A Christmas To Remember
Chapter 21: Hard To Say Goodbye
Elliot brushed his thumb over Tailor's wet eyelashes.
"Don't cry, Tailor", he murmured softly into her hair. "We'll see each other again in May - that's when we have a week off school".
Tailor shivered. She was at Elliot's house saying her last goodbye to him. Since India was really hot she had a pair of blue, denim shorts on and a yellow vest, followed by a baggy yellow jumper to keep her warm. It had stopped snowing but the temperature was making her cold.
She didn't know why she had cried. But when Elliot had opened his arms for her to cuddle him, she had just burst out crying. Her dad was downstairs, talking to Elliot's mum and dad, while she was here with warm tears falling down her cheeks.
"Hey", he added softly, hands on her shoulders. She looked at him with her sad, blue eyes. "Don't worry about it, we'll write everyday".
Tailor managed a small nod in return.
Don't cry, Elliot told himself, you're her best friend, you don't cry, she's the one you should comfort, not the other way round.
"I'll text you as well", he said, eyes looking in hers and beyond.
Elliot frowned, and then it clicked. "You - you don't want to leave do you?"
Tailor sniffed, a few more tears escaped her eyes and fell on her cheeks. Slowly, she shook her head.
"Why?" He asked her.
She shook her head again, looking at his bedroom floor.
"C'mon, Tailor, say something", Elliot was surprised she was this quiet. He didn't want her to leave but he knew that wasn't the reason that she wanted to stay.
"I - I can't leave", she finally whispered.
"Why can't you?" Elliot willed her to look at him, but her head remained down, gazing at the floor.
"Because . . . I don't want to . . . I - I don't want to leave everything", Tailor said, her hands on his arms. "I can't leave everything . . . April, my friends . . . you".
Elliot's frown deepened. "I said we'd keep in touch".
Tailor's head shook again. "It's not enough", she said, thinking of Raph, his brothers and Splinter. "New York has changed me . . . I fit-in here . . . leaving just doesn't seem an option".
Elliot grabbed a tissue off his bedside table and handed it to her. He watched her blow her nose and wipe at her eyes. Her face was red but she didn't seem to notice.
"Why don't you tell your dad?" Elliot asked, feeling bad for her.
"Can't", she said, finally looking at him. "My dad WANTS to go back to India . . . I shouldn't make a decision for him . . . I'm going back for his sake".
Amazing, Elliot thought, she was doing all this for her dad.
"TAILOR! YOU READY?" shouted a voice from downstairs.
Tailor gave a small smile. "YEAH!" she shouted back.
Tailor and Elliot looked at each other. Tailor gave him a smile and put her arms round his neck. "Bye Elliot", she said into his shoulder. "I'll phone you when I get there".
"See ya", Elliot said, hugging her back. Don't cry, don't cry, DON'T cry.
She pulled away from him and kissed his cheek. Then, giving him a sad glance, she walked out of his bedroom and closed the door.
//
Tailor's dad stayed at April's while they went to visit the guys. April had told her brother that she needed to do a report and that Tailor could tag along. Tailor disapproved of lying but she had no choice.
"You ok?" April asked her, when they turned a corner.
"Yeah", Tailor answered. Her and her dad were leaving at 3:00. It was now 12:00 and Tailor had to say goodbye to everyone early so that she and her dad could get to the airport.
Her face was red, she knew, but she wasn't bothered. How could she leave now? Saying goodbye was the hardest thing she had to do.
"C'mon", April said, linking arms with her niece. "Leo said he would meet us at 12:10, seeing as we can't lift the manhole".
//
"Bye Mikey", Tailor said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'll miss you, Tailor", Mikey said softly. "You'll come back and see us? . . . won't you?"
Tailor sniffed. "Sure, till then, take care".
Mikey nodded and let her go.
Tailor had said goodbye to everyone. First Splinter, who hugged her and told her she was welcome back at anytime. Then Donnie, who said he'd miss her and would love to see her again. Then Leo, who Tailor hadn't got to know very well and she apologised for this.
"No sweat", Leo had said, smiling. "I'm still glad I met ya".
She had just given her last goodbye to Mikey. Tailor had let a few tears fall down her face but she couldn't stop them, even if she tried to. Now, she came face to face with Raph.
"Bye", Raph said, but it came in a whisper.
Tailor smiled and bit her lip. Slowly, she put her arms around him, since she didn't have the heart to say 'goodbye'.
Raph ignored his brother's shocked expressions when he put his arms round Tailor back. He knew that she didn't want to leave. He knew the reasons why. And he knew, that he didn't want her to leave also.
"I'll miss you", she whispered, a fresh set of tears rolling from her eyes.
"I'll miss you too, Tailor", Raph said. He let her go and put his hands on her shoulders. "Feel free to drop by, kay?"
She smiled a little. "Yeah . . . when I come back"
Splinter stepped forward and smiled. "We will all miss you, my child. You have made this Christmas one to remember".
Tailor sniffed and nodded. "Ditto . . . bye".
//
"Bye Casey", Tailor said, now back at April's apartment.
"See ya, kid", Casey said, hugging her. He let her go and held up his hand.
Tailor slap him a 'high-five' and smiled.
She turned to April. "Next Christmas, right?"
April smiled and nodded. "Next Christmas"
Tailor grabbed her aunt into a hug. It's not fair, she thought, why do these things always happen to me? First my mum leaves, and now I've got to leave my friends and family.
"We better go", Tony said, resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
April nodded and let Tailor go. "We'll write everyday".
Tailor nodded. "Yeah". That's what Elliot said, she thought.
Tony said his 'good-bye' to April by giving her a tight hug, and then he shook hands firmly with Casey.
"Thanks for having her, April", Tony said, when they walked out of the door, suitcases in their hands.
"It was no problem", April replied, forcing herself not to cry. Casey kept a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Bye April", Tailor said with a small smile.
"Bye sweetheart", April said.
//
As Tailor sat in the seat of the plane she began to think. Maybe she didn't want to leave New York but could you blame her not wanting to? She had made five new friends and they had changed her. Even her dad didn't notice the change but she did. It didn't show on the outside but it definitely showed on the inside.
She had become more confident.
More energetic.
More determined.
Less scared.
Showed herself more.
Became closer to Elliot.
Closer to Raph.
Definitely closer to April.
Also . . . she had made six new friends . . . Casey included.
Her dad glanced at her and smiled. "You ok?" he asked.
"Fine", Tailor said, staring out of the window.
She couldn't see New York; all she could see was ocean. All oceans.
The airhostess came round with the food and handed a tray to the pretty girl sitting in the window seat.
Tailor said 'thank-you' but kept her gaze out of the window.
"Aren't you hungry?" her dad asked her.
Tailor clicked inside and gave him a bright smile. "Yeah . . . I was just thinking . . . I'm fine now".
She took the wrapping off her food and had a look inside. Potatoes. Carrots. Peas, (yuck). Chicken. Not bad, Tailor thought when she dug her fork into it and had her first bite.
I'll be back, she told herself firmly, but I'll be counting down the days until I do . . .
Chapter 21: Hard To Say Goodbye
Elliot brushed his thumb over Tailor's wet eyelashes.
"Don't cry, Tailor", he murmured softly into her hair. "We'll see each other again in May - that's when we have a week off school".
Tailor shivered. She was at Elliot's house saying her last goodbye to him. Since India was really hot she had a pair of blue, denim shorts on and a yellow vest, followed by a baggy yellow jumper to keep her warm. It had stopped snowing but the temperature was making her cold.
She didn't know why she had cried. But when Elliot had opened his arms for her to cuddle him, she had just burst out crying. Her dad was downstairs, talking to Elliot's mum and dad, while she was here with warm tears falling down her cheeks.
"Hey", he added softly, hands on her shoulders. She looked at him with her sad, blue eyes. "Don't worry about it, we'll write everyday".
Tailor managed a small nod in return.
Don't cry, Elliot told himself, you're her best friend, you don't cry, she's the one you should comfort, not the other way round.
"I'll text you as well", he said, eyes looking in hers and beyond.
Elliot frowned, and then it clicked. "You - you don't want to leave do you?"
Tailor sniffed, a few more tears escaped her eyes and fell on her cheeks. Slowly, she shook her head.
"Why?" He asked her.
She shook her head again, looking at his bedroom floor.
"C'mon, Tailor, say something", Elliot was surprised she was this quiet. He didn't want her to leave but he knew that wasn't the reason that she wanted to stay.
"I - I can't leave", she finally whispered.
"Why can't you?" Elliot willed her to look at him, but her head remained down, gazing at the floor.
"Because . . . I don't want to . . . I - I don't want to leave everything", Tailor said, her hands on his arms. "I can't leave everything . . . April, my friends . . . you".
Elliot's frown deepened. "I said we'd keep in touch".
Tailor's head shook again. "It's not enough", she said, thinking of Raph, his brothers and Splinter. "New York has changed me . . . I fit-in here . . . leaving just doesn't seem an option".
Elliot grabbed a tissue off his bedside table and handed it to her. He watched her blow her nose and wipe at her eyes. Her face was red but she didn't seem to notice.
"Why don't you tell your dad?" Elliot asked, feeling bad for her.
"Can't", she said, finally looking at him. "My dad WANTS to go back to India . . . I shouldn't make a decision for him . . . I'm going back for his sake".
Amazing, Elliot thought, she was doing all this for her dad.
"TAILOR! YOU READY?" shouted a voice from downstairs.
Tailor gave a small smile. "YEAH!" she shouted back.
Tailor and Elliot looked at each other. Tailor gave him a smile and put her arms round his neck. "Bye Elliot", she said into his shoulder. "I'll phone you when I get there".
"See ya", Elliot said, hugging her back. Don't cry, don't cry, DON'T cry.
She pulled away from him and kissed his cheek. Then, giving him a sad glance, she walked out of his bedroom and closed the door.
//
Tailor's dad stayed at April's while they went to visit the guys. April had told her brother that she needed to do a report and that Tailor could tag along. Tailor disapproved of lying but she had no choice.
"You ok?" April asked her, when they turned a corner.
"Yeah", Tailor answered. Her and her dad were leaving at 3:00. It was now 12:00 and Tailor had to say goodbye to everyone early so that she and her dad could get to the airport.
Her face was red, she knew, but she wasn't bothered. How could she leave now? Saying goodbye was the hardest thing she had to do.
"C'mon", April said, linking arms with her niece. "Leo said he would meet us at 12:10, seeing as we can't lift the manhole".
//
"Bye Mikey", Tailor said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'll miss you, Tailor", Mikey said softly. "You'll come back and see us? . . . won't you?"
Tailor sniffed. "Sure, till then, take care".
Mikey nodded and let her go.
Tailor had said goodbye to everyone. First Splinter, who hugged her and told her she was welcome back at anytime. Then Donnie, who said he'd miss her and would love to see her again. Then Leo, who Tailor hadn't got to know very well and she apologised for this.
"No sweat", Leo had said, smiling. "I'm still glad I met ya".
She had just given her last goodbye to Mikey. Tailor had let a few tears fall down her face but she couldn't stop them, even if she tried to. Now, she came face to face with Raph.
"Bye", Raph said, but it came in a whisper.
Tailor smiled and bit her lip. Slowly, she put her arms around him, since she didn't have the heart to say 'goodbye'.
Raph ignored his brother's shocked expressions when he put his arms round Tailor back. He knew that she didn't want to leave. He knew the reasons why. And he knew, that he didn't want her to leave also.
"I'll miss you", she whispered, a fresh set of tears rolling from her eyes.
"I'll miss you too, Tailor", Raph said. He let her go and put his hands on her shoulders. "Feel free to drop by, kay?"
She smiled a little. "Yeah . . . when I come back"
Splinter stepped forward and smiled. "We will all miss you, my child. You have made this Christmas one to remember".
Tailor sniffed and nodded. "Ditto . . . bye".
//
"Bye Casey", Tailor said, now back at April's apartment.
"See ya, kid", Casey said, hugging her. He let her go and held up his hand.
Tailor slap him a 'high-five' and smiled.
She turned to April. "Next Christmas, right?"
April smiled and nodded. "Next Christmas"
Tailor grabbed her aunt into a hug. It's not fair, she thought, why do these things always happen to me? First my mum leaves, and now I've got to leave my friends and family.
"We better go", Tony said, resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
April nodded and let Tailor go. "We'll write everyday".
Tailor nodded. "Yeah". That's what Elliot said, she thought.
Tony said his 'good-bye' to April by giving her a tight hug, and then he shook hands firmly with Casey.
"Thanks for having her, April", Tony said, when they walked out of the door, suitcases in their hands.
"It was no problem", April replied, forcing herself not to cry. Casey kept a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Bye April", Tailor said with a small smile.
"Bye sweetheart", April said.
//
As Tailor sat in the seat of the plane she began to think. Maybe she didn't want to leave New York but could you blame her not wanting to? She had made five new friends and they had changed her. Even her dad didn't notice the change but she did. It didn't show on the outside but it definitely showed on the inside.
She had become more confident.
More energetic.
More determined.
Less scared.
Showed herself more.
Became closer to Elliot.
Closer to Raph.
Definitely closer to April.
Also . . . she had made six new friends . . . Casey included.
Her dad glanced at her and smiled. "You ok?" he asked.
"Fine", Tailor said, staring out of the window.
She couldn't see New York; all she could see was ocean. All oceans.
The airhostess came round with the food and handed a tray to the pretty girl sitting in the window seat.
Tailor said 'thank-you' but kept her gaze out of the window.
"Aren't you hungry?" her dad asked her.
Tailor clicked inside and gave him a bright smile. "Yeah . . . I was just thinking . . . I'm fine now".
She took the wrapping off her food and had a look inside. Potatoes. Carrots. Peas, (yuck). Chicken. Not bad, Tailor thought when she dug her fork into it and had her first bite.
I'll be back, she told herself firmly, but I'll be counting down the days until I do . . .