Preston Greens

14. Karate Lessons

I woke up, instantly asking Shannon, who was making coffee, if she heard anything about mom and dad. She shook her head and said as soon as Lisa and her mom showered, they would head straight to the hospital. I paced around the room, thinking about several scenarios. My least favorite was the extreme. Death. That was the last thing I wanted. Yeah, random men can terrorize my house and my neighborhood and I can also be humiliated on public television, but I'd rather have all that happen and more than lose my parents. I would be misguided otherwise. What other parent could be mine?!

I pushed those thoughts out of my head when I saw Charlie walking towards me, handing me a bagel. I thought he looked cute. I thanked him and took the bagel, devouring it. I forgot how hungry I was! Usually I was starving in the mornings, but so much was going through my mind that I didn't stop to think about my hunger. 

Lisa got out of the restroom, wearing a towel on her head. "Man, that restroom is so small!" She complained. I had to agree with her. Maybe we didn't live in big houses, but these restrooms were tiny! They were like the size of my closet. 

"Mom, the shower's open!" Lisa shouted to her mom, who was packing up. I then remembered I had to pack up, so I went to my room and grabbed my things. I shoved all my belongings into my bag and put my bag near the door. I helped Shannon clean up the mini kitchen and went to go help Charlie pack up his things. He had a lot of stuff for one night, actually. 

"Wow, you have a lot of crap in here." I muttered. 

"Hey, you gotta be prepared." Charlie shot back. I didn't blame him. Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry. I stopped what I was doing and looked at his cool blue eyes. 

"I heard you talk in your sleep last night. Is that what you really think of me?" I asked him cautiously. 

"What did I say?" He asked, seeming embarrassed. 

"You said you wanted me to be your girlfriend. I really want you to tell me how you feel. What do you think about me?" I asked him.

He sat down on the nearby bed. "Well, I was touched the way you talked to your parents in the hospital room and realized you're really caring, articulate, amazing, talented, karate master, defensive, pretty, cool, and most of all, funny, so, yeah. I do want you to be my girlfriend," He said quietly. Now I knew it was true. He spilled it out. I sat down next to him.

"Do you know what I think of you?" I asked him. 

"What?"  

"I think you're amazing, smart, funny, exactly like me, polite, and defensive." I said with confidence. I made sure he believed it, because every single word was 100% true. "I really like you," I added.

I hopped off the bed to let him think while I finished packing his things. I dressed really casually today, praying that no news reporters were going to show up at my doorstep. Charlie was still sitting on the bed. I waved my hand in front of his face, and he only smiled.

"You are amazing." He said after a while.

"I know." I replied, without thinking. Ok, maybe I only knew him for about a week, but something was different about him, it seemed like we had known each other for years.

 Lisa knocked on our door. "Hey you guys. Heard some commotion around here, and I was wondering, am I missing out on anything?"

"Nope, just thinking." I said. Charlie nodded.

Lisa smiled. "Typical Carly." She muttered. She left the room to go get some more of her stuff. 

Once we had all of our belongings in the car, we checked out of the hotel and went straight to the hospital. The nurse let all of us into their room. Mom's skin was back to her normal color and dad was all smiles. They signed some paperwork and we took them home. We unloaded our stuff from Shannon's car, and we walked mom and dad inside the house. Mom and dad sat down at the table. 

"Carly, we have to discuss something with you that requires your undivided attention." Dad said. He sounded really serious, and the last time he sounded like that was when grandpa died.

"We are not going to move out. We just checked the bank and we don't have enough money right now, especially the expenses of your IPhone and Peppermint." He said. I wasn't shocked. I knew we would never move. Mom sighed. 

"I know this is hard but you need to understand something, and that's we will not have a life lost in this house. We will remain strong. If those men come again, we will take care of it, just like we did last time, thanks to you. I wanted to thank you, on my and dad's behalf, for saving our lives. That was very courageous Carla." Mom said sincerely. 

 I nodded. "I just couldn't stand there, watching you guys getting hurt. The pain was immense, seeing you suffer." I said. 

They nodded. "Please don't put your life in danger ever again." Dad said. He was really serious this time, and my ears perked up to hear what was next. 

"Mom and I also decided that we are going to take karate classes, and we talked to Shannon, Leslie's mom, and Lisa's mom about keeping you while we are at karate class. You will be at Leslie's house every Monday from four to six pm, and you will be at Lisa's house on Wednesdays at the same time, then you will be with Shannon on Fridays at the same time as well. If none of them are available, we will either hire a babysitter or will not go to class. The last resort is Belinda's, and we already talked to her mom about everything that happened over the past few days. She says she'll do anything to help." Dad concluded. 

"That sounds great! You will have fun at karate, I promise. You will feel a lot more confident after you take them." I told them. 

This was great! I got to study and do homework with all my friends! I'm also glad it on Wednesdays, Mondays, and Fridays only because I usually volunteer at mom's office on Tuesdays and volunteer at dad's office on Thursdays. I liked volunteering a lot and I didn't want to let that go. Mom told me to go to my room or in the attic or something so she and dad can get some rest in their own bed. I'm glad they are feeling a lot better, but this is going to be a long recovery mentally. 

I grabbed my IPhone and went to my room. It felt good going to my room, like I've been away from it forever, even though I was gone for only one night. So much has changed over the past twenty-four hours, that's for sure. I sat on my bed and saw that I got a text from Charlie.

CHARLIE: Hey

CARLY: Hey. What's up?

CHARLIE: Nothing much. Are your parents ok?

CARLY: Yeah. Is your mom at work?

CHARLIE: Yeah, home alone. Hope no army comes to attack my house.

CARLY: No kidding, you really don't want that.

I fell back on my bed, grateful that the bed caught my fall. My heart fluttered again. I sat up. It seemed so unfamiliar, like I've never felt it before, but it was a pleasant feeling. It felt so real, so alive. I felt my soul dancing, and it was crazy how Charlie seemed to glow and light up every room. I noticed mom and dad liked him a lot actually, like they approve him or something. I wonder if that means anything.

Maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm too young to understand. Too much was going on in my life right now. I wish life wasn't like a roller coaster and more like a carousel. I had encountered so many things over the past few months, too. I met Charlie, my house got attacked by an army, my mother and father injured, meeting a ghost, confiding in friends, showing up on public television.

 My story isn't over yet. In fact, it feels like it just begun. My mind was so complicated. Maybe it was a gift, to have not a basic mind but one all my own. It had love, hatred, friendship, strength, dignity, and stability. Not to mention karate movements and formulas for math. I feel like I've matured so much over the past few weeks, and I feel a little more confident and safe. I had no idea I could actually hurt someone to defend myself a few months ago, and now I have. I had no idea I was capable of finding a person who liked me in that way or had any interest in me beside my parents, family, and friends. I had no idea what life had to offer either. I think everyday, am I going down the right path? I will never know until I reach the end. Life's a climb, but the view is great.