Surprises

Chapter One

Close your eyes and imagine... Can you see it? Your feet dangling beyond the edge of a mountainside, overlooking the rest of the city you called home. The world around you, filled with peaceful sounds of river water beating against the rocks below, the wind blowing between the leaves of the trees, and the various verberations of animals lurking in the forest just beyond the property line.

Can you feel it? The chills of the wind creeping through your skin. The chill of the lurking clouds, just within reach of your fingertips.

Up in the mountains, far beyond the small Virginia town, I call home. With moving trucks in the driveway, I sat with my legs dangling beyond the property line and watched as the little town bustled below going on about their daily lives. Taking in a deep breath, I took in one last smell of the pitch pine trees and crisp river water, fresh with last month's snowfall.

There, I reminisced each waking moment that occurred just below; friends that have come, ones that have walked away, the many summers I spent swimming in the creek just beyond the property line, parents divorcing. Living with the city beyond the tips of my toes, these moments soon to vaporize, and remain in the back of my mind. (Living with the city beyond the tips of my toes, realizing that the summers are counting down until the reality of the unavoidable comes crashing down to suffocate me.) Only to live as a memory... This year marked my last summer as a kid, where tough decisions would have to be made. Making the once avoidable, now unavoidable. This summer was going to be the one special summer I would spend with my two best friends anyone could ask for, Emilyne and Jackson.

Telling them both, "I'm moving" had to be the hardest thing I ever had to do. As I sit here, all I can see is their reactions to those words being spoken. Silently asking, "why?" Our usual goodbye at the corner before heading our separate ways home, where we usually laugh and spill all the gossip spreading around at school, seemed different. There was no laughter... no gossip to be told... just a stagnant feeling of knowing, this was the last time. The last time these familiar things would now be gone. But, as I have been told... this is what is best for our family and to experience something new.

The wind whispered to me as I stared out past the yard, trying to bring comfort to my worn-out heart, telling me that everything is going to be okay. Blowing my blue tipped black hair across my face. My brain, still trying to take in the thought that... this was it. I was really saying goodbye to the world I have only known. Only to remain as a story in the book of me. In the distance as I stared at the ground, I heard blades of grass crunch beneath the weight of another person, soon it became louder, more vibrant to my ears as it approached and sat down beside me. My brain telling me to take a look, but my heart keeping my head facing the ground, trying to avoid the future ahead. The figure sitting beside me reached out her hand and gently ran her fingers through my hair, seeing the aquamarine-colored fingernails attached to the figure.

Looking up, there she was, Emilyne. My hair gently leaving her hand, with our red, puffy faces meeting one another. Her blue and green eyes, masked behind the facade of shedded tears; forcing out a smile, trying to fight the tears that were continuously streaming down her face. Emilyne didn't speak... she couldn't. And neither could I. We never did have to say anything when we were hurting... that has always been the beauty of our friendship.

Since our daycare days, mom would always say that we were joined at the hip... almost like we were separated at birth. Emilyne and I are inseparable... We did everything together, if there was something one was doing, the other was doing it, or cheering the other on. Jackson joined our little group when he moved to town in elementary school. He took on the role of being our little protector; however, in a teddy bear kind of fashion. Jackson would never hurt a fly. That's around the same time that Emi and I developed our silent deep conversations, that somehow he still does not understand.

She grabbed my hand, guiding me up, and lead me to the beaten path just beyond the property line of my home; all to head towards the river bank down below. Without any sign of resistance, I followed. Passing the tree with the letters L.M. and E.J. carved into the side of it, marking our spot; there was Jackson without a tear in his eyes, trying to be "the man." I sat beside him, Emi on the other side of me, placing me in the middle of the tear fest. All three of us sat together in silence. What other words could we speak other than the ones already said?

As we all listened to the river hit the rocks below, Jackson spoke, breaking the silence in the little circle, speaking the words Emi couldn't bear to say, "Please don't go Lilly."

Emi chimed in, "Stay here. My mom and I can let you live with us. Or we could get a place, you and me. Like we have always talked about since freshman year. You need to be here... for me."

"I can't..." I responded grabbing their hands and fighting back the tears, "As much as I don't want to leave, and just stay here for the rest of my life, I have to go. I don't want to do this. But, my father is getting out of jail soon and has made a threat to my family. Mom and I were advised to leave..."

"But, why do you have to go so far away? Couldn't you guys have just gone to the next city over?" Emi asked.

"He would've found us..."

Silence.

I continued, "I promise, once things are settled in my new home, I'll call you guys. We might be miles apart, but we can't let this die. We all have invested too much time in each other's lives to let this all go to waste."

"But you won't be here," Jackson spoke.

"I'll try to come back to visit when I can, I promise. We could still meet back up at the university we planned on going to when we graduate, that's never going to change." Wrapping them both up into a group hug, "WE will always be together. I promise."

Slowly as we released our tearful hug, in the distance came my mom's voice calling, "Lillian! The bus is about to leave here without you, let's go!"

I stood up and stared at the engraving in the tree, that would be there forever while I was leaving everything behind... I broke. Emi and Jackson stood on either side of me, with their arms around me, both whispering goodbye. Both walked away and headed in their own directions home, I started running to the car in the driveway; up the mountainside, towards the backyard. I glanced one last time at the mountains in the backyard's view and headed to the car.

As we rode down the street headed out of town, passing by every house, retail store, and mom and pop store; I watched this part of my childhood shrink as we passed the town line, and drove down the scenic route.