Hours later, a loud clap of thunder wakes me up. My head hurts and my eyes feel puffy. I look at the clock, it's 2:30 in the morning. Ir's storming outside, I can hear the wind and rain outside and feel the way the house shakes with each clap of thunder. It's not safe or logical to go out in this right now, but there's something I have to do. I run downstairs, not bothering with keys, a jacket, or shoes and fling the front door open. I run into the darkness, getting drenched with icy rain right away. I slow to a walk because if I keep running, I'll slip and fall. I can't see much but I know where I'm going, and it only takes me twenty minutes to get there. I knock on the door, hoping someone answers. I'm sobbing and shaking and cold, and I just want things to be normal again. The door opens and Eli's dad steps out.
"Emma? Oh my God, what happened? Come in here sweetheart." He takes my arm and leads me inside. "Stay here, let me go get you a blanket."
"Stephen, what's going on? Oh.. Emma, did you walk here?"
"I couldn't drive, too dangerous."
"What's going on honey?"
"I tried calling Eli's phone earlier to hear the voicemail but his phone is disconnected and now everything is gone and I don't know, I just want things to go back to normal." Stephen comes back in with a blanket and wraps it around my shoulders.
"Okay, it's okay, come on, let's get you into some dry clothes, I have some pajamas you can wear. Stephen put on some soup, she's freezing. We go upstairs and Alice hands me some dry pajamas, I go to the bathroom and get changed, then come back downstairs.
"She's safe, she's here now and in dry clothes, Stephen is making soup, and we'll drive her home after the storm."
"Thank you so much, Alice, could I talk to her?"
"Of course." She hands me the phone.
"Emma? Baby, what is going on?"
"I'm sorry mom, I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay, you're safe and that's what matters."
"Are you guys mad?"
"Of course not, we're just concerned, that's all."
"I'm so sorry. I love you both, so much."
"We love you too, Emma." I hang up and curl up on the couch. Stephen comes in with a bowl of soup and some tea.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"You mentioned Eli's phone, do you want us to get it turned back on?"
"Not if it's going to be too much for you guys to hear it ring.. I'm sorry, I never even thought about that. I'm so selfish."
"You aren't selfish, Emma, and we're used to it by now, besides, we call it too sometimes, for the same reason you do."
"I can pay half every month."
"Oh no, we can't ask you to do that."
"I'm offering, please, you guys have been through so much, and you're like my second family, it's the least I can do. You all have been nothing but nice to me, like tonight for example."
"Only if you're okay with that. We don't want to take al your money."
"I am, and you won't be, I babysit on the weekends and get allowance, so it's no problem."
"Okay. But if you ever can't afford to pay half, let us know."
"I will. And thanks again, for everything, it means the world."
"You're welcome Emma."
YOU ARE READING
Open This When...
RomanceEmma's boyfriend is dead, but his memory is not. She still has his jacket, his football Jersey, the necklace he gave her, and a huge stack of "Open This When" letters he had written for her. As she reads them, she realizes that he loved her more tha...
