“Where the hell are my bags, you” I say annoyed at the conveyor belt that failed to bring out my luggage first. Now that I think about it, I must look crazy being angry at a machine. Maybe I am crazy...Nope, no chance.
I had just arrived to England to live with my father who thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with his “lovely daughter”. This would be my third time coming here to this gloomy country and I probably wasn't leaving for a while either. My first time coming here was for my father's second marriage to Elizabeth my step-mother. She had golden blond hair with a curvy figure the last time I remembered. Her hair was up in a cute up-do, her face was glowing as her beautiful blue eyes stared into my fathers green orbs. I really liked her even though I had only met her during the wedding and my father seemed to love her, it was a win win deal for him; for me it was a win lose situation. I didn't mind at all that they were getting married it just hurt me so much to see my father in love with someone else and that someone would be taking my mother's rightful place. I was one of the two flower girls, the other was Lizzie's daughter -Amanda I think- who didn't seem to want to talk to me at all. It was almost as if she thought I wasn't good enough to breathe the same air as her.
My second arrival was for my interview at a local college which was about three months ago. Over the years I went through a lot of changes, tried many things, gave up on dreams, did things I regret and at this point I seriously didn't understand why my father wanted me. My heart was telling me that I wanted to be with him too just to regain those years he missed out on, but my brain was saying that I didn't need him, he wasn't here for half of my life I don't need him for the other. I went with my brain and decided against it. My mother spent hours on end convincing me to go but my stubbornness over-powered the situation. After a while I had no other option it was either here or living on the streets. Maybe living on edge would be better, who am I kidding it would not. I only spent a day in England getting transported around in a taxi-cab by a very friendly old man. His name was Liberty and was probably in his early fifties. At the interview I tried my hardest to fail without looking stupid. I would change subjects, talk about random things and answer questions with fragments. Surprisingly I still got accepted into the college, it was the only college I got into shall I mention. This was my only choice of education even if I wanted to stay in America. Apparently it was a top college here so it shouldn't be that bad.
I finally spotted my royal purple luggage set and walked swiftly over to it struggling to pull all five suitcases off of the moving belt. I finally got them all off successfully but still had a lot of struggling to do trying to roll all five at once.
My dark brown hair was a complete tangled mess. It was all over the place, getting into my vivid green eyes that mimicked my fathers or plastered in between my pink lips. I was getting irritated by it and was seriously contemplating cutting my hair which was slightly at my waist. The jet lag was setting in and the amount of time zones we flew through was just unbelievable. All I wanted right now was a nice long bath and an even longer nap.
My hair started to sway slowly left to right as I began traveling towards the lobby of the airport where my father should be waiting for me. As I struggled with my big suitcases my barely existing thoughts were beginning to fade away with every step that I took. Within a few minutes maybe even seconds I would be reunited with my father who hadn't seen me since I was seven, now I'm eighteen; full grown and ready to take down Donkey Kong or was it King Kong...ALL BOTH!
Soon my light thinking was cut short by flashing lights and a few teenage girls screaming and huddling around something or maybe someone. Don't they realize it's one in the morning and people like me would be able to strangle a bear with their bare hands for such an eruption.
I stopped a distance away from all of the lights and people that was trying to surround whatever or whoever it was. They all seemed to want a touch or picture with it. I tried jumping up and down to see in but it was no use I was too far away. Being the nosy person that I am I decided on making my way over to see what the big deal was. I was just about to take my first step when I heard a familiar voice calling my name.
“Celeste?” a man called out and I knew at that instant it was my father. "Is that you?"
Forgetting all my hate and doubt I turn around and collided into him wrapping my arms around his full figure causing him to let out a little grunt.
“Daddy!” I yelled causing my voice to reverberate a bit around the airport. I received a few strange looks from bystanders but I didn't care at all I was quite happy being pulled into his warmth.
We stayed embracing each other for a full minute before he began to pull away from me.
“You've grown so much Celly Belly” he said stroking my face slightly and I smile as he called me by my nickname . I rarely ever heard it as I was growing up because he was the only one whoever called me that.
“You' look exactly like me" he says studying my face.
"Oh, so I look like a boy now?" I tease
"I mean the girl version of me” he says more as a question and I burst with laughter.
”I know daddy, mom has told me that almost everyday of my life" I give him a smirk and proceed to pull on my bags. He seemed to be taken aback about what I said about my mother otherwise known as his ex-wife.
“Hey dad?”
”Oh sorry" he says coming back to life putting my bags on a rack to pull outside to his car " Yes?"
“I've missed you a lot” I say smiling as a tear was trying to escape my eye but I refrain from letting it out.
“I've missed you more” he says pulling me into a hug and giving me a kiss on my forehead causing me to scrunch my nose.
“Eww, daddy I don't want old man cooties” I say in a little girl's voice and he laughed as we made our way out to his vehicle.
I missed these moments more than ever and secretly deep inside I was dying for this to happen for a while now. I confuse myself sometimes with my emotions, one minute I don't want to be here the next I'm quite happy and comfortable with the situation.
We were just about to step outside when I noticed the crowd of people were gone and they took the rabbit that I wanted to see. Oh well, at least there's still Google. I stayed close to my father's side bearing the fact that it was early morning and anyone could come and rob us. Just a few steps away I see a shiny red truck.
“You still have Sheryl?” I say running towards the old truck with an amused expression plastered on my face. Sheryl was my fathers first ride, love as well as child. It was funny how he still had the ancient thing in his possession.
“Of course you know she's my-” I cut him off and finish his sentence for him “First love, yeah yeah” he grins as I try opening the door.
“You have to wiggle it so it can open” he says to me before shaking the door handle in weird angles. After thirty seconds of pulling and turning the door finally opens with a little squeak.
“Please tell me Elizabeth has a car in good condition” I smirk pushing myself onto the passenger seat as my father packed my bags into the trunk.
“Ready?” he says entering the drivers side and starting the ignition
“Ready” I echoed him.
And just like that we were on our way to my new home and family. I stared blankly out of the window as the radio played calming classical music. My mind thoughtless and my body restless. My eyes were giving up and the excitement began to lessen. I pulled my knees up to my chest breathing in the dusty old smell of the seats. I finally gave in tired of fighting off sleep and just like that I drifted into imagination land where all my wildest dreams come true.
