Kelly's Story
Kelly looked through her closet quickly.
"What to wear? What to wear?" she repeated over and over to herself. After 5 minutes of rummaging, Kelly finally decided what to wear. She pulled out a long, burgundy dress with a matching sweater. Kelly zipped it up and turned around in front of her mirror. "It's still missing something," Kelly whispered to herself. She pulled out a gold necklace. "Perfect."
There are some things you should know about Kelly. She goes to a private school, ONLY for girls. She didn't have many friends there. All of the girls were very snobby and mean. They had bigger and more important things to think about than Kelly. Kelly had barely got into the school. Kelly was rich, but not as rich as the owners of the school would've liked. Kelly wasn't what you would call happy.
Kelly sighed.
"Kelly! Time to go hon!" Alan yelled from downstairs. They were going to a dinner with a man who was head of a new product Alan was investing in. Kelly rolled her eyes. She DID NOT want to go to this stupid dinner. She walked down the extravagant staircase dramatically. "Wow! Honey you look wonderful!" Alan exclaimed. Kelly dearly loved her dad. He was a great guy. They both walked out to the car. The sky was very dark with specks of white, the stars.
"Nice house," Kelly mumbled as she walked through the door.
"Alan!" a big man is a suit exclaimed. He came over and gave Alan a big bear hug. Alan looked as if he was suffocating.
"Uh, hello Mr. Weinberger," Alan said. Anyone who was in a 5-mile radius could tell he was very nervous. We walked into the dining room where an attractive woman was sitting.
"Alan, this is Melody, my wife!" Mr. Weinberger said. Kelly wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on the odd-looking gizmo on the table.
After about 5 minutes of Mr. Weinberger blabbering on and on about his wife and that statue on the coffee table, they finally sat down to the table. A big, giant turkey was sitting on an expensive blue plate. It looked delicious. Kelly was still staring at the gizmo.
"What are you looking at, Kelly?" Alan asked.
"Ha ha, it looks like she's seen my Nose-Washer 3000!" Mr. Weinberger chuckled.
"The Nose-what?" Kelly asked, confused.
"It's the new product I'm investing in, honey," Alan told Kelly.
"Oh," Kelly said flatly.
A FEW WEEKS LATER . . .
"WHAT?" Alan screamed. Kelly, being very alarmed ran downstairs as quickly as she could.
"What's going on????" Kelly cried. Alan looked as if he was about to pass out.
"The Nose-Master 3000 actually ENHANCES the amount of mucus, instead of cleaning it out! The whole product is a flop!! I LOST ALL THE MONEY I INVESTED IN IT!!" Alan cried hysterically.
"Well, how much did you invest in it?" Kelly said, trying to remain calm.
"3/4 of our net worth," Alan said, very ashamed, "And since the bills are coming up, and since we can't possibly pay them, we have to move."
"MOVE? TO WHERE?" Kelly screamed.
"Well, Mr. Weinberger said we could move to a um, 'quaint' home in the country," Alan said, "Mr. Weinberger will be moving too, to a place a couple of miles away from our new house."
"NO! I CAN'T MOVE!! I can't lose my home and my family, besides you Dad; it's all I have left!" Kelly said, a tear forming in her eye. It dripped down her red, pitiful face.
For the next three days Kelly's didn't feel anything but sadness and anger. She furiously packed her clothes. Kelly was so mad she even mumbled a few choice words to herself. Right as she was saying those words, Alan walked in.
"Kelly! I can't believe your language! I know you're upset, but that's no reason to curse!" Alan exclaimed. Kelly didn't say anything. She was too upset.
The day of the moving, Kelly and her dad dragged their small bags onto the third-class section of the plane. Luckily, Mr. Weinberger promised to pay for the plane trip. He was obviously VERY guilty. Kelly looked out the tiny plane window at her beloved city in California. Tears welled up in her big, brown eyes. She choked them back, not wanting the other passengers to see her crying. After about 5 or 6 hours, Alan pointed out the window at a cloud.
"That's what your mother looked like. I miss her a lot," Alan said, and for the first time Kelly saw Alan crying.
"Dad, it's okay," Kelly reassured him. Kelly embraced her dad. They stayed like that, hugging, for the remainder of the trip.
Kelly and Alan stepped out of the plane. It was a poor town, so there wasn't really an airport. Just a place to land the plane.
"Here's our ride to our home," Alan tried to say cheerfully. He was pointing to a junky car.
"Great," Kelly mumbled. They hopped into the car where a fat man was behind the wheel. Kelly noticed there weren't any seatbelts. "Where am I?" she thought.
They soon arrived to their home. It looked kind of quaint on the outside. It was made from brick and had a few windows with chipped blue paint on the frame. It had semi-dead flowers surrounding it.
"Let's go inside," Alan told Kelly. Kelly reluctantly walked inside. There was a wooden floor with a very ugly couch. An old TV set sat in front of the couch. There was a woven rug in the middle. A bookcase stood in the corner, with a collection of old, dusty books.
"Well, it certainly has character!" Alan said, trying to be optimistic. Alan was sort of optimistic. Kelly was glad he was because she has heard that if you are optimistic you live longer. Alan paced around the room. "With the little bit of money we have left, we could buy some plants and a lamp here and there and it will be fine!"
"Yeah right," Kelly thought.
When the alarm clock went off that next day, Kelly was very tired. She had very weird dreams last night.
"Where am I?" she said out loud. Then she remembered everything that happened yesterday. She sighed and flopped back onto her bed.
DING DONG!
The doorbell went off. Kelly, in her tattered bath robe and messed up hair went to the door and answered it.
"Hello?" Kelly asked groggily with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she nearly passed out. A very cute boy was standing there with kind of a half smile on his face. He looked kind of embarrassed. He had this blond hair that fell over his eyes. His eyes were light blue that sparkled in the sunlight. He was holding a box of homemade cookies.
"Uh, hi, I'm Greg," Greg said kind of quietly. Kelly didn't say anything. She was staring at Greg. (Kelly has a bad habit of staring at things.) Greg looked uncomfortable when Kelly didn't answer. "Hehe, yeah, well, um . . . my mom saw some new people were moving here so she baked so cookies for you."
"Thanks," Kelly said, smiling all embarrassed-like. She took the cookies.
"Hey, um, there is a carnival up at the park, you uh, maybe wanna go with me?" Greg asked.
"Sure," Kelly smiled. Her cheeks were bright red.
"Great, well, I'll pick you up about 1:00, okay?"
"Okay," Kelly said. She was smiling from ear to ear. She walked into the dining room where Alan was chewing on some toast.
"Dad, you will never guess what!" Kelly said excitedly.
"What?" Alan asked with a full mouth.
"Well, the neighbor came here with some homemade cookies and he-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . he? A he?" Alan asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, well, he asked me to go to the carnival with him at the park!" Kelly exclaimed.
"Wow, great honey!" Alan exclaimed. "Well, you better get ready, when is HE going to pick you up?"
"1:00."
"Well, get ready!"
Kelly looked through her dresser. She was looking for an outfit that was pretty, but still appropriate for a carnival. She pulled out a red tank top with a star outlined with rhinestones, denim capris, and a dark blue parka. She smeared some lip gloss on her lips and pulled her hair back into two braids. By that time it was 12:00. Kelly figured that they would eat lunch there so she just chose a book from the bookcase and began to read.
Greg rang the doorbell.
"That must be him," Kelly mumbled to herself as she leaped to the door. "Hi, Greg."
"Hi, uh . . . you never told me your name," Greg said sort of quietly.
"Kelly," Kelly told him.
"Oh, that's a pretty name," Greg said.
"Thanks," Kelly smiled. Then Greg took Kelly's hand and led her to a bicycle.
"Hop on!" Greg exclaimed.
I looked at the bike. It only had one seat.
"Where do I sit?" Kelly asked Greg.
"On the handles!" Greg exclaimed like Kelly was crazy. Kelly was shocked. It was against the law where she used to live.
"Well, if you insist," Kelly said. She hesitated before she climbed on.
"Come on! It's okay!" Greg said reassuringly. Kelly slowly got on. Greg hopped on and started pedaling. Greg went way fast than Kelly had ever pedaled. She shouted out loud. Kelly already was having a blast and she hasn't even arrived at the park.
Soon they arrived at the park.
"We're here!" Greg exclaimed. It was a very pretty park. Large trees were spread out among the lush, green grass. Concession stands and rides were everywhere.
"Ooo, could we go on the bumper cars?" Kelly asked.
"Sure, it's one of my favorite rides!" Greg said. They walked over to the bumper cars together. Greg climbed into a blue car and Kelly hopped in a yellow one. They waited as other people got into the rest of the bumper cars.
Then the bumping began. Kelly headed to a girl with a ponytail to ram into, while Greg ran right into Kelly.
"Hey!" Kelly exclaimed, smiling. Greg just looked all flirtatious. Kelly returned the favor by ramming into Greg. They forgot about everyone else in the ride, they just tried to bump each other.
"Whoo! That was so much fun!" Kelly shouted when the ride let out. Greg nodded.
"Hey, want some cotton candy?" Greg asked Kelly.
"Sure!" They walked over to the concession stand, but this time, they held hands. Greg bought both of them pink puffs of candy.
"Yum!" Kelly exclaimed. Greg and Kelly nibbled at the tasty treat. "I wish we had a roller coaster here. I had one back in my own city."
"Hmmm, you miss your old city?" Greg asked sympathetically.
"Yes, more than anything!" Kelly sighed.
"Well, we may not have a roller coaster, but we do have a um, well, Tunnel of Love . . . "
"A Tunnel of Love?" Kelly asked nervously.
"Yeah, why? Are you nervous about it or something?" Greg asked. He didn't seem mean about it, though. He kind of sounded concerned.
"Well, yes, I mean . . . I've never been in love before," Kelly said quietly. Greg smiled.
"You mean you are in love?" Greg asked with a smile.
"Well, uh, well . . ." Kelly hesitated.
"Are you?" Greg asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Well, yes," Kelly blushed. She turned her head away so Greg wouldn't see her turning red.
"Come on, let's go on the go-karts," Greg said, grabbing Kelly's hand. Kelly walked over to the go-karts, still embarrassed and ashamed.
But the go-karts were a blast and by the time they got off it was getting dark.
"Hmmm, it's getting late, we probably only have time for one last ride," Greg said, kind of wistful.
"Okay, let's go on the Ferris Wheel," Kelly said, just as wistfully. They both climbed into a seat together. The seat was quite smaller than they had thought, so they had to squish together. By that time it was very dark. Stars had come out and for the first time since Kelly and her dad had come, this little old country town was beautiful.
Kelly and Greg's seat had arrived to the top.
"It has been a great day, huh?" Greg asked.
"Yeah," Kelly smiled. Before Kelly could react, Greg reached over and kissed Kelly. At that same moment, fireworks shot off, as planned by the park owners. Greg's kiss had Kelly tingling all over, which made her cold. She shivered.
"Kelly, are you cold?" Greg asked, observing Kelly.
"Yeah," Kelly shivered. Greg took off his jacket and wrapped it around Kelly's shoulders. "Thanks."
Greg pedaled Kelly home. Two outdoor lights right beside her door flicked on.
"Good night, Kelly," Greg said softly.
"Good night, Greg," Kelly said softly right back. Their lips were almost touching when Alan walked through the door.
"Hehe, it looks like you two cool cats had a great time tonight," Alan teased.
"Dad!" Kelly said, giving Alan a playful shove.
"Well, bye, Kelly," Greg said.
"Bye . . ." Kelly said back. Alan and Kelly walked together back into their house. Alan directed Kelly to the dining room where cookies and milk sat on the table.
"It looks like you have a new boyfriend!" Alan winked.
"Dad, please . . . it's only one date!" Kelly said. But secretly she knew Greg was her boyfriend.
"Ooo, so it was a date, huh?" Alan teased. Kelly slapped herself on the head.
"Dad, come on, stop it," Kelly glanced at the clock, "It's time for me to go to bed anyway. I'm exhausted."
"Yeah, boyfriends can do that to you," Alan said to himself once Kelly was out of ear-shot.
Kelly was barely opening her eyes when she heard a scream.
"Uh, what's going on?" she said, running out of bed.
"YAHOO!!!" Alan screeched.
"Dad, why are you so happy?" Kelly asked, rubbing her eyes.
"I WON THE LOTTERY!!!!" Alan yelled.
"OH MY GOSH!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!"
"Yeah, now we can move back to California!" Alan said happily.
"Wha-what?" Kelly said.
"Well, as long as you want, too, Kelly," Alan said generously. But, Alan's generosity caused Kelly just more pain. She had a big decision on her hands. Her house and family, or . . . Greg?
Kelly decided to call Greg that day and talk to him. She picked up the phone nervously. She had never called a boy before.
It rang.
"Hello?" Greg asked.
"Hi, Greg, it's Kelly," Kelly said.
"Oh, hi, Kelly! What's up?"
"I need to talk to you, NOW!!"
"Oh, okay, meet me at the park in 15 minutes, okay?"
"Okay." Kelly rushed to get dressed then bolted out of the door. "I'm going to the park, Dad!"
"Okay, Kelly, be back by lunch," Alan said happily, sipping his coffee.
Kelly arrived at the park 5 minutes early. She picked a flower and put it behind her ear. She saw Greg coming closer and closer. He sat down on the bench beside Kelly.
"What's wrong?" Greg asked.
"Well, my dad won the lottery, and he asked me if I wanted to stay here, or move back to my home in California. In my eyes, it's like choosing between you and well, my family," Kelly gulped in air as she spoke.
"Hmmmm, well, that's hard," Greg said sadly, then he smiled, "But I have an idea." Greg leaned over and whispered something in Kelly's ear. Kelly gasped.
"That's great!!! Alan will be happy, I'll be happy, and you'll be happy!" Kelly exclaimed. Greg just smiled. "Greg, I have one last thing to ask you."
"What is it?" Greg asked.
"Well, are we, you know, girlfriend and boyfriend?" Kelly asked nervously.
"Of course, Kelly," Greg whispered. He reached over and kissed Kelly on the cheek. Kelly giggled.
It was getting near lunch, so Kelly said goodbye to Greg and walked on home. She was smiling broadly, and everything seemed a hundred times prettier, brighter, and just a whole lot nicer. When she got home, Alan was busy making sandwiches and salad.
"Have you made your decision?" Alan asked. When he turned around Kelly noticed he was wearing an apron. Kelly raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, I have made my decision, I have decided that I want . . . ."
"What have you decided?" Alan asked because Kelly was still waiting.
"Well, I have decided to move back to our old home. BUT, I would like someone very special to come with us." Just then Greg came through the door with two big bags.
"I'm coming with her," Greg said confidently. Alan looked like he was about to choke.
"Well, uh, I guess we could do that," Alan said, wiping his mouth. He was in shock,
"And in a few years," Kelly paused to look at Greg, who was holding her hand, "We're going to get engaged!" This time Alan really was choking. But he was happy.
"That's great, honey!" Alan exclaimed. And he really meant it this time. His dreams were coming true. Kelly, his sad, depressed daughter, was blissfully happy. Then he frowned. "You aren't pregnant are you?" Kelly laughed.
"Of course not," Kelly laughed. Alan's face relaxed.
"We'll leave tomorrow!" Alan exclaimed.
THE NEXT DAY . . .
Kelly woke up with a smile on her face. She was so happy she was about to cry. She hopped out of bed and through on her favorite T-shirt.
"Good morning, hon!" Alan exclaimed as he fried some bacon. Greg was sitting at the dinner table.
"Hi, Kelly! You look nice today!" Greg told her.
"Thanks," Kelly said. She still blushed when Greg complimented her. They ate breakfast quickly and then headed out to the plane. They ran up the stairs and sat down in the corduroy seats. Kelly looked out the window. The clouds looked like hearts. "I love you," Kelly whispered in Greg's ear.
"I love you too," Greg whispered back.
THE END
Epilogue:
Kelly and Greg got married and moved back to the country, where they first met. They both got jobs in the country. Greg worked as a pediatrician, and Kelly worked in retail sales at a department store. With the money they made, they fixed up the house that Alan and Kelly lived in in the country. Alan stayed at there old home in California, visiting often. Then there was another joy coming into Kelly and Greg's life, a baby girl. They all lived happily after.
Kelly looked through her closet quickly.
"What to wear? What to wear?" she repeated over and over to herself. After 5 minutes of rummaging, Kelly finally decided what to wear. She pulled out a long, burgundy dress with a matching sweater. Kelly zipped it up and turned around in front of her mirror. "It's still missing something," Kelly whispered to herself. She pulled out a gold necklace. "Perfect."
There are some things you should know about Kelly. She goes to a private school, ONLY for girls. She didn't have many friends there. All of the girls were very snobby and mean. They had bigger and more important things to think about than Kelly. Kelly had barely got into the school. Kelly was rich, but not as rich as the owners of the school would've liked. Kelly wasn't what you would call happy.
Kelly sighed.
"Kelly! Time to go hon!" Alan yelled from downstairs. They were going to a dinner with a man who was head of a new product Alan was investing in. Kelly rolled her eyes. She DID NOT want to go to this stupid dinner. She walked down the extravagant staircase dramatically. "Wow! Honey you look wonderful!" Alan exclaimed. Kelly dearly loved her dad. He was a great guy. They both walked out to the car. The sky was very dark with specks of white, the stars.
"Nice house," Kelly mumbled as she walked through the door.
"Alan!" a big man is a suit exclaimed. He came over and gave Alan a big bear hug. Alan looked as if he was suffocating.
"Uh, hello Mr. Weinberger," Alan said. Anyone who was in a 5-mile radius could tell he was very nervous. We walked into the dining room where an attractive woman was sitting.
"Alan, this is Melody, my wife!" Mr. Weinberger said. Kelly wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on the odd-looking gizmo on the table.
After about 5 minutes of Mr. Weinberger blabbering on and on about his wife and that statue on the coffee table, they finally sat down to the table. A big, giant turkey was sitting on an expensive blue plate. It looked delicious. Kelly was still staring at the gizmo.
"What are you looking at, Kelly?" Alan asked.
"Ha ha, it looks like she's seen my Nose-Washer 3000!" Mr. Weinberger chuckled.
"The Nose-what?" Kelly asked, confused.
"It's the new product I'm investing in, honey," Alan told Kelly.
"Oh," Kelly said flatly.
A FEW WEEKS LATER . . .
"WHAT?" Alan screamed. Kelly, being very alarmed ran downstairs as quickly as she could.
"What's going on????" Kelly cried. Alan looked as if he was about to pass out.
"The Nose-Master 3000 actually ENHANCES the amount of mucus, instead of cleaning it out! The whole product is a flop!! I LOST ALL THE MONEY I INVESTED IN IT!!" Alan cried hysterically.
"Well, how much did you invest in it?" Kelly said, trying to remain calm.
"3/4 of our net worth," Alan said, very ashamed, "And since the bills are coming up, and since we can't possibly pay them, we have to move."
"MOVE? TO WHERE?" Kelly screamed.
"Well, Mr. Weinberger said we could move to a um, 'quaint' home in the country," Alan said, "Mr. Weinberger will be moving too, to a place a couple of miles away from our new house."
"NO! I CAN'T MOVE!! I can't lose my home and my family, besides you Dad; it's all I have left!" Kelly said, a tear forming in her eye. It dripped down her red, pitiful face.
For the next three days Kelly's didn't feel anything but sadness and anger. She furiously packed her clothes. Kelly was so mad she even mumbled a few choice words to herself. Right as she was saying those words, Alan walked in.
"Kelly! I can't believe your language! I know you're upset, but that's no reason to curse!" Alan exclaimed. Kelly didn't say anything. She was too upset.
The day of the moving, Kelly and her dad dragged their small bags onto the third-class section of the plane. Luckily, Mr. Weinberger promised to pay for the plane trip. He was obviously VERY guilty. Kelly looked out the tiny plane window at her beloved city in California. Tears welled up in her big, brown eyes. She choked them back, not wanting the other passengers to see her crying. After about 5 or 6 hours, Alan pointed out the window at a cloud.
"That's what your mother looked like. I miss her a lot," Alan said, and for the first time Kelly saw Alan crying.
"Dad, it's okay," Kelly reassured him. Kelly embraced her dad. They stayed like that, hugging, for the remainder of the trip.
Kelly and Alan stepped out of the plane. It was a poor town, so there wasn't really an airport. Just a place to land the plane.
"Here's our ride to our home," Alan tried to say cheerfully. He was pointing to a junky car.
"Great," Kelly mumbled. They hopped into the car where a fat man was behind the wheel. Kelly noticed there weren't any seatbelts. "Where am I?" she thought.
They soon arrived to their home. It looked kind of quaint on the outside. It was made from brick and had a few windows with chipped blue paint on the frame. It had semi-dead flowers surrounding it.
"Let's go inside," Alan told Kelly. Kelly reluctantly walked inside. There was a wooden floor with a very ugly couch. An old TV set sat in front of the couch. There was a woven rug in the middle. A bookcase stood in the corner, with a collection of old, dusty books.
"Well, it certainly has character!" Alan said, trying to be optimistic. Alan was sort of optimistic. Kelly was glad he was because she has heard that if you are optimistic you live longer. Alan paced around the room. "With the little bit of money we have left, we could buy some plants and a lamp here and there and it will be fine!"
"Yeah right," Kelly thought.
When the alarm clock went off that next day, Kelly was very tired. She had very weird dreams last night.
"Where am I?" she said out loud. Then she remembered everything that happened yesterday. She sighed and flopped back onto her bed.
DING DONG!
The doorbell went off. Kelly, in her tattered bath robe and messed up hair went to the door and answered it.
"Hello?" Kelly asked groggily with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she nearly passed out. A very cute boy was standing there with kind of a half smile on his face. He looked kind of embarrassed. He had this blond hair that fell over his eyes. His eyes were light blue that sparkled in the sunlight. He was holding a box of homemade cookies.
"Uh, hi, I'm Greg," Greg said kind of quietly. Kelly didn't say anything. She was staring at Greg. (Kelly has a bad habit of staring at things.) Greg looked uncomfortable when Kelly didn't answer. "Hehe, yeah, well, um . . . my mom saw some new people were moving here so she baked so cookies for you."
"Thanks," Kelly said, smiling all embarrassed-like. She took the cookies.
"Hey, um, there is a carnival up at the park, you uh, maybe wanna go with me?" Greg asked.
"Sure," Kelly smiled. Her cheeks were bright red.
"Great, well, I'll pick you up about 1:00, okay?"
"Okay," Kelly said. She was smiling from ear to ear. She walked into the dining room where Alan was chewing on some toast.
"Dad, you will never guess what!" Kelly said excitedly.
"What?" Alan asked with a full mouth.
"Well, the neighbor came here with some homemade cookies and he-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . he? A he?" Alan asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, well, he asked me to go to the carnival with him at the park!" Kelly exclaimed.
"Wow, great honey!" Alan exclaimed. "Well, you better get ready, when is HE going to pick you up?"
"1:00."
"Well, get ready!"
Kelly looked through her dresser. She was looking for an outfit that was pretty, but still appropriate for a carnival. She pulled out a red tank top with a star outlined with rhinestones, denim capris, and a dark blue parka. She smeared some lip gloss on her lips and pulled her hair back into two braids. By that time it was 12:00. Kelly figured that they would eat lunch there so she just chose a book from the bookcase and began to read.
Greg rang the doorbell.
"That must be him," Kelly mumbled to herself as she leaped to the door. "Hi, Greg."
"Hi, uh . . . you never told me your name," Greg said sort of quietly.
"Kelly," Kelly told him.
"Oh, that's a pretty name," Greg said.
"Thanks," Kelly smiled. Then Greg took Kelly's hand and led her to a bicycle.
"Hop on!" Greg exclaimed.
I looked at the bike. It only had one seat.
"Where do I sit?" Kelly asked Greg.
"On the handles!" Greg exclaimed like Kelly was crazy. Kelly was shocked. It was against the law where she used to live.
"Well, if you insist," Kelly said. She hesitated before she climbed on.
"Come on! It's okay!" Greg said reassuringly. Kelly slowly got on. Greg hopped on and started pedaling. Greg went way fast than Kelly had ever pedaled. She shouted out loud. Kelly already was having a blast and she hasn't even arrived at the park.
Soon they arrived at the park.
"We're here!" Greg exclaimed. It was a very pretty park. Large trees were spread out among the lush, green grass. Concession stands and rides were everywhere.
"Ooo, could we go on the bumper cars?" Kelly asked.
"Sure, it's one of my favorite rides!" Greg said. They walked over to the bumper cars together. Greg climbed into a blue car and Kelly hopped in a yellow one. They waited as other people got into the rest of the bumper cars.
Then the bumping began. Kelly headed to a girl with a ponytail to ram into, while Greg ran right into Kelly.
"Hey!" Kelly exclaimed, smiling. Greg just looked all flirtatious. Kelly returned the favor by ramming into Greg. They forgot about everyone else in the ride, they just tried to bump each other.
"Whoo! That was so much fun!" Kelly shouted when the ride let out. Greg nodded.
"Hey, want some cotton candy?" Greg asked Kelly.
"Sure!" They walked over to the concession stand, but this time, they held hands. Greg bought both of them pink puffs of candy.
"Yum!" Kelly exclaimed. Greg and Kelly nibbled at the tasty treat. "I wish we had a roller coaster here. I had one back in my own city."
"Hmmm, you miss your old city?" Greg asked sympathetically.
"Yes, more than anything!" Kelly sighed.
"Well, we may not have a roller coaster, but we do have a um, well, Tunnel of Love . . . "
"A Tunnel of Love?" Kelly asked nervously.
"Yeah, why? Are you nervous about it or something?" Greg asked. He didn't seem mean about it, though. He kind of sounded concerned.
"Well, yes, I mean . . . I've never been in love before," Kelly said quietly. Greg smiled.
"You mean you are in love?" Greg asked with a smile.
"Well, uh, well . . ." Kelly hesitated.
"Are you?" Greg asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Well, yes," Kelly blushed. She turned her head away so Greg wouldn't see her turning red.
"Come on, let's go on the go-karts," Greg said, grabbing Kelly's hand. Kelly walked over to the go-karts, still embarrassed and ashamed.
But the go-karts were a blast and by the time they got off it was getting dark.
"Hmmm, it's getting late, we probably only have time for one last ride," Greg said, kind of wistful.
"Okay, let's go on the Ferris Wheel," Kelly said, just as wistfully. They both climbed into a seat together. The seat was quite smaller than they had thought, so they had to squish together. By that time it was very dark. Stars had come out and for the first time since Kelly and her dad had come, this little old country town was beautiful.
Kelly and Greg's seat had arrived to the top.
"It has been a great day, huh?" Greg asked.
"Yeah," Kelly smiled. Before Kelly could react, Greg reached over and kissed Kelly. At that same moment, fireworks shot off, as planned by the park owners. Greg's kiss had Kelly tingling all over, which made her cold. She shivered.
"Kelly, are you cold?" Greg asked, observing Kelly.
"Yeah," Kelly shivered. Greg took off his jacket and wrapped it around Kelly's shoulders. "Thanks."
Greg pedaled Kelly home. Two outdoor lights right beside her door flicked on.
"Good night, Kelly," Greg said softly.
"Good night, Greg," Kelly said softly right back. Their lips were almost touching when Alan walked through the door.
"Hehe, it looks like you two cool cats had a great time tonight," Alan teased.
"Dad!" Kelly said, giving Alan a playful shove.
"Well, bye, Kelly," Greg said.
"Bye . . ." Kelly said back. Alan and Kelly walked together back into their house. Alan directed Kelly to the dining room where cookies and milk sat on the table.
"It looks like you have a new boyfriend!" Alan winked.
"Dad, please . . . it's only one date!" Kelly said. But secretly she knew Greg was her boyfriend.
"Ooo, so it was a date, huh?" Alan teased. Kelly slapped herself on the head.
"Dad, come on, stop it," Kelly glanced at the clock, "It's time for me to go to bed anyway. I'm exhausted."
"Yeah, boyfriends can do that to you," Alan said to himself once Kelly was out of ear-shot.
Kelly was barely opening her eyes when she heard a scream.
"Uh, what's going on?" she said, running out of bed.
"YAHOO!!!" Alan screeched.
"Dad, why are you so happy?" Kelly asked, rubbing her eyes.
"I WON THE LOTTERY!!!!" Alan yelled.
"OH MY GOSH!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!"
"Yeah, now we can move back to California!" Alan said happily.
"Wha-what?" Kelly said.
"Well, as long as you want, too, Kelly," Alan said generously. But, Alan's generosity caused Kelly just more pain. She had a big decision on her hands. Her house and family, or . . . Greg?
Kelly decided to call Greg that day and talk to him. She picked up the phone nervously. She had never called a boy before.
It rang.
"Hello?" Greg asked.
"Hi, Greg, it's Kelly," Kelly said.
"Oh, hi, Kelly! What's up?"
"I need to talk to you, NOW!!"
"Oh, okay, meet me at the park in 15 minutes, okay?"
"Okay." Kelly rushed to get dressed then bolted out of the door. "I'm going to the park, Dad!"
"Okay, Kelly, be back by lunch," Alan said happily, sipping his coffee.
Kelly arrived at the park 5 minutes early. She picked a flower and put it behind her ear. She saw Greg coming closer and closer. He sat down on the bench beside Kelly.
"What's wrong?" Greg asked.
"Well, my dad won the lottery, and he asked me if I wanted to stay here, or move back to my home in California. In my eyes, it's like choosing between you and well, my family," Kelly gulped in air as she spoke.
"Hmmmm, well, that's hard," Greg said sadly, then he smiled, "But I have an idea." Greg leaned over and whispered something in Kelly's ear. Kelly gasped.
"That's great!!! Alan will be happy, I'll be happy, and you'll be happy!" Kelly exclaimed. Greg just smiled. "Greg, I have one last thing to ask you."
"What is it?" Greg asked.
"Well, are we, you know, girlfriend and boyfriend?" Kelly asked nervously.
"Of course, Kelly," Greg whispered. He reached over and kissed Kelly on the cheek. Kelly giggled.
It was getting near lunch, so Kelly said goodbye to Greg and walked on home. She was smiling broadly, and everything seemed a hundred times prettier, brighter, and just a whole lot nicer. When she got home, Alan was busy making sandwiches and salad.
"Have you made your decision?" Alan asked. When he turned around Kelly noticed he was wearing an apron. Kelly raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, I have made my decision, I have decided that I want . . . ."
"What have you decided?" Alan asked because Kelly was still waiting.
"Well, I have decided to move back to our old home. BUT, I would like someone very special to come with us." Just then Greg came through the door with two big bags.
"I'm coming with her," Greg said confidently. Alan looked like he was about to choke.
"Well, uh, I guess we could do that," Alan said, wiping his mouth. He was in shock,
"And in a few years," Kelly paused to look at Greg, who was holding her hand, "We're going to get engaged!" This time Alan really was choking. But he was happy.
"That's great, honey!" Alan exclaimed. And he really meant it this time. His dreams were coming true. Kelly, his sad, depressed daughter, was blissfully happy. Then he frowned. "You aren't pregnant are you?" Kelly laughed.
"Of course not," Kelly laughed. Alan's face relaxed.
"We'll leave tomorrow!" Alan exclaimed.
THE NEXT DAY . . .
Kelly woke up with a smile on her face. She was so happy she was about to cry. She hopped out of bed and through on her favorite T-shirt.
"Good morning, hon!" Alan exclaimed as he fried some bacon. Greg was sitting at the dinner table.
"Hi, Kelly! You look nice today!" Greg told her.
"Thanks," Kelly said. She still blushed when Greg complimented her. They ate breakfast quickly and then headed out to the plane. They ran up the stairs and sat down in the corduroy seats. Kelly looked out the window. The clouds looked like hearts. "I love you," Kelly whispered in Greg's ear.
"I love you too," Greg whispered back.
THE END
Epilogue:
Kelly and Greg got married and moved back to the country, where they first met. They both got jobs in the country. Greg worked as a pediatrician, and Kelly worked in retail sales at a department store. With the money they made, they fixed up the house that Alan and Kelly lived in in the country. Alan stayed at there old home in California, visiting often. Then there was another joy coming into Kelly and Greg's life, a baby girl. They all lived happily after.