My watch read midnight. I was ready to go. My mother had tried to get me to unlock my door, but I wouldn't move. I felt kind of guilty. It was my father I was mad at, not her. What did she do? Well, beside lying to me, just as much as my father and my broth---Danny. I shook my head and opened my bedroom door, then quietly made it down the stairs. I looked at the living room as I opened the front door. I would be back, I hoped. Sighing, I walked outside and quietly shut the door. My suitcase was light. I had about 2 shirts and some pedal pushers, I think. Maybe even 1 shirt. Who knows? Hopefully, I wouldn't need them. I then began to approach the grave. I was coming through the backyard to avoid the slight possibility of getting caught by the parentals. Just as I got to the headstone, I gave it a glance. Now I knew who he was. Kind of. He was my brother's father, and that was enough for me. Enough for me to love him, and enoguh for me to hate him.
I was almost past the headstone, when someone jumped out and grabbed me by the arm. I looked up and saw Daniel Walker, sunglasses and all. I screamed, again at the top of my lungs. "Becky!" I kept screaming. "Becky! Sssshh! It's just me!" I stopped screaming long enough to see that it wasn't infact a ghost, but only Danny. He didn't let go of my arm. "Are the little things going to start scarring you for life, now?" He pulled my arm away, harshly. "You know what? It's midnight, Danny. There aren't very many sun rays that I can see," He kept the solemn look on his face, and slowly removed the glasses. I then saw that he had been crying. I seriously needed to call CBS. Danny Walker just didn't cry. Forget that, Rebecca. You've got to get on the road. "So, why are you out here this time of night?" I asked. He shrugged and propped himself up on the headstone. "Just talking to the old man." I smiled a little. "You do that every night?" He nodded and looked at the ground. I laughed. "So that's why you come out here." He grinned a little and nodded. He then looked up at me. "So, where are you going?" He asked, motioning to my bag. I shrugged. "I don't know. Where ever I can hitch hike to." His eyes studied me; hard. "Rebecca, no." "Rebecca, yes." I answered, not meaning to sound like such a bitch. "I can't let you go." He said, nut budging from the headstone. "How do you think you can stop me?" I said, starting to walk away. He grabbed my arm. "This is stupid, Becky. There's no need to run away. No one is mad at you." "Except the man I love most." I answered, feeling the tears brim my eyes. Danny looked down, but his grip on my arm didn't change. "Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell him when they say they found you dead on the side of the road? He'd be a little mad at me, then. For letting you go." I jerked my arm away and starting backing up. "Maybe you can lie, Danny. You, like him and Mama, are good at it. Put it to some more use." I turned around and started running, not once turning back to acknowledge his pleas.
It was 4 AM. I had been walking down the dirt road for 4 hours, and I had no clue where I was. Fear was the one emotion that consumed me. Why had I left? I admit it. I was being immature. I should've listened to Danny. But, nooo. Had to be stubborn. Had to have it my way. I'm sure he's told my parents by now and my mother is going into convulsions and my father is kicking himself in the face for yelling at me. Oh my God, I just got a pang of joy out of that thought. The thought of my father kicking himself over being harsh to me. Damn it, I was so selfish. I messed up, too. Well, really I didn't. But, maybe I did. In my own weird way. AAAAAHHH. Screw all of this. A car comes. Should I get a ride?
"Where ya headed?" I looked at the old woman in the driver's seat. She looked about 50, and sweet enough. "Where ever you are." She nodded and opened the passenger door. I walked around and threw my bags in, getting in the car. She didn't hesitate to pull away at that moment. After about 5 minutes of just staring at the dark trees, I spoke. "So, where are we headed?" "Nashville." I nodded. "Oh." Well, this was awkward. "What's your name, missy?" The old woman asked. I coughed. "Rebecca. Rebecca McCawley." She nodded. "McCawley, eh?" I nodded. "That man. Allen McCawley, I believe. I used to know him. He was a good man. Did you know him?" I nodded, again. "Yes, ma'am. He was my grandfather." She chuckled. "You's Rafe's girl then, ain't ya?" I nodded, almost shyly. Almost as if I was ashamed. Why the hell would I be ashamed? My father was the greatest man to walk the planet. "Why in the sam hill you running away, then?" I shrugged. "Family fued, I guess." She nodded. "Well, Rebecca. Let me tell you. I never did meet that Rafe, only when he was little. I met him and his friend one time," She laughed. I then came to the conclusion that she was mroe reminiscing to herself, rather than telling it for my use. "Them boys. They were inseperable. They would all the time run around with toy planes, then when they got old enough they'd build them some fake ones. Danny Walker, was his name I believe. Cole Walker's boy," I froze. Even if she wasn't talking to me now, I was going to listen. "That man was nothing but a drunk, I'll tell ya. Beating up on his boy and wife, til one day his wife finally died. Couldn't take much more, I'm a guessing. Oh, anyway, Rebecca. Your daddy's a good man, from what I hear. Did a great thing over at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and was part of that Doolittle Raid," My father had never mentioned that, either. "Danny went on that Raid too, so I hear. Was the death of him. Sad, sad thing. The town cried for weeks." Ok, so Daniel was there, too. That's how he died. I'm defenitely going to find a library as soon as I get to Nashville. "Um, mind if I ask your name?" I asked. "Oh, sorry, hun. Paula Neely." I smiled. "Thanks for the ride, Ms. Neely," She nodded. "Where do you live now?" "Oh, the family moved out of Shelby a while ago. Living in Winchester, now," I nodded. Shoot, this woman knew so much town gossip I figured she was from out of area now. She would know about my brother, surely. "So tell me, Rebecca. Rafe got any more children besides you?" I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, just me." She chuckled. "You're the only pride and joy, huh?" My smile faded, but I immediately put on a fake one. "Yeah, I guess so." Ouch. Pain.
I was almost past the headstone, when someone jumped out and grabbed me by the arm. I looked up and saw Daniel Walker, sunglasses and all. I screamed, again at the top of my lungs. "Becky!" I kept screaming. "Becky! Sssshh! It's just me!" I stopped screaming long enough to see that it wasn't infact a ghost, but only Danny. He didn't let go of my arm. "Are the little things going to start scarring you for life, now?" He pulled my arm away, harshly. "You know what? It's midnight, Danny. There aren't very many sun rays that I can see," He kept the solemn look on his face, and slowly removed the glasses. I then saw that he had been crying. I seriously needed to call CBS. Danny Walker just didn't cry. Forget that, Rebecca. You've got to get on the road. "So, why are you out here this time of night?" I asked. He shrugged and propped himself up on the headstone. "Just talking to the old man." I smiled a little. "You do that every night?" He nodded and looked at the ground. I laughed. "So that's why you come out here." He grinned a little and nodded. He then looked up at me. "So, where are you going?" He asked, motioning to my bag. I shrugged. "I don't know. Where ever I can hitch hike to." His eyes studied me; hard. "Rebecca, no." "Rebecca, yes." I answered, not meaning to sound like such a bitch. "I can't let you go." He said, nut budging from the headstone. "How do you think you can stop me?" I said, starting to walk away. He grabbed my arm. "This is stupid, Becky. There's no need to run away. No one is mad at you." "Except the man I love most." I answered, feeling the tears brim my eyes. Danny looked down, but his grip on my arm didn't change. "Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell him when they say they found you dead on the side of the road? He'd be a little mad at me, then. For letting you go." I jerked my arm away and starting backing up. "Maybe you can lie, Danny. You, like him and Mama, are good at it. Put it to some more use." I turned around and started running, not once turning back to acknowledge his pleas.
It was 4 AM. I had been walking down the dirt road for 4 hours, and I had no clue where I was. Fear was the one emotion that consumed me. Why had I left? I admit it. I was being immature. I should've listened to Danny. But, nooo. Had to be stubborn. Had to have it my way. I'm sure he's told my parents by now and my mother is going into convulsions and my father is kicking himself in the face for yelling at me. Oh my God, I just got a pang of joy out of that thought. The thought of my father kicking himself over being harsh to me. Damn it, I was so selfish. I messed up, too. Well, really I didn't. But, maybe I did. In my own weird way. AAAAAHHH. Screw all of this. A car comes. Should I get a ride?
"Where ya headed?" I looked at the old woman in the driver's seat. She looked about 50, and sweet enough. "Where ever you are." She nodded and opened the passenger door. I walked around and threw my bags in, getting in the car. She didn't hesitate to pull away at that moment. After about 5 minutes of just staring at the dark trees, I spoke. "So, where are we headed?" "Nashville." I nodded. "Oh." Well, this was awkward. "What's your name, missy?" The old woman asked. I coughed. "Rebecca. Rebecca McCawley." She nodded. "McCawley, eh?" I nodded. "That man. Allen McCawley, I believe. I used to know him. He was a good man. Did you know him?" I nodded, again. "Yes, ma'am. He was my grandfather." She chuckled. "You's Rafe's girl then, ain't ya?" I nodded, almost shyly. Almost as if I was ashamed. Why the hell would I be ashamed? My father was the greatest man to walk the planet. "Why in the sam hill you running away, then?" I shrugged. "Family fued, I guess." She nodded. "Well, Rebecca. Let me tell you. I never did meet that Rafe, only when he was little. I met him and his friend one time," She laughed. I then came to the conclusion that she was mroe reminiscing to herself, rather than telling it for my use. "Them boys. They were inseperable. They would all the time run around with toy planes, then when they got old enough they'd build them some fake ones. Danny Walker, was his name I believe. Cole Walker's boy," I froze. Even if she wasn't talking to me now, I was going to listen. "That man was nothing but a drunk, I'll tell ya. Beating up on his boy and wife, til one day his wife finally died. Couldn't take much more, I'm a guessing. Oh, anyway, Rebecca. Your daddy's a good man, from what I hear. Did a great thing over at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and was part of that Doolittle Raid," My father had never mentioned that, either. "Danny went on that Raid too, so I hear. Was the death of him. Sad, sad thing. The town cried for weeks." Ok, so Daniel was there, too. That's how he died. I'm defenitely going to find a library as soon as I get to Nashville. "Um, mind if I ask your name?" I asked. "Oh, sorry, hun. Paula Neely." I smiled. "Thanks for the ride, Ms. Neely," She nodded. "Where do you live now?" "Oh, the family moved out of Shelby a while ago. Living in Winchester, now," I nodded. Shoot, this woman knew so much town gossip I figured she was from out of area now. She would know about my brother, surely. "So tell me, Rebecca. Rafe got any more children besides you?" I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, just me." She chuckled. "You're the only pride and joy, huh?" My smile faded, but I immediately put on a fake one. "Yeah, I guess so." Ouch. Pain.