The two girls lay on the hill. "What's your secret?"
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked.
"What makes you, you?"
"Me."
"Seriously, though," Lucy qualified.
"Do you hear something?" Sophie held up her hand, and then sat up. Her face broke into the most brilliant smile Lucy'd ever seen and she started running.
Sitting, Lucy discovered a tall blonde man running towards her friend. The two met and embraced, then the man spun Sophie around, her feet leaving the ground. They kissed a few times and then stood, arms around each other, apparently luxuriating in the others presence.
From the pairs' actions, Lucy surmised that the man was Steve. Insane jealousy washed over her. 'Why did Sophie get love? A cute, smart, nice guy-and on the first try!' she railed to herself. 'I should get that!' The twin realizations hit her at the same time. The first was that Sophie was always herself.the second was that Lucy was still unsure who this new person, this Lucy Melaya (which meant freedom) was. 'Maybe you don't get love 'til you have a self.'
There was an almost palpable glow around the two, and Lucy hugged her knees, unsure of what to do. As she watched, Sophie began to lead Steve over by the hand. The uncertainty she felt was almost calming. Lucy wasn't sure she would even recognize certainty anymore.
"Lucy," Sophie began. "This is Steve, my"
"love? ray of sweetness of life?" he offered.
"thorn of eternal torment and damnation."
"Hey, I was close." Sophie put a finger to his lips.
"Steve, this is Lucy. Lucy Melaya."
"Hi," she said softly.
"Melaya? But didn't you use to be a Camden? And am I currently engaged in sticking my foot in my mouth?"
"Yes," both girls replied.
"This has none of my business written all over it. But," he added taking an envelope out of his pocket, "this is."
Sophie grabbed away the envelope. She ripped it open. Her eyes popped out. "Cambridge wants me?"
"Yes," he grinned. "And guess who else they want? Me."
"You mean?"
"Yes," he swung her around again. "We're going to England! We're going to England!"
"Oh! Excuse us," he bowed to Lucy. "We're being very rude. Where are you going to school?"
"It's a small college in Illinois. You've probably never heard of it. I want to be an actress."
"Sophie's told me a lot about you, and I won't deny that I had my own opinions back when we," he pulled Sophie closer, "were strange, odd, bizarre, weird, a little bit frightening, crazy, and insane."
Looking at them looking at her, Lucy noticed their eyes had the same depths. She saw iron and fire and yet great compassion. 'Oh,' she thought. 'That's honor.'
One last time before she left, Lucy sat in the park. When she heard baby voices calling her name, she would have sworn she was imagining things. But then the twins ran up to her. "Hey David, hey Sam," she said, hugging them, but looking all the while for whoever had brought them. "Simon!" she called when she saw him.
"Hi. I'm glad to see you one more time before you go off to that mysterious college of yours."
"But how did you know I'd be here?"
"Ever since you left I've been bringing the twins here a few times a week. You know, to get all three of us out of the house."
"Good idea. But how's Ruthie?"
"It's getting worse. She followed us here a few times, but then she realized we never did anything interesting," Simon looked around.
"I guess it's too late for her," Lucy sighed.
"You know, we used to be very close. She was never like this before-Mom's going crazy, isn't she?"
"I'm afraid to say yes, but I think that's the truth." Lucy sighed, "I guess we should have figured it out by now, huh?"
"Probably. It's just that there's nothing we can do, except save ourselves. And maybe these two. But it's worth it for them, isn't it?"
"I won't be able to do much," Lucy admitted.
"You'll be out there. I think that'll be enough."
"You know you can always come to me."
"I know. I pray none of us will need it."
"So do I," Lucy agreed. "So do I."
They were only four of nine, but they were what remained. Sometimes it doesn't take much to make family. Sometimes it doesn't take much to be a family.
The knock on the church office door was timid, and Lucy cursed herself for that, while at the same time knowing she hoped no one answered. But someone did.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah, Dad. It's me."
"Come on in!" he hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to say good-bye," she said.
"Again?"
"I never said it the first time. But this time I'm going to college. And I'm not coming back."
Her father stared at her, as if accepting for the first time that she was an adult. "Don't you want to come back home?" he asked.
"Dad, it's not home anymore. Not for me, and not for anyone else. Why do you think I came here and not to the house? I just wanted you to know that I was okay and was going to make it."
"Do you need anything?" he asked.
"No. Now I gotta go," she said.
"Wait, where are you going? What will you do?"
"I don't want to tell you."
"Oh," he admitted. "I understand."
"Bye, Dad."
"You'll let me know if you need anything, won't you?" She nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said, and left.
There was one last good-bye Lucy had to make. "So you're doing this for real?" Sophie asked.
"Yes," Lucy was able to answer.
"I'm sorry to be leaving. But I can't wait to see Stratford-on-the-Avon."
"I can't believe I'm really doing this."
"Look at it this way-after all you've done this year, college should be a piece of cake."
"I know," Lucy smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"Bye," Sophie told her.
"Bye."
"But don't think you're getting rid of me this easily."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Lucy said.
But she had enough dreams, and these were dreams that could come true.
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked.
"What makes you, you?"
"Me."
"Seriously, though," Lucy qualified.
"Do you hear something?" Sophie held up her hand, and then sat up. Her face broke into the most brilliant smile Lucy'd ever seen and she started running.
Sitting, Lucy discovered a tall blonde man running towards her friend. The two met and embraced, then the man spun Sophie around, her feet leaving the ground. They kissed a few times and then stood, arms around each other, apparently luxuriating in the others presence.
From the pairs' actions, Lucy surmised that the man was Steve. Insane jealousy washed over her. 'Why did Sophie get love? A cute, smart, nice guy-and on the first try!' she railed to herself. 'I should get that!' The twin realizations hit her at the same time. The first was that Sophie was always herself.the second was that Lucy was still unsure who this new person, this Lucy Melaya (which meant freedom) was. 'Maybe you don't get love 'til you have a self.'
There was an almost palpable glow around the two, and Lucy hugged her knees, unsure of what to do. As she watched, Sophie began to lead Steve over by the hand. The uncertainty she felt was almost calming. Lucy wasn't sure she would even recognize certainty anymore.
"Lucy," Sophie began. "This is Steve, my"
"love? ray of sweetness of life?" he offered.
"thorn of eternal torment and damnation."
"Hey, I was close." Sophie put a finger to his lips.
"Steve, this is Lucy. Lucy Melaya."
"Hi," she said softly.
"Melaya? But didn't you use to be a Camden? And am I currently engaged in sticking my foot in my mouth?"
"Yes," both girls replied.
"This has none of my business written all over it. But," he added taking an envelope out of his pocket, "this is."
Sophie grabbed away the envelope. She ripped it open. Her eyes popped out. "Cambridge wants me?"
"Yes," he grinned. "And guess who else they want? Me."
"You mean?"
"Yes," he swung her around again. "We're going to England! We're going to England!"
"Oh! Excuse us," he bowed to Lucy. "We're being very rude. Where are you going to school?"
"It's a small college in Illinois. You've probably never heard of it. I want to be an actress."
"Sophie's told me a lot about you, and I won't deny that I had my own opinions back when we," he pulled Sophie closer, "were strange, odd, bizarre, weird, a little bit frightening, crazy, and insane."
Looking at them looking at her, Lucy noticed their eyes had the same depths. She saw iron and fire and yet great compassion. 'Oh,' she thought. 'That's honor.'
One last time before she left, Lucy sat in the park. When she heard baby voices calling her name, she would have sworn she was imagining things. But then the twins ran up to her. "Hey David, hey Sam," she said, hugging them, but looking all the while for whoever had brought them. "Simon!" she called when she saw him.
"Hi. I'm glad to see you one more time before you go off to that mysterious college of yours."
"But how did you know I'd be here?"
"Ever since you left I've been bringing the twins here a few times a week. You know, to get all three of us out of the house."
"Good idea. But how's Ruthie?"
"It's getting worse. She followed us here a few times, but then she realized we never did anything interesting," Simon looked around.
"I guess it's too late for her," Lucy sighed.
"You know, we used to be very close. She was never like this before-Mom's going crazy, isn't she?"
"I'm afraid to say yes, but I think that's the truth." Lucy sighed, "I guess we should have figured it out by now, huh?"
"Probably. It's just that there's nothing we can do, except save ourselves. And maybe these two. But it's worth it for them, isn't it?"
"I won't be able to do much," Lucy admitted.
"You'll be out there. I think that'll be enough."
"You know you can always come to me."
"I know. I pray none of us will need it."
"So do I," Lucy agreed. "So do I."
They were only four of nine, but they were what remained. Sometimes it doesn't take much to make family. Sometimes it doesn't take much to be a family.
The knock on the church office door was timid, and Lucy cursed herself for that, while at the same time knowing she hoped no one answered. But someone did.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah, Dad. It's me."
"Come on in!" he hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to say good-bye," she said.
"Again?"
"I never said it the first time. But this time I'm going to college. And I'm not coming back."
Her father stared at her, as if accepting for the first time that she was an adult. "Don't you want to come back home?" he asked.
"Dad, it's not home anymore. Not for me, and not for anyone else. Why do you think I came here and not to the house? I just wanted you to know that I was okay and was going to make it."
"Do you need anything?" he asked.
"No. Now I gotta go," she said.
"Wait, where are you going? What will you do?"
"I don't want to tell you."
"Oh," he admitted. "I understand."
"Bye, Dad."
"You'll let me know if you need anything, won't you?" She nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said, and left.
There was one last good-bye Lucy had to make. "So you're doing this for real?" Sophie asked.
"Yes," Lucy was able to answer.
"I'm sorry to be leaving. But I can't wait to see Stratford-on-the-Avon."
"I can't believe I'm really doing this."
"Look at it this way-after all you've done this year, college should be a piece of cake."
"I know," Lucy smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"Bye," Sophie told her.
"Bye."
"But don't think you're getting rid of me this easily."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Lucy said.
But she had enough dreams, and these were dreams that could come true.