Gone Without Goodbye

Chapter 33

"I can't handle this dad. Why is life so hard?" Stella asked, wiping her tears as she rolled over and sat up.

"That's just part of life's plans. It keeps us on our toes. Why are you asking this?"

"Well, I've wanted to be with Shane again, I always have since high school and now we are together again but now I have to leave and he can't go with us."

"Why can't he?"

"He has to help his parents with the deli shop."

"Well, I'm sure his parents wouldn't care if he went with you for a little while. I mean he is a grown man and can make his own decisions."

"I don't know if I'm coming back here. I mean part of me wants to come back but yet a part of me wants to stay up there because there's more job opportunities up there then there are here."

"How do you know he wouldn't mind moving up there with you?"

"He has mentioned how he wouldn't mind taking over the deli someday, to keep it in the family."

"He can still do that."

"Yeah, if he stays living around here."

"I can tell you want to be with him, that you're happy with him. And that's all I want for my little girl, is happiness. But the only way for you to know if he wants to go with you girls is to ask."

"But what if he says no that he doesn't want to or can't go with us."

"You never know till you ask. I can tell he loves you and wants to be with you. When either one of your guys name is mentioned or you two look at each other it's like you guys glow. You two love each other so much."

"I do love him. I have the same feelings now like I did when we were in high school, I never lost those feelings. It's like when his name is mentioned or I look at him, I get this feeling in my stomach where it feels like butterflies are flying around."

"That's the effect of being in love. You know when I was your age, I had the same feelings."

"With mom?"

"Noo." He shook his head, "With a woman named Judy. We were really in love."

"What happened?"

"Well, we were engaged but didn't get the chance to get married because I had to go to war. She said that she would wait for me but she got word that I had died overseas. Which wasn't true as you can tell. She finally found someone new a year later."

"Why did someone tell her that you died when you didn't? And when you came back, why didn't you two get back together or did you not ever see her again?"

"To answer the first question, there had been a mix up because apparently there was another Walker Grace in the military. We had the same middle name but the only difference between them was the spelling. His middle name is spelt A-l-l-a-n and mine is spelt A-l-l-e-n. Only a letter difference as you can tell. And about your second question, the guy she had got with, they had gotten married be time I got back here. I actually see her all the time."

"Is she still with the guy that she had married?"

"Nope, they divorced years ago."

"Then take your chance and try to get back with her. Also I want to meet her."

"You have met her."

"I have? When?"

"Yup, her name is Judy Hart."

"What?!"

"Her oldest son, Josh, well he is your oldest brother."

"Are you serious?" She asked and he nodded.