The Way We Were

Ch 1.1 - The Night Before

          "Ava!" Dinners on the table!" "Be right down!..why...wont...you...close..." "Hurry up or it's gonna get cold." "I know, let me just...ugh...finish this Mara's picking me up at 4:30 tomorrow." After finally kneeling on top of her suitcase and tugging relentlessly at the zipper, Ava finally managed to close her suitcase. She was about to head down stairs when she spotted her favorite maxi skirt laying on the window seat. Picking up the orange, brown and green flowered skirt she proceeded to look back and forth between her skirt and suitcase, which looked about ready to burst, "Damn."

          Jane didn't even see her son at first when she stepped into his room. There were clothes strewn everywhere and in between from deodorant to a snorkel to a camera and bike helmet. "Brett, I brought you your drink" Brett emerged from his closet and stepped over the mass of clothing and objects to take the drink from his mother. Jane was about to leave when her son called back, "Oh, hey mom?" "Yes?" "have you seen my bike shorts, you know the black pair with the green strip down the side?" "I think I saw it in the dryer, I'll grab 'em for you" Jane went to leave the room, but quickly turned back around to poke her head through the door, "Almost forgot, Aiden called and left a message, he was wondering when you planned to pick him up tomorrow" "Alight, I'll text him back in a bit." He took another sip and pushed his way back into his closest. 

           Sophie had just finished her dinner when her parents and younger sister presented her with gifts. "Aww, thanks guys but it is't my birthday yet." "Well, we figured you wouldn't be here for your actual birthday so we had to do something before you left. Here." Sophie's mother handed her a neatly wrapped rectangular package, which even if you weren't as much of a book worm as Sophie you could definitely tell it was a book. Sophie began to carefully remove the wrapping revealing the title In the Garden of Good and Evil. "It was recommended to me by Mara's mom. Both she and Mara say its a good read. It takes place in Savannah, the city where you'll be going...and its based off of true event." "Thank you" Sophie gave her mother a quick hug before her sister Reagan burst between them. "Here. Open mine next!" 

          A beautiful spiral bound journal and pen set was Regan's gift, who knew her sister liked to write her own stories as much as she enjoyed reading them. Her last present was from her father who presented her with a delicate gold Celtic knot on a equally shiny golden chain. Before Sophie had a chance to hug her father, her mother came in with the birthday cake. Ever since Sophie had rushed to open her present on her fifth birthday it's become a tradition in their family to do presents before cake. Once her family's loud obnoxious version of "Happy Birthday" was over, she took a few moments, closed her eyes, and blew out all eighteen candles in on breath. "What did you wish for?" Regan immediately asked, "I can't say" Sophie gave her sister a sly smile, "If I tell you it won't come true." Sophie picked up her sister and placed her on her lap while they watcher their father cut the cake. 

          Carol could barely be heard over the volume of her son and his friends video game. She repeated herself for the third time, "BOYS!" Jayden pressed the pause on his controller as both he and Aiden turned to his mother so she could continue, "Pizzas ready come up and grab a slice when you're ready." The boys rushed up stairs after her and meeting her at the kitchen island where a fresh hot homemade BBQ chicken pizza was already sliced on the counter. Both boys were quick to crab two pieces and run back downstairs as Jayden's mother called after them, "Make sure you finish packing before you go to bed" "yeah mom" the comment was directed at her son as she knew how much of a procrastinator he was, plus Aiden was spending the night with them so was already ready.  

         "Alice, have you finished packing?" Turning down the volume on the TV, turning around to face her mother cleaning dishes in the kitchen and with a little annoyance her mom , "yea. I finished like four hours ago." "Alright, just making sure you're all ready. What time is Mara coming to pick you up?" "Mara's not picking me up" she shot pack shortly. "Oh, sorry, I thought she was that's what I thought you said the other day." Alice, who just wanted to get back to her show, was beginning to lose patience with her mother, "Well now Brett's picking me up, Mara's picking up Spencer instead." "Ok, just making sure everything is set." "I know" Alice said more bluntly than she had anticipated and wanting to leave the presence of her mom headed up the stairs to finish the show in her room. 

          Mara was busy holding up clothes in the mirror and then neatly folding the ones she liked into her suitcase when her cell made the familiar ding from under a pile discarded clothing. It was an urgent sounding text from Spencer stating he needed a ride for tomorrow morning. She quickly proceeded to call him, as she preferred calling rather than texting in a situation like this. "Hey, what's this about you needing a ride tomorrow?" As Spencer began making his plea Mara continued holding up clothes in front of the mirror while holding the phone tightly wedged between her ear and shoulder and in truth was only half listening. 

          "Yeah, so apparently Brett now has to pick up Alice which leave me without a ride." "Wait." Mara tossed the shirt she was holding onto her bed and turned away from the mirror taking the phone in her hand, "I thought I was giving Alice a ride? She, Ava and Sophie were coming in my car, Aiden and Isaac were getting a ride with Jayden and his dad and since Brett's car is full of crap he could only bring one other person which was you since your closest. I mean Alice is probably the farthest person from his house, he literally has to drive like twenty minutes in the opposite direction to get to her. "Yeah, well I guess the plans changed." "Well I was never told about this," Mara continued, even more annoyed with Alice than anyone else "like I'm ever told about any of Alice's last minutes plans...like any of us are. It's certainly not the first time she's done something like this." It was in Spencer's nature to feel apologetic for something that wasn't his fault and immediately began to apologize, "I'm really really sorry about this, I know its the night we leave and I'm not really on your way to the others." If she didn't interject he would have kept going, "Honestly, it's fine, I'll just text her later make sure everything is set. I'll be by your house around 4:45. "Thanks again" "Don't mention it, I'll see you tomorrow" with the exchange of good byes Mara hung up the phone and turned back around to look at the rest of her clothes, still a little ticked off that Alice hadn't talked to her first. 

        Issac was in the den casually tickling the ivories of his baby grand piano as his mother sat in the living room reading her favorite asian food blog. "How about I make you a kimchi egg skillet before you leave tomorrow?" "sounds good""Oh and I can put together some onigiri for you and your friends to have on the way to the airport." At this point Issac had finished his piece and stepped out of the room into view where his mother was rocking in the chair, "Thanks, but I don't think they'll go for just seaweed and rice" "oh" She didn't bother to look up from her article, but by her tone he could tell she was disappointed. "But you can make some for me" He leaned over the back of the chair and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm headed to bed, early morning tomorrow, sweet dreams." "Sweet dreams," she watched her son retreat down the hall into his room before returning back to her reading with a smile.