Dear Diary,
So here I sit on this plane headed to a place I haven't been since I was three years old. I didn't know much about my father other than apparently I had inherited his fair hair coloring and piercing green eyes. I talked to him a few times a year but neither of us ever said much. I knew that he and my mom got married right out of high school and had me a year later. Just after I turned three my mom decided that she couldn't take it in an "Igloo Town" as she had called it and left taking me with her. I wasn't sure why I was so intent on flying from our nice warm Tampa house to Anchorage, Alaska to live with my dad. Frickin Alaska … I know crazy right. That's what mum thought when I told her I was moving in with my dad. Maybe I am crazy for leaving everything I have ever known behind but I have to try right. For most of my life I have felt like I was different. Like I didn't have a place in this world. I was never any good at sports and I certainly was no scholar. I wasn't popular but I wasn't a geek either. I was doomed to wander around almost invisible to everyone around me. Maybe meeting my dad and getting to know him will be able to help me find out who I truly am and where I belong in this crazy world.
I closed my diary and sighed. Was I really doing the right thing by moving myself away from everything and everyone I knew? I had always wanted to meet my dad but my mom would never let me but now that I am eighteen she can't exactly stop me anymore. Ric, my dad, was a very quiet man from what I could tell from the telephone conversations we had. He was the chief of police up there. As I thought about that I let out a chuckle, what crimes could possibly happen in Alaska. What someone parked the dog sled too close to someone else's igloo? That wasn't fair though because I knew there were houses and stores that made where he lived no different from where I had grown up. I sighed and closed my eyes. I had some time to sleep before the plane landed.
Sleep never came to me though. With my eyes closed I tried to remember every phone conversation I have ever had with my father. I tried to picture what he looked like by what his voice sounded like. It wasn't long before someone tapped me on the shoulder. The plane was empty now and I looked up to meet the eyes of an annoyed looking stewardess. I gathered my carry on and left the plane. I shivered as the icy wind hit my face. I pulled the hood of my heavy winter jacket closer to my face. I sighed as I stepped into the warm airport terminal. I looked around but I had no idea what my father looked like so it was useless.
"Aislinn." I grimaced. "Nobody back home called me by my first name. I went by Eden. It was more acceptable than my strange first name. Apparently at the time when I was born my mother was obsessed with the Irish culture and named me the first name she happened to see in an Irish baby name book.
"Eden ... please call me Eden." I corrected the man who had addressed me by my first name.
"My name is Bob. I work with your dad. He asked me to come pick you up." He flashed me a trustworthy smile. I followed him out to his squad car. He took my bags for me and placed them in the trunk of the car. I got in right away. I was not used to the cold yet. He hopped into the driver's seat.
"So how are you liking it so far?" He asked for the sheer purpose of having something to say.
"It ... sure is white." I tried but failed to muster up enough excitement.
"My boy Randy goes to the same school you are gonna go to. He's a good kid. That's him there." Bob pointed to a picture he had taped to his sun visor. The boy in the picture looked to be about her age. He had a huge smile on his face as he held up a fish he had caught. He was good looking, she would admit that but he looked like the type of person who knew he was good looking and therefore came off as a huge jerk.
He stopped in front of a small house. It was painted a sage green color but looked to be in some major need of a paint job. I stepped out of the car and thanked Bob for the ride. He smiled at me and reminded me to look for his son. He assured me that Randy would make it so I had a million friends by the end of the first day. I told him I would make sure to find him. I watched as Bob pulled away. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the set of keys my father had made sure to mail me. The house itself was small but very tidy. Which surprised me because my dad had been on his own for a very long time. I walked over to the mantle, there were tons of pictures lined across it. Most of them were of my dad with his friends. I was surprised to find out that there were also some pictures of me up there too. It tugged at my heart strings to know that even though we were practically strangers he kept pictures of me. I was extremely tired. It wasn't hard to find my room. There were only three doors on the second floor landing. The first one I opened up led into the bathroom. That only left two doors on either side of it. Much to my relief I picked the right room on the second try. This room had been mine my whole life. Like everything else it was small. Only large enough to fit a twin sized bed and what looked to be a second hand desk and a dresser. I unpacked the stuff I had brought with me. It didn't take too long considering I really didn't have much winter clothes back home. Two days before I left my mother and I spent all day trying to find an appropriate coat and boots for me. I shrugged out of my coat and removed my boots. Diving under the covers as soon as I could. I vaguely recall my bedroom light being turned on and my father stepping into the room to check on me. Bob must have told him that I had arrived safely. I felt him kiss my forehead and make sure I was tucked into bed. Things my mother had stopped doing for me years before. But it seemed nice to me that we would at least make an effort. It made me want to give it my all as well.
"Sweet dreams Eden." He whispered before leaving the room.