"Are
you serious?" Liz cried into the phone, "Yea, I'll ask them. They're
working right now, but I'll tell themOf course I'll tell them! I'm
not going to forget this!Kyle you made my dayOk, ok, my week!.. This
is so excitingYes, I'll tell them!..Ok, I love you, bye." She hung
up the phone and raced downstairs to find her
parents.
"Dad!
Guess what?" Liz cried.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework, Liz?" Her
father asked.
"I
was, I swear! But Kyle called."
"What
about?" Mrs. Parker asked, coming up to Liz.
"He
says he can come for a visit!"
"Really?" Her mother asked, "Oh, how wonderful! It's been so
long."
"Has
it really been three years?" Mr. Parker asked.
"Yea,"
Liz said, "But you'd never know because we talk to eachother so
often! Anyway, this is so exciting! You have to call him and tell
him he can come and work out the details."
"I'll
call him right now." Mr. Parker promised.
"Mom,
isn't this wonderful?" Liz said, bursting with
excitement.
"Yes,
it is. Dad will call and set everything up. You should get back to
your homework!"
"Mom,"
Liz complained, "Who can think of homework at a time like
this?"
Mrs.
Parker laughed, "Try."
"So,
who is this Kyle and why haven't I met him before?" Isabel asked,
hanging out in the library with Liz after school working on
homework.
"Kyle
is my cousin." Liz explained, "He's one of my best
friends."
"That's great." Isabel said, eagerly, "Tell me about
him!"
Liz
smiled, how could she describe Kyle to Isabel? Should she tell her
how he was 6'3" and towered over her and about his deep brown eyes
and olive skin? Or how his favorite color was green and he had seen
First Knight about 15 times? Or maybe she should say how when he was
10 and she was 8 they had camped out in the living room and had
begged her parents to let them keep up the tent and blankets for the
entire visit so they could sleep there and talk, even though it took
up the entire room?
"Earth
to Liz!" Isabel said, waving her hand in front of her friend's face.
"Where were you?"
"Sorry, just drifting. Let's see...KyleHe's 20 years old, he
goes to school in California, UCLA, he's majoring in journalism and
his goal is to be a famous reporter. I owe my good grades in English
to him, we're always sending eachother challenges, we make lists of
10 things and we have to write stories with all of them in there.
He's funny and a nice guy and I adore him!"
Isabel
laughed, "I can't wait to meet him!"
"Yea!"
Liz said, "We should have a party or something and that way all of
you can meet him. Maria's the only one who's met him I
think."
"God,"
Liz said, smiling, "Can you believe our last party was in August?
Now we're halfway through senior year."
"Well,
junior year for me." Isabel said.
"Yea,
but I never thought I'd survive and I'm doing great." She smiled
happily. "I can't start thinking about school, though, or I'll
start to worry and think about midterms and stuff, when all I want
to do is think of how wonderful it will be when Kyle is
here."
"It
will be wonderful when Kyle is here." Isabel said,
teasing.
Liz
sat by gate C-32 with her father, anxiously waiting for Kyle's plane
to land. Mr. Parker was sitting down, but Liz was walking around the
waiting area and hopping up and down slightly. "Liz, sit down." Her
father said.
Liz
sat down in the chair next to him and kicked at the matted gray
carpet, she swung her legs back and forth and drummed out endless
rhythms on the hand rests. Finally she jumped up again and shifted
her weight from side to side.
Mr.
Parker shook his head and stood up, "I'm going to some coffee. Do
you want anything?"
Liz
grinned, "You better just get me an iced tea."
"One
iced tea coming up," Mr. Parker said.
After
he left, Liz did one more lap of the waiting area and then "Non-stop
flight 478 from Los Angeles to Tampa has just arrived." Was
announced over the loudspeaker.
"Horray!" Liz cried. She ran over to the large windows that
showed the passengers getting off the plane. She eagerly peered into
the glass, waiting to see Kyle. Just when she thought she would
burst if she didn't see Kyle, he appeared. She tapped on the glass
to get his attention. When he saw her he smiled happily and waved.
As soon as he stepped out she was in his arms.
"Kyle!" Liz cried, happily. "I'm so glad you're
here!"
"I'm
glad to be here." He said, "I've really missed
you."
Then
her father appeared, drinks in hand. "Hi, Kyle! Good to see
you!"
"Good
to see you, Uncle Frank! Thanks for letting me
come."
"It's
great you were able to come." Mr. Parker said.
Liz
took Kyle's hand. "Should we go to baggage claim
now?"
"Nope," Kyle said, raising his duffel bag up, "This is
it."
"That's it?" Liz asked, amazed.
"What?' Kyle asked, confused.
"Liz
is a certified over packer." Mr. Parker explained, "She can't spend
one night away without packing a full suitcase."
"Oh,
that's right!" Kyle said, "I forgot! Over packers syndrome hit Liz
hard."
"Shut
up!" Liz said, "I'm prepared."
"I'm
so glad you're here." Liz said, rolling her
eyes.
Kyle
laughed and slung his arm around her, "Let's get going." And that's
how they walked all the way to the car.
On the
way home they caught up. Discussing what books they had read, which
movies had been a waste of time, what CD they couldn't live without
and just chatted about the most unimportant details of their lives.
Real talking would come later, at night, tucked safely away in bed.
This was just noise to fill the silence and bring eachother up to
speed on issues that didn't matter to anyone but
them.
"Actually, I have really big news." Kyle
said.
"Really?' Liz asked, "What?"
"I'm
not going to tell you yet." Kyle announced.
"Yes,
it's too important to talk about in the car, but I'll tell you,
don't worry."
"No
fair! You know how impatient I am." Liz whined.
"You're so mean." Liz crossed her arms and rested against the
seat, then she jumped up, "Please tell me!"
"Fine." She was sad for a moment, then launched into stories
about the little adventures she, Max, Isabel, Maria, Alex and
Michael had gotten into. And they were laughing the entire ride
home.
"So
Isabel is dating Alex, who is Max's best friend. After just being
friends for years they kinda clicked. And I'm dating Max now, who I
became close with because he's Isabel's brother." Liz said, trying
to give Kyle a quick over view of her friends so when they all came
he would be familiar with them.
"Wow,"
Kyle commented, "It's like clique inbreeding!"
"It is
not clique inbreeding! It's great, we have a history together that
makes the relationships stronger." She pushed a table against the
wall. "I forgot how annoying your sense of humor
was."
"Oh,
don't even try that, Liz. We have the same sense of humor, you just
remember how jive it is when I come to visit!"
"That's not true!" Liz laughed.
"It is
so true. Now what about Maria? Is she still dating
Michael?"
"Yea,
and she's really looking forward to seeing you. Have you met
Michael?"
"No,
but I've heard about him." Kyle pitched his voice high in a bad
imitation of Liz "Oh, my God! Kyle you have to seewho Maria is
dating! This guy, Michael, is totally gross."
Liz
giggled, "I do not sound like that."
"I do
not!" Liz insisted.
"I'll
have to start taping our conversations."
Before
Liz could reply Isabel and Max arrived. "Knock, knock." Isabel said,
walking into the café.
"Hey,
guys!" Liz said, giving Isabel a half hug and Max a quick kiss.
"Come meet Kyle." She dragged them over to where Kyle was leaning
against the counter. "Max, Isabel, this is my favorite cousin Kyle,
and Kyle this is my boyfriend Max and one of my best friends,
Isabel."
"Nice
to meet you." Max said, shaking Kyle's hand.
"Hi,
Kyle," Isabel said, shaking his hand, "It's so nice to meet you!
You're all I've heard about for the past week!"
Kyle
laughed, "I'm afraid to ask what she told you."
"All
good things" Isabel assured him.
"Ha!"
Liz said, "Don't buy that. They know everything." Kyle rolled his
eyes. "You guys sit down, I'll get drinks."
"I'll
help." Max offered, following Liz into the kitchen. Liz was getting
out glasses and Max started pulling out drinks from the fridge. He
handed her a Snapple and Liz laughed.
"Yea,
it does feel familiar." Max agreed.
"Did
you bring any whipped cream?" Liz teased.
"I'm
never going to live that down am I?" Max
groaned.
Max
leaned over and kissed her. "That didn't happen last time, but I
wanted it to."
"That's sweet." Liz said and kissed him
again.
"Kyle
seems like a nice guy." Max said, after a beat of silence.
"He
absolutely is. I'm sure you two will totally hit it off." She put
all the drinks on a tray and carried them out. When she got there
she found Maria and Michael sitting with Isabel and Kyle, talking
animatedly about something.
Liz
set down the tray, "What's up, guys?"
"Maria
here was kind enough to fill me in on what you've been up to. And
they sure aren't stories you've told me!"
Liz
just laughed, "Maria keeps me humble. She thinks by telling
embarrassing stories about me my head won't get too
big."
"Lord
knows you need it." Maria teased. "Anyway, I'm not surprised Liz's
left out a few stories. We all know where her mind has
been."
"Max."
Maria and Isabel said together.
"I
tell the good stories." Liz protested, happily, "I want to be
entertaining."
"You
wish you were entertaining." Kyle grumbled.
"Now I
know you're related to Liz" Max laughed.
Alex
rushed in. "What did I miss?"
"We
were just flaming Liz." Maria said.
"I
knew I should have driven faster." Alex complained, making everyone
laugh. He held out his hand to Kyle, "You must be Kyle. I'm
Alex."
"Let's
get this party started!' Maria said, happily. "Where's the
music?"
"I got
it." Liz said. She went behind the counter and pulled out a radio
and turned on her favorite station. "Closer To Free" by
BoDeans came
on. Liz walked over to Max. "You want to dance?"
"Not
this one." Max said, "Next slow one."
"OK,"
Liz agreed, "I'm going to ask Kyle, then."
"Ok."
Max sat down at a booth and watched Liz go over and ask Kyle to
dance. She must have said something funny, because he laughed as he
followed her out to the make shift dance floor. Liz's love for
dancing was obvious, she was grinning happily and was lost in the
music after about 5 seconds. While Kyle obviously didn't mirror her
passion for dancing, he was a good dancer and was a good partner for
Liz.
Especially since his dark hair and olive skin looked so well
with Liz's brown and deep tan. He felt a quick pang of jealousy,
though he knew it was silly. Not only were they related, but she had
asked him to dance first. Still, he couldn't help feeling a little
jealous about his girlfriend dancing so well with someone
else.
The
song stopped abruptly and after a moment of the DJ talking
"Never
Had a Dream Come True" by
S Club
7 came
on. Liz said something to Kyle and kissed him on the cheek. He sat
down and Liz walked over to Max. "May I have this dance?" She asked,
then giggled.
"Of
course." He stood up and started swaying slowly to the music with
her. She softly sang the lyrics in his ear as they danced, skipping
over any verses that were sad or bittersweet. "I never had a dream
come true, till the day that I found youYou'll always be a part of
me, I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about
each day" All silly jealousies were gone when Liz was wrapped in his
arms. And even though Max loved her singing in his ear he silenced
her by giving her a passionate kiss.
Much
later that Liz and Kyle were curled up on the couch watching First
Knight and eating popcorn and talking. "Do you want to hear my
news?" Kyle asked, quietly.
"Sure!" Liz said, turning the volume off on the TV, "I've
been dying of curiosity."
"Are
you serious?" Liz squealed with excitement.
"Who?"
Kyle
pulled a picture out of his wallet, showing her a girl about his age
with golden hair and bright blue eyes. "Tess?"
"Who
else?" Kyle sighed, "I'm so in love with her,
Liz."
Liz
grinned, "Kyle, a soon to be married man! I can't believe it!" She
gave him a tight hug, "Congratulations!"
"So,
do you feel like the luckiest man in the world?" Liz asked, curious.
She could always ask Kyle that kind of stuff, things she couldn't
ask her parents and he always answered honestly.
He
smiled, and it was unfamiliar to Liz, "Yea, I guess I do. I can't
believe she said yes. Every time I look at her" He trailed off,
unable to find the words. "I guess I feel the same when I look at
her as Max does when he looks at you."
"No,"
Liz protested, "Max and I aren't that serious
yet."
Kyle
smiled at her, "You may not be that serious, but Max is long
gone."
"What
makes you say that?" Liz wondered.
"He
looks at you the same way I look at Tess."
"The
same way Tess looked at me after we'd been dating for four months."
He paused, "Do you love him, Liz?"
Liz
thought about it for a moment, "Yea, I do. I'm so in love with him,
Kyle."
"I'm
glad. I think he's almost worthy of my favorite cousin." Liz was
surprised how much that meant to her. Kyle was always the most
important man in her life (after her father) and in a way Max was
taking his place. She was glad Kyle approved of him, that made it
easier to love Max.
"You're getting married, I'm in love." Liz jumped up "I guess
we're celebrating!" She ran to the kitchen and returned with two
full champagne glasses.
"Champagne?" Kyle asked in disbelief.
"No,
neither of us are legal, this is the next best thing. Try it." Liz
urged.
Kyle
took a sip and laughed as the ginger ale slid down his throat.
"Celebratory ginger ale!"
"Canada Dry. Only the best for you, Kyle." Liz set her glass
down and curled up on the couch, "Now, tell me every
detail."
"OK,
so I took her to her favorite restaurant, and we had a great dinner.
Then we drove out to this little spot where we like to go
stargazing"
At
7:00 Mr. And Mrs. Parker's alarm went off. The both got up and took
turns showering and dressing. As they got ready for work they
discussed ideas for the restaurant, things they had to do, and Liz
and Kyle.
When
they went to the kitchen to get breakfast they found Kyle and Liz,
stretched out asleep on the couch. Kyle was lying on this back, his
head against the arm rest. Liz was lying on her side, Kyle's arm was
around her, holding her against him.
"Look
at our babies." Mrs. Parker said, proudly, she thought of Kyle as a
surrogate son.
"They're not babies anymore." Mr. Parker
commented.
"No, I
guess not." She admitted sadly, "I'm proud of them, though. They're
growing up so nicely."
"I'm
proud of them, too." They stood together in silence for another
moment admiring their sleeping children. "We better get going, we
have to open the store.
"You're right, let's go."
Liz
fluttered her eyes open and when she heard the door close and the
retreating steps of her parents she sat up. She kissed Kyle
softly on the cheek and rubbed her cheek against the stubble of his
unshaven face. Then she got up and went to the bathroom and looked
at herself in the mirror.
There
was a pattern on her face from sleeping on the rough upholstery of
the couch and her hair was sticking up. She had sleep dust in her
eye and the beginning of a pimple on her chin.
But
none of it mattered, Liz looked in the mirror and thought she was
beautiful. "I'm not a baby anymore."
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