Chapter One:
There was nothing but open road and trees that seem to cover and consume the edges of the country road for miles. We were leaving an endless trail of unwinding highway behind us. In the distance there were hills covered with the fresh green grass that grew fiercely in the summer time here. Wild flowers seem to reign the country side. There is nothing more beautiful than this time of year, when the sun is always shinning. However, silence was the key to this trip; I haven’t spoken a word since we left. My father sat in the driver’s seat silently with the exception of the occasional friendly gesture of trying to start up a conversation, but I just turn my head towards the window and put my head phones on. I hate that I felt guilty for ignoring him, but that’s exactly what he deserves since he has ignored my existence for the past nine years. I need to let go of that little girl dream that daddy has come to rescue me; he is only taking me in because he feels like it’s his only option. I gently increase the volume on my IPod and disappear into my own world of thoughts.
It wasn’t till about 9 o’clock when we approached the sign for “Moses Lake.” When we arrived in town I took a good look around. This was my new home now, not by choice. Regardless, I was currently stuck here, at least for the rest of this year. Thank goodness I’m a senior so I can be out of here, as fast as I came. Besides the fact that I would rather be just about any other place in the world right now, the town itself wasn’t that bad. There were young boys riding around on their bicycles trying to get a few last good rides in before the darkness of night arrived. The streets were covered with small shops, and barbers. It reminded me of the way they made towns look in the old movies. It was pleasant, but not for me.
My father continued driving for about 3 miles down the road when he finally said,
“This is our turn, your almost home.” He then turned onto a gravel road that leads us to his lake house. I shrug my shoulders and continue to stare out the window, pretending to be indifferent to where we were. However, I was truly excited to get out of this car. A 16 hour car ride alone with this man I’m supposed to call a father, but feels like a complete stranger, was more than I could handle. We pulled up to a street with giant houses surrounded by trees and the lake. It really was a beautiful sight. He pulled into the driveway of a giant old white house. Possibly one of the biggest houses I have ever seen. Ironic, how my father was hiding all his wealth while my mom and I were doing our best to make ends meet. Either way I wouldn’t trade a second living in lower middle class with my mom for a second with my father’s apparent wealth.
What I wouldn’t trade to be with my mom right now, in her arms. I began picturing myself with her, she would whisper in my ear,
“don’t worry honey bee, everything is going to be alright” than softly kiss me on my forehead and brush the hair behind my cheek until she was convinced I was okay.
“Here we are,” said my father quickly bringing me back to unsatisfying reality that I am forced to live in.
“ Finally “ I mumbled, escaping the confinement of the four doors of the car as quickly as humanly possible, than continuing to the entrance of the house. To my surprise the inside of the house was even more stunning than the outside. Almost too stunning, where I felt like I had to whisper, because everything looked so well placed that I didn’t want to interfere with the aura of the house, which you could tell was normally a very quiet setting.
My father showed me up to my room on the second floor. It was plain and white, but big. If I were to stay here it would have possibilities, but my only task on mind was graduating and then getting as far away from this town and my father as fast as possible. I set my luggage down in my room and began to unpack my stuff, first locking the bedroom door and placing my IPod into the speaker jack. With the help of Bob Marley’s music I finally began to unwind and get settled into my new place. I suppose it could always be worse I reassured myself. Father could have remarried, and I’d be stuck with bratty step-siblings and a controlling step-mother. Instead, I found myself enjoying the quietness of the home. Silence has become a part of my new comfort zone. Anything to loud seemed to be hard for me to handle these days. After I finished unpacking my clothes, I reached for my most prized possession, my journal. If I didn’t have my journal to share everything I’m going through inside, I think I’d be locked up in the Looney bin. I continued to just rest for hours in my bed, silently venting through the written words of my journal and stopping occasionally to admire the picture of my mother and me that I kept in the front pages. It was the first time I’ve had the chance to take down and actually process my thoughts since everything has happened these past few days. After finishing up with writing about any possible emotion I could be feeling, I closed my journal and placed it under the mattress. Afterward I crawled up into my bed, where I inevitably passed out for a much needed good night’s sleep.
