Disclaimer: Most of this story is based on the movie The Man in the Moon Directed by Robert Mulligan and written by Jenny Wingfield. I decided to write my own ending to this story, so please enjoy!
Maureen Trant pulled the car up to the house after leaving church. As soon as she shut the engine off Dani hopped out of the car and ran into the house. She hated wearing the skirts and dresses her mama made her wear for church, she hated going to Sunday School, Dani knew she was far to old to be going to Sunday School. She threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and ran for the Foster's Farm. On the Foster farm there was a lake that Dani liked to escape to. The Foster's had been good friends of her parents, but after Marie Foster's husband died, she took off. Of course Dani had only been told the story from her parents for she hadn't been born until a month after it had happened. Maureen was Dani's older sister of seventeen and she had a baby sister Melanie who was two. Dani being fourteen was the middle child, but her mama had another one on the way and her daddy was hoping for a boy. As Dani took off all her clothes and jumped into the water she swam around feeling a little guilty, knowing she should be at home helping her mama out. But her thoughts were soon disturbed when she heard a big splash. She turned around to see a boy who looked about sixteen looking straight at her.
"Get out of here you jerk!" screamed Dani at the boy.
"This is private property, you get out of here." The boy yelled back at her.
"This happens to be the Foster property, no one has lived here for years, so unless you're a Foster leave, damn you." Dani yelled back once again.
"Well it just so happens that I Am." The boy said back arrogantly.
"Prove it, prove you're a Foster." Dani exclaimed.
"I don't have to prove anything, if you aren't out of here on the count of three I'll drag your ass out." The boy shouted back. The boy started counting to three. He was about to move towards her when she moved away.
"Alright I'm going, just turn around and close your eyes." Dani said nervously. The boy gave her a strange look, but did so. Dani climbed out of the lake and covered her chest area as she did. She climbed up the ladder quickly and hid behind the bush, as she did this the boy sneaked a look.
"Why are you hiding behind the bushes? You don't have anything to hide." The boy smirked at his comment. Dani poked her head out from behind the bush and gave him a smug look and took off. Dani ran all the way home and saw her daddy's truck. She moaned knowing a lecture was coming up and started walking towards the house. Her daddy was unloading his truck and gestured for her to stop. Matthew Trant could be a very scary man when giving lectures.
"Young lady you know I said you have to start taking responsibility around here, your mama needs your help." Matthew said as he put his fishing rod into his shed.
"Yes sir." Was Dani's quick response, she stood there awkwardly.
"Your to old to be running off any old time you want. Now get inside, your mama saved you some lunch, its probably cold." Matthew said and turned back to his task. Dani walked away grumpily. She walked into the kitchen to see her mama making a cake. Dani slouched into her seat and took the towel off of her lunch.
"Dani you need to take a bath, you smell." Abigail Trant said as she poured her batter into a pan. Dani gave her mama an annoyed look, but put the towel back over lunch and left for the bathroom. Dani waited impatiently at the bathroom door for Maureen to get out. Maureen was going on a date with Billy Sanders that night and she was stuck at home with her parent's old friend coming over for dinner. As she waited she thought about that boy. Who did he think he was anyway? Finally Maureen came out of the bathroom and Dani went in to have her bath.
Dani finished buttoning up her shirt and frowned at her reflection. Her mama made her put on another skirt. For a fourteen year old her body image wasn't as horrible as she thought it was. Her breasts were growing nicely, but Dani wanted them to just already finish growing. Dani picked up Melanie and took her outside to the backyard. Her mama and daddy were outside setting up the picnic table as Dani walked down the stairs of the porch.
"Who's so important that I have to wear a skirt?" Dani complained as her mama took Melanie from her avoiding her large stomach.
"Young lady when your mama wants you to do something, you do it and don't question her understood?" Matthew pointed out at his daughter. Dani nodded in response and soon after a constant honking noise was made. It couldn't have been Billy for Maureen because they had left moments before, meaning it must have been Matthew and Abigail's guests. They walked to the side of the house to see Marie Foster get out of her truck and chasing her twin 8 year old boys Rob and Dennis around it telling them to behave. She stopped after she saw Abigail and Matthew smiling at her and walked up to them to give them both a hug. After giving both Matthew and Abigail a hug she gave Dani one.
"I was so sad I couldn't have seen you be born, your mama looks the same, last time I saw her pregnant with you." Marie smiled down at Dani. "Court get out of the truck and come say hi, they haven't seen u since u were a baby." Marie shouted for her other son to get out of the truck. To Dani's horror it was the same boy who was at the lake and he was telling the truth about being a Foster. After being reacquainted the grown ups walked away and Marie gave Court instructions to get the twins. Court and Dani Stared at each other and Dani made faces at him and walked away. Court laughed a little under his breath and walked towards the truck to get the twins, looking back behind him to look at Dani.