I look into the cubby hole. Much to my disappointment, its empty! There's only a dark, green velvet cloth lying in the small empty floorspace. The discarded velvet material must have been wrapped around the diary at some point. I'm so disappointed! Now that I can't have my mother's diary, I want to read it more than ever. Perhaps the key to understanding my insecurity lies in reading her words...her private thoughts. I'm beginning to believe my mother wasn't as crazy as I thought towards the end of her life. I have a strong feeling I'll only find the answers to my questions in her diary.
The sound of the front door opening interrupts my thoughts. Julia's arrived home from the grocery store. As she enters the house, I hear the sound of another person speaking with her. As the familiar voices approach, Donna's ghost immediately fades into the wall. I sigh, temporarily relieved. I'm sure she'll be back. She's incredibly angry and confused about being murdered. I don't think she'll be moving on anytime soon. Julia finds me on my knees in my room. "Lizzy, look who I met at the grocery store."
Dylan stands in my bedroom doorway, hesitantly smiling. "Hi Lizzy. How are you feeling?"
I stand up to run over to give him a big hug. Satisfied with her Trojan Horse maneuver, my grandmother heads off to the kitchen. Once she's gone, he gives me a long, delicious kiss. "I missed you so much," he whispers.
I hug him hard, "I missed you too, Dylan. I'm sorry we argued."
He smiles back at me, "I'm sorry, I lost my temper with you." He glances down at the mess I've made with the carpeting, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Helping me roll the rug back onto the floor, he asks with concern, "Should you be doing such strenuous activity?"
"No, not really," Ruefully, I look at the edges of hastily torn up rug. "I was searching for my mother's diary."
Dylan looks intrigued. "She kept a diary?" I decide not to tell him how I found out about the diary when my mother possessed Julia at the hospital.
"Yes, I did receive an unexpected, otherworldly message about it's existence." Somehow sensing I don't want to explain further, he doesn't push for me for clarification.
"How did you bump into Julia?" I ask changing the topic.
He grins wickedly. "I admit it wasn't an accident. I was at the carwash and saw her pull into the grocery store. I grabbed a basket and caught up with her in the produce department."
"I'm glad you followed her. I was nervous about calling you."
He takes my hand and leads me over to my bed. I sit down looking up into his hypnotic eyes. "You should never be nervous about me, Lizzy. I missed you."
"Mmmm." A part of me is always nervous and excited by Dylan. A night before Christmas kind of excited.
"Lizzy, I was wondering if you would come to the Homecoming dance with me?
I almost gasp with surprise. A small voice in my mind is screaming, No! Say no!, because I don't know how to dance. "Yes, I'd love to go, Dylan." He stretches out on the pink bedspread beside me, pulling me down next to him. His body curls around me like a playful lion. As we lay there I feel like I'm in heaven, but I can't stop wondering. What happened to my mother's diary?
Thank you for reading!👻