Chapter 12
"Velma is there any way I can get you to stay!" pleaded Billy as she packed her things into a suitcase Sally gave her.
"Look Billy, I told you its not you. It's me. I need to do this for me, not just for my career, or anyone. Just for me. I need to do and see another life, I don't expect you to understand. But, that's how it's going to be…" she put more clothes into the suitcase.
"Velma! Please." He continued to nag. She was done packing, closing her suitcase, and heading for the door.
"Wh- what about Clyde!" he caught her just as she was about to open the door. She sighed, and turned back around.
"I- I'm sorry Billy" she turned back around and left through the door.
"Don't tell me you're sorry…" Billy thought about Clyde, as Velma went to Eli's room. Eli and Clyde were joking around and playing cards. Velma smiled and watched as Eli and Clyde realized she was in the room.
"Can I talk to Clyde alone?" Velma asked. Eli nodded and quickly got out of the room.
"So, you like Eli huh?" Velma tried to make conversation, as Clyde simply just shuffled the cards silently.
"... yeah…. Clyde, I have to leave. I know this may be odd or hard to understand, but I have to go. Daddy will stay with you, and I promise I will be back in one year. I just need to get away for a little while, I need to live out a dream that is still… thriving inside me" she tried to form words.
"This is not goodbye Clyde hunny, I love you, you're my son" She smiled.
"This is just 'fare-thee-well' till we meet again, sort of thing" she smiled as she told him as he continued to shuffle the cards, then stopped.
"Only for a year?" he asked.
"Yes. Only for a year" she was happy he was listening.
"Here take this" she handed out a picture. It was a picture of him and her, he was just a baby and she was as beautiful and young as ever. Clyde got up and took the picture from her hand.
"When you miss me, just look here" she pointed at the picture. He looked up at her and smiled, as he ran over to her and hugged her tightly. She hugged back just as tight.
"Well, Clyde hunny, I better be going." She wiped away a tear.
"Wait!" he stopped hugging her and looked around the small room. He didn't see anything he wanted to give her, something that she would always think of him from. Then he remembered how Billy taught him how to cheat at cards. He took out the black five-of-spades card from his shirt pocket. He handed it to her, as she embraced him once more. She stuck the card into her bra, as she turned toward the door. With a deep breath she opened the door to see Sally and Buck standing near the front door waiting. She saw Billy and Buck shaking hands, which was surprising, as Velma approached, Sally and Buck went to wait outside.
"Well, I said bye to Clyde" she told him.
"That's important… I'm going to miss you, Ms. Velma Kelly. You, uh, don't know what an influence you've been on my life" he lightly laughed in a sigh.
"Same here" she spoke blandly.
"Yeah…" he wanted to so bad to just hug her and hold her. She wanted the same thing just as bad, but neither of them, even with their arrogance, was able to be so bold. She simply forced a small smile, as did he, as she turned around and walked out the door to Sally and Buck. He watched from inside as the three of them walked down the street, until he couldn't see them any more. He wept, he wept that night like the night before. Now, though, he couldn't tell her what he felt, he wanted to run after her, to stop her and hold her and tell her he loved her so much, and he knew she loved him back. Something stopped him though, he knew she would be back, and when she did come back he would be the happiest man in the world. In one year he would have a chance to re claim himself, to form a better relationship with his son, to do some of the things he needed to do without Velma. Velma had a year to herself, to find herself, to do what she needed to do, and with her arrogance she would accomplish all those things vibrantly. Everyone had the next year the next year to do what they had to do, the next year to experience, the next year to accomplish, and the next year to change.