The Last One

THE LAST ONE Chapter Five--Meghan

"I don't know, I haven'tlooked yet. I'm almost too scared. I've been so excited about this.What if I get, like, the mid-west? Or Alaska? I don't think I'm cutout to be an Inuit."

"Open it! Come on,inquiring minds want to know."

"Okay." I took a deepbreath, pressed my hand to my fluttering heart and touched themessage. My eyes skimmed down the page as I read the high pointsaloud. "Congratulations, happy to have you on board this project... report June first, transportation ... supplies ..." My voicetrailed off as I read the final paragraph.

"No way. No. Fucking.Way."

"What? Tell me.Alaska?"

I fell back onto thecouch, dropping the tablet onto the cushion next to me. "Someonehates me. Maybe God. Maybe fate or whatever's out there. I can'tfucking believe this."

"Meghan Hawthorne, tellme. Or I'll come up there and smack it out of you."

I lifted my head andstared down at her. "You're not going to believe it even when Itell you. Or maybe you will." I swallowed hard and let my head dropto the sofa cushion. "ArtCorps has assigned me to Burton. Burton,Georgia."

Laura didn't move. Hereyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "You're kidding, right?You've got to be kidding. There's no way ..."

Without another word, Ihanded her the tablet and watched her read the email. When shefinished, she laid the tablet on the coffee table and gazed at me."No fucking way. Well ..." She sat back on her heels. "At least youknow the town has a decent bar, a place to dance and a trustworthymechanic."

I flipped her thebird.

"Nice. Can you ask themto change it? Switch you? Maybe they made a mistake."

I shook my head. "I canask, but it won't happen. When I signed up, I agreed that I'd workwherever they assigned me."

"You have to admit, thisis weird. I mean, you've never been to Burton the whole time we'vebeen in school here. Then we just happen to go to a bar, your carjust happens to break down there ... and lo and behold, yourassignment for the summer is that same town."

"What're you trying tosay? The universe is conspiring to screw up my life?"

She rolled her eyes."No, I think the universe is moving you to the place you need togo. Now it's up to you: are you going roll with it or fight thetide?"

"No ocean analogies,please." I closed my eyes, trying to settle my mind and thinkclearly. "I don't know what I should do."

"Look, Megs. You reallywant to do this program, right? You were so excited about it."

"That's when I thought Iwas going to be a hippie artist in New Mexico."

"Yeah, I get that. Butwas it really the setting or what you were going to be doingthere?"

I pursed my lips. "WillI sound terribly shallow if I say a little of both?"

"Nope. But remember whyyou wanted to sign up in the first place. It was to teach kids, tofind out if that's what you want to do long-term. Right?"

"Yes." I nodded. "You'reright. I just thought I'd go a little further from home to figureit out." I stared down at my hands. "I need to be away fromeverything. And from everyone. I'm tired of being Meghan Hawthornefrom the Rip Tide when I'm at home. Or Meghan Hawthorne who sleepswith lots of boys but can't keep a boyfriend when I'm inSavannah."

"It's not that youcan't." Laura rubbed my knee. "You choose not to have a boyfriend.Love 'em and Leave 'em Hawthorne, right? Isn't that what youwanted, never to be tied down to one guy?"

"Sure." I swallowed overthe lump in my throat. "I guess. But Lo, it's exhausting. I need abreak from being me. I thought that was what this summer wouldbe."

"It still can be that.No one knows you in Burton, except that Boomer dude." She wiggledher eyebrows. "And of course Sam."

"Yeah, that's what I'mafraid of. I'll be walking into a situation where at least oneperson has already decided I'm a drunken slut."

Laura rolled her eyesand shook her head. "You might be exaggerating a tiny bit. But it'syour decision. What're you going to do?"

I ran my finger alongthe seam of the sofa cushion. "I think I'll call tomorrow and findout if there's any way to change it. But if not, I guess Burton itis."

At nine o'clock sharpthe next morning, I was on the phone, listening to the recordedvoice prompting me to press one for help with an application or twofor a list of locations where ArtCorps would be sending volunteersthis year. I hit zero and waited for a live person.

"Good morning, this isTina. How can I help you?"

I mustered up my bestprofessional voice, the one I'd perfected over years of waitingtables at the Rip Tide, dealing with rude tourists and testylocals. "Good morning, Tina. I'm Meghan Hawthorne, and I-"

"Oh, Meghan! Hi. Iremember your application. Actually, I processed it myself."

"Wow. What are theodds?" I bit the corner of my lip.

She laughed. "Betterthan you might think. We're pretty small here, since we're juststarting out. Everyone pitches in. And I remember you because I wasso excited about the location we matched you with. It was alast-minute add, and when I read their needs, I thought about youright away."

"Oh. Really?" I tried tokeep the skepticism out of my voice.

"Definitely. They're soexcited about you coming. We sent them your portfolio, and the homeand school association said you were exactly the kind of teacherthey'd hoped to have. I spoke to Mrs. Moss yesterday. She waspositively giddy."

"Mrs. Moss?" I searchedmy memory for the name.

"Yes, she's your host.She's been the driving force behind getting ArtCorps to Burton, andshe also agreed to open her home to you while you're in town. Shewas telling about where she lives, and I have to tell you, I'mjealous. Apparently it's a farm house that's been in her family forgenerations."

"I'm sure it's lovely."I hesitated, not wanting to sound unappreciative in the face ofTina's enthusiasm. "I just wanted to check, though, and make surethat there hadn't been a mistake. I read that usually you try togive applicants their first or second choice of locations. I hadsaid either the southwest USA or the west coast."

"Yes, that's true. We dotry. But we had a few special circumstances this year. We had anumber of people request Arizona or New Mexico. We had intended toplace you in northern California, but then one of our volunteerapplicants had a family emergency. She's from that area, and hermother is ill. She asked for a special placement, and when therequest from Burton came in, everything fell into place. I'm sureyou understand."

I did, all too well. I'dhad my experience with a sick parent, and if giving up my spot inCalifornia let someone else have more time with her mother, I wasfine with it. I still wasn't sure about Burton, though.

"So if there's nothingelse ..." Tina was ready to wrap up this convo.

"Just so I can be clear,there's no other options for me as far as location? No way for meto ... I don't know, switch with someone?"

"No, we don't allowswitching." Tina's voice lost some of its patience. "We're carefulabout how we make the assignments. We have a process. Your optionsare either Burton or withdrawing from the program."

I gritted my teeth."Okay, well, thanks. I'm sure Burton will work out fine. Iappreciate your time." I turned off my phone and stuck out mytongue at it. Or rather, at Peppy Tina who'd been on the other endup until a few seconds before. Damn her and her process that wassending me to purgatory in the form of Backwater, Georgia.

"You're up bright andearly." Laura shuffled out of her bedroom, blinking at me."Everything okay?"

"Sure." I rubbed myforehead, where a wicked headache had just begun to blossom. "Guesswhere I'm spending the summer?"

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