Channel

33| One Phone Call

Every day this week I've been making the drive to see Sierra, Wes tags along sometimes but he also knows I like my alone time with her.

Over my past visits with her, I'm starting to view her as more of my best friend rather than my boyfriend's mom. Wes is really happy Sierra and I are extremely close which makes me happy.

It's Saturday, which means there are only three weeks left until school. Now that I'm staying in Channel after graduation, I'm a lot more accepting of summer ending. But the thought of not seeing Wes as much as I do right now puts a pain in my chest.

I'm about twenty minutes from the apartment when I hear my phone buzz in the cup holder, I look down and my Dad's contact picture fills the screen. A picture of him and I on my 12th birthday, holding a brand new surf board and a bouquet of pink tulips.

My smile I wore a minute ago slowly falls as I pick up the phone and press accept.

I wait for whoever is on the other line to talk. As much hope as I want to put in that it's my Dad who's calling me instead of my Mom this time, I know that I shouldn't.

"Hey, Ten."

When I hear the voice on the other end of the phone call, my heart sinks. My Dads nickname for me my whole life has been Ten, because Hang Ten has always been our way of greeting each other.

Tears roll down my cheek and I quickly pull over in to the closest parking lot. I stay quiet, waiting for him to talk again. Hearing his voice after years feels so good but hurts so much at the same time.

"I'm so sorry Ten." His voice says breaking. A sob comes out from him and what once was a couple tears falling down my face, is now a lot more.

Part of me wants to accept his not-so-sincere apology, to tell him everything is okay, and go on to tell him every single thing that has happened to me since he left, and the other half of me? Wants to scream at him, blame him for all the years of built up anger, the endless nights of feeling alone. And wish I never answered the phone. But I do neither, I just stay quiet.

"Come visit me. Please. I'll tell you everything. Just.. please." I can tell he's crying by the way his voice cuts into small muffled segments, and I don't think about what I say next, I just say it.

"Ok." I whisper.

"Ok." He responds quickly, tears still flood out of my eyes but I make sure he can't hear me cry.

I don't respond and the call goes quiet, but neither of us hang up, and it stays that way for a long time.

I decide to start driving home again and place my phone back in the cup holder. The drive to the apartment is silent, and every now and then I look back down at my phone to see if he has hung up yet. He hasn't.

I pull into the parking lot and Wes is already waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. With little to no energy my head drops to the steering wheel and Wes rushes over to me.

I turn my head to face him and give a soft smile. I'm no longer crying but my eyes are swollen and dried tears scatter across my face.

Wes looks at me and then to my phone in the cup holder seeing my Dads contact name at the top.

"Bye Dad." I whisper picking up the phone and bringing it back up to my ear. I hesitate before hanging up but do it anyways. After putting my phone in my lap I look back at Wes who hasn't taken his eyes off of me.

He gives me a tiny smile and turns his head towards the apartment door and back to me. I shake my head and he nods again, coming around the front of the jeep and getting into the passenger seat.