Light Blue

Epilogue

Epilogue

"Delilah, can you please get more snacks?"

"Sure," I call back as I dry my hands on a towel. I grab more plates of cheese bites and sausage rolls and balancing them precariously in my hands I bought them into the front room. 20 or so people crammed the rooms and out onto the back patio, all carrying glasses of wine or punch and chatting loudly.

"Cheese bite?" I ask a few and some take them with muffled thanks. But suddenly the plate is whisked from my hands.

"Delilah! This party is thrown in our name! Come and chill!" Amelia berates me as she puts the plate down on the sideboard.

"This is my house Amelia, I have to act host."

"Did you not read the banner?" She turns me around to look at large banner strung across the living room wall.

'Delilah and Amelia. Good luck at University!'

"Yes I have seen it, and seriously it's like they're rubbing it in our faces. Yay we're going to Uni, good bye, good bye! Actually we cannot wait they are thinking, and really, what other parents do something like this," I grumble. Amelia shrugs.

"Free food is always good."

I decide not to answer her but then my Dad moves into the living room shouting for everyone to be quiet and Amelia and I silently cringe.

"Oh no," I whisper. "He's going to toast."

Amelia covers her eyes. "Brace."

"Our two girls here are finally leaving for University! I cannot believe this time has come already," he sniffs, "But I want to wish them good luck for their time ahead." He raises his glass and everyone else does. We smile weakly as they then applauded.

"Do they forget that they're taking us tomorrow?" Amelia mutters in the ensuing chatter.

"Don't remind me," I mutter back, but I smile widely at the apprehension. Finally leaving.

Later when the guests had gone, I'm left sweeping up leftover plates and crumbs and by the time we all trapeze upstairs to bed, it is late. My room over a few weeks had slowly been packed up into brown boxes and an endless amount of rubbish being thrown away. I run a finger over several of them and sigh. The shelves were emptied, the wardrobe bare. It was so strange to be staring at this room as though no one had actually been there. On my desk, my laptop is one of the only solidarity items left out. I throw myself into my chair and wriggle the mouse so that the desktop comes on. I move the mouse to the corner to switch off the laptop, but then out of the corner of my eye I see a bright orange flicker. Looking across I see that there's a notification from Skype. I roll my eyes. It had been on all day with messages from well meaning relatives fighting to get their 'good lucks' and 'good byes' in. I click on Skype to expect the same thing only to see that it is a follow request. My interest grows as I wonder who it could possibly be, probably one of those spam followers. I click on the tab and my eyes widened.

Hi! Oscar987 would like to add you as a contact. Accept/Deny.

I blink and look around almost accusingly. I re read the request over and over again until it sinks in and when it does I smile in relief. He saw. With bated breath I click the accept button and the moment it does, I immediately type in the chat bar.

Dmiller05: Hi.

I wait. I stare intently at the chat screen for a while but nothing comes back. Sighing I made to close the screen in disappointment, but then it pops up that someone is writing and I almost jump out of my seat.