Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything to do with Twilight but I did recently get a new iPhone for my birthday.
BPOV
The plane ride from Phoenix to Seattle was exhausting. I stepped off the plane and grabbed my luggage from the baggage claim.
I walked out into the airport and looked around for him. Charlie. My dad. If that's what you could call him. I haven't called him Dad in years.
I've barely spoken to him in years, except for the occasional phone call at Christmas and birthdays. And don't even start on visits. Visits are nonexistent.
Dad considers himself married to his job. It was one of the reasons Mom finally divorced him. Well, that and......Forks.
Not the eating utensils forks. But the town. Forks, Washington. A rainy, cold, isolated, town of nothingness.
And the color? It was way too green. Not the soft warm tones of my beloved Phoenix, but green. The color of baby poop. You know the color. That mushy stuff they expel when they've eaten peas.
I used to visit Charlie every year. Heaven forbid he actually leave Forks in case a major accident occurred. Like a utility pole falling down.
That would be a catastrophe. Not that anyone would get hurt, but the Charlie would lose the signal to his television and he couldn't watch the Mariners play.
No, I always had to visit him. By the time I was ten, I was through. If he wasn't going to make the effort to see me then I wasn't going to make the effort to see him. It shocked him at first. He did come to see me once. For my thirteenth birthday.
Sometimes we would meet up in the summer for a week or two in California. At least that way I could shop or go to the beach. But the beach wasn't high on my list.
I burned easily because of my pale skin. Unusual for living in Phoenix, but I lived with it.
I wondered what was keeping him. Charlie. I stood in the airport looking around. I didn't see Charlie. It would be pretty obvious to see him. He always wore his Police Chief uniform and aviators. Honestly, I think those things were older than I was.
But then I saw him. He had the cruiser. Great! Now people would think I was getting arrested. Charlie rushed through the door and spotted me. He walked up to me and held out his arms. We hugged. Awkwardly.
We both hesitated in our move toward each other. Then tentatively wrapped our arms around each other. We weren't huggers. Neither of us liked much physical contact period. I was like Charlie in that way.
That frustrated the heck out of Mom. She loved hugs. She loved any form of human contact. I think that's why she hated Forks so much.
Mom was eccentric. Unique. She was your friend for life. But....she didn't have many friends. And in a community where everyone grew up knowing each other, making friends was a difficult process. And with my dad the way he was, Mom was starved for attention.
The break started small at first. Taking pottery classes at a community college. Weekend trips to visit her old sorority sisters.
Then larger distances. Spending weeks and even months back east with Mom's family. A sudden desire to finish her college degree. And finally a job offer. In Phoenix. I guess it's obvious what happened.
The thing was, Charlie didn't even notice. He thought mom was going through a phase. She got married at 20 had a child at 21 and suddenly her life was complete. According to Charlie, mom had a job – wife and mother. But mom wanted more.
So mom packed us up and moved. Charlie didn't even know we were gone until we didn't return home Sunday night. He was furious when mom finally called him. He threatened to take Mom to court for custody. But Renee convinced him it was for the best.
He loved her though. I could tell. Every time he talked to her, looked at her, I could see. I think that's why he stopped calling, and visiting. He couldn't stand knowing that he was the reason she was always so miserable.
And then I did something I didn't think I would do. I started to resent him. When he wouldn't visit , I thought I did something wrong. Maybe he really didn't love me. Maybe he really didn't want me.
Know matter now. Whether we wanted this or not. We were stuck with each other. I guess we were finally going to find out what it was like. Could we do this? Could we live with each other? Would I end up like mom?
Only one way to find out. I followed Charlie out to the cruiser and helped him put the bags in the trunk. I took one last look at the airport and climbed in the cab. Time to go home. A new home. Or was it?