All Over Again

| Chapter Fifty-Seven |

"Oh, Ruthie, I'm so sad!" Jana sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around Ruth's body as she awkwardly caught her cousin in another teary hug.

Uncle Rickey rolled his eyes alongside a rather quiet Terry, who tried her best to keep her tears at bay. Though Ruth was stuck with an overly emotional Jana, she was more than happy to have three of her four favorite people with her at the airport. It would have been too overwhelming to have the rest of her family come, so she said her goodbyes the previous night.

She wanted to spend her last Oklahoma moment with the four people who made her experience worth it. All of them combined loved her completely and accepted her for who she was. And she didn't know how she was going to live life without them in NYC.

But Ruth didn't want to cry again. She did enough of that last night.

So she simply patted Jana's shoulder and helped wipe at her cousin's tears. "You're a mess, Jana," Ruth teased. Thank goodness they were outside; she didn't need any extra attention.

Jana gave her a watery smile. "Shut up. Now where the hell is Emily?"

Ruth glanced down at her phone's screen. "She's on her way. Maybe seven minutes tops."

"And Raffie?" Jana questioned.

"Five minutes. It's only 7:25, Jan."

"7:30's in five minutes, Ruthie."

"Give the girl some room, Jana. She's got a long two flights ahead of her," Uncle Rickey cut in, wrapping an arm affectionately around Ruth's shoulder. He rose an eyebrow down at her. "You feeling okay, honey-bee?"

Truth be told, Ruth was beyond anxious. Her flight was set, her apartment was set, and she ven scheduled her taxi two days in advance for when Emily and her land in New York. Her money was safely split and stored the way she wanted it to be, and everything was right. But it still didn't stop her body from internally shaking and her mind from wandering into the depths of the unknown.

Truth be told, she was terrified.

She was so used to having her uncle, cousins, and Raffo whenever she wanted.

And now . . . time was going to be so different. Now there was a possibility of putting visiting off for the next year and the next year until it all added up and five years could go by. It was so easy to put time off until you're stuck in a situation where you're only visiting for a funeral or once a year holiday.

She didn't know what to expect, but she prayed things wouldn't end up that way. Especially if Raffo was staying in Oklahoma. She'll have to make time the best way she knows how.

So, when Ruth answered, all she could say was, "I will be."

She had to be.

And she knew it was going to be okay eventually; she just needed some time to get used to her new way of life. Raffo was going to go to New York soon once she was settled in with Emily for a couple months, and everything will be good.

"Well it's after 7:3–wait! Isn't that Raffo's car?" Terry chirped, pulling Ruth's attention away from her uncle's question and drawing herself back to the present. "Finally!"

Heart leaping into her tight throat, Ruth pushed her worries back and brought forward a smile to mask her worries. She shook her nerves and spun around in the direction Terry was pointing to, calming herself. She was totally fine.

It will all be fine.

*****