Esther, Be Tender With My Love

Twelve

Narrator

The rest of the week went by quite quickly. It was all pretty much the same everyday for Esther. Wake up. Go to school with her best friends. Then spend the rest of the day doing whatever with them. After Esther and Maurice's special little moment after school on Monday, Esther was quick to apologize to Barry and Robin for what she had said during their argument regarding Mr. Daniels. The brothers forgave her and apologized as well. They even promised to help her.

"I promise you, we will not leave until everything is settled." Barry had told her after she said she would confront the principal about Mr. Daniels.

It's obvious that the three Gibb brothers were beginning to become attached to the girl - some more than others. She held a special place in all of their hearts, especially in Maurice's. He had no idea why or how but he had taken a liking to the girl since the instant she walked in to their lives. More like since they walked into her life. In the midst of their time being in the future, he had fallen in love with Esther so fast. Hell, he didn't even really know anything about her. Yet, he still felt a strong connection to her. It  was as though someone had tied an electric rope to his heart and connected it to her's.

Esther felt the same way about Maurice. She'd known of the man since she was a little girl. She had seen his face on album covers and performing on the TV, heard his voice singing through her record player, and heard of his story from the real Barry Gibb - the last surviving Bee Gee. Ever since she first saw his face, she felt a connection to him. Maybe that's why she was so intrigued by their music. Now that she had Maurice Gibb standing right in front of her, a thought popped into her head. "Maybe I was destined to meet him." She was right. Esther May Ryan was destined to meet Maurice and his brothers. And she was destined to meet them all again; even after they left.

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It was now Thursday. The boys had been around for six days yet it had felt like so much longer. They all felt like they'd known each other for years - and they sure acted like it. Esther told them everything about her life, the boys doing the same to her. It really was like they'd known each other for longer than six days. They were having the time of their lives together - just the four of them.

As promised, the three brothers helped Esther expose Mr. Daniels. Apparently, many complaints had been filed on the teacher but Esther's situation had been the icing on the cake. Not even a day later, the police had shown up at his house and arrested him. Esther felt relieved with the news of him being locked up behind bars and she was forever thankful for the support from Barry, Robin, and Maurice.

Everything seemed to be going great for Esther. She felt on top of the world with her new best friends and Atticus. Mrs. Johnson had even cut some slack on the girl. She no longer picked on her in biology and even faintly smiled at her on good days. Of course, nothing gold can stay though.

The call came during lunch. Her grandfather had called to inform them that the time machine was finished. The boys shouted in excitement and high fived each other at the news. She knew she should be happy for them, that they were finally going home. Deep down somewhere she was happy for them, but she really didn't want the sun in her life to go away. This week had been the best week of her life and she didn't want it to end.

After school, Esther took the brothers to her favorite spot - a rusty old dock on a beautiful shimmering lake. She soaked up her time with her new best friends sitting on the edge with their feet dangling above the water as they watched the sunset. She rested her head on Maurice's shoulder as they held hands. They reminisced on their time together and tried to hold back the tears.

"Do you think you'll remember me when you go back?" She asked, staring out into the lake. Maurice's grip on her hand tightened.

"Of course we'll remember you. How could we ever forget? You'll always be our best friend and biggest fan." Barry said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.