The Key Ingredient?

The message to my father- Chapter 4

As I got ready for school, someone knocked at my door. I knew it was Owen because it has been a routine to walk to and fro with him.

"Hey," I said.

"Hello, come on!"

"Yes!" I said and walked quietly with him.

When we reached school, I waited for my besties. Two of them arrived, Lucia and Savannah.

"Hey, y'all! Where is a hippie?"

"She mighta gotten sick, I think... she didn't call this weekend for our project!" Savannah replied.

"That is sick, I say..." I said doubtfully.

Soon after, we were in our classes just sitting down and concentrating, at least some of us... Owen and I were, of course, talking with every little time we had. Especially during lunch, this was our conversation... it is pretty weird I say:

"Owen, why are we sitting alone and not with my gals?"

"I wanna talk to you alone... is it alright?"

"Yeah of course!" this is where I got a little suspicious of Owen. Does he like me?! OH MY GOD! What if he actually does?

"My papa is gone. He got enlisted to a top-secret mission apparently."

"Oh, my dad too!"

"Really, why do you think so?"

"Probably because of their high academic degrees? Come on, my dad got a degree in artificial agriculture, and your dad?"

"Similar, but economical agriculture..."

"Oh... see! That is why..."

"The problem is that--"

"Yes, they will be gone for about 5 years..." I cut him off

"It's pretty weird... wonder what that mission is about..."

"True... you know what? I will call my dad and let you know that both of them are fine in a safe area, alright?" I lied because I didn't know if my dad took his cell phone or not.
"Thank you! You know, you're so easy to talk to..."

"Well thank you!" I replied.

"Michelle, I'm not joking..."

"Neither am I chief!"

"So pretty, so intelligent, so sorry did that sound weird?"
"No, I get that a lot... from my mother."

"Ah, so I'm not wrong..."

"Thank you for that compliment, now eat before your lettuce gets cold--get it?"

"Irony, love it..."

"Yeah!"

We ate silently, and probably he was thinking about the same thing: our fathers.

During PE class, Mr Lively gave us a pacer test on the football field. Darn patootie... Owen and I paired up, and I made him go first while I counted how many times he ran. It turned out he was the last one standing, with 95 runs. All the girls admired his amazing sweat dripping from his neck, and his legs which didn't give up. When he sat next to me, I realized I also gaped at him.

"Earth to Michelle?"

"Huh--oh sorry. Um... what the hell?"

"Yeah, I told you I'm good at sports..."

"But not this good!"

"By the way, when did you have PE with me?"

"Ever since my orchestra period switched with third period PE."