Dad and Papa hovered as I walked in Monday night. I itched to check my phone, but I walked up and hugged them both.
“We never asked, how'd the dinner go?” Dad asked, only adding to the stare Papa had been giving me since I walked in.
I smiled to myself, “Lovely.”
“What did you serve?” quizzed Papa, sauteing the stir-fry in the wok pan that looked so big to me.
“Your lemon chicken, of course.” I opted for flattery to help get them off my back, “Over pasta, with asparegus. And we drank the red, sorry.”
“Dawson--” Dad started, and I raised my hands.
“I'm kidding! Jeez.” I exclaimed, “What is it all of a sudden? You never got like this when I was in high school.”
“You weren't old enough to have sex in high school.” Papa reminded me.
I muttered under my breath, “Not like that stops anyone anyway.”
“Dawson Julian!” Dad warned, then tempered his voice “Sweetheart, you know we love you. You know we're just...”
“Looking out for me, I know.” I sighed. I walked over to the pan, picking out a piece of grilled chicken and popping it into my mouth, “I'm going car shopping tomorrow.”
“Finally.” Papa sighed, chopping up water chestnuts “Don't get over-excited and buy the first flashy thing that catches your eye, young lady. Get something dependable, something you know will get you to wherever we go next. Got it? And call Emma or someone to drive you back home.”
I nodded, “I'll pick a good one, promise. And the ride's all situated” As I said this, my phone began to buzz. Looking down, I saw Indie's number pop up, and I checked with Papa “Actually, there it is now. How long til dinner?”
“Fifteen minutes.” He said carefully, eyeballing a measuring cup of soy sauce.
I scampered off to the front of the house, climbing up on the railing as I answered “Hi.”
“Hey.” He greeted, “What are you doing?”
“Sitting outside and staring at absolutely nothing.” I replied, sighing “You?”
“Just got finished talking to the bosses.” He sounded tired when he said this, “We're taking off next week, and...”
I stopped; what? No one said anything about leaving. If anyone was going to go, it was supposed to be me.
“Where are you going?” I asked, confused.
“Not far.” replied Indie, his voice trying to console me “Just to Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Then...” I held my breath, hoping he'd say home, “We have to go to Canada for a few days.”
“Canada?” I asked, covering my mouth to supress the whiney voice I knew I'd start “Why Canada?”
He laughed, sighing “Ah. Because that's where we have to be. I know, I know, we're just getting to know each other, and...”
“I'll miss you.”
“I know. I'll miss you, too.”
I heard Dad from the front door, “Daws, time to eat.”
“I have to go.” I told him, looking out over the sky, which had turned a purple hazy color “You're still helping me tomorrow, right?”
“Of course.” replied Indie, adding “We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay? Call me when you're finished with dinner.”
YOU ARE READING
Hometown Hero
Teen FictionDawson Bennet never had a permanent home. Traveling from restaurant to restaurant with her dads, no town held her in one place long enough to get comfortable with anyone. And signs don't look good, now that she's become acquainted with Indie, the to...
