Driven To Tears

Chapter Eight: Our Promise

I sank in my rocking chair on the front porch, just letting it rock me back and forth. My eyes followed Robert and his Dad as they loaded big boxes into a truck. Sometimes I locked eyes with Robert but he'd always look away shamefully and then make a small conveersation with his Dad. When three hours passed, I just stared at the house from across the street. It looked so hollow and empty without the occupation of Robert. Then he came out of the house and just looked at me longingly; he just stood there but his Dad pulled him by the shoulder and packed his arms with another box that he had accidentally dropped.

His Dad started yelling at him and I could hear the curses that he spat from my rocking chair. Robert picked it up and pushed it into the truck. Then Robert's Dad helped the driver close up the moving truck and during that period, Robert jogged up to me looking fancy with his suit on.

"Hey." He said out of breath; not from running, but from being paranoid about what I'd say to him after what happened yesterday.

"Hi," I said timidly. "You're really going, huh?"

"Yeah." Robert said, twiddling his thumbs and looking at his dress shoes. 

"Why are you dressed like that?" I asked curiously.

"Oh," He looked down over his clothes and then started scratching the back of his head. "I'm going to a movie premiere with my Dad once we land in New York."

I nodded and my knucles started turning white from holding on to the ledges of the rocking chair to hard. I wanted to dig my nails into the wood just to stop myself from wanting to kiss those lucious lips on Robert's face right now.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"For not telling you about New York," He admitted after a brief pause. "I wanted to just leave without you knowing; thinking you wouldn' be mad. But I think it would've made you more mad. I didn't realize you'd be hurting as much as I would. I don't know how you females emotions work."

I didn't say anything and just let the silence in the air fill up the space between us. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something just to keep a conversation lasting between us before he'd have to leave. But, the words just wouldn't form in my mind or roll off the tip of my tongue.

"Robert?" I asked, finally. "When are you coming back?"

He finally looked at me and I realized that his eyes were watery and the tears were going to fall off the cliff of his eyes. He stepped towards me and sniffled, holding my hand and pulling me to stand up. He backed me against the wall and hung his head over mine and leaned in, but just as I was about to pucker up, I saw him smirk and put his lips to my ear.

"As soon as I can, Nat." I felt his warm breath on my ear and the hairs on my neck stood up. "I promise."

"Pinky promise?" I asked playfully and held out my pinky for him.

He chuckled and wrapped his pinky around mine. "Pinky promise." Then he left a kiss on my cheek which made my heart flutter in my stomach like bats in a cage.

"After you finish your senior year?"

"I'm not going to finish school." He said but the corners of my lips tugged into a frown. "But I'll come back after you finish your senior year. It's just another year away unless you go to college."

"Nah, I'm not gonna go." I said. "I'm just gonna keep trying to be an actor. You too, okay? It's how we'll keep in touch."

"Yeah, of course." Robert said and let go of my hand and immediately the warmth in my palm dulled.