Maybe In Another Life

Chapter 4

I was up all night tossing and turning in my bed sheets. All I was able to think was my father. Before I knew it my alarm clock went off. I shut it off and got up. I got dressed and woke up Melanie and walked downstairs. I said goodmorning to my mom and made my way out to my car and began to wait for Mel. "Are you okay?" She asked me when she got in the car. I didn't give her an answer. I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. I turned up the music and rolled down my windows. I pulled into the school parking lot with my car vibrating from the bass and the radio blaring music. I shut the car off and gave Melanie a see you later before I grabbed my bag and made my way inside. I wasted no time waiting for Melanie. I sat down at my desk and put my head in my arms. Mrs. Quentin started teaching some lesson I wasn't listening to. When you have everything you could ever want in life you take it all for granted. I used to think people without their fathers were overexaggerating about how they felt. I realize now, though, that their feelings were all too real. It was so strange without my father anymore. All I have of him are memories that were once the moments we spent together. He'll never have another Christmas. He'll never get to say goodbye to his family before he leaves for work. His truck will never grind the gravel in the driveway. He'll forever be gone. I put my head up and raised my hand. "Can I use the restroom?" I say. "Sure, Weston." Mrs. Quentin said with an understanding tone. I got up from my seat and signed out and left the classroom. I roamed the halls for a while before leaving to go to the bathroom. I made my way into a stall before pulling out my phone. I began to scroll through my photo gallery at all of the pictures of me and my dad. There were pictures of him teaching me how to ride a bike. They were frozen moments of me and him playing catch. There were timeless photos from when we left our small town of Sisters in Oregon to head to the big city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. There were so many things I could begin to describe, but I'd be here listing them forever. I felt the dam in my eyes break apart as the flood began to flow down my face. All I wanted was to hug my father one last time. I sat in the bathroom until the bell for the next class rang. Next period I was in a complete daze. My thoughts ran and the gears in my head clicked and whirred. Maybe it'd get easier, but right now I can't seem to grasp the concept of my dad being gone. I want just one more hug. My teacher put a paper down on my desk and knocked on it to get my attention. I grabbed a pencil and began to take the test. It seemed like I had forgot everything I knew about. I spent 10 minutes on the first question. The bell rang and I had no more than 3 questions answered. This was humiliating. I wasn't dumb. I'm not dumb. I just couldn't focus right on my work. I got up and went to the cafeteria and found James at our table. "Sup, bro?" I asked him. "I'm tired. " He answered through yawns. "I think I failed the history test too." He continued. "Don't worry man, me too." I said. "I didn't get past the 3rd question. I can't think straight." I finished. Just then someone else sat down next to us. "Hi, Weston. James." Lindsay's voice was angelic. I looked over at James and grinned as he had a look of pure shock. I don't think he thought I stood a chance when I asked Lindsay. I didn't either. "Hi, Lindsay." I say. "How's your day going?" I ask. "It's okay. I was bored but the afternoon is much better than the morning's this year anyways." She answered. I don't know why but I got the sudden urge to show off in front of James. I was hoping I wouldn't embarrass myself by doing this. "Lindsay?" I say in a nervous tone. "Yeah?" She answers. "Wanna be my girlfriend?" I ask with a bright red face. James busted out into laughter beside me. "Of course! Took you long enough. We've been talking for months." She answers. That was not what I expected at all. James punched my shoulder lightly. "There you go, man." He says. "You finally grew some balls." He joked. "I'm proud of you." He finished. It only took me three years. I've had a crush on Lindsay for forever. Suddenly her arms wrapped around me. "Well, I better get over to my friends. Bye, Weston." She says with a smile. As she's walking away you could hear her voice say "He finally asked..." and her friends began to cheer. The lunch bell rang 10 minutes later and I finished my school day feeling like I was on top of the world. When school let out, I raced to my car. When Melanie got in she asked me why I was so happy. "Lindsay is my girlfriend." I exclaim. She let out a squeal and hugged me. "That's awesome!" She yelled. "My big brother is finally no longer single. I was getting tired of the complaining." She joked. We drove home and said hi to Mom. I decided I'd finally try out my new console and messaged James to see if he'd play. He agreed and we started to play. We got lost in the games for hours. It was full of laughter and smiles. I got a buzz on my phone around 6:30 and picked it up. "Wanna come over?" Lindsay's contact was shining bright on my phone. "Sure thing." I text back. I told James I had to go and then told Melanie and my mother goodbye. I raced to my car and pushed the pedal to the medal. I made it to Lindsay's house and shut off my car. Suddenly I was nervous. I hadn't met her little brother. I hadn't ever said a word to her parents. Her dogs didn't know me. I sat out there for 15 minutes calming myself down. I was just about to leave my car when suddenly, I got a knock on my window. It was Lindsay and she was smiling in at me. I opened my door and Lindsay jumped onto me, wrapping me in a hug. "My family is excited to meet you." She exclaims. "Come on, let's go inside." We walked through the doorway and I almost fell backwards. A black and brown dog jumped onto my waist. "Salem, down!" Lindsay yelled. The dog jumped down and licked my hands. "Sorry, she's been like that since a puppy. She is a german shepherd, though. You'll have to excuse her." She explains. "I don't mind, I like it when dogs do that." I say. A little boy came around the corner. "Lindsay!" He screamed. "Hi, Arlo" Lindsay wraps him in a hug. "This is my little brother, Arlo. He's 6." She says to me. "He's a cutie." I say to Lindsay. I scruff his hair and she sets him down. "Don't hurt my sister!" He demands. "I won't, buddy." I say with a laugh. Lindsay grabs my hand and leads me into the kitchen. "Mom. Dad. This is Weston, that boy I always talk about." She says. "I hope he likes meatloaf." Her mother says. "I'm Lilian. Call me Lily. This is her dad, Kenny." She says to me. Suddenly, my heart sinks into my chest. I remember why my day started off so sour. I put a smile on my face and introduced myself before Lindsay brought me into her living room. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped us up in it. Salem came to join us and laid across our laps. "Wanna watch a show?" She asks. Suddenly I snap back into the moment. "Oh. Yeah, sure. You pick." I answer. She put Wednesday on the TV and cuddled into my arms until her parents called us for food. She walked me out to the table and when I sat down I was given a display of mouthwatering grub. I sunk my teeth into the first bite and as the juice melted onto my tongue I couldn't help but gulf it down. "Did you put crack in this? I can't resist it." I said to Lily. She laughed and told me thank you and then started asking how I met Lindsay. I was truthful and told her that I've liked her for years and around 8 months ago I asked her on a mini date. I explained that today we became official. Her parents were lovely, and her brother was adorable. Her dog was so sweet. I knew my father would've loved her. After the hours had passed I thanked her family for having me over and giving me dinner and then I drove home. I said hi to Melanie before walking upstairs into my room to find my mother. "Hi, mom." I say. "Hey, Weston. How was Lindsay's?" She replies. "It was awesome." I say. I told her about Salem and the food. I told her about how lovely her mother was. "What about her dad?" She asked. "He was nice. I didn't talk to him much." I say. "It was weird considering." I explain. "I get it. Hey, how about you and I go for ice cream tomorrow? You'll have to use your car. My brakes just stopped working, but I'll pay for the ice cream." She says. "I'd love that." I respond. I really would. I haven't hung out or even seen my mom much since my father died 2 months ago. She brought me in for a hug. Her embrace felt warm. I knew, then, that it'd be okay. My father was happy, and I had my mother. Life was going to get better.