The Things You Did For Me

Chapter 15: THE ONE I DREAM OF

Of course his father hadn't show up for graduation the next morning. He didn't even bother to stop by before Alex left for Portland. Alex didn't mind in the least. The last thing he needed was a spectacle. He wasn't the only student there without a parent to support him—it only seemed odd because he was the Sheriff's son. Alex was glad when the ceremony was over. He was ready to leave White Pine Bay. He needed to get away from the place that had held him back for so long.

Bob and Sally were there to send him off. They seemed sad to see him go. Alex never would have pictured Bob Paris as his best friend, yet it here he was. There were tears starting to well in his eyes as he pulled Alex in for a hug. Sally wept freely, kissing Alex's cheek before finally allowing him to climb into the car. "I'll call as soon as can," Alex shouted over the roar of the engine. "I promise."

Norma and John had been living in a crowded motel room for two months. The heat of Phoenix had reached a maximum in the beginnings of July, and the motel didn't have air conditioning. Being five months pregnant didn't make anything easier. Fortunately John had left for the day, which meant Norma was free to roam the motel grounds by herself. It was in the motel office that she found herself some reading material other than the holy bible. Sweat began to drip down her face as she flipped through the yellow pages. She was looking for the number of the local pizza place when her eyes scanned over the number of the local police department. Her heart sank deep, her mind wandering to the friend she'd left behind. She'd be lying if she said she never thought about him. Hell, she thought about him nearly everyday. She had tried calling his house, but no one ever answered. He had probably already left for the academy...if he actually decided to go. But now it felt like she had lost him forever.

Norma sighed, shutting the book and making her way back to her room. It was there that she spotted the list of phone numbers John kept beside the bed. At the top of the list were his parents along with other various family members John called to check in with regularly. But of course he kept the numbers of a few of his close friends from back home. John wasn't the type to just cut ties with anyone. He had people who actually cared about him.

Christine Heldens was the first friend listed below his family. She was on the cheer squad and head of the drama club. Norma rolled her eyes at the thought of having to call one of "them" to reach her best friend, but she did. Christine seemed confused when she answered the phone. Norma wasn't exactly as invisible but towards the end of her high school career many people had began to refer to her as whatsherface. The conversation hadn't lasted long after Norma revealed that she was whatsherface the girl who kidnapped the football team's best player. Christine was happy to oblige with her request, promptly reciting to her the number of Bob Paris and hanging up.

But Norma's anxiety wouldn't ease. Calling Bob was more stressful than calling Christine. Norma never trusted Bob. He was always after something. "Norma? Alex's old friend?" Bob questioned despite the fact he knew exactly who she was. "What can I do for you?"

Norma bit her fingernails, desperately trying to ease her nerves. "I need the number of the Portland Police Academy."

Bob laughed haughtily. "The one our little Alex goes to?"

She could have strangled him. "Yes."

"Well, why would I give you that?"

She could feel tears started to well in her eyes as she felt her memory of Alex beginning to slip away. "Bob, please. I really need to talk to Alex."

There was a long pause. "What do I get out of this?" And there it was.

But Norma didn't have the patience for Bob's little game. "Just forget it."

"No, no. I was just kidding. I'll give it to you. Just give me a minute, all right?" It was the first time Bob had ever done something without receiving something first. It shocked Norma when she discovered that he had indeed given her the number of the police academy to which Alex was enrolled.

Alex was surprised when they told him there was phone call waiting for him in the main office. The only phone calls they were allowed to receive were from family members or the annoying, pestering girlfriends who couldn't go five minutes without hearing their boyfriend's voice. Alex laughed a little at the thought, picking up the phone without a hello. "I'm really glad you called. You're not still mad at me for leaving, are you, Sal?"

Norma's heart sank, every instinct screaming at her to hang up the phone. "Alex?" she muttered helplessly. She could feel her throat beginning to close up as the emotions from months ago poured back into memory. There was a silence on the other side of the line. She panicked. "Please don't hang up. I'm sorry—I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. I just need to hear your voice. Please."

With as much pain as she caused him, he still didn't have the nerve to hurt her back. "What do you want, Norma?" The numbness was rising to the surface. His months of work in therapy had gone to pieces the moment she uttered his name.

"I miss you," she told him.

The corner of his mouth quivered into a smile. "Well, I miss you too." There were so many questions circling his mind he could barely think straight. "You missed graduation."

A pain formed inside her. "I missed a lot of things." The guilt she felt for leaving him behind would never leave her.

Alex glanced about the room, leaning closer into the phone. "Where are you?"

The concern in his voice wrapped itself around her, suffocating her. "We're in Phoenix, Arizona—John and me. We've been staying in a motel for the past few months. So you're with that girl?"

He knew what she was doing. He wouldn't stand to be avoided, not when she was the one who contacted him. "Yeah. How are you? How's the baby?"

"We're fine," she breathed uncomfortably, desperately trying to change the subject back to him. "Police academy, huh?"

Alex laughed bitterly. "Yeah, well, I didn't really have a choice after you left. There was nothing keeping me there."

"What about her?"

Alex closed his eyes, breathing hard and shaking his head. "Don't. I don't want to talk about her."

"Good. I don't want to talk about John, or the baby, or why I left." The stress of the phone call was beginning to prove too much, but she wouldn't be the one to leave first...not this time.

The sound of her breathing pained him. "Okay."

"Okay," she muttered back. "I miss you."

Alex sighed, sinking into the chair beside the phone. "You already said that."

Her gaze fell to the roundness of her belly as she leaned against the head of the bed. "I know. I just wanted you to know I meant it."