My Mom came in my room, opened the blinds and shook me awake. "Oliva" she
said gently. "I groaned and rolled over. I wasn't really sleeping; I
hadn't slept all night. "Liv wake up, look I'm sorry!" She said. There
was no way I was going to talk to her. I was mad at her. "Olivia look,
your Father and I decided this was the best for all three of us!" By now I
had my eyes open, and they were filled with tears. I hoped she couldn't
see them. "Olivia, don't be like this!"
That set me off. "Like what Mom? What? Am I just supposed to sit here, and smile like everything's okay? You're walking out on my Dad! On your Husband! You're ripping us apart!" I was shouting but I didn't care. My cat, Bojangles, jumped off my bed and ran into the corner. "Why are you doing this to us?" I cried. "Olivia, I will tell you in time, but it's just not right, right now. I grew up on the Louvre, you're going to love it there!" "I love it HERE!" I shot back. "Just get up, the moving men are coming around noon, and our plane leaves at 1:30. We don't want to miss it!" "I do" I muttered. "Liv, either way, no matter what you do, you will be on the plane to France with me, so you might as well get up." She turned and left.
I blinked away the hot tears that had started to fall down my cheeks. Bojangles came over to my bed and looked up at me with her sad blue eyes, as if to say, "I know how you feel." I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her; she was still a kitten, a gift from my Dad. I thought back to the day that they told me about the divorce. He gave me a snowy white kitten, and then dropped the bombshell in my lap as well. Now, as I looked around my room at all the brown cardboard boxes, I couldn't believe I was leaving him forever. Bojangles jumped out of my arms again and went on to chase a spider that was scurrying across my floor.
I finally got up, and got dressed. I put on a black T-shirt to reflect my mood, and the khaki shorts that I had left unpacked. When I went down stairs, my Mom hugged me. "I love you Olivia never forget that! Your Dad loves you too." She said something else that I couldn't quite understand, but she seemed just as sad as I did. So I smiled, and told her that I loved her too. She hugged me tighter, and then picked up her bags and I grabbed mine, and I followed her to the rental car. We threw them in the trunk, and then went back into the house.
I grabbed Bojangles, and put her in her cage. We put in a make shift litter box, for the flight, and I grabbed another bag of her "toys". And took one last look around my old room. We had repainted the walls white, over the silvery blue, and taken down the curtains. Now all that was left was my tan carpet, and my old bed, as well as the numerous boxes, waiting for moving men to load them onto a truck. I took one last look at my room, and then quickly turned off the light and ran down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door. My Mom had written a letter to the moving men, telling them where the key was and stuff like that. We got in the car. I couldn't miss the tears welling up in my Mom's eyes. She looked at me. "Well, are you ready for a new beginning?" She asked me, her voice was thick, and I was crying too. "Yeah Mom, a new beginning" I smiled. It's hard to stay mad at someone, when you know they feel just as bad as you do.
We passed the moving trucks on the way to the airport. They had no idea.
Suddenly my Mom turned down a familiar street, the street where my Dad had been living the past year. I looked at her" Mom?" I said. "Liv, I'm not going to make you leave without saying Goodbye to your Father." I smiled, "Thanks Mom!" I hugged her as we pulled into the driveway. His house was small; I had spent weekends there before the custody changed. "Do you want me to come with you?" She asked slowly. "Why wouldn't you?" I said. "Well I'm definitely not someone your Dad wants to see right now." "Still-" "Do you want me too or not?" "You don't have to." I got out of the car and walked up to the front door, the house was small, but it was big enough for one man. I rang the bell. I waited. I rang the bell again. I waited some more. Finally, just as I was about to turn and leave, the door opened. I turned around expecting to see my Father; instead there was a young woman at the door. She was tall, thin, and blonde. She looked like she was only about 6 or 7 ears older than I was. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except she was wearing my Dad's shirt, and I'm pretty sure that's ALL she was wearing. "Hello?" She said. "Are you selling something?" "No, Are you?" I snapped. "Excuse me?" "Where's my Dad?" "Your Dad?" "Steve, Steve Hamilton?" "Is that my baby girl out there?" I heard his voice from inside. "Dad?" I said. He came to the door, and kissed the blonde girl on the cheek. "I see you've met Bianca?" He said quietly. I looked at him; it was all I could do. "Honey, what's wrong?" "We're leaving today." I said quietly. "Goodbye Daddy." I turned on my heel and left. "Livvie!" he called after me, I ignored him. And climbed into the car, my Mom had tears in her eyes like me. "That's why we're leaving Hun," She said. "Your Father doesn't believe in fidelity any more." She quickly started the car again, and we left. Soon we got to the airport, and before long, we were on the plane, and I was watching the city where I had lived my entire life disappear.
That set me off. "Like what Mom? What? Am I just supposed to sit here, and smile like everything's okay? You're walking out on my Dad! On your Husband! You're ripping us apart!" I was shouting but I didn't care. My cat, Bojangles, jumped off my bed and ran into the corner. "Why are you doing this to us?" I cried. "Olivia, I will tell you in time, but it's just not right, right now. I grew up on the Louvre, you're going to love it there!" "I love it HERE!" I shot back. "Just get up, the moving men are coming around noon, and our plane leaves at 1:30. We don't want to miss it!" "I do" I muttered. "Liv, either way, no matter what you do, you will be on the plane to France with me, so you might as well get up." She turned and left.
I blinked away the hot tears that had started to fall down my cheeks. Bojangles came over to my bed and looked up at me with her sad blue eyes, as if to say, "I know how you feel." I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her; she was still a kitten, a gift from my Dad. I thought back to the day that they told me about the divorce. He gave me a snowy white kitten, and then dropped the bombshell in my lap as well. Now, as I looked around my room at all the brown cardboard boxes, I couldn't believe I was leaving him forever. Bojangles jumped out of my arms again and went on to chase a spider that was scurrying across my floor.
I finally got up, and got dressed. I put on a black T-shirt to reflect my mood, and the khaki shorts that I had left unpacked. When I went down stairs, my Mom hugged me. "I love you Olivia never forget that! Your Dad loves you too." She said something else that I couldn't quite understand, but she seemed just as sad as I did. So I smiled, and told her that I loved her too. She hugged me tighter, and then picked up her bags and I grabbed mine, and I followed her to the rental car. We threw them in the trunk, and then went back into the house.
I grabbed Bojangles, and put her in her cage. We put in a make shift litter box, for the flight, and I grabbed another bag of her "toys". And took one last look around my old room. We had repainted the walls white, over the silvery blue, and taken down the curtains. Now all that was left was my tan carpet, and my old bed, as well as the numerous boxes, waiting for moving men to load them onto a truck. I took one last look at my room, and then quickly turned off the light and ran down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door. My Mom had written a letter to the moving men, telling them where the key was and stuff like that. We got in the car. I couldn't miss the tears welling up in my Mom's eyes. She looked at me. "Well, are you ready for a new beginning?" She asked me, her voice was thick, and I was crying too. "Yeah Mom, a new beginning" I smiled. It's hard to stay mad at someone, when you know they feel just as bad as you do.
We passed the moving trucks on the way to the airport. They had no idea.
Suddenly my Mom turned down a familiar street, the street where my Dad had been living the past year. I looked at her" Mom?" I said. "Liv, I'm not going to make you leave without saying Goodbye to your Father." I smiled, "Thanks Mom!" I hugged her as we pulled into the driveway. His house was small; I had spent weekends there before the custody changed. "Do you want me to come with you?" She asked slowly. "Why wouldn't you?" I said. "Well I'm definitely not someone your Dad wants to see right now." "Still-" "Do you want me too or not?" "You don't have to." I got out of the car and walked up to the front door, the house was small, but it was big enough for one man. I rang the bell. I waited. I rang the bell again. I waited some more. Finally, just as I was about to turn and leave, the door opened. I turned around expecting to see my Father; instead there was a young woman at the door. She was tall, thin, and blonde. She looked like she was only about 6 or 7 ears older than I was. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except she was wearing my Dad's shirt, and I'm pretty sure that's ALL she was wearing. "Hello?" She said. "Are you selling something?" "No, Are you?" I snapped. "Excuse me?" "Where's my Dad?" "Your Dad?" "Steve, Steve Hamilton?" "Is that my baby girl out there?" I heard his voice from inside. "Dad?" I said. He came to the door, and kissed the blonde girl on the cheek. "I see you've met Bianca?" He said quietly. I looked at him; it was all I could do. "Honey, what's wrong?" "We're leaving today." I said quietly. "Goodbye Daddy." I turned on my heel and left. "Livvie!" he called after me, I ignored him. And climbed into the car, my Mom had tears in her eyes like me. "That's why we're leaving Hun," She said. "Your Father doesn't believe in fidelity any more." She quickly started the car again, and we left. Soon we got to the airport, and before long, we were on the plane, and I was watching the city where I had lived my entire life disappear.