"Hey" Roger said snapping his fingers in my face. "Oh sorry, Miles away" I say. "Yeah, I know, are you done eating?" I nod and we get up to leave, I didn't even notice him pay the bill. We walk a few doors down the street to a small bar as we step inside we see a group leaving the booth by the door, so Roger in a batman kind of move dives in behind a girl who is getting out and claims the booth for us. The place is packed for a Friday night.
A waitress comes over to take our order, she is wearing a low cut V- neck t-shirt and a pair of nothing left to the imagination denim shorts. "Hi what can I get y'all," she says over the music. "We will have four shots of Glodstrike, a Corona and a Jack & Coke" Roger says. The waitress smiles and turns back toward the bar, Roger turns his head sideways and whistles "well Bails I think I might have found me a bedmate" he croons watching her ass. I roll my eyes at him and look around at the sea of people.
A few minutes later the waitress comes back with our drinks, "Is there anything else I can get you folks?" Roger rubs his hand across his stubbly chin like he's deciding if he wants anything else he sits up abruptly and smiles at the waitress, "What did you say your name was?" he looks at her with his lady killer smile and she answers, Courtney with a wink and turns away.
"Well well well" I say, I guess I will have to catch a cab to the airport tomorrow.
Roger grins at me and lifts up a shot, I pick one up and we toast to the old days we knock back the Glodstrike, it burns like cinnamon in the mouth but slowly, spreads warmth inside my belly.
We slam our glasses on the table and pick up the next one "to Summer we love you, we will forever miss you" I say "cheers" says Roger and we swallow the second shot. We sit in the bar until midnight just talking about the old days and the future, Roger was successful in getting Courtney's number and Sarah's and Cathy's. The guy is man whore but I love him.
By midnight Roger puts me into a cab and we agree to meet at my house by seven thirty in the morning. I wave at him through the window as the cab pulls away from the curb, I spy Roger walking back into the bar, I am sure he is getting a bedmate for the night that guy is relentless.
At six thirty am the next morning my alarm goes off, I roll out of bed with a thumping headache. I make my way down to the kitchen to get the biggest blackest coffee I can find, pulling some aspirin out of the medicine drawer I reach to get my coffee cup. I turn on the coffee maker and sit at the table waiting for it to brew.
About five minutes later my mom walks into the kitchen, "Morning" she says and kisses the top of my head. Whoa I think, who is this woman and what did she do with my mother. "Eh morning" I say roughly, my throat sore from shouting over the music last night. "How was your night out?" mom asks, "Fine I was with Roger we went out to say goodbye". "Oh that sounds nice sweetie, did Brad go too?" oh here we go again I think. I am just about to go off on her when the coffee maker beeps and the doorbell rings at the same time. I move for the door but my mom stops me, "I will get it, you need your coffee" she says. "Ok, tell Roger I am in here".
I pour my coffee into my tall Christmas mug and open the fridge to snag a doughnut. I put the sugary goodness into my mouth and close the fridge door with my foot. Turning around and am faced with a very wide chest, wearing a grey button down shirt. I look up and groan, "Ugh why the heck are you here?"
"Well rumor has that you are skipping town without saying goodbye" says Brad. For the love of all things sane, I take a deep breath "Brad, I told you we are over how many languages do I need to say it in?"
He takes a seat at the table and looks at me, "Rough night?" I eyeball him over my coffee cup "no fantastic night considering I buried my best friend the day before" I say sarcastically. He looks at me with sadness in his eyes "I just wanted to say goodbye and I will wait for you if you want".
I sit there thinking of what my mother said yesterday, she must have called him after I left her. Well here goes nothing, I look around the kitchen taking in the pale yellow walls with the matching yellow fruit bowl, teapot and sugar bowl. I look at the photographs above the fridge, I see one of Summer and I last Christmas pulling open a cracker at the dinner table, I see the one of Brad and I at our spring formal.
He looks handsome but I don't feel anything for him anymore so I eventually return my gaze to him, "Brad I know you think you love me, but I am done with Grove and I am done with us, I need you to let me go. I need to start a new life without my best friend to share it with and that is going to be way to hard for me. There are too many reminders here of Summer and I can't deal right now".
I look at him and for the first time ever I see tears in his eyes "I understand Bailey, but she was my friend too and I miss her". He has a way of pissing me off even at this early hour, "Look just leave" I say. He stares at me and shakes his head, "For fuck sake Brad just get out, why are you here? Why do insist on doing this to me, I told you Ben and his group are fucking losers and they did this to Summer, you know it and I know it". I storm out of the kitchen as Roger walks through the door.
"You ready to go?" he asks eyeing my face, "yeah I'll get changed can you put my cases in the car?" He walks over to the stairway and picks up the first case and hauls it to the car. I run upstairs and grab my wash bag and clothes. Five minutes later I am ready, running down the stairs and grab my purse from the table. "Goodbye mom" I say without looking at her. I walk outside and slam the front door behind me. Brad is standing in the driveway looking at me, I can see by the set of his jaw that he is getting pissed as well.
"Well goodbye Bailey, I hope you find what you're looking for, because running away from life really helps," he says. I roll my eyes at him and get into Rogers car, "Lets go" I say as I close the door.
Thirty minutes later we are at the airport, I have my bags checked in and my boarding pass ready to go. Roger grabs me in a bear hug and tells me to call him and not to forget him. "I will only be an hours flight away," I say. "I know babe, but I got accepted to University of Florida so I'm goanna take it now that my girls have left me" he says. "Oh Roger, I am so happy for you" I jump on him and give him a kiss, not an I want you kiss but a I will never forget you in a best friend kind of way kiss, closed mouth. He pulls away and we both are crying because deep down we both know that Summer's death has tore a deep dark hole in both our hearts and being around each other is too painful a reminder of what we used to be.
I give him one last hug and kiss on the cheek and turn to catch my flight. I don't look back it's too hard, so I take out my phone and text my dad.
Me: Hi dad at the airport now see you soon. I turn off my phone and head for my gate.
Two hours later and I arrive in the city of Blackrock. I make my way through the baggage claim and out into the small terminal, I see a big sign with Bailey Mortenson written on it and make my way over. I look at the guy holding the sign and sigh, "Hi that's me". "Welcome Miss Mortenson" the guy says. "Bailey, just call me Bailey," I answer. He begins to push my luggage cart toward the door so I follow behind him, as I step out of the terminal the sun is shining and for a small airport its quite busy.
I spot the driver loading my luggage into a limo, I walk over and stop beside him "are you sure you are here for Bailey Mortenson?" I ask. He turns to me with a smile and opens the door. Ok I guess he doesn't speak, as I climb into the limo I see a pair of legs clad in black slacks, I look up at the owner of those legs and smile so wide I did not even think it possible. I dove head first into the limo and wrapped my arms around my dad's neck and squeezed him tight.
He hugged me back just as hard and had tears in his eyes. I looked at him and took in every detail of his greying hair, every smile line around his eyes. "I am so glad to see you," I say.
"Me too sweetheart, me too" he says. I sit beside him on the seat and look around. "Wow dad nice ride, where'd you steal it from?" I asked joking. He laughed at me "of course you, would think that" he says looking at me "it is actually the company car". "Nice, so I take it the company is going good," I ask. "Very" he says back and winks at me.
I sit back and think about the last time I actually saw my father; it was the day my mother announced she wanted a divorce; he was devastated I don't think he even knew it was coming. That was the day I began to hate my mother she broke up our family for no reason and now she doesn't even date. It has been nearly two years now and a lot has changed, I have changed and by the looks of my dad so has he.
Turning to talk to my dad and find him staring at me, I feel my cheeks burning and question him with my eyes "what?" I say. He smiles "I was just noticing how grown up you are". "I know dad, eighteen now, I'm getting old" I joke. "Never" he replies and gives me another hug. I have had more hugs from my dad in the last thirty minutes than I have had from my mom in the last two years.
A short while later the limo pulls into the drive of a house situated beside a lake. It looks like an older style home with a wrap around porch and a swing sitting by the door. I get out of the limo and look around taking in my surroundings. Dad grabs my hand and pulls me towards the house. I think he is excited to have someone around so he won't be alone anymore. "So what do think?" he asks waving his arms around, I look at the house I just entered and feel like I stepped into an alternate universe. The entry way was open with a high ceiling and a large wooden staircase. There were three doors, one off each wall. Dad pointed to my right and said this is the living room, to the left is my office and straight ahead is the kitchen.
"How about a quick tour of your room" he asks. "Sure" I reply, not really knowing what else to do so I follow him up the stairs and we turn right, he opens the door and ushers me through. I step into a small room that has white walls and a love seat settled by the far wall, in front of that was a coffee table and a flat screen on the wall. I continued through the archway into a bedroom, it too has white walls, the floor is wood and the bed is in the center of the room. There is a window facing the lake and a small bathroom and walk in closet.
I turned to look at my dad, "Wow dad, this is great" I say stunned. "It was originally two rooms but I got some remodeling done last year". I look over at him and smile, "Thanks for letting me come here, I really needed to get away from Grove," I say. "You are welcome anytime, this is your home too, I hope you still like purple, I picked up some bedclothes at the store. The sales lady only had one comforter with purple in it so I got that for you".
"Yes dad purple is still my favorite color". "Ok well I will leave you to get settled in and I will be in my office if you need me" he says. I smile at him and watch him walk back to the stairs. I take another look at my room and the comforter still in its bag, I think just how much Summer would have liked it here, she would already be in the lake swimming, she was such a water baby. I quickly text Roger to let him know I arrived safe and sound I take a picture of my room with my phone and send that to him too.
Within seconds I receive a reply, a picture of him in bed with a girl, I can only see the top of her head on his chest she must be sleeping. I shake my head when another text arrives "I missed you so much I just had to call Cathy form the bar to take my pain away, Roger xx". Ugh gross I say to myself and knowing how he feels, I send one last text,
Me: I am happy for you Ho bag, I hope you are getting regular check ups for all your self-medication. P.S. I am still hurting too xx Bails.
I turn my phone off and head down to my dad's office. Poking my head around the door and find him on the phone, I wave and motion that I am heading for the kitchen, he waves back and holds up his hand and mouths five minutes. I nod and walk outside toward the kitchen, when I open the door I am surprised at how open and roomy it is in here. The floor is tiled with white cabinets on three walls and a center island. There is a French door leading out onto a patio facing the lake.
I begin opening cabinets looking for the coffee maker, five doors later I find it and pull it out. It is one of those single brew machines; I suppose he doesn't really need a coffee pot if it's just him. I continue my investigation of the kitchen trying to find the actual coffee to put into said machine when my dad walks in. "Ah you found the coffee maker" I nod back at him "Now if only I could find the coffee, then we would be in business". He looks sheepish and runs his hand through his hair "I have been away on business for the last six months, I just got back two days ago and haven't had time to shop, I just got the basics but I guess I forgot the coffee". "No biggie, I'll just have water," I say.
"Actually I think we should go shopping, come on lets go" he grabs his wallet and some car keys from a little basket beside the fridge and heads towards another door I didn't even notice. I follow behind and step through the door into a garage, dad presses the button to open the door and I see his little silver sports car. "Midlife crises" I ask pointing to the car. He laughs at my comment "No, new life crises". I hop in the passenger side and notice the luxury of it. "Hey dad what exactly do you work at?" I ask, as he backs out of the driveway he tells me that he owns his own engineering company, he started it after the divorce, he designs and makes components for space satellites. Cool I think to myself, I haven't seen him in two years and he has this whole life I know nothing about, all I know is that he travels a lot.
We drive through the hillside and come into a nice looking town, it is similar to Grove in looks and amenities, dad points out the new college that was built last year, he said the town was struggling and he donated some money to help build the college as long as they had an engineering program. I look over at the campus and think of all the schools Summer and I looked at. We spent an entire weekend last fall deciding on what colleges had the degree she wanted and the degree I wanted. We narrowed it down to two schools, Grove university and one the East coast.