A Morning Girl

Chapter Two

"Daddy!"

"Is that my Valerie?"

I had just spent my first ten minutes back in Forks, Washington, and because those ten minutes were spent at baggage claim, it was too soon to determine how much had changed in twelve years. But I recognized my father, Charlie Swan, instantly. When I got off the plane, I sent him a text to let him know I would be waiting for my luggage, and he took the opportunity to meet me there. I managed to find my suitcase and shoulder bag out of the huge mess of luggage, and no sooner did I turn around, I saw him heading my way. It took him a moment to fully recognize me, but I suppose my big smile must have given me away. Immediately I dropped my bags on the floor and went running towards him, throwing my arms around him and hugging him tightly. He laughed and returned the hug.

"Look at you..." he sighed before pulling away to look me over. "God, you're a young woman now..."

"Yeah, but still tiny." I laughed. I hadn't grown much over the years. At eighteen-years-old, I stood around 5'2 and everybody, my father included, towered over me. "And if it makes you feel better, I'm still pretty much a great big kid at heart."

He sighed and shook his head slowly. He never once took his eyes off of me. Dad was as pale as snow with large dark eyes, scruffy black hair, and a thin moustache. Although it had been a long time since I had seen him, he still looked just the same. I noticed that he decided to leave the police uniform at home. He probably thought that it would attract unwanted attention. After a short moment of silence, we hugged again before retrieving my bags. He struggled with the heavy suitcase for a moment before managing to walk it out of the door.

"...Forgot what it was like to have a daughter. Did you shove your entire closet in this thing?" he asked.

I slipped into my parka before I picked up my shoulderbag. "No, but I shoved everything else in there: my bed, my TV, my great big DVD collection, all of my comic books, all of my games..."

"Hey, hey, don't get smart with me, young lady." he chuckled as we made it to his vehicle. It was a rusty colored pick-up truck that looked like it was once in very bad shape. Whoever fixed it up did a hell of a job. "So, games, comics, and DVD's, huh? Never would've thought in a million years that Renee would've brought up a nerd."

After he pulled the suitcase into the truck, I threw my shoulderbag in after it. "Yeah, I think it shocked her too." was my response. "Mom never liked all the comics I bought, so she would try to get me into romance novels and some book about a guy holding an apple... never really appealed to me. Then Phil tried to turn me into a little jock, but as it turns out, I never cared much for sports."

No sooner did I drop Phil's name, there was a very uncomfortable tension in the air. Phil was Mom's new husband, after all. While I'm positive that Dad got over my mother, or at least came to terms with her being with someone else, I had a feeling he didn't like the idea of another man having some kind of an influence over his daughter. It was time to change the subject. When we slipped into the car, I slapped my hands against the dashboard.

"So, when did you get this? Here I was thinking you just drove your police car everywhere."

Immediately his mood lightened. He smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I still drive it everywhere." he chuckled. "This baby isn't mine. It's yours."

A number of emotions showed on my face all at once. One of the worst things about flying to Washington was leaving my car behind in Arizona. Since it was in my mother's name anyways, I figured I would just let her have it, but I didn't think I'd be getting another one so soon. But on the other hand... well... the car wasn't entirely pleasing to look at. In fact the moment I saw it, "red neck" was the first thought that entered my mind, and that wasn't exactly a title I was hoping to acquire.

Still... it was a new ride...

"...Wait, what?" I stammered. "This thing is for me?"

Dad chuckled and leaned back in the seat. "Well I know it's not a Porsche, or one of those... what's that one car a nerdy girl like you would recognize... one of those yellow Bumblebee cars that turn into big robots?"

I snorted and lightly shoved him. "Oh knock it off! I'm not even that big of a Transformers nerd, unless you count Beast Wars." he laughed and moved away from the shove. "But man... wow... you got this for me?"

"Well yeah." he said, starting up the truck. "You told me you were leaving your car in Arizona, and what good's a college girl without her own set of wheels? Hey, do you remember Billy Black?"

I shook my head. Although I remembered quite a bit about my life in Forks before I moved away, there were still a few details I had forgotten.

"Ah... you were probably too little to remember. He used to go fishing with me way back when." he explained. "Anyways, he had an accident. He's in a wheelchair now and can't drive this little beauty anymore. And his son, Jacob, didn't want it. So when I told them that you'd be needing a new ride, they did some work on it and I took it off their hands. You like it?"

I looked over the inside of the car, from the windshield to the backseats. It wasn't the prettiest set of wheels in the world, but still, it was quite the homecoming gift. I smiled back at my Dad and patted the dashboard.

"I like it." Was my response before I moved in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Daddy… it's really good to be home…"

And to be honest, it really was. Although I remembered living in Forks in my younger years, spending the majority of my life in Arizona dominated most of my memory. I was always accustomed to hot, sunny days out in a desert, and it was very different to see such a different landscape. Washington was a very cold, damp place to live in, but everything looked and smelled so fresh and natural. It was rare to see an actually forest landscape in Scottsdale, and when I realized I would actually be spending the next few years of my life in such a place was breathtaking.

The ride home from the airport was a bit lengthy, but we killed time with questions. Since it had been years since we last saw each other, I took it upon myself to fill him in on all that I had been up to. This ranged from my high school graduation to my newfound addiction to Dance, Dance Revolution and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Dad took the effort to look enthusiastic and interested in all the nerdy hobbies I obsessed over, but I doubted that was really the case. As it turns out, Dad was something of a sports fan himself, as well as an outdoorsman. He loved fishing and hunting in his spare time, both of which were of little interest to me (I never understood the appeal of ripping hooks out of a creature's mouth for fun). We also had differing tastes when it came to music. There was something totally unappealing about his decision to leave the country music station on the radio, and I was more than confident that he wouldn't approve of my love for hard rock and electronica.

Evidently, we were very different. But I loved him, and he loved me. Somehow we would make this work.

To my surprise, my home was just as I remembered it on the outside: white with a dark blue roof, two-stories, a large porch, and the very big driveway that led to the dirt road. The inside was generally the same as well, with a couple major differences: the flatscreen television, DVD player, surround-sound, and a whole new set of furniture for the living room. Going completely on what I had remembered from years ago, I found myself walking up the stairs and turning left down a small hallway. There was a white door with a small flower carved into the wood, and when I opened the door, I made a very pained face at what I saw.

"Wow…" I managed to get out after a few moments of gaping. "…This is a very…very pink room…"

Apparently there were some things my father forgot to change about this house. I was happy that he managed to get rid of my little girl bed, dresser, and toy box, but the bubblegum pink walls had stayed the same. My newer bed was small and looked very comfortable, but the comforter was a light pink with white details sewn into it. The curtains on my window were white and lacy, and the dressers in my room also followed the "white and pink" color scheme.

It wasn't so much that I minded the color, but it did feel like a complete overkill.

"…First thing is first…" I said to myself as I set my bags down. "…I'm going shopping for school supplies, and then I'm buying a fuck-ton of posters..."

"Watch your mouth." I turned to see my father pulling in the heavy suitcase into my room. "I'm happy to see you but I will set you straight if I have to."

I put a hand over my mouth. "What do you mean? I've never said a bad word in my entire life."

He shook his head at me and then tossed me my new car key. "Put it on your keychain. The baby's all yours from now on. Take care of it."

I nodded as he left the room. After unpacking about half of my belongings, I collapsed on my bed and hugged one of my very comfortable pillows. I had spent far too many hours on planes and in cars then I would have liked. I was completely drained of any sort of energy that would drive me to be active for the remainder of the day. It was time for some shut-eye.

Tomorrow would be another day of unpacking, settling in, and buying school supplies. And after that, my first day of college would begin.