Hearts Afar

...15...

Please be sure to read the A/N at the end... Thank you

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...15...

After school let out, we had our first after-school dance practice. Barbie said that we had to be ready by the first football game in two weeks. The dances that we had done during the try-outs turned out to be the dances that we needed to perfect before the game. Since we already knew the majority of the dances, we just needed to clean it up and work on the timing because a couple of the girls were just a hair behind us and Marsha and Barbie both would not except anything less than perfection.

It felt good being in that routine because it was the first time I had felt alive in a long time. Even with all of the seriousness during the practice, we were allowed to have a little bit of fun and cut up. I never laughed so hard since my dad passed away and it was welcomed. Even when I looked over at my sisters and saw genuine smiles on their face, it made me feel good.

When we got home, there was a different car in the driveway that I didn’t recognize. The girls looked at one another also and when they turned to me, I just shrugged my shoulders. When we walked in, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. I could point out mom’s and I had to listen closer to figure out the others.

    “Nanny,” I smiled when I walked into the room. My grandparents looked back at me and PaPa stood to give us hugs. It was almost like being able to hug dad again, that’s how much they looked alike.

    “How are our girls?” he asked.

    “Pretty good,” I answered as he hugged the twins. I walked over and gave nanny a hug and kiss on the cheek.

    “Sweet girl,” she smiled. “Growing up on us, aren’t they Diane?”

    “They sure are. I just wish Luke was here to see them,” mom said.

    “Oh honey, Luke sees them just fine from where he’s sitting,” Nanny smiled.

I smiled the entire time that our grandparents were there. It was nice and bittersweet because they told us a lot of stories from when daddy was a kid and with his brother and sister. I remember meeting Aunt Lindsey when I was a child but I don’t remember her being at dad’s funeral. Uncle John has been in South America doing his photography but made a short appearance to pay his respects to his little brother.

We told them that with my job and dance, we just completely forgotten to come by but in all honesty, I think we were just afraid of seeing them. It was definitely long overdue and when they left, it was with a promise that we would come over for Sunday dinners. I walked them out to the car and hugged them once more as they left.

    “You are so much like your father,” Nanny said, kissing my forehead. “He would be so proud.”

    “I’m trying Nan, but it gets hard.”

    “I know but you have a whole support system that is behind you. And your mother tells me that you’ve become quite friendly with a couple of young men that are in the military.”

    “They’ve been great to talk to. They are the closest thing to best friends that I have.”

    “That’s good,” she said and with one more hug, she got in the car with PaPa and they went home.

I stood in the driveway until I couldn’t see their car any longer. I went up to my room and picked out something to wear to school tomorrow. I decided that I would keep it simple with a pair of jeans and a tank top. I sat down on my bed and turned my TV on and started flipping through the channels and stopped when I came across Lizard Lick Towing. I watched about ten minutes before I felt myself falling asleep.