Barefoot

~2~

"How was the conference" Mom asks. I know she was standing right out the door, eavesdropping on our video conference. But that's alright. After all it was just a boring conversation about school.

"It was fine. Although I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to deal with their accents. It sounds like theres a person controlling their talking, and sometimes they press to hold a syllable longer, or cut it off." Mom pets of my head.

"And ... I'm gonna miss you mom" I saw, looking up to her while she strokes my bangs out of my face. Then she takes my face in her hands and says, "Oh honey. I'm going to miss you so so so much. I can't imagine living without you"

So basically this is the deal: If I want to see more of the world, it's going to be England. I will live with my father and his new girlfriend, and attend school there.

If I'm honest, I'm not very exited about living with my dad. It's going to be very awkward, but most of the time i will be out. He's just my place to eat and sleep. Maybe only sleep.

I hope she's nice. I hope he's nice. I hope the people at school will like me. And I hope it's not going to be too hard for me. After all it's only 6 months. I won't die. Hopefully.

***

I woke up one morning, of course, everything was as always. When I glanzed at the clock, it showed me 4 AM. That wasn't unusual either, lately I haven't been sleeping very long. Which, if you ask me, isn't that bad, considering that school began at 7 AM. This way, I could take my time in the shower, and eat a long, hearty breakfast. If only outside it wasn't as black as a blind man's fear, the shower wasn't ice on my skin, and my bed wasn't a cloud of feathers.

At 5:15 AM I woke up, again. I couldn't remember falling alseep. Well, of course I couldn't. Mom was cooking in the kitchen. Hesitating, I flung myself out of bed, and waddled into the kitchen, rubbing my sleepy eyes. Mom placed a stack of chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes in front of me. Hungry I scarfed them down, and put my dishes in the sink.

"Thanks mom" I smile and go back into my room. In my room, I cuddle straight back under my covers. In 1 week, I will be on my way to England. Till then, I have get all my things together, and say "bye" to my friends, well, the couple friends that I have, check in with dad, to remind him to pick me up at the airport. And mentally get ready. I know it sounds weird, but on the last day of summer, I don't do anything, I just take time for myself, if that makes sense.

I have never ever been on a plane before. Not even when I was a baby, and dad hadn't left us yet. My biggest travel experience was when I visited my grnadma in Memphis, all alone, on a really fast train. It was scary. I don't know how I'm going to make it to England.

***

Two days before my flight, I closed up my suitcase and put them by my front door. As I put them down, the doorbell rang, it was Noel.

"Hey I was just about to call you!" No I wasn't, but of course some time today.

"It's alright. I figured you'd be home, so I decided to come by" Shes totally mad I haven't called yet.

"I dont have much time, but do you wanna come eat with us?" I ask.

"Yeah sure"

Mom sets the table and we talk about boring stuff. School, England, dad... I mean what are you supposed to talk about with your mom and friend? I was relieved when the conversation was over.

Noel and I went into my room. She looked around all upset, as if she was never going to see it again. It did actually look very empty. My closet doors were cracked open, and you could seen that there was nothing in it. The only thing that brought life in my room was my unmade bed, and my backpack I packed for my flight.

"So... Are you gonna miss me?" Noel said in her baby voice.

"Is this a joke? Of course I am!" I sat next to her on my bed, as we both stared out of the window. I looked at the lonely swing set, recalling memories. I didn't know what she was looking at. Maybe at the swing set. The uncut grass. The bush building the border line of my back yard.

Then Noel got up and grabbed her bag. She took out a present wrapped in christmas wrapping paper.

"I'm sorry I didn't have anything else" She says and gives me the present. I didn't think she would give me a present. Now I felt bad.

It was a scrapbook. I flipped through it and looked at the pictures of us she had glued into it and decorated the boarders and pages with ribbons and buttons. It was wonderful.

"Thanks for being my best friend Noel" I sobbed and fell around her neck. She held me real tight,

"Forever I'll be your best friend" she wispered, then grabbed her bag and left. I went outside to wave after her as she left in her dad's shabby toyota. Then I just sat on my bed for a while and continued my stare at the swing set. Now she was gone for 6 months. I missed her already. What if I'd have even less friends there than here. What if I didn't get any friends at all? That thought scared me. When Noel and I got into that huge fight (which was stupid because it was about a stupid boy, Eric that jerk) I felt so incredibly lonely. Maybe if I don't make any friends, I will actually be stuck with my dad.

Mom came in and sat next to me on my bed. I felt like today was "sitting-on-my-bed" day. She didn't say anything, and we were both staring out of the window, again, and I didn't know if she was looking at the lonely swing set, again. Then she took my hand and said: "You'll be alright" and then left again.

***

"Everything's in the car, right?" Mom checked.

"Yeah"

"What about your backpack?"

"Yeah it's right here mom" I answered annoyed and closed the car door. This was the most exiting day of my life. In a couple of hours I'll be up in the air, leaing good old Tennessee far behind, and letting a new life in. Dad lives in Richmond, right by River Thames, which is only 25 minutes away from London. Hello City Life.