Chapter 17:
It was nighttime when the plane reached Harmony. It was still the same day of
my graduation. Ricky asleep in the seat next to me. I yawned as I gently tried to wake
him up.
"Ricky honey we're home," I told him.
"Huh mommy?" he mumbled, his eyes half closed.
"Get up son," I whispered.
He sat up straight in his seat, stretching. "We're home?" he asked. "Are we
gonna see Uncle Tony again?"
"No son," I answered sadly. "We're headed to your REAL home - where your
father lives. You're going to see your Daddy!"
I was happy to see Ricky get enthusiastic about what I had just said. He
WANTED to see his father. I just hoped his father wanted to see HIM.
* * * * *
After getting our luggage and making sure it was delivered to Daddy's house, I
hailed a taxicab and Ricky and I headed over to my old house. I couldn't wait to get
there, but a part of me was still nervous. What if everyone doesn't want anything to do
with me since I've been gone so long and haven't even communicated once?! What if
they don't live there anymore? What if......
My hands were shaking but I tried not to make it obvious to Ricky.
"Mommy, tell me about my Daddy," he said out of the blue.
I smiled at him. "Well honey," I began, "you're daddy is the nicest and most
caring man in the world. You will love him as much as he loves you."
Ricky smiled and went back to playing with his teddy bear.
The taxicab finally pulled up to the front of my Daddy's house.
I had been waiting four years for this oppurtunity. I looked up at the
white-and-red-colored house I had grown up in. So many memories had been created
there. And it made me feel better knowing that many more memories would be created
there in the future. All I had to do was go and knock on that door, and instantly I would
be back in everyone's life. I was just a few yards away, but I was so nervous.
As we got out of the taxicab, I stared at my house. Ricky was holding my hand.
"Mommy, why aren't you walking?" he asked.
I looked at him absent-mindedly.
"Right," I said.
We began to walk up to the driveway, luggage and bags in hand.
I inhaled before knocking on the front door.
A few seconds later, the door opened and I stared into the eyes of my older
brother.
"Noah," I said, breaking out into a smile.
"Kay!" he cried, grabbing me and giving me a hug.
I laughed. I had missed him so much.
Noah looked down to where Ricky was standing, right behind my leg. He
seemed nervous.
Jessica and Uncle Hank came into the living room to see what the commotion
was all about.
"Kay?!" They both shouted.
"Jess! Uncle Hank!" I shouted back, getting teary-eyed. I ran to give them
hugs.
"It's so good that you're back!" Jessica exclaimed, looking at me in a new
light. I couldn't blame her, it had been four long years since we had seen each other
and I must say everyone did look just a bit different from the way I remembered them
to be.
Jessica and I broke away from the hug. I looked at Uncle Hank. Everyone had
been so welcoming up to this point. Uncle Hank's face looked like it was made out of
stone. He just kept staring at me.
I sighed. I knew that at least one family member was going to feel anger at
seeing me before excitement.
"What's the matter with you, Kay?" Uncle Hank said. "You forgot how to use a
telephone to call us?"
I sighed again. I couldn't blame him for being mad at me. The only person I
could place blame on was Charity.
"I... I've just been really busy," I lied.
Uncle Hank knew I was lying. But he let it go.
"Come and give your uncle a hug," he said without much emotion.
I stepped closer to him and we hugged.
"I want to know the truth later, Kay," he whispered to me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I nodded.
I turned around to look at Noah playing with Ricky.
"You all remember my son, Ricky," I said smiling.
They all nodded happily as they continued talking to him.
"Where's Daddy?" I asked, putting my luggage in the corner of the living
room.
"He's asleep. He was really tired today. He'll see you tomorrow," Uncle Hank
told me.
I nodded, disappointed. Other than Miguel, Daddy was the person I was most
looking forward to seeing. I missed him so much.
Just then I saw Ivy Winthrop-Crane coming down the stairs, in pajamas.
"What's with all the noise?" she grumbled as she tied her robe around her
waist.
Everyone looked up at her, grinning.
She saw me standing by the front door, holding Ricky's hand.
"KAY!" she shouted. She hurried over to where I was standing, and gave me a
big hug.
"You're back?!" she asked, beaming.
I nodded. "It's good to see you, too, Mrs. Winthrop-Crane." I answered.
We used to be close, but after four years of not having spoken to her, I did not
know what to call her.
"Lose the Mrs. Winthrop-Crane," she told me, shuddering. "Pretty soon I will
be a Bennett."
She gave me a smile a mile wide as she showed me her engagement ring.
My eyes practically fell out of the sockets. Daddy had done it. He had fallen in
love with Ivy again. And now they were going to get married. I was happy for both of
them. They deserved love and happiness, and that's what they got with each other.
"Congratulations!" I answered.
I spent the next hour introducing Ricky to Ivy. Jessica, Ivy and I made
ourselves some smoothies and drank them as we talked. The guys, including Ricky,
went to bed. They were all tired. I was too. But I missed everyone too much to go to
sleep.
Finally, some time around 2:00 am, we all headed to our rooms to sleep. It
wasn't until I was in bed, ready for slumber that I realized I hadn't heard anything
about, or even talked to, Miguel. Where was he? Why didn't Jessica tell me anything
about him? And more importantly, where was Charity?
It was nighttime when the plane reached Harmony. It was still the same day of
my graduation. Ricky asleep in the seat next to me. I yawned as I gently tried to wake
him up.
"Ricky honey we're home," I told him.
"Huh mommy?" he mumbled, his eyes half closed.
"Get up son," I whispered.
He sat up straight in his seat, stretching. "We're home?" he asked. "Are we
gonna see Uncle Tony again?"
"No son," I answered sadly. "We're headed to your REAL home - where your
father lives. You're going to see your Daddy!"
I was happy to see Ricky get enthusiastic about what I had just said. He
WANTED to see his father. I just hoped his father wanted to see HIM.
* * * * *
After getting our luggage and making sure it was delivered to Daddy's house, I
hailed a taxicab and Ricky and I headed over to my old house. I couldn't wait to get
there, but a part of me was still nervous. What if everyone doesn't want anything to do
with me since I've been gone so long and haven't even communicated once?! What if
they don't live there anymore? What if......
My hands were shaking but I tried not to make it obvious to Ricky.
"Mommy, tell me about my Daddy," he said out of the blue.
I smiled at him. "Well honey," I began, "you're daddy is the nicest and most
caring man in the world. You will love him as much as he loves you."
Ricky smiled and went back to playing with his teddy bear.
The taxicab finally pulled up to the front of my Daddy's house.
I had been waiting four years for this oppurtunity. I looked up at the
white-and-red-colored house I had grown up in. So many memories had been created
there. And it made me feel better knowing that many more memories would be created
there in the future. All I had to do was go and knock on that door, and instantly I would
be back in everyone's life. I was just a few yards away, but I was so nervous.
As we got out of the taxicab, I stared at my house. Ricky was holding my hand.
"Mommy, why aren't you walking?" he asked.
I looked at him absent-mindedly.
"Right," I said.
We began to walk up to the driveway, luggage and bags in hand.
I inhaled before knocking on the front door.
A few seconds later, the door opened and I stared into the eyes of my older
brother.
"Noah," I said, breaking out into a smile.
"Kay!" he cried, grabbing me and giving me a hug.
I laughed. I had missed him so much.
Noah looked down to where Ricky was standing, right behind my leg. He
seemed nervous.
Jessica and Uncle Hank came into the living room to see what the commotion
was all about.
"Kay?!" They both shouted.
"Jess! Uncle Hank!" I shouted back, getting teary-eyed. I ran to give them
hugs.
"It's so good that you're back!" Jessica exclaimed, looking at me in a new
light. I couldn't blame her, it had been four long years since we had seen each other
and I must say everyone did look just a bit different from the way I remembered them
to be.
Jessica and I broke away from the hug. I looked at Uncle Hank. Everyone had
been so welcoming up to this point. Uncle Hank's face looked like it was made out of
stone. He just kept staring at me.
I sighed. I knew that at least one family member was going to feel anger at
seeing me before excitement.
"What's the matter with you, Kay?" Uncle Hank said. "You forgot how to use a
telephone to call us?"
I sighed again. I couldn't blame him for being mad at me. The only person I
could place blame on was Charity.
"I... I've just been really busy," I lied.
Uncle Hank knew I was lying. But he let it go.
"Come and give your uncle a hug," he said without much emotion.
I stepped closer to him and we hugged.
"I want to know the truth later, Kay," he whispered to me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I nodded.
I turned around to look at Noah playing with Ricky.
"You all remember my son, Ricky," I said smiling.
They all nodded happily as they continued talking to him.
"Where's Daddy?" I asked, putting my luggage in the corner of the living
room.
"He's asleep. He was really tired today. He'll see you tomorrow," Uncle Hank
told me.
I nodded, disappointed. Other than Miguel, Daddy was the person I was most
looking forward to seeing. I missed him so much.
Just then I saw Ivy Winthrop-Crane coming down the stairs, in pajamas.
"What's with all the noise?" she grumbled as she tied her robe around her
waist.
Everyone looked up at her, grinning.
She saw me standing by the front door, holding Ricky's hand.
"KAY!" she shouted. She hurried over to where I was standing, and gave me a
big hug.
"You're back?!" she asked, beaming.
I nodded. "It's good to see you, too, Mrs. Winthrop-Crane." I answered.
We used to be close, but after four years of not having spoken to her, I did not
know what to call her.
"Lose the Mrs. Winthrop-Crane," she told me, shuddering. "Pretty soon I will
be a Bennett."
She gave me a smile a mile wide as she showed me her engagement ring.
My eyes practically fell out of the sockets. Daddy had done it. He had fallen in
love with Ivy again. And now they were going to get married. I was happy for both of
them. They deserved love and happiness, and that's what they got with each other.
"Congratulations!" I answered.
I spent the next hour introducing Ricky to Ivy. Jessica, Ivy and I made
ourselves some smoothies and drank them as we talked. The guys, including Ricky,
went to bed. They were all tired. I was too. But I missed everyone too much to go to
sleep.
Finally, some time around 2:00 am, we all headed to our rooms to sleep. It
wasn't until I was in bed, ready for slumber that I realized I hadn't heard anything
about, or even talked to, Miguel. Where was he? Why didn't Jessica tell me anything
about him? And more importantly, where was Charity?