After days of planning, I finally gathered the courage to call and arrange a flight.
Piper and I decided that a surprise visit would be the most exciting, so I refrained from telling my parents the plan.
River was kind enough to send a couple hundreds through the mail for the flight. Even though I told him multiple times he didn't need to, he still did.
'Money is a material thing', he always said.
-
We packed light for the flight. Not only because we didn't have much to bring, but because we didn't plan on staying long.
Truthfully, I was too lazy to lug my closet around.
Before we left, I decided to call River's agent, Iris.
The phone rang four times before she answered.
"Iris Burton," she announced, as if she said it millions of times.
"Hi, it's Carmen. Can I talk to River?" I questioned.
"He's in Boise. Can I just take a message?" She wondered, sounding as if her day was already at it's peak of stress.
"Can you just let him know we're leaving today, so I'll try to call him as soon as I can?"
She laughed on the other side of the phone.
"I'll let him know." She replied.
"Oh! And say thanks for the money. Really. Really thank him a lot. He didn't need to." I said quickly before she could hang up.
Again, she laughed.
"Don't even mention it. He's a nice boy. He sent one of his friends 10 grand for college tuition once, so a couple bills for his lady is no big deal." She said confidently.
"Just say thanks, from me." I insisted once again.
-
Our flight seemed to last forever, but only because of my constant worry. I couldn't help but wonder if my parents would be excited to see me or not.
They'd have no reason not to be, but I feared seeing them again. It was nice to feel some freedom.
Nebraska looked the same as I remembered; almost as if I'd never left. The air was much clearer here than the air that Hollywood had to offer.
I can't lie, I missed it.
We were now standing outside of my old house; it looked as it always did.
Piper and I held onto our luggage as I knocked on the door.
I could hear footsteps, most likely my mother's, for a few seconds. My heart pounded, and soon, the door opened.
I smiled as my mother's face revealed itself; her face brightening as she saw us.
"Oh my god!" She said happily, reaching to embrace me.
I felt Piper join in on our hug that seemed to last forever. When we pulled away, few tears escaped my mother's eyes.
"I forgot to say surprise." I laughed, stepping inside of the house.
Soon, my father joined us; his reaction just as beautiful as my mother's.
It had only been a year and a half since I moved, but to them It felt like a lifetime.
-
"Why didn't you call?" My mother asked as we all sat in the living room.
"I wanted to surprise you guys." I answered simply.
"How long are you staying?" My dad wondered aloud.
"Just a couple of days. Maybe a week." I said unsure.
"We haven't really decided yet." Piper added, leaning back on the couch.
"Do you plan on seeing your parents?" My mom asked Piper.
A strange tension filled up the room; a tension I hadn't felt in a long time.
"Oh, god no," She started. "I just came for Carmen. The last thing on my schedule is to see them."
I noticed the flushed look on both of my parents' faces as she responded.
Effortlessly, they changed the subject.
"How has California been treating you?"
My dad asked.
I thought back to how badly I missed River and Flea, though it had only been a week.
"Interesting," I answered. "Lots of fun. It's a different world out there."
"And River?" My mother asked.
I smiled almost instantly, it seemed to be a natural instinct to smile at the sound of his name.
"Good. Really good. I'm really lucky." I answered back.
My response seemed to please everyone, ultimately pleasing me as well.
"Well, you should get yourselves unpacked. Piper can sleep in Dan's old room, if you'd like." My dad offered, referring to the room that was once occupied by my brother.
We both grabbed our bags and headed upstairs.
"I think we're going to sleep a little bit. You know, really jet lagged." I answered.
After separating from my family and Piper, I jumped into my old bed.
I couldn't help but become overwhelmed with joy as I tucked myself into the bed I'd spent so much of my life in.
There truly is nothing better than your own bed after a long time away from it.
-
I woke up the next morning at 8, realizing I had forgot to call River and let him know we arrived.
After rushing into a pair of sweatpants, I ran downstairs to the nearest telephone, only to be revealed to a howl of "surprise!".
My entire family, along with a few old friends of Piper and I, sat amongst the living room.
Smiles painted on all of their faces as they saw me.
"What the hell," Piper started, tying her hair back as she walked behind me. I could tell she had just woken up as well.
"What's all of this?" I asked.
"We wanted to get everyone together since you're finally back." My mom answered simply.
"Oh gee, thanks mom. Uh, it's really nice to see all of you." I announced among the many bodies of people. "I just need to make a phone call real quick, is that cool?" I wondered.
"Go ahead, I'll keep these assholes entertained." Piper said quietly.
I chuckled to myself and grabbed the phone, heading back into my room.
Quickly, I dialed Iris's number.
"Iris Burton." Her calm voice repeated for the tenth time today.
"It's me," I started, and she cut me off before I could even reply.
"I'll get him." She insisted.
I waited in silence for a couple of moments until River's voice sent shockwaves to my brain.
"Carmen!" He said happily.
"I'm really sorry I forgot to call, I fell asleep last night. I was so tired." I explained.
"Don't worry about it. How's your family?"
"Good. I woke up this morning to a big surprise party. It's sort of overwhelming." I joked, sitting down on my bed.
"A lot of things are overwhelming," River started. "Like this movie."
Before I could ask him what he meant, he'd already began talking again.
"Gus is a genius. He's so talented and the movie is going to be excellent. But there's a lot going on off of the set that, well, I don't know."
He trailed off.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." He insisted, clearly lying.
"River," I began, but he already cut me off.
"I miss you. I'm glad you're having fun. Now go spend some time with your family. Family is important, after all." He told me.
"Alright. I miss you too." I answered, remembering the promise I had made to Rain. "But River, if you're doing something stupid, don't. You don't have to tell me what it is, but just think about it. Okay?"
There was a long silence after I spoke. Too long, almost.
"I love you." He told me, and hung up before I got the chance to respond.
-
Oh gez, not too excited about this movie filming and all the off-set behavior he has to deal with. Meanwhile, Im curious to know how many parts this story should have. I was thinking 50, but am completley open to more. let me know :,)