CHAPTER 2
The Final Countdown
I opened my eyes slowly and looked around my room, disoriented briefly. It was just a dream, I thought, slightly bewildered. I laid still for a long moment remembering the beautiful boy with the dark, chocolate brown hair and crystal blue eyes that played the starring role in last night's dream. I had never dreamt that vividly in all of my sixteen years. It felt as though it really happened.
I was wide awake now. The sun was already bright, streaming through the slits in the horizontal blinds that were always open. It was June 21, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the first day of summer. There would be a big party at the lake tonight. This was an annual event that was attended by almost everyone I knew. Was that fate? Or some cruel joke, perhaps? No, I wasn't going to see the move as negative any longer. I had enjoyed my private pity party last night. Today was a new day and I was going to seize it. Although a fly on the wall might have seen it differently if it had been here last night, I wasn't normally a negative or pouty person. I dealt mostly with facts and I was usually very logical. The fact was that we were moving to Eden. I had no choice in this decision. Therefore, I could accept it and make the best of my new circumstances or I could fight it and make everyone around me miserable. Those were my only two options. Either way, we would still be moving in less than two weeks. What kind of big sister would I be if I chose the latter? No, my mother depended on me and my brother and sisters looked up to me. I would smile and be helpful regardless of how I felt on the inside. I sat up, took a deep breath and practiced my smile.
Jennie opened her eyes. "Morning," I said cheerfully with my newly practiced smile slowly making its way to my eyes. She wouldn't notice if my eyes betrayed me, but my mother would. And so would Jane. I was determined now to commit wholeheartedly to my new life. It was the logical thing to do.
"Mmmmornin?," she mumbled sleepily.
I sprang up from the comfort of my bed and headed to the bathroom to get a drink of water and brush my teeth before doing anything else. After taking care of business, I found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my cell and walked quietly down the stairs. I wasn't sure who was awake. I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. 7:25 am. "Ugh!" I guess that's what happens when you go to bed so early.
I retrieved the newspaper from the front steps and made a pot of coffee. This was another mother-daughter ritual that began several years ago, after my mother divorced her third husband, Danny's father. I had shown an interest in current events as far back as I could remember. I used to ask so many questions that she finally ordered the daily paper so I could read the local news for myself. Along with perusing the headlines, I learned to enjoy a hot cup of coffee. When I was younger, it smelled so good to me. After much begging, my mother let me try some of hers one day. Yuck! I had to spit it out. She drank it black and it was so strong. After about thirty seconds of chortling, she made some for me with lots of cream and sugar and I was hooked. I've cut down on the sugar somewhat, but still require lots of cream. Sweet and blonde, Peggie calls it; just like her, she says.
The coffee was ready now. I poured myself a cup and put the carafe back to keep it hot. I took the rubber band off the paper, uncurled it and started reading above the fold, where the most important stories of the day were displayed. A fire consumed a historic building downtown late last night. That's too bad. The president will be travelling overseas. I'd like to travel overseas someday. Maybe to Israel, the ancestral home of my dad's side of the family, the Jacobs. The forecast called for hazy, hot and humid weather over the next few days. Finally! The weather hadn't been very summerlike so far. It would be perfect for the lake party. I skimmed the paper till 8:00. Surely, my friends would be up by now.
I called Jane. We agreed to meet at our favorite breakfast place, the Depot Diner in Salem, New Hampshire, at 9:00. She'd call Peggie and I'd call Annie to let them know of our plans.
My mother had come downstairs while I was talking to Annie and had poured herself a cup of coffee. She pulled out the chair next to me, sat down and took part of the paper. After describing to Annie in excruciating detail what I was wearing - she always had to wear the right outfit for every occasion, but begrudgingly understood that I couldn't care less - I told her I'd see her soon and hung up the phone.
"Morning, Mum."
"Morning, Essie. Did you sleep well?"
"I did," I said slowly, apparently sounding slightly confused.
"That doesn't sound too convincing."
"No, sorry. I did sleep well. I was just thinking about the dream I had. It seemed so real."
"Tell me about it," she urged.
"Well, there was this boy?"
"Y?e?s," she said, drawing the word out with a teasing smile.
"He was perfect - tall, with broad shoulders, dark, chocolate brown hair and crystal blue eyes," I recalled with a sigh.
"How unlike you to sound so enamored of a boy, especially one in a dream."
"I know, Mum. But, like I said, it seemed so real. He seemed so real."
"Okay, so go on."
"Well, the part that I remember very clearly was when we were in the most amazing garden I have ever seen. The area where we were sitting was large and rectangular with huge, ancient-looking trees on the outskirts. Their boughs were hanging low, touching the ground. We were in the middle of the garden, yet somehow I knew what it looked like from an aerial view at the same time. The grass was a bright emerald green and perfectly manicured. There was an incredible variety of lush plants and exotic-looking flowers all around us. We were having a picnic lunch and it was a beautiful, sunny day. A gentle breeze was blowing just slightly enough to keep my hair out of my face. It was kind of clich? with the red and white checkered blanket that we were sitting on and the woven wooden picnic basket, but it was nice. I think it might have been our first date but, at the same time, it was as if he knew everything about me. For lunch, he had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salt and vinegar potato chips, diet root beer and malted milk balls."
"Wow, he really did know you," she said laughing.
"I know, right? And we talked effortlessly, like we'd always been friends. And when I woke up, I had the strangest impression that it was real. Wishful thinking, I guess." I smiled. "Anyway, I'm going to meet the girls at the Depot Diner. And I'd like to see the building that burned down last night before that."
"Okay, Essie. Have fun. Will you be home for lunch?"
"I'm not sure. Don't count on me, okay?"
"Okay, then." She stood up and gave me a kiss. "I'm glad you're feeling better today, sweetie. See you."
I smiled, picked up my phone, took my car keys from the hook next to the door and walked outside for the second time today. The forecast was correct. It was only about 8:20 and it was already hot.
My car was dirty. It would be a good day to wash it. Maybe the kids would want to help later on. They were usually more than happy to use that as an excuse to soak each other with the hose.
I clicked the button on the key fob to unlock my door. I got in quickly and put the key in the ignition. The engine cranked and I was startled by the loud music. I obviously forgot to turn it down when I shut the car off yesterday. I had been listening to the Beach Boys, gearing up for the first day of summer and the annual lake party. My dad had given me a three-cd greatest hits collection when he gave me the car and I really liked it. He called it "heart music" because he said you didn't have to think about, you just felt it. I agreed. I backed carefully out of our driveway and headed toward downtown.
I loved having a car. It's not that my car was anything special, it was what it represented. Freedom. My dad proudly presented me with the tan Accord coupe on the very day that I got my license. It was used, but in good condition. To be honest, I wouldn't have cared what it looked like, I just loved the fact that I was now able to come and go as I pleased. No waiting for Mum to get home and begging to borrow her car. And this car was sweet! It had a tan leather interior and a sun
roof. Best of all, Dad had outfitted it with navigation and XM. I had immediately put essentials like a blanket and a towel and a football and a frisbee and a first aid kit and a pair of jumper cables in the trunk. I liked being prepared for almost anything.
My mind was wandering as I drove the speed limit through the town where I was born and raised. It was difficult to imagine what my life would be like in Eden, especially since Bradford, Massachusetts was all I'd ever known. I was becoming slightly annoyed once again. At that moment, I was reminded of a quote that I'd used in an article on character in sports that I'd written for the high school newspaper.
"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
My thoughts definitely influenced my words last night which, in turn, influenced my actions. But that was last night. I had promised myself that I was through wasting time being angry at something over which I had no control. I turned up the cheery beach music and once again recalled my dream and the beautiful boy with the blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight.
Before I knew it, my car had taken me to the block on which the refurbished factory building sat. I parked and stared. The developer had done a remarkable job of restoring the dilapidated building so that it looked better than it had originally. From a rundown, boarded up, plain, old shoe factory to an art deco style showpiece with unusual ornamental pieces on all four corners and above each window. The mayor hosted the grand opening celebration and most of the city joined him, glad that the former eyesore had been so beautifully renovated. The building housed an upscale restaurant and several offices. Darn, I thought sadly. That was the only decent restaurant in town. Not that we could afford to eat there often, but still. I wondered if anyone would bother to try to fix it up again. I got out of my car to survey the damage. At once, I noticed the smell of smoke that still permeated the air. I walked closer and took out my phone. I loved to take pictures of interesting architecture and landscapes. I didn't have to get too close to see that the external brick was charred and all the windows were broken. Shards of glass littered the area and it didn't appear that anything inside had survived. I studied the curious faces of the people assessing the once beautiful building for a long moment and then returned to my car. It was almost 9:00 and I had to drive all the way up Route 97 to Salem.
When I entered the restaurant, I found Jane and Peggie already there. Of course, Annie would be fashionably late. I joined them in a booth toward the back. As expected, they began to bombard me with questions as soon as I sat down.
"Wait. We need to wait for Annie so I don't have to repeat everything," I explained impatiently.
Peggie dug around frantically in her oversized purse for her cell phone. When she located it, she quickly found Annie's number. She tapped her fingernails on the table while she waited for her to answer.
"Where are you?" Peggie demanded. After a few seconds, Peggie spoke again. "All right. Well, we're all here and we're waiting for you." She hung up. "That girl drives me crazy sometimes. But she's actually in the parking lot out back. She'll just be a second."
No sooner did Peggie finish speaking than Annie burst through the door of the restaurant. She came running toward our table in the back loudly yelling, "I'm here, I'm here." Obviously not minding that the entire restaurant was now looking at all of us, she plopped down in the empty space next to Peggie.
"What'd I miss?" she asked breathlessly.
"Nothing. We've been waiting for you to get here before I said anything about the move. I didn't want to have to repeat everything."
"Thanks, Essie." She paused for a second. "Okay," she blurted. "You can start now."
I took a deep breath in, then slowly exhaled. I smiled my practiced smile and began. "Well, like I told you last night, my mother accepted a job as the administrator of a small hospital in Savannah, Georgia. She needs to start working there in about three weeks. We'll be living in a really small town called Eden, but it's just twenty-two miles outside of Savannah. She's already found a house and it's big enough for me to have my own room. And it's on seven acres of land. Professional movers are coming to pack our stuff for us, drive it down there and put it all where it needs to go in the new house. They're even taking our cars and we're flying down."
"Impressive," Peggie mused. "Seven acres. And it's about time you have your own room."
Jane looked at me thoughtfully. "It sounds great, Essie, but I'm really going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you, too. All of you. It's hard to believe that we won't be together for senior year."
"I know," Jane replied quickly. "So we're going to have to make the most of the next couple of weeks. Let's do something every single day."
"And night," Peggie said with a hint of mischief in her voice.
"Did you have something in mind?" I asked curiously.
"Well, let's see? first of all, there's the annual lake party tonight. We can start with that. And Sawyer will be there." she added teasingly.
I rolled my eyes.
"Ess, you know he's liked you for forever," Annie said matter-of-factly. "Since you're leaving," she began slowly, "maybe now's the time to consider, well, you know."
"Oh, right! I can't believe you'd even suggest that. When I'm leaving???"
"Don't act like you've never even thought about it. What are you waiting for?"
Truth be told, my mind hadn't gone there yet. Sixteen years old and never been kissed. Oh, sure, I'd been asked out lots of times. In the past. Not so much anymore. Most of the guys thought I was a snob. But it wasn't that. I was waiting for my very own Westley and, until then, I didn't mind staying home or being alone.
"Whatever, Annie," was all I could manage to say. Just then, our server came by to take our order.
After we finished ordering, I changed the subject. "What time should we go tonight?"
"Any time around 6:00 I guess. And if we want, we can bring stuff to throw on the grill," Peggie answered. "Do you all want to bring food?"
"Sure," the three of us said in agreement.
"Well, let's each bring something different so we can all share," Peggie suggested. "I'll bring hot dogs."
"I'll bring the diet root beer and malted milk balls," I offered.
"I'll bring chips and salsa," Jane chimed in.
"Let's see, we have protein, dairy, grains and vegetables, so I'll bring double stuff Oreos for the dessert," Annie added, laughing.
As we discussed who we thought might be there and whether or not we'd go swimming, our server brought our breakfast. I was hungrier than I had realized, not having eaten much the night before. The news of the move had taken away my appetite. When we had finished, we decided that everyone would meet at my house around 5:45 and I'd drive from there.
I wanted to spend some time with my dad before we moved, so I said my goodbyes to my best friends and walked to my car.