. What are your names?” Recognizing them from the photos hanging on the wall, I knew they were my brothers.

  “I’m Jackson,” the boy with the buzz cut says, “and I’m Jayden.” Their thrilled replies cause elation to bubble up inside of me. It’s weird having two brothers I didn’t grow up with, but I finally get the chance to do it now and I can’t wait. I just hope they don’t feel put out by me being here.

  “Mom is making breakfast. Are you going to eat with us?” Jayden asks with curious large brown eyes.

  “Are you going to leave?” Jackson probes curiously, eyes pleading for me to stay, or to go I’m not sure. I hope he wants me to stay.

  “I plan on staying, and yes I am eating breakfast with you guys. Is that okay?”

  “Yay!” Both the boys exclaim while bouncing on their feet before running up and squeezing me into a tight hold while still bouncing up and down. They let go and run out of my room excitedly while screaming to their mom. “She’s staying!”

  This time, when the smile greets my face, it’s not forced or laced with sadness. The grin is real and for a moment I feel happy and content.

  I climb out of bed and dress into jeans and a t-shirt that has a picture of a cat with large eyes with a saying about too much coffee. It’s faded now, so I can’t remember exactly what it says, but I do know I had once found it comical.

  Heading to the kitchen, Levi and the boys are already at the table while Sarah loads their plates with the usual breakfast treats of bacon, eggs, and pancakes causing my stomach to rumble at the sight.

  “Morning Kayla. Take a seat and have some breakfast.” Sarah smiles encouragingly, and I return her smile before taking a seat and retrieving my food. The boys chat about all sorts of things from their friends, to their favorite movies, and what food they dislike. Their chatter keeps me from having to say much as I nod and say ‘oh yeah’ in answer to their comments. Before long, breakfast is over, and we all trail into the living room to watch baseball. I’m not much for sports, but I figure there isn’t much for me to do right now, so I’ll endure it, maybe even learn to like it.