Parker
And then the day came. The drive to the airport was silent. Even the radio wasn’t playing the way it would normally have been when Gina and I were trapped in a moving vehicle together with nothing being said between us. I occasionally glanced up at her. She was always staring straight ahead and never looked back at me despite the fact that I knew she knew I was looking at her.
“Nervous?”
Her voice was like a lone, resounding crack of thunder announcing its presence in the middle of an otherwise slient night.
I was tempted to be sarcastic in my answer, but knew that my voice would be too deceptively shaky if I tried. So instead, I simply answered, “As hell.”
I glanced over at her again, almost expecting her to reprimand me for my language, but she simply nodded, understanding. With a sigh, I turned back to my window and stared out of it as silence once again ensued.
I didn’t want to think about it, so instead I thought of Theresa. She had come over along with her mother to say good-bye one last time. I had been running around in my bedroom trying desperately to convince myself that I had all I would need, taking everything out of my suitcases and putting them back in, creating a checklist and doing it all over again. Gina once told me that I pack like a woman and that day I was ashamed to know that it was true.
A throat cleared behind me and I whirled around to see Theresa standing in the doorway, her eyebrows raised in amusement. I didn’t see anything to be amused by, so I turned away.
“Hi,” I mumbled, folding the last of my shirts and stuffing them into my suitcase.
“Hey,” she said.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I said, still mumbling as I closed the suitcase one last time, still not convinced that I had everything but knowing I would have to give up sooner or later.
“My mom was planning on coming by after you were gone to see if Gina was okay, but I wanted to come say good-bye before you left,” she said. “And to give you this.”
I looked up and she was holding out her discman to me. I had totally forgotten about our conversation.
“Oh! Thanks,” I said, taking it from her and putting it into my carry on bag. It was a small comfort to know that I at least wasn’t forgetting that.
“No problem,” she said. “And feel free to, you know, ‘accidentally’ forget to bring it home. I wouldn’t mind it if you gave them all a reason to come back up here for a little while.”
She grinned at her joke and I couldn’t help but grin back.
“So how does it feel to know that you’re about to go stay at the home of a band you used to hate for the summer?” she asked next.
“I didn’t hate them,” I responded.
“You despised them!” she insisted. “I practically dragged you kicking and screaming to that concert.”
“And gee, what luck that you did,” I said, feeling my grin turn into a feeble smile.
“Yeah,” she said. “Maybe someday when you write all about it in the controversial tell-all book about Hanson, you can mention me a few times as the person responsible for it all.”
I laughed then, suddenly glad that she had come over. I hadn’t realized that I needed a little cheering up, to say the least. Or was even aware that, in my state of complete nervousness, a little cheering up could help at all.
“By the way,” she said, beginning to dig around in her pocket. She
pulled out a small piece of white paper. “Here’s my number. In case, you know, you want to call or something.”
I nodded. “Thanks a lot,” I said, unsnapping my suitcase and discreetly putting it in between the pages of a notebook I was bringing with me, one that I had been writing in since after the Hansons had left. Another thing I hadn’t realized was how much reflection went into finding your long lost twin brother. I figured that I’d have to do even more reflection on this trip.
“Well...,” she said. “I hope you have a good time. I think you will.”
“I hope so, too,” I mumbled.
“Theresa!” Rose called from the kitchen.
“That was short,” she remarked quietly. “Coming!” she called out.
She gave me a small smile.
“Oh hell,” I said, walking up to her and wrapping her in a friendly hug. “Thanks,” I added one more time, this time in a much lower tone. I wasn’t really sure what I was thanking her for, exactly. But I knew that there was something that required gratitude other than her just showing up to say good-bye. She was my only friend that could since I had never let on to Julian about Taylor. Maybe that was what I was thanking her for.
Either way, the Mayfields were out of the driveway only seconds before we were also, headed in the opposite direction.
I sighed once more as Gina pulled into the parking garage. As she drove around, searching for a parking space, I wondered to myself how many of the people who owned these cars were going or knew someone who was going to Tulsa as well. I wondered briefly about their reasons for going. I also wondered if there were any teenage girls among them whom I would be meeting with on the plane or later, even. Not that I was complaining at that point.
Finally, Gina pulled into a slightly narrow parking place and as she pulled the key out of the ignition, I felt my stomach jump into my throat and leaned over slightly, prepared to throw up if I had to.
“You okay?” Gina asked as I sat back up again.
I nodded.
“Good. I don’t want you chucking up in my car.”
It was a good try, but I didn’t even smile.
We both struggled to get out of the car without letting the doors of our car hit the car next to us, a much easier feat for Gina who’s much shorter than me.
Once inside the airport, we made our way through the thick crowd to the waiting area. We still had twenty minutes before the plane even started to board. I still felt like I was going to throw up and apparently the way I looked told everyone as much. I got my fair share of strange looks (which isn’t anything new, really) and some even elected to move away from me just in case.
“You’ll be okay,” Gina spoke up after a few moments. I looked up at her, but she still wasn’t looking at me. “Don’t worry, Parker. It’s only for a little while, right?”
Right, I said in my mind, but didn’t bother to say it aloud. There were just too many what if’s and that feeling that there was going to be some reason I wanted to stay just wouldn’t go away.
“Besides, the Hansons are nice people,” she said. “I know things were a bit tense when they were here, but...well, I’m sure they’ll be different in their own environment.”
I nodded, knowing at this point that she was simply thinking aloud.
“And you can always come back if you need to,” she said.
“Mm-hmm,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
“You know...,” she started hesitantly, choosing then to look at me, “you do look a little sick. Maybe we should...?”
I shook my head.
“Will you call me when you get there?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course,” I said, looking at her now, our eyes meeting for the first time that day. I tried an unsuccessful smile and she mirrored my effort.
“Flight 138 to Tulsa is now boarding,” a voice said over the intercom.
We both stood up at the same time.
“I want you to have fun,” she said.
I nodded. “I probably will,” I said.
We hugged one last time and she kissed me on the cheek. We pulled away what felt like only seconds later and I began walking toward the gate where the plane was waiting for me and the rest of its passengers. Suddenly, only about ten feet into the short journey, I lost my nerve and turned back. At a run, I went back to where Gina was standing.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her brow knitted.
I searched for an answer, but couldn’t find one. Instead, I came up with a partially lame excuse,
“I was just wondering if you wanted me to visit Grandma’s grave while I’m there,” I said.
She thought for a quick moment. “Sure,” she said, obviously not having considered the possibility. “I guess.”
“Where is it again?”
She told me the name of the graveyard and then added, “Near the flagpole somewhere in the back.”
I nodded, kissed her on the cheek one last time and made my way back to the gate. I boarded the plane and was shown to my seat without incident. I felt like turning back and would’ve if I knew anything at all about what this trip was going to be like for me.
C'mon. It's a fair trade. My story, your feedback.
Chapter Nine
Chapter Eleven
“Nervous?”
Her voice was like a lone, resounding crack of thunder announcing its presence in the middle of an otherwise slient night.
I was tempted to be sarcastic in my answer, but knew that my voice would be too deceptively shaky if I tried. So instead, I simply answered, “As hell.”
I glanced over at her again, almost expecting her to reprimand me for my language, but she simply nodded, understanding. With a sigh, I turned back to my window and stared out of it as silence once again ensued.
I didn’t want to think about it, so instead I thought of Theresa. She had come over along with her mother to say good-bye one last time. I had been running around in my bedroom trying desperately to convince myself that I had all I would need, taking everything out of my suitcases and putting them back in, creating a checklist and doing it all over again. Gina once told me that I pack like a woman and that day I was ashamed to know that it was true.
A throat cleared behind me and I whirled around to see Theresa standing in the doorway, her eyebrows raised in amusement. I didn’t see anything to be amused by, so I turned away.
“Hi,” I mumbled, folding the last of my shirts and stuffing them into my suitcase.
“Hey,” she said.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I said, still mumbling as I closed the suitcase one last time, still not convinced that I had everything but knowing I would have to give up sooner or later.
“My mom was planning on coming by after you were gone to see if Gina was okay, but I wanted to come say good-bye before you left,” she said. “And to give you this.”
I looked up and she was holding out her discman to me. I had totally forgotten about our conversation.
“Oh! Thanks,” I said, taking it from her and putting it into my carry on bag. It was a small comfort to know that I at least wasn’t forgetting that.
“No problem,” she said. “And feel free to, you know, ‘accidentally’ forget to bring it home. I wouldn’t mind it if you gave them all a reason to come back up here for a little while.”
She grinned at her joke and I couldn’t help but grin back.
“So how does it feel to know that you’re about to go stay at the home of a band you used to hate for the summer?” she asked next.
“I didn’t hate them,” I responded.
“You despised them!” she insisted. “I practically dragged you kicking and screaming to that concert.”
“And gee, what luck that you did,” I said, feeling my grin turn into a feeble smile.
“Yeah,” she said. “Maybe someday when you write all about it in the controversial tell-all book about Hanson, you can mention me a few times as the person responsible for it all.”
I laughed then, suddenly glad that she had come over. I hadn’t realized that I needed a little cheering up, to say the least. Or was even aware that, in my state of complete nervousness, a little cheering up could help at all.
“By the way,” she said, beginning to dig around in her pocket. She pulled out a small piece of white paper. “Here’s my number. In case, you know, you want to call or something.”
I nodded. “Thanks a lot,” I said, unsnapping my suitcase and discreetly putting it in between the pages of a notebook I was bringing with me, one that I had been writing in since after the Hansons had left. Another thing I hadn’t realized was how much reflection went into finding your long lost twin brother. I figured that I’d have to do even more reflection on this trip.
“Well...,” she said. “I hope you have a good time. I think you will.”
“I hope so, too,” I mumbled.
“Theresa!” Rose called from the kitchen.
“That was short,” she remarked quietly. “Coming!” she called out.
She gave me a small smile.
“Oh hell,” I said, walking up to her and wrapping her in a friendly hug. “Thanks,” I added one more time, this time in a much lower tone. I wasn’t really sure what I was thanking her for, exactly. But I knew that there was something that required gratitude other than her just showing up to say good-bye. She was my only friend that could since I had never let on to Julian about Taylor. Maybe that was what I was thanking her for.
Either way, the Mayfields were out of the driveway only seconds before we were also, headed in the opposite direction.
I sighed once more as Gina pulled into the parking garage. As she drove around, searching for a parking space, I wondered to myself how many of the people who owned these cars were going or knew someone who was going to Tulsa as well. I wondered briefly about their reasons for going. I also wondered if there were any teenage girls among them whom I would be meeting with on the plane or later, even. Not that I was complaining at that point.
Finally, Gina pulled into a slightly narrow parking place and as she pulled the key out of the ignition, I felt my stomach jump into my throat and leaned over slightly, prepared to throw up if I had to.
“You okay?” Gina asked as I sat back up again.
I nodded.
“Good. I don’t want you chucking up in my car.”
It was a good try, but I didn’t even smile.
We both struggled to get out of the car without letting the doors of our car hit the car next to us, a much easier feat for Gina who’s much shorter than me.
Once inside the airport, we made our way through the thick crowd to the waiting area. We still had twenty minutes before the plane even started to board. I still felt like I was going to throw up and apparently the way I looked told everyone as much. I got my fair share of strange looks (which isn’t anything new, really) and some even elected to move away from me just in case.
“You’ll be okay,” Gina spoke up after a few moments. I looked up at her, but she still wasn’t looking at me. “Don’t worry, Parker. It’s only for a little while, right?”
Right, I said in my mind, but didn’t bother to say it aloud. There were just too many what if’s and that feeling that there was going to be some reason I wanted to stay just wouldn’t go away.
“Besides, the Hansons are nice people,” she said. “I know things were a bit tense when they were here, but...well, I’m sure they’ll be different in their own environment.”
I nodded, knowing at this point that she was simply thinking aloud.
“And you can always come back if you need to,” she said.
“Mm-hmm,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
“You know...,” she started hesitantly, choosing then to look at me, “you do look a little sick. Maybe we should...?”
I shook my head.
“Will you call me when you get there?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course,” I said, looking at her now, our eyes meeting for the first time that day. I tried an unsuccessful smile and she mirrored my effort.
“Flight 138 to Tulsa is now boarding,” a voice said over the intercom.
We both stood up at the same time.
“I want you to have fun,” she said.
I nodded. “I probably will,” I said.
We hugged one last time and she kissed me on the cheek. We pulled away what felt like only seconds later and I began walking toward the gate where the plane was waiting for me and the rest of its passengers. Suddenly, only about ten feet into the short journey, I lost my nerve and turned back. At a run, I went back to where Gina was standing.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her brow knitted.
I searched for an answer, but couldn’t find one. Instead, I came up with a partially lame excuse,
“I was just wondering if you wanted me to visit Grandma’s grave while I’m there,” I said.
She thought for a quick moment. “Sure,” she said, obviously not having considered the possibility. “I guess.”
“Where is it again?”
She told me the name of the graveyard and then added, “Near the flagpole somewhere in the back.”
I nodded, kissed her on the cheek one last time and made my way back to the gate. I boarded the plane and was shown to my seat without incident. I felt like turning back and would’ve if I knew anything at all about what this trip was going to be like for me.
C'mon. It's a fair trade. My story, your feedback.
Chapter Nine
Chapter Eleven