Thursday, August 20th
It's been two months. It's been a whole two fucking months and I've been an emotional train wreck. I waited outside for hours and hours, every single day. I wanted him to call me. I wanted him to come back.
My mother started noticing my sudden change in mood. I wouldn't eat more than half of what I was given, which is VERY not like me. I actually lost a few pounds. I didn't want to do anything. All I did was lay in bed, staring at my phone, waiting for a blocked call that never came.
The doctor let me down. He lied to me, and I was pissed about it. But more than anything, I was worried about him.
Today I'm going on vacation to Maine, a trip I always plan with my family. Usually, this time of year is my favourite, but it's different now. I don't even want to go! I'm packing my bag, and wiping my eyes, hoping that I feel better soon.
Somehow, I managed to convince my father to let Jo and Sarah come with us. Since my brother would be at band camp and my step-sisters had softball games all weekend, the camper would have three less people than usual.
My phone rang a couple minutes ago and I freaked out, running over to answer it. My heart beat fast as I turned it over to look at the screen... Is it him? Could it really be the doc--
Nope.
It was my fucking dad. "What?" I groaned into the phone.
"Well, hello to you too." He laughed a little. "I'll be there at one."
"Kay." I said simply, even though I really just wanted to hurl myself off a cliff. Okay, that's a little extreme. Maybe like ...off of a picnic table.
Anyways, that was the entire conversation. And by the way, I do freak out with hope every single time my phone rings, only to be extremely disappointed. It's fantastic. Just FAN-FRICKEN-TASTIC!
Ugh.
A car horn beeped loudly from the driveway and I knew my friends had arrived. They looked at me with sympathy when they saw how sad I was. I hadn't talked to them or seen them in a while, but they knew what happened with the doctor.
"How's it hanging, Samalama-ding-dong?" Jo asked excitedly, but sort of cringed, knowing I would punch her for calling me that.
The punch was given. "You're an ass." I forced a smile.
"Hey," Sarah opened her arms for a hug, which I obliged to lean into. Jo also joined and it was a big friendly group hug that almost made me cry.
"You doin' okay?" Sarah asked.
I shrugged. "Guess so."
--
After a long while of singing along terribly to various Fall Out Boy songs, my friends and I all got up to meet my father in the drive-way. Jo slung her bag over her shoulder, and tucked her pillow under her arm, while Sarah got her ukulele and extended the handle to her rolling carry-on.
"Oh god, I'm stuck with three girls this weekend." My dad complained when we got in his truck. "But at least I got you." He said to Henry, who sat between Sarah and Jo in the back. Henry is a black and white border collie that's been my dad's best friend for the past nine years. He seemed to almost smile at my father's recognition, and leaned over to give Jo a sniff.
It takes a long time to get to Maine from Massachusetts. About two-and-a-half hours with no traffic. But if course...
There was fucking traffic.
The trip ended up taking three hours instead, and we arrived at 4:30-ish, because we stopped for food somewhere along the way. My family was happy to see me, and they all embraced me in hugs, which I rather enjoyed.
We all had a grand old time like we usually do, and the fact that my two best friends were there just made it better. Everyone played board games (even though half of the players were drunk) and had fun around the campfire.
Pretty soon it was time to go to sleep, and I was just starting to doze off, when my eyes nearly popped out of my head. There was a sound, a groaning, exasperated, familiar sound that ached my heart and pulled me to my feet. The sound of the motherfucking TARDIS.
