Childhood Crushes

Chapter Forty-Nine - Welcome Home

I practically sprinted off of the bus as soon as it stopped. For the past few hours I've done nothing but fidget, look out the windows, and soundlessly curse the bus driver for stopping at stop lights, not going over the speed limit, and for dragging this trip out much longer than it should be.

As soon as the station came into view, I screamed out loud, causing the woman sitting next to me to drop her coffee in the midst of taking a sip, spilling it all over her lap. With a hasty apology, I leapt up from my seat in the middle of the bus and ran to the doors. The bus driver told me I had to wait until she stopped to get off the bus, but I ignored her and hopped on the heels of my feet, waiting for her to open the doors. Bale was waiting for me at the station, probably holding flowers, or at least ready to give me a hug. Hazel told me she talked to him, and if I knew my Hazel, then he probably would pick me up and swing me around, just like they do in the movies.

My nerves buzzed as I searched the crowds through the bus doors windows, searching for his familiar face. Would he be happy to see me? Of course he would, what am I so worried about? Hazel handled it, I just knew it.

Finally, the bus driver stopped the bus and looked to me with an annoid look. She tried to make me calm down with her look of death, but I simply stared at her, waiting for her to open the doors. Knowing there was no getting through to me, she pulled the lever and let me loose. Slinging my purse over my shoulder, I practically ran through the crowds, looking like a chicken with her head cut off. People looked at me like I had lost my mind, and I was sure I probably had, but it didn't stop me from frantically searching for that face.

As I neared the entrance to the station, I did see a familiar face. However, it wasn't the face I had been searching for. Dad stood, leaning against the building wall, looking like the slightly aged cowboy he was in his pale cream hat, dusty boots, and muddy jeans. He grinned wide and pushed himself off the wall, walking over to greet me. The moment I saw him I had stopped running and stood several feet away from him. I was slightly disappointed - okay, very disappointed - and didn't make a move to hug him back when his arms wrapped around me.

"It's so good to see you, honey!" He growled as he gave me a big bear hug, just like every dad does. "How was your trip?"

Stunned, I almost forgot to answer him until he held me at arms length and looked down at me expectantly. "Er, it was alright..."

"You were expecting someone else, won't ya?" He winked, knowing exactly who I had in mind. My flushed cheeks was enough to answer him. "Well don't worry pun'kin, you'll see Bale soon."

I knew it was supposed to be reasurring, but I simply heaved out a sigh and nodded my head. Dad looked to the ground beside me and snapped his fingers. "You need your bags!" He noted. "I'll go get them." With that, he stepped off into the crowds, walking back to the bus I had just leapt from and went to retrieve my things.

As I stood there, I wondered why Bale hadn't come to pick me up. Couldn't he have done it, then we could just go to Dad's later? It was bad; putting a boy before family, but I missed him so much. I was slightly hurt that he didn't come to see me. I still haven't talked to him since the day he hung up on me. Not a phone call, not an e-mail; nothing at all. Suddenly, I began panicking. What if he's going to break up with me? My hand shot up instinctavely and began playing with the single pearl hanging on the delecate gold chain, as if to protect it in case someone reached out and snatched it away, yelling, 'you don't deserve him!'

When I felt Dad's hand on my shoulder and heard his voice, I screamed from surprise and jumped about a foot into the air. I whipped around to see him shocked face, until he began laughing. "Sorry to spook you, Belly." With that, he suggested we get going and led me through the station and out to the parking lot where his old truck was. He told me how he got some things replace in it so it ran faster, but I hardly listened.