I was awakened by the yelling of my overstressed mother. From what I could hear, she couldn't find something very essential for the trip, and it was driving her completely crazy.
I immediately thought that this was the day; this was the day we were leaving for North Carolina. This was the day I would maybe see her again. A strong tingle spread inside my stomach, and I felt slightly dizzy.
I sighed and picked up my alarm-clock to check the time. '4:35?! That just can't be right.' As id reading my mind, my mom knocked on the door. 'What is it, mom?' I asked, while putting on my tank-top. 'Honey, it's 8:30, and our plane leaves in an hour. You have to be ready to go in 45 minutes. Why are you still in bed, anyway? I told you to set the alarm on 8 sharp. I'm all ready to go; I've just gotta find my brush, which seems to have mysteriously disappeared.'
I could hear her descend the stairs, and I hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower. 'I can't believe that stupid alarm-clock decided to die on me today! What's wrong with picking a school day, or any other day when I'm not possibly meeting the most important person to me ever?' I was annoyed at having to be stressed on top of the nervousness of my maybe seeing Faith again after all these years.
In the cab on our way to the airport, I was silent, and I suddenly felt my mom looking at me worriedly. I looked up at her and gave her a slight smile. 'What?' I asked.
'What's on your mind, honey? Are you upset about not seeing your friends for three months?' She really didn't know anything. Faith could replace all my friends, and I wouldn't even miss them. I know that sounds cruel, but it's how I felt. I had never met anyone as wonderful as her, and the little voice in my head that told me there was a possibility that Faith had moved to another city, or worse: another state, was what caused my silence.
I realized that I had yet again managed to get lost in thought, and that I still hadn't answered my mother. 'No, they're going away, too, anyway. I was just thinking about the last time we visited Aunt Chloe and Uncle Jeff. I really liked it there. I didn't wanna go back, really…'
My mom chuckled. 'Yes, I remember. I had to practically drag you into the cab. What was it that you liked so much there?'
I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I pictured Faith's face in my mind. 'I met someone there.' I tried hard to blink the tears away, but to no avail. My mom looked at me quizzically. I just wiped the tear from my cheek and went on, desperately wanting to share my bottled up feelings.
'She was the best friend I've ever had. We did everything together, and we talked about all our most embarrassing secrets. She was amazing, and I felt so at ease with her. I shared things with her that I would never ever tell anyone else. Not anyone. I just…I just miss her so much. All these years, I've been thinking about her; what she's doing, and how she's doing. It was unbearable the first year after we came back home.'
I was crying more now, and my breath kept hitching as I talked, but I didn't care; I had to get it all out.
'I used to cry every night in my bed. I had gotten so dependant on her. I mean, she was like my twin-soul! That sounds stupid, but it was like we were one and the same. It's hard to explain it, but she made me feel like I was someone important. She cared about everything I said and did, like that was all that mattered to her in this world. I just…I loved her, mom. It's rare to get that attached to someone in just three months, isn't it?' I looked up at her, and she was rubbing my arm comfortingly.
'Well, honey…I can tell that this girl was, is, very important to you, and you're right, it is hard to get that attached to someone in such a short period of time, but if you click, it certainly can happen. I think you should've told me about this sooner. I take it you didn't get each other's phone number and addresses?' she asked calmly.
'No, we didn't. I don't know what made us not exchange. I've wondered about that for 5 years now,' I stated, my voice strained from trying to stop crying.
'I could've helped you, sweetie. You must be anxious about seeing her again,' she said.
I sniffled and let out a shallow laugh. 'Yeah, I would be. If I weren't so incredibly worried that she might've moved away from Wilmington. I mean, why would she stick around? There are no colleges anywhere near there, from what I know. But on the other hand, maybe she's visiting her parents for the summer. Then again, can I be sure that her parents are still living there? Maybe Faith lives in, like, Oregon now and is staying with her friends this summer?' I was throwing my arms around, giving away exactly how frustrated I was.
'Faith? College? How old is she?' My mom made an attempt to break off my wild rambling. 'She would be 21 now,' I said, finally calming down.
'She's three years older than you,' mom said, 'which means she was 16. A girl of 13, and a girl of 16. That's a big difference.' I smiled at this and said, 'That didn't matter to us, mom. I felt 16 when I was with her, anyway. Or maybe she reverted to the mind of a 13-year-old.' I laughed at the memory of Faith dancing the chicken-dance, and continued, 'We were just being us; not numbers,' I said; yet again feeling tears forming in my eyes.
Mom pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and reassuringly told me in a low voice, 'I believe you, honey. I believe you, and I promise you I'll help you find her if she's not living there anymore.' I leaned into her embrace and smiled a thank you.
