Chapter 8
The weeks between prom and the week before school got out seemed to run together for Ephram. Weekdays he spent in school followed by afternoons with Joey. Ephram's afternoons with Joey were shorter and shorter as the weeks wore on and Joey tired more easily and she was pretty much confined to bed.
The Sunday before the last week of school Ephram spent with Joey, but when she dozed off as the sun was setting Ephram kissed her gently and slipped quietly out of her room. Instead of going inside the house Ephram takes a seat on his front porch when he got home. He is so lost in thought that he doesn't even hear Andy come out and sit beside him.
"How's Joey doing today?" Andy's question draws Ephram out of his own world.
"She has our crowns on her bedside table and our sashes are up up on her closet door along with her dress so that she can see them whenever she is awake."
"Meg says she has been talking about prom for weeks now." Andy responds.
"She's getting a lot worse. I see the difference everyday. We all know she doesn't have much more time left and she's been really great about it. She has come to accept it. It's those of us around her that are finding it slightly harder to deal with." Ephram can't help the tears trickling down his cheeks and he makes no attempt to brush them away. "It's just that everyday I fall more in love with her. More in love with the strength she gives off to everyone around her. She hasn't been in my life for a year and I can't picture my life without her." With his words Ephram begins sobbing and Andy pulls his son to him in a tight hug.
The day school got out Ephram went directly to Joey's house. Meg opened the door, "hello Ephram, how was your last day of school?"
Ephram shrugs, "it was all right Mrs. Livington."
"Good. Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"
Ephram shakes his head, "I'm fine thanks."
"All right, well go on up. She's sleeping."
When Ephram pushes Joey's door open she is just waking up, "hi."
"Hey." Ephram responds walking toward the bed.
"Sit with me." Joey moves over on the bed making room for Ephram to sit. Once he has made himself comfortable Joey leans against him and he wraps his arms around her waist. "My mom and I had a long talk today."
"Oh really? About what?" Ephram asks.
"About what's going to happen after I go." Ephram doesn't say anything at this, they had all ready had the conversation about Joey need to be able to talk about her death. "My parents are going to move to Denver. So my Dad doesn't have to commute every day. My mom decided she's not going to go back to work after, she wants to spend more time with the girls, they've all got kind of lost in the last couple of months."
Ephram nods, "yeah I guess they have."
"Amy stopped by yesterday."
This news surprises Ephram, "she did?"
"Yeah, and you guys are going to Mexico this summer." Joey informs.
"What?" Ephram questions puzzled.
Joey nods, "you're going to go to Mexico, I all ready talked to your dad and Amy's parents are telling them go."
"Them?" Ephram asks, opposing the trip even more than he was 5 seconds ago.
"Well it's Amy, Bright, Colin and his sister, what's her name?"
"Laynie."
"Right Laynie. But I want you to go and have a good time."
"Joey..."
"Please? I just want you to have a good summer."
"What is this?" Ephram asks.
"Ephram, if there is one thing I have learned from all of this is that as cliched as this is going to sound life IS short. And life is supposed to e good and the happiness is supposed to outweigh the sadness. So I want you to have a happy summer."
"I'll try but who knows with Bright in the picture."
Joey smiles, "you'll have a good time, you know what I regret most?"
"What?"
"Tat I didn't think of the move as a new adventure and a positive thing. I spent so much energy complaining and resenting the circumstances as to why I was here when I could been falling in love with everything about this town sooner."
Joey and Ephram sit together in companionable silence until the sun start to sink lower and Joey begins to yawn, "I should get going. Let you get some sleep." Ephram suggests untangling himself from Joey.
"Yeah, probably but before you go I have something for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, open my bedside drawer."
Ephram obliges and finds a large box inside, "what is it?"
"You'll have to open it to find out, but Ephram don't open it until I'm gone all right?"
Ephram nods, "if that's what you want."
Joey nods, "it is. Ephram, I love you."
"I love you too Josephine Livington, I'll see you tomorrow." Ephram kisses Joey before leaving, box in hand.
The call saying Joey was gone came just before dawn the next morning. Andy was the one to answer the phone and he was the one to deliver the news to Ephram.
"I'm sorry Ephram, I know there's nothing to say to make this pain go away, but she's not in pain anymore." Andy consoles, "is there anything I can do?"
"I'm going to go sit on the porch, can you just leave me alone for awhile?"
"Of course," Andy nods.
Once Andy had left Ephram grabs the box Joey had left him and he heads downstairs. Once he has sat down on the porch swing Ephram pulls the white ribbon off of the white box and gently lifting the top off reveals a red covered album with the words Josephine Katie Livington scrawled across the cover in delicate gold writing. Opening the book reveals that it is a scrapbook much like the one Joey had shown Ephram, what seemed like a million years ago. On the first page was an note from Joey:
Ephram,
I have been working on this since we moved here, when I thought I ahd my life back. My plans all changed I guess but as this book shows I had a good life when we moved to Everwood, thanks in large part to you. I never would have made it through the last couple of months without you. I almost stopped working on this when I got sick again but I wanted you to have something to remember me by, By the time you read this I will be gone but I want you to remember something, that I loved my life and you made me so happy and you gave up so much for me. Now I want you to be happy, I know it will take some time for you to adjust to me being gone, but don't forget to move on with your life.
I love you,
Joey
Ephram turns the page to find a picture of himself and Joey, her cheeks tear streaked, smiling brightly at the camera on prom night. Turning the next page Ephram lets the tears roll down his cheeks and the memories wash over him.
All right well I am finished! Amazing huh? Go me! And Katie I hope you don't mind my using your name for Joey's middle name, but it seemed appropriate since you seem to be my biggest fan! Anyway thanks to everyone for reviewing and staying faithful to this story as it took forever to write...There may or there may not be a sequel, about their summer in Mexico, let me know what you think!
~Mari
The weeks between prom and the week before school got out seemed to run together for Ephram. Weekdays he spent in school followed by afternoons with Joey. Ephram's afternoons with Joey were shorter and shorter as the weeks wore on and Joey tired more easily and she was pretty much confined to bed.
The Sunday before the last week of school Ephram spent with Joey, but when she dozed off as the sun was setting Ephram kissed her gently and slipped quietly out of her room. Instead of going inside the house Ephram takes a seat on his front porch when he got home. He is so lost in thought that he doesn't even hear Andy come out and sit beside him.
"How's Joey doing today?" Andy's question draws Ephram out of his own world.
"She has our crowns on her bedside table and our sashes are up up on her closet door along with her dress so that she can see them whenever she is awake."
"Meg says she has been talking about prom for weeks now." Andy responds.
"She's getting a lot worse. I see the difference everyday. We all know she doesn't have much more time left and she's been really great about it. She has come to accept it. It's those of us around her that are finding it slightly harder to deal with." Ephram can't help the tears trickling down his cheeks and he makes no attempt to brush them away. "It's just that everyday I fall more in love with her. More in love with the strength she gives off to everyone around her. She hasn't been in my life for a year and I can't picture my life without her." With his words Ephram begins sobbing and Andy pulls his son to him in a tight hug.
The day school got out Ephram went directly to Joey's house. Meg opened the door, "hello Ephram, how was your last day of school?"
Ephram shrugs, "it was all right Mrs. Livington."
"Good. Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"
Ephram shakes his head, "I'm fine thanks."
"All right, well go on up. She's sleeping."
When Ephram pushes Joey's door open she is just waking up, "hi."
"Hey." Ephram responds walking toward the bed.
"Sit with me." Joey moves over on the bed making room for Ephram to sit. Once he has made himself comfortable Joey leans against him and he wraps his arms around her waist. "My mom and I had a long talk today."
"Oh really? About what?" Ephram asks.
"About what's going to happen after I go." Ephram doesn't say anything at this, they had all ready had the conversation about Joey need to be able to talk about her death. "My parents are going to move to Denver. So my Dad doesn't have to commute every day. My mom decided she's not going to go back to work after, she wants to spend more time with the girls, they've all got kind of lost in the last couple of months."
Ephram nods, "yeah I guess they have."
"Amy stopped by yesterday."
This news surprises Ephram, "she did?"
"Yeah, and you guys are going to Mexico this summer." Joey informs.
"What?" Ephram questions puzzled.
Joey nods, "you're going to go to Mexico, I all ready talked to your dad and Amy's parents are telling them go."
"Them?" Ephram asks, opposing the trip even more than he was 5 seconds ago.
"Well it's Amy, Bright, Colin and his sister, what's her name?"
"Laynie."
"Right Laynie. But I want you to go and have a good time."
"Joey..."
"Please? I just want you to have a good summer."
"What is this?" Ephram asks.
"Ephram, if there is one thing I have learned from all of this is that as cliched as this is going to sound life IS short. And life is supposed to e good and the happiness is supposed to outweigh the sadness. So I want you to have a happy summer."
"I'll try but who knows with Bright in the picture."
Joey smiles, "you'll have a good time, you know what I regret most?"
"What?"
"Tat I didn't think of the move as a new adventure and a positive thing. I spent so much energy complaining and resenting the circumstances as to why I was here when I could been falling in love with everything about this town sooner."
Joey and Ephram sit together in companionable silence until the sun start to sink lower and Joey begins to yawn, "I should get going. Let you get some sleep." Ephram suggests untangling himself from Joey.
"Yeah, probably but before you go I have something for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, open my bedside drawer."
Ephram obliges and finds a large box inside, "what is it?"
"You'll have to open it to find out, but Ephram don't open it until I'm gone all right?"
Ephram nods, "if that's what you want."
Joey nods, "it is. Ephram, I love you."
"I love you too Josephine Livington, I'll see you tomorrow." Ephram kisses Joey before leaving, box in hand.
The call saying Joey was gone came just before dawn the next morning. Andy was the one to answer the phone and he was the one to deliver the news to Ephram.
"I'm sorry Ephram, I know there's nothing to say to make this pain go away, but she's not in pain anymore." Andy consoles, "is there anything I can do?"
"I'm going to go sit on the porch, can you just leave me alone for awhile?"
"Of course," Andy nods.
Once Andy had left Ephram grabs the box Joey had left him and he heads downstairs. Once he has sat down on the porch swing Ephram pulls the white ribbon off of the white box and gently lifting the top off reveals a red covered album with the words Josephine Katie Livington scrawled across the cover in delicate gold writing. Opening the book reveals that it is a scrapbook much like the one Joey had shown Ephram, what seemed like a million years ago. On the first page was an note from Joey:
Ephram,
I have been working on this since we moved here, when I thought I ahd my life back. My plans all changed I guess but as this book shows I had a good life when we moved to Everwood, thanks in large part to you. I never would have made it through the last couple of months without you. I almost stopped working on this when I got sick again but I wanted you to have something to remember me by, By the time you read this I will be gone but I want you to remember something, that I loved my life and you made me so happy and you gave up so much for me. Now I want you to be happy, I know it will take some time for you to adjust to me being gone, but don't forget to move on with your life.
I love you,
Joey
Ephram turns the page to find a picture of himself and Joey, her cheeks tear streaked, smiling brightly at the camera on prom night. Turning the next page Ephram lets the tears roll down his cheeks and the memories wash over him.
All right well I am finished! Amazing huh? Go me! And Katie I hope you don't mind my using your name for Joey's middle name, but it seemed appropriate since you seem to be my biggest fan! Anyway thanks to everyone for reviewing and staying faithful to this story as it took forever to write...There may or there may not be a sequel, about their summer in Mexico, let me know what you think!
~Mari