The Spoken Truth

Chapter Nineteen: Thinking

Derrick finally returned with piles of food. It was obviously a buffet. I reached over to take a muffin. I got Clyde one too. I helped him to sit up. He was OK now, but still not back to normal. We were all there together talking about school and when we were going to go back. It then the summer of 2012 and my friends back home were most likely wondering if I would ever return. I knew with all my heart I would. Derrick, Clyde and me sat there on Clyde’s bed eating for two hours, until the nurse said that Derrick and I had to leave so Clyde could rest. I didn’t know what to do with Derrick. We walked for a while up and down the road in front of the hospital.

“When do you suppose he’ll be out and we can go home?” Derrick asked looking at the floor awkwardly.

“I don’t know…I guess soon, but I would really like to see my mom again,” I replied.

“Yeah me too. I miss her a lot.”

“You know those papers you found in my room?”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Well, I was just wondering what they were about.”

“Oh, you remember Rhett?”

“Yeah…”

“He wasn’t apart of the U.S Spy Agency…he was one of them. He was French. I knew it too, but I didn’t want to blow my chance to be apart of the Agency. So I didn’t say anything. After a little ways into our conversation—you were helping my grandma in the kitchen—he went to the ‘bathroom’. I watched as he walked down the hallway. Clyde and I talked about him, how nice and sweet and charming he was. Now that I think back to it, I disgust myself.” He was deep in thought and sort of getting off track.

“So…what were the papers about?”

“Oh yeah…they were French mission papers. Written all in French, which really made me mad.”

“What was the mission?”

“I don’t know. As I said, they were all in French.”

“Doesn’t Clyde know French?”

“Oh. I didn’t think to ask him,” Derrick said honestly. Wow, sometimes he could be as stupid as a brick.

“Okay…well. I’ll be here if you need me to help you with that.”

“Thanks.”

We kept walking up and down the sidewalk, until I saw a very small, nice library, which, to my disappointment, only had a tiny English variety. Derrick went to the café next door. I asked the lady if she had any more English books in the back. She returned empty handed. I was at the first phase of boredom, when I heard Derrick from behind me. I decided to look very interested in the English to French and Spanish to French dictionaries.

“Did you find anything interesting?” He asked, as if he really cared. I looked back at him with a face of sarcasm and saw that he was with Clyde as well. My expression immediately changed to extreme happiness. It was over. I knew that once Clyde was back the whole thing was over and done with. I flung myself over Clyde’s shoulders and he squeezed me until I couldn’t breath.

“You’re back!” I exclaimed after he released me from his arms.

“Yup, good as new,” he replied showing me his stitches. I looked away at the gruesome sight. 

“Let’s go pack up and get out of here,” Derrick butted in.

We piled into one of the taxis and Clyde told him the name of the address. It didn’t take us ten minutes until we were all packed and saying our good-byes to Mrs. Gellman. I would really miss her. The guys loaded our stuff into the silver Mustang. I hopped into the back and buckled my seat belt. I rolled down the window and waved to Mrs. Gellman. I never thought to ask her where her husband was and of course that thought popped up as we were all leaving. Clyde and Derrick say their last good-byes and jump into the car. Clyde started the engine and we drove away.

I was very excited to get home. I was sure it was the summer break now because I remember doing all of those finals for my classes. I though about Kacie and Maggie and wonder if they are mad at me for running off with Clyde to who-knows-where. They must know I love him, though I thought and they did. They did know I loved him…with all my heart. My thoughts transferred to Clyde and if he knew I loved him. I said it earlier, but I still wasn’t sure if he knew I really meant it as much as I did. I didn’t even know if he meant it…I started to doubt everything, my relation­ship with him, if what we had just accomplished was really worth it. Of course it was, I thought to myself, we saved his parents and all of the other spies that were trapped. I kept thinking about how ridiculous my thoughts could be sometimes.

The car comes to a complete stop at the airport. I look up in the sky to see an airplane zooming by and I decided didn’t want to go back. Back to reality; back to school; back to mom and Kacie and Maggie; back to the drama of boys and school. I wanted to stay there with Clyde and Derrick. I could think of no one else to stay in France with, but maybe we won’t stay in France. Maybe we would go to England or Switzerland or Canada. Just not California. Not the U.S. Some where away from reality; away from people. I didn’t mention this to Clyde or Derrick. I knew that it was another one of my ridiculous thoughts and kept it to myself. Although, I did want it to happen very, very much, but still left it in my head.

      We walked into the airport; I saw the police again, this time I wasn’t frightened by the quite large German Shepard; in fact I was relived to see it. I felt safer with him around. I looked up at Clyde and he just kept his head forward, showing no ex­pression. I looked at Derrick for an explanation for his behavior, but found nothing. His face was also expressionless. I wondered what was going on and looked in front of me and saw what they were looking at.

There were three French policemen and three more German Shepard. Now I was scared. I mimicked the boys’ faces and they walked away.

“What was that about?” I asked them.

“They’re as bad as their Spy Agency. In fact, they could be a part of the Spy Agency,” Derrick replied looking back at them.

“What gate are we?” Clyde questioned looking at our plane tickets.

“It should say right there,” I spoke pointing down at the num­ber B12.

We kept walking until we got to the airport subway. We rode it until the train said, “Please hold on the train is about to stop, and this stop is B, as in Bravo.” Her voice was always so weird and robotic. We walked and occasionally stood on the moving sidewalk. I always loved those when I was younger; I went back and forth on them all the time, when we were waiting for our plane. I was tempted to ask the guys if they wanted to do it again, but I held it in thinking it was way to childish. We finally find ourselves sitting in the gate of B12 waiting for the plane, when I realize that I’m starving. I pull out a twenty from my wal­let and ask the boys if they want anything. They both came along also recognizing their hunger.

“Marcie, you didn’t talk much in the car…are you OK?” Clyde asked rubbing my back. We were standing in line at the Auntie Anne’s.

“Yeah I’m fine I was just thinking.”

“About what?” he questioned.

“About us…staying here or just in Europe…forever. Not going back,” I looked down at the floor, ashamed of what I just said. I knew it was out of the question, but I still wanted him to know that that was what I was thinking about.

“Marcie, you know that we have to go back to school. Aren’t you excited to see your Mom and Kacie and Maggie again after a week in France?”

“Yeah, I’m so excited, but I was just thinking of how awesome it would be for us to just escape from the world and just live to­gether.”

“That would be amazing, but we have to go back to get a job and make a living somewhere where we actually could.”

I looked up at him and he kissed my forehead as if I was a child thinking of childish things. And I was, I was thinking of childish things that were completely out of the picture, but it was still fun to think about them.

Once we got our food we went and sat back down in gate twelve. I ate my entire cinnamon pretzel and so did Clyde and Derrick. I saved my lemonade for the plane ride. I always got so extremely thirsty on planes, I had no idea why and the free sodas you got on the plane ride were not enough to quench it.

Once everyone boarded the plane it took us about five and a half hours to touch the ground of California, the one place I didn’t want to be.