Dance

The Move

I shoved my headphones into my ear as the plane finally took off. My dad sat beside me, getting some much needed sleep. His salt and pepper colored hair ruffled slightly. He hadn't slept properly in days, the stress of the move weighing down on him. The bags under his blue eyes were evident, just proving that a long, dreamless slumber was exactly what he needed. I patted his shoulder slightly, and covered him with the little blanket that was stuffed into my carry-on bag.

My dad was always there for me when I needed him. No ifs, ands, or buts - I could always count on him. I knew it probably wasn't easy taking care of your seventeen year old daughter, working two jobs to put clothes on our backs, a roof over our head, and having to cope that for years he didn't know his wife abused their only daughter, and then left us for a twenty year old boy.

Resentment towards my mother boiled under my skin, red hot and fiery. I closed my eyes, eternally pushing down the years of loathing I felt toward my supposed mother. The woman who ruined mine and my dad's life. The woman who betrayed her own daughter, the woman that abused me both mentally and physically. I pushed those feelings down, refusing to let them surface; I dried the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes.

We were in a bad place - my father and I. We were scraping by, barely having enough money for groceries every week. So when my dad got a huge job promotion, even though we would have to move, we both agreed to except it. His pay was more than tripled and he was able to quit his nighttime job as a waiter.

We were starting over now. A new life away from my mother, away from all the bad things in our past. Truthfully our old home was suffocating us. Reminding us constantly of all the pain and sorrow we had to deal with.

My father and I were closing that gaping hole in our pasts and stepping into our much more promising future. Mine with dance, and his with a better career and hopefully, hopefully, dating experiences. I wanted the best for my dad because he had done so much for me.

I turned up the volume on my Ipod, blasting out Three Days Grace into my ears, calming me as I let my mind wonder to random thoughts and my body flow with the music. I thought of my new town, my new school and how different everything was going to be. One of my first goals when I got there was to find a dance studio and sign up for it. That was my main priority when we got there. Then I had to start school; the mere thought of school without Caroline made my heart ache with sadness. I knew it was going to be hard to make friends. Most people shied away from me because I was too alternative in their oppion.

I kept to myself most of the time, and I certainly don't dress and act like some happy-go-lucky person. Being by myself didn't bother me at all. I was used to it because I was always alone. Caroline and I hadn't had any classes together and our lunch periods had different as well. The only time I had gotten to see her during the day was when she picked me up from dance every night and then drove me home. My heart ached because I knew there would be no more seeing Caroline after dance rehearsal. No car rides home and late night stops at Dairy Queen when we were in the mood for a cookie dough blizzard.

I had only just left Minnesota behind an hour ago, and yet my heart already ached for Caroline and Mrs. Elliot. I knew being away from them until Christmas - four months from now - would be a hard task. I was just glad that I had gotten a laptop for Christmas this past year and I would be able to Skype with Caroline each week.

Feeling the soothing hum of the airplane below me, and listening to the blasting music in my ears, I slowly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

"Anna" My dad shook me awake, stating that we had arrived in Los Angeles. I rubbed my dreary eyes and stood up, wrapping my headphones around my Ipod and slipping it into the pocket of my jeans. I grabbed my black and purple stripped carry-on bag and followed my dad off of the huge airplane. We grabbed our luggage and made our way out of the very secure building.

The sun immediately blinded me and I threw my hand up in front of my face to block the bright light. Slowly, my eyes adjusted as I removed my hand from my face, and the view took my breath away. Palm trees stood tall and majestic everywhere. They were so tall that when I tried to gaze up at their tops, my eyes squinted shut because I was literally looking up into the sun. I could see the soft white sand from where I was standing, it was leading into the clearest blue water I'd ever seen. The sun sent sparkles across the calm ocean.

I stared up at my dad, who was smiling down at me. "Do you like the view, Anna?" He questioned amusingly. I nodded my head, letting a small grin spread across my face. My dad chuckled, grabbing my arm softly and pulling me to our taxi that was waiting for us. "Just wait until you see the house" Dad told me, happiness leaking out of his words.

The ride to our new home felt like it took forever, when in reality it only took about ten minutes. When I stepped out of the taxi, my mouth dropped open in surprise. In front of me stood a beautiful white Victorian house that looked like it came from a picture in a magazine. It had a gorgeous old porch that led up to the front door and I quickly ran up the stairs, trying to pull the door open. "The key is under the porch mat." My dad called out from the side of the taxi. I looked down and pulled up the cheesy porch mat that said Welcome written in cursive on it. Sure enough, there was a small silver key under it. I quickly picked up the key and slid it in the lock, twisting it and then letting the door swing open. I stepped inside the hallway and started walking. After taking a few steps, I walked into the living room and kitchen area. There was gorgeous furniture already placed around the two rooms, and a giant TV sat in the entertainment center that was connected to the wall.

I stared open mouthed at the two rooms, wondering how we could afford all of this. My dad walked up behind me, answering my question. "The raise in my paycheck was a little more than I told you, Anna." I looked at him questioningly, "Is this really ours?" I asked. He chuckled, laugh lines forming around his eyes. "Yes this is really ours. All of it. Go check your bedroom, it's upstairs." He told me, pointing to a staircase hidden in the corner of the living room.

I took off up the staircase, my feet banging loudly all the way up. There was only one door, so assuming it was mine I threw it open and stepped inside. The view made me want to burst into tears. The room was fairly large and the walls had been painted a dark purple - my favorite color. We had already shipped my white dresser and nightstand and they sat in the room shiny clean. My black bedspread sat on my new bed looking fluffy and comfortable, its purple and white flowers curling all over it.

There was a giant window that sat on the wall beside my bed, looking out into the beach and brilliant blue ocean. Along the window was a white window seat with a futon cushion that matched my bedspread. I knew I would enjoy spending every afternoon sitting there reading and looking out at the view.

To the left of me was a white door, which opened up into my own bathroom. There was a large vanity and the normality's of a bathroom. Yet another door stood in front of me, and I opened it revealing a huge closet that made me gasp. It was a walk in and it was very big, almost the size of my bedroom. I immediately fell in love with it. In the back of the room, there was a small door that lead to the attic.

Opening the door, I stepped into the room and realized there was new wood on the floor, making the attic an actual room. The wood was polished and the small area of the attic was spotless. I heard footsteps behind me. Turning, I saw my dad standing in front of me. "Do you like it?" He asked, referring to the house. I nodded happily with a smile. "Can I use this room to dance?" I asked, hope flooding my voice.

Thinking for a moment my dad nodded his head yes. "This little part of the attic was originally for you to put any storage in it but if you don't have any than this room is still yours to do what you please with." My dad said, happiness gleaming in his eyes. I knew he was happy that I was finally excited about something when my face has been plastered with sadness for so long. I was happy that he was finally happy, getting his life on a roll again.

"Alright then. I'll leave so you can get everything set up the way you want." My dad said hesitantly as we walked into my new bedroom. Before he left I called him out. "Daddy" I said quietly, hoping he'd hear. I hadn't called him daddy in so long. "He turned, startled as much as I was that I called him daddy. "Yes, Honey?" He asked. I could see the warmth in his eyes, and the happiness that I was returning back to my old self. All though he didn't understand fully. I'd never be that person again. I'd been through to much to be her again. I hoped when he finally came to that realization he would understand and not be upset. But for the meantime I swiftly walked up to him, enveloping him into a big, warm hug.

This was a new start for us. A new beginning. I was ready to start my life over again.