My fingers pull at the foam coming out of the seat of the blue dining booth I sit in.
I can't be sure of what time it is. It's been cloudy all day. My dad is standing by the payphone outside the window. We arrived not long ago but our realtor Celeste was not ready with our new house. The previous owners still needed some assistance with clearing out. My sister is sitting with her arms crossed and her eyes closed tiredly.
Day One.
Derry, Maine is not looking good for the Finleys.
But that's okay.
We won't stay long.
We never do.
My father works for a construction company that sends its employees out to different parts of the country to design buildings for companies big and small. He's been called to Maine to construct a few lighthouses in the state.
Since we can't go everywhere with him, we usually find a town or city near where he's working settle in. For example, there was this charming town in Texas called Sweetwater. We resided there while my father did some work designing a restaurant in Abilene.
He got another job soon in Dallas and we had to move to a city called Garland.
We were residing in Mesa when we got the call from headquarters in Colorado that we were needed in Maine.
We usually don't stay somewhere longer than a few months.
My sister and I don't have many friends because we don't stay long enough to keep them. Our father is married to his work, but that doesn't stop him from flirting with every eligible woman who comes his way.
The overhead lights flicker and I take a sip of my orange cream soda.
"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress says impatiently as this is the third time she's come to our table.
I knock on the window to get my dad's attention. He holds up his finger for us to give him a minute like he's done two times now.
I turn to apologetically explain to the woman that we aren't ready yet, but she just rolls her eyes and walks away.
I turn to Charlie. She sits, stirring her tea with her straw, obviously annoyed.
"What's taking him so long?"
"I don't know." She snaps. This move is definitely the hardest for her because she'd been getting rather close to the neighbor boy, Rory.
She hadn't spoken to me or my father the entire trip from Arizona to Maine.
Of course, my father didn't mind two days with a break from our constant bickering.
I can't help but feel slightly amused at the way she was acting.
You must really like someone to pout for a forty-three-hour road trip.
I sigh and feel a slight heat on my cheek. I turned to see the heavy gray clouds parting to release a ray of light.
My father hangs up the phone and walks in, making sure to meet the eyes of a slim blonde with a smirk walking out.
"Okay girls, get your stuff. I called Celeste and she is definitely ready now." I grab my backpack as he tosses a crumpled five dollar bill onto the table and ushers us out by our shoulders. Charlie angrily pushes his hand off her arm.
"C'mon Charlie, don't be like that." My dad calls after her. She storms out of the restaurant ahead of us, the small bell above the door ringing happily.
