TO SIRIAS: Thanks for the review! I haven't read any of your stories but
I'm sure they're really good too!
TO FADING-X-ROSE: My biggest fan lol. ( Thanks for always reading my story! This chapter is for you!
Jesse did nothing the next morning, which really frustrated Miles. He wanted to give his little brother a huge piece of his mind, but remembered his father's advice, and left Jesse alone. Jesse would come reach a decision sometime; this was something he had to do on his own. Miles just hoped that he would do something soon before everything was too late.
If anyone had thought that Jesse was quiet and withdrawn before, it was much worse now. Mae was beginning to get worried again. What had happened to her boy? He had been so happy and animated for five days, and suddenly he was walking around looking like his whole family had died (which was of course ridiculous).
When Jesse went to work, she turned to look at her husband and her older son. "Now, can someone explain to me exactly what is happening with Jesse?" she demanded.
Father and son explained the whole situation to Mae, slowly and clearly. When they were done Mae sat in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Well, Tuck, I guess my wish came true. I wanted Jesse to fall in love again, and he did. But it seems to have made things worse." Instinctively she reached into her apron pocket and drew out the little music box. The three of them sat together at the kitchen table, listening to the soothing melody coming from that little box that held all their dreams and memories, every single story stored in its tinkling tune.
***
Jesse sat behind the counter at the bookstore, bored out of his mind. Business was slow today. He wondered why he was even bothering anyway. At this rate, the chances of anyone coming in were really slim.
His colleague, Sandra, passed him a Styrofoam cup of coffee as she came into the store. "Sorry for taking such a long time, I bumped into a friend at the café. Anyway, I thought you would want a coffee; you look like hell."
Jesse laughed bitterly. "Yeah, thanks a lot."
"I'm telling the truth!" Sandra protested, pulling a stool over to sit next to him. "You really don't look too good. Is anything wrong?"
Jesse looked out of the shop window. Was anything NOT wrong? Ana was gone, Miles thought he was an idiot, he was making his parents worry again. So many things, and it seemed like things were getting worse and worse. He had spent last night lying awake, thinking about what to do, but there had been no answers. How could he get Ana back? Would she even forgive him for letting her go in the first place? Would it be a good idea to get her back? She didn't know the secret of the Tuck family. She would probably just freak out if she knew. Even if she did accept that, would she be happy living in New Zealand with him? The countryside would probably be refreshing to her for awhile, but then she would get bored. And she would have to leave her job, leave everything behind. It would be like forcing her to waste her life just to fill a little part of his. It would be too selfish. What could he do?
"Jesse? Are you okay?" Sandra put a hand on his arm. He jumped, having forgotten for a moment where he was. "Are you all right?" Sandra asked again. "I haven't seen you behave like this before."
"I'm fine," Jesse said hastily.
"No, you're not fine. You're acting really strange today, Jesse. Do you want to talk about it?"
He turned to look at Sandra, and he REALLY looked at her. She stared back at him, waiting for him to talk about whatever was troubling him. She didn't know anything about Ana. Did he trust her enough to tell her? He thought hard about that. He didn't have many friends in New Zealand, but if he had to pick one, he would say that Sandra was his best friend. They didn't often go out together, because Sandra had a boyfriend, but occasionally they would go watch a movie and walk around, and of course they were always together during work. He had been there with the Kleenex the day when Sandra had had a huge quarrel with her boyfriend, and she was crying during work. She had told him all about her relationship troubles, trusting him enough to tell him everything. There was once when his car broke down and he couldn't drive to town from home, and Sandra had helped cover for him without a moment's hesitation. When he had bad dreams about Winnie, she was always there to listen. She didn't know the full truth about Winnie of course (she just knew that Winnie was an old girlfriend of Jesse's who had died, and he was having trouble getting over the loss), but that was besides the point. The point was that she had always been there for him whenever he needed her. Yes, so he could trust Sandra.
"It's about this girl." he began, then took a sip from his coffee. "She's not Winnie," he said hurriedly, in case Sandra thought that it was one of those dreams again. "She's not Winnie," he said again under his breath. Yes, Ana was truly special.
"Oh. what's her name?"
"Her name is Ana. Anaïs. She's Miles' colleague, from France. She came to New Zealand, and she stayed with us." Jesse stopped, not really knowing how to continue.
He didn't have to worry. Sandra nodded. "You fell for her, didn't you?"
Jesse felt a lump forming in his throat, and took another sip from his coffee, trying to get rid of it. "And then I let her go. I thought that I was betraying Winnie. So I pulled away, left Ana hanging, wondering what she had, wondering what had gone wrong."
"Is Ana still staying with your family?"
Jesse shook his head sadly. "No, she isn't. She went back to France yesterday. She told us she was going to the North Island for her holiday, but Miles found out that she was going back to France. She won't be coming back again." He looked down into his Styrofoam cup. "I've let her go without telling her that I love her," he said softly. He looked at Sandra. "And now she's gone."
TO FADING-X-ROSE: My biggest fan lol. ( Thanks for always reading my story! This chapter is for you!
Jesse did nothing the next morning, which really frustrated Miles. He wanted to give his little brother a huge piece of his mind, but remembered his father's advice, and left Jesse alone. Jesse would come reach a decision sometime; this was something he had to do on his own. Miles just hoped that he would do something soon before everything was too late.
If anyone had thought that Jesse was quiet and withdrawn before, it was much worse now. Mae was beginning to get worried again. What had happened to her boy? He had been so happy and animated for five days, and suddenly he was walking around looking like his whole family had died (which was of course ridiculous).
When Jesse went to work, she turned to look at her husband and her older son. "Now, can someone explain to me exactly what is happening with Jesse?" she demanded.
Father and son explained the whole situation to Mae, slowly and clearly. When they were done Mae sat in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Well, Tuck, I guess my wish came true. I wanted Jesse to fall in love again, and he did. But it seems to have made things worse." Instinctively she reached into her apron pocket and drew out the little music box. The three of them sat together at the kitchen table, listening to the soothing melody coming from that little box that held all their dreams and memories, every single story stored in its tinkling tune.
***
Jesse sat behind the counter at the bookstore, bored out of his mind. Business was slow today. He wondered why he was even bothering anyway. At this rate, the chances of anyone coming in were really slim.
His colleague, Sandra, passed him a Styrofoam cup of coffee as she came into the store. "Sorry for taking such a long time, I bumped into a friend at the café. Anyway, I thought you would want a coffee; you look like hell."
Jesse laughed bitterly. "Yeah, thanks a lot."
"I'm telling the truth!" Sandra protested, pulling a stool over to sit next to him. "You really don't look too good. Is anything wrong?"
Jesse looked out of the shop window. Was anything NOT wrong? Ana was gone, Miles thought he was an idiot, he was making his parents worry again. So many things, and it seemed like things were getting worse and worse. He had spent last night lying awake, thinking about what to do, but there had been no answers. How could he get Ana back? Would she even forgive him for letting her go in the first place? Would it be a good idea to get her back? She didn't know the secret of the Tuck family. She would probably just freak out if she knew. Even if she did accept that, would she be happy living in New Zealand with him? The countryside would probably be refreshing to her for awhile, but then she would get bored. And she would have to leave her job, leave everything behind. It would be like forcing her to waste her life just to fill a little part of his. It would be too selfish. What could he do?
"Jesse? Are you okay?" Sandra put a hand on his arm. He jumped, having forgotten for a moment where he was. "Are you all right?" Sandra asked again. "I haven't seen you behave like this before."
"I'm fine," Jesse said hastily.
"No, you're not fine. You're acting really strange today, Jesse. Do you want to talk about it?"
He turned to look at Sandra, and he REALLY looked at her. She stared back at him, waiting for him to talk about whatever was troubling him. She didn't know anything about Ana. Did he trust her enough to tell her? He thought hard about that. He didn't have many friends in New Zealand, but if he had to pick one, he would say that Sandra was his best friend. They didn't often go out together, because Sandra had a boyfriend, but occasionally they would go watch a movie and walk around, and of course they were always together during work. He had been there with the Kleenex the day when Sandra had had a huge quarrel with her boyfriend, and she was crying during work. She had told him all about her relationship troubles, trusting him enough to tell him everything. There was once when his car broke down and he couldn't drive to town from home, and Sandra had helped cover for him without a moment's hesitation. When he had bad dreams about Winnie, she was always there to listen. She didn't know the full truth about Winnie of course (she just knew that Winnie was an old girlfriend of Jesse's who had died, and he was having trouble getting over the loss), but that was besides the point. The point was that she had always been there for him whenever he needed her. Yes, so he could trust Sandra.
"It's about this girl." he began, then took a sip from his coffee. "She's not Winnie," he said hurriedly, in case Sandra thought that it was one of those dreams again. "She's not Winnie," he said again under his breath. Yes, Ana was truly special.
"Oh. what's her name?"
"Her name is Ana. Anaïs. She's Miles' colleague, from France. She came to New Zealand, and she stayed with us." Jesse stopped, not really knowing how to continue.
He didn't have to worry. Sandra nodded. "You fell for her, didn't you?"
Jesse felt a lump forming in his throat, and took another sip from his coffee, trying to get rid of it. "And then I let her go. I thought that I was betraying Winnie. So I pulled away, left Ana hanging, wondering what she had, wondering what had gone wrong."
"Is Ana still staying with your family?"
Jesse shook his head sadly. "No, she isn't. She went back to France yesterday. She told us she was going to the North Island for her holiday, but Miles found out that she was going back to France. She won't be coming back again." He looked down into his Styrofoam cup. "I've let her go without telling her that I love her," he said softly. He looked at Sandra. "And now she's gone."