Young Volcanos

May 29

I grabbed the keys to my mom's truck and we climbed in. I put the car in reverse and pushed on the gas pedal. We drove away from our condo and into the downtown area of Breck. We pulled into the parking lot near the gondola lift (a gondola lift is a version of a ski lift but it's a little ornament shape and hangs off of a wire to carry you up) We climbed out of the car and began the walk to my favorite ice cream shop: Clyde's Ice Cream and Sweet Shoppe. Most stores in Breck are store fronts so you can't park in front of them. My mom and I walked and talked. We saw Clyde's and walked in. It was busy but as soon as the women behind the counter saw me, they winked. One of them, Mindy, turned around and scooped some ice cream into a waffle cone.

Mindy turned around and had a cup of salted caramel ice cream in her hand, she handed it to me over the counter. I smiled and grabbed my wallet out of my boot (I kept everything in there).
"No. You're not paying, it's on the house."

"Mindy, don't destroy my pride."

"Riley, we're not making you pay for your first and last ice cream of the summer, at least from here."

"Florida's couldn't be half as good."

"I bet you're right."

I smiled but I was growing more and more sad. In a perfect world (a.k.a. my previous summers) I would have stated up here in the mountains all summer, except for the two weeks I spent with my dad in Denver, and get ice cream once a week, I would go on the alpine slide with Isaiah (my best friend), life would be good. I would buy discount snowboard stuff for the next winter. I could get a job at Clyde's. But the universe had different plans.

I licked my ice cream cone as my mother and I walked throughout Breck. We stopped in front of a large tree that stood in front of a store.
"Since I'll be missing your birthday for the first time ever, I decided to give you your present now."

My mom pulled out four little boxes, all of them were sea foam colored but had different color bows. I went with the blue-bowed one first. I opened it to see... A credit card. "Mom..."

"I figured you'd need an all new summer wardrobe so I figured, hey why not!"

I smiled and chose my next box: the gold bowed box. I opened it to see a piece of paper with the word Skate on it. I looked at my mom with a questioning look. "It's a proof of purchase ticket. I bought you a new skateboard so you would have a form of transportation until you were sixteen." I laughed, "Thank you!"

I went for my next gift: the pink-bowed box. I opened it and found a check. "Oh mother of all that is good and pure, that is a lot of zeros."

My mom laughed, "It's for a car. You're almost old enough."

I squealed, "Thanks Mom!"

The last present had a white ribbon with gold trim. I opened it and saw the most beautiful necklace I'd ever seen. It was a silver snowflake. "It's so you don't forget us in Florida."

"I could never. I'm a mountain girl."

"You think so now."

"I know so. I will forever be one."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We drove home. I pulled on my pajamas and got ready for bed. Tomorrow I would leave for Florida. I looked around my white-walled room to my paisley patterned bed spread on my queen sized bed. I switched off the light and jumped in bed without taking a step (I had a phobia that something was going to grab my ankles in the dark). I snuggled into my bed and sighed.

Then, for the first time in four years, I cried myself to sleep. All through the tears, I was wishing that somehow the plans would change and I wouldn't have to leave.