The Wish List

My Hero

"So when you feel like hope is gone/Look inside you and be strong/And you finally see the truth/That a hero lies in you."

~Miriah Carey

I laid my head against the frost covered window as I watched my family's mansion become nothing more then a speck in the distance.

I could feel Ty's hand rest on my leg, his eyes were flickering toward me every few minutes, obviously to make sure I was all right.

Tessie was still asleep in the back, her head bouncing a little as the car moved. Since we had left at around six in the morning, I had insisted we didn't wake her up. Spot was in a safe spot beside her, asleep as well.

"You okay?" Ty whispered. I nodded, turning to show him I was smiling.

"I'm fine, Ty. I'm. . . I'm sort of relieved to be out of that house. I know it sounds wrong and messed up and. . . and-"

"You don't have to explain." Ty said quietly, "I understand. I don't know how you were able to hold yourself together for so long in that place." I nodded, looking down at my lap as he reached to turn the radio up a little to have some sort of noise other then the road in the car.

"It's been so long since I've been to NYU. My roommates probably threw all my old stuff out on the sidewalk and rented my room out to someone else." I tried to joke, but my voice cracked.

"I'm sure they didn't. No humane person would." I nodded again, hoping he was right.

Tessie woke up an hour or so later, her eyes wide as she plastered her face against the window to see what was outside. By the surprised look on her face, I knew she had absolutely no idea that we had been planning on moving everything today.

It had been my idea to get moving sooner rather then later. Christmas was tomorrow night, and I hadn't spent it in that house in over six years, and didn't plan on making this year any different. I wanted to be able to give Tessie a Christmas without me bawling the entire time.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Tessie asked, her voice quiet as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes.

"We're going to see our new house." He explained, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror, "And help Ally get set up at school again." Tessie frowned, her eyes on me.

"But you're too old to go to school." She said, confused.

"No, sweetie. I'm going to a big kid school, so I can get a good job." She seemed to understand a little, but become more occupied with petting Spot that asking any more questions.

I caught Ty glancing my way out of the corner of my eye and smiled. He looked back at the road for a moment before looking at me again, a grin stretching across his face.

*

There wasn't a whole lot of furniture in the house when we got there. Of course, there were the couch and the loveseat we had bought online and had sent ahead of us. And there were beds in every room, but the kitchen and bedrooms were empty, needing to be filled with other things.

"We get a Christmas tree now, Mama?" Tessie asked, tugging at my arm. I knelt down and kissed her forehead, nodding.

"Daddy and I are going to go buy one while you stay here with Gramma for a little while." She stepped away from me, her mouth hanging open.

"I don't wanna stay with Gramma." She whimpered.

"It's my Mommy." I pointed toward myself, "Not Daddy's. She wants to spend time with you." Tessie bowed her head and sighed.