Colleen stood staring at Randy completely speechless. She finally
moved forward and let him embrace her.
"What am I going to do?" She sobbed into his shoulder.
"First, you're going to calm down and come home. We're going to have to go get her."
"You're going with me?" She asked looking up at him hopefully and thankfully.
"Of course." He hugged her again ~ Back at the Taylor household ~
Colleen paced as she spoke to what seemed like hundreds of different people. She and Randy would be leaving that day to drive to Martinsville, a small town near Detroit, to get Julie. Randy couldn't sit still watching everything happen, so he signaled to the door to Colleen and after she nodded in understanding, he went out to the backyard. He heard shuffling from beyond the fence.
"Hey Wilson, can I talk to you?" He called out to his wise neighbor.
"Hola Taylor teen, what can I do for you today?" Wilson peered over at Randy.
"Well you've met Colleen,"
"Mmhmm, mmhmm."
"Yea and something horrible happened, her dad died and now she has custody of her little sister. I can't stand to see her really stressed out. I don't know what to do."
"I see, that is terrible."
"Yea, now she's talking about getting an apartment but I know she can't support the two of them on her salary at the grocery store."
"Well you can't expect her to stay here forever Randy."
"I know," Randy sighed. "but I can't loose her."
"Perhaps you don't have to."
"What could I do?"
"Unfortunately, that's a question I can't give you an answer to." Wilson regretfully told him.
"Yea I know, I kinda hoped you could give me a hint." He said sarcastically. "I'm going to go see how it's going, I'll talk to you later Wilson, and thanks."
"Good luck Randy." Wilson called to his retreating figure.
When Randy went back in the house, he found Colleen slouched on the couch next to the phone. She had her eyes closed and she sighed deeply. She didn't move from her position when he sat down next to her.
"She's at her friend's house until we get there. Everything has been packed up and our old house is up for sale. I've found us a good two bedroom apartment only a few blocks from here. I'll be enrolling her in school next week." She answered his unasked questions without even opening her eyes.
"Colleen, I still don't think you should move yet."
"What else can I do?" She asked turning her head and finally looking at him.
"Stay here."
"I can't ask you're parents to support us both. We can't stay here forever Randy, I'm going to have to leave eventually." She sat up and rubbed her temples gently.
"I know that but how do you expect to support yourself and a kid, let me help you."
"I don't take donations." She stood up and walked to the kitchen.
"Not a donation. I mean we move into the apartment together, I'll help pay rent." The idea hadn't occurred to him until after it was out of his mouth. Colleen stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face him.
"What?" She finally asked after a few minutes.
"I don't know, why not? We've talked about it remember? I thought we were serious about being together."
"Yea but not in the near future. Things changed."
"Exactly, so it's sooner then we planned, but I mean come on, we're both 19, I'm almost 20, it's time I move away from home anyway, start my life. My life with you."
"I don't know, but."
"No. No buts, this is right, I can feel it." Randy was now standing with her by the kitchen counter.
"I'm not going to be able to argue am I?" She laughed lightly.
"I highly doubt it." He joked back. "So we have a deal?"
"I guess but it's only two bedrooms." She pointed out.
"We'll figure that out later. We've got a three hour drive both ways ahead of us, lets get some things for the road and get going." Randy held her hands now. "Everything is going to be okay."
"What am I going to do?" She sobbed into his shoulder.
"First, you're going to calm down and come home. We're going to have to go get her."
"You're going with me?" She asked looking up at him hopefully and thankfully.
"Of course." He hugged her again ~ Back at the Taylor household ~
Colleen paced as she spoke to what seemed like hundreds of different people. She and Randy would be leaving that day to drive to Martinsville, a small town near Detroit, to get Julie. Randy couldn't sit still watching everything happen, so he signaled to the door to Colleen and after she nodded in understanding, he went out to the backyard. He heard shuffling from beyond the fence.
"Hey Wilson, can I talk to you?" He called out to his wise neighbor.
"Hola Taylor teen, what can I do for you today?" Wilson peered over at Randy.
"Well you've met Colleen,"
"Mmhmm, mmhmm."
"Yea and something horrible happened, her dad died and now she has custody of her little sister. I can't stand to see her really stressed out. I don't know what to do."
"I see, that is terrible."
"Yea, now she's talking about getting an apartment but I know she can't support the two of them on her salary at the grocery store."
"Well you can't expect her to stay here forever Randy."
"I know," Randy sighed. "but I can't loose her."
"Perhaps you don't have to."
"What could I do?"
"Unfortunately, that's a question I can't give you an answer to." Wilson regretfully told him.
"Yea I know, I kinda hoped you could give me a hint." He said sarcastically. "I'm going to go see how it's going, I'll talk to you later Wilson, and thanks."
"Good luck Randy." Wilson called to his retreating figure.
When Randy went back in the house, he found Colleen slouched on the couch next to the phone. She had her eyes closed and she sighed deeply. She didn't move from her position when he sat down next to her.
"She's at her friend's house until we get there. Everything has been packed up and our old house is up for sale. I've found us a good two bedroom apartment only a few blocks from here. I'll be enrolling her in school next week." She answered his unasked questions without even opening her eyes.
"Colleen, I still don't think you should move yet."
"What else can I do?" She asked turning her head and finally looking at him.
"Stay here."
"I can't ask you're parents to support us both. We can't stay here forever Randy, I'm going to have to leave eventually." She sat up and rubbed her temples gently.
"I know that but how do you expect to support yourself and a kid, let me help you."
"I don't take donations." She stood up and walked to the kitchen.
"Not a donation. I mean we move into the apartment together, I'll help pay rent." The idea hadn't occurred to him until after it was out of his mouth. Colleen stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face him.
"What?" She finally asked after a few minutes.
"I don't know, why not? We've talked about it remember? I thought we were serious about being together."
"Yea but not in the near future. Things changed."
"Exactly, so it's sooner then we planned, but I mean come on, we're both 19, I'm almost 20, it's time I move away from home anyway, start my life. My life with you."
"I don't know, but."
"No. No buts, this is right, I can feel it." Randy was now standing with her by the kitchen counter.
"I'm not going to be able to argue am I?" She laughed lightly.
"I highly doubt it." He joked back. "So we have a deal?"
"I guess but it's only two bedrooms." She pointed out.
"We'll figure that out later. We've got a three hour drive both ways ahead of us, lets get some things for the road and get going." Randy held her hands now. "Everything is going to be okay."
