Here is a tiny bit to tie you guys over until I am back home where I can write freely!
Joni
I feel Teddy relax beside me as his Uncle, father and grandfather leave the room. He pulls me more securely into his arms, which has me practically in his lap, and inhales my hair.
"What else happens, Joni?" Emma urges me to finish my story. I was telling them about my two year "quest", as my mother likes to call it.
"Where was I? Oh yes, so my dad had just put me on a plane to Puerto Rico to visit my great-grand mother. I was flying from Australia and my flight took me from Sydney to Dubai then Atlanta to Puerto Rico, but I had never been to Dubai before so I stayed."
"Wait, you just stayed?" Ava asks putting her phone away.
"Yeah it was really cool" I enthuse remembering all of the fun I had there. "I ate the most amazing sour curry there."
"Your parents didn't care?" Emma asked nearly falling off her cushion.
"Oh my dad was proper angry" I cringe remembering calling him from Dubai. "But my mom convinced him that it was best to leave me to my own devices. I bumped into a group of girls from Spain who were on holiday and tagged along with them for a bit. None of us knew the language and I was under age it was a hot mess, but so much fun. We studied Yoga in Rishikesh for like three weeks before we took a train from New Delhi to Shanghai, where we taught English in this after school place for like two months before they realized that we didn't have work visas. They went west, but I went south to Bhutan and studied meditation with some Monks near the Himalayas. Somehow got enough money to get a plane ticket to Peru went to the Sacred Valley where I signed up for this eight day retreat where I drunk Ayahuasca and got a mind, soul and body reset; it was amazing. I went from there to Bolivia, then Chile, spent three days in Parguay before I wound up in Venezuela. I figured since I was already so close I should actually go visit my Great-grandma so I took a boat to Puerto Rico. She was so excited that I was alive that she didn't kill me. My Cousins were taking a cruise through the Mediterranean and invited me. I made it to France before I decided not to finish the cruise and wandered through most of Europe for months, visited my mom's parents in Russia who put me on a plane to Seoul, South Krea where my dad was stationed. He took my passport after that. I didn't really mind by that time I hadn't seen them in about two years and it was nice to just be."
"How old were you?" Carrick asks. I didn't notice him and the other parents rejoin us until he spoke up.
"I had just turned sixteen the day before I left for Puerto Rico" I answer honestly, watching the adults eyes widen. "I had graduated from home school and was enrolling in online classes until I figured out which Uni I wanted to attend and then the quest happened."
"It didn't just happen" Christian argues. "You made a conscious choice to disobey your parents and wonder the world."
"Not exactly" I shrug. "My mom is a huge believer in life; living life, taking advantage of your life, all that good stuff. When I called her from Dubai she was so supportive and excited for me. If my dad hadn't put his foot down she probably would have joined me."
"How did you pay for everything?" Phoebe asks looking like she was taking mental notes.
"If you can speak English you can basically write your ticket in the area as a guide even if you don't know anything about the area just act like you do and you are set" I explain then seeing the looks on Mia and Ethan' s faces I backtrack. "But remember twins' lying is bad you shouldn't lie."
"What place was your favorite?" EJ asked.
"I loved Buenos Aires, I went during their fall and stayed for two months" I said sighing wistfully. "I got a job as a translator and stayed at a few different hostels, it was really amazing."
"What made you give that up and go to college?" Mia asked.
"The last couple I guided around the city were Harvard professors. The husband teaches linguistic anthropology and his wife teaches international business. He spoke of the languages he was working on preserving and one of them my mom also helped, turns out they knew each other from undergrad. They asked me to consider helping his research that turned into me applying to Harvard and then getting in as I slowly made my way back to my parents. My dad was so happy I picked a Uni he decided not to punish me."
"Would you do it again?" Ava asks.
"If you'd asked me seven months ago I would have said in a heartbeat" I answer honestly.
"What changed?" Emma asked confused.
"I met someone worth staying still for" I say looking up at Teddy. "When he is ready to move I will move."
"So you aren't going to Guatemala?" Ava asks.
"Ava" Phoebe hisses. "That is their private business."
"No it is fine" I implore. "I am going, this is a once in a life time opportunity. Teddy just needed to be reminded of that."
"I will be going with her" Teddy adds surprising me and the rest of his family.