Only after being in school for a half an hour, I was called to the principal’s office. I wasn’t sure what I did or did not do, but I was about to find out. As I headed down the hall I stopped in front of the school’s trophy case that displayed every jock, cheerleader, and even the chess club’s trophies that had been won for our school. It wasn’t until that moment when I started to think how nice it would’ve been if I had actually won something for the school I was about to leave. I’ll be gone in a week and years from now nobody will even remember who I am.
Just as I turned the corner I see Mr. Riley, the principal, wave his hand while standing in the doorway of his office as if I didn’t know where it was. As I approached him he smiled at me and said, “Hello, Julia, please come in and take a seat,” while pointing to a chair that was across from his desk. My eyes followed him as he walked around his desk toward a tall black filing cabinet. With his back toward me he asked, “So Julia, how’s life been treating you?”
To be honest it took me a few seconds to answer him. I mean really, whose principal says, “How’s life been treating you,” to their student? Maybe he was trying to be hip. In any case, I was the less hip one. For some strange reason the words fumbled out of my mouth when I finally answered him back. I found myself staring at him, well actually his backside to be exact. Staring, not because I wondered what he wanted to talk to me about. No, I was staring because in my head I was thinking that I had never realized how cute he was, but within seconds I was telling myself, “Gross, Julia. What’s wrong with you?” While yelling at myself in my head, the filing cabinet drawer banged to a close which startled me and I jumped.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Julia. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Mr. Riley said with a calm tone in his voice.
“No, it’s my fault. I was in my own little world,” I said with a polite smile even though my heart was beating out of my chest.
“Well then, I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you to my office.”
“Sort of, I mean, did I do something wrong?” I asked while trying to not look guilty just in case.
Apparently he found my statement amusing. While chuckling he replied “You do something wrong, Julia? No, you’re one of my best students.”
I was shocked at what I had just heard. I didn’t even think he knew who I was until today. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew I was taken aback by what he had said. I was never good at hiding my expressions on my face. Anyone who knows me can read me like a book when it comes to stuff like that, especially my parents. I felt like I needed to say thank you for the compliment.
“I appreciate the kind words, Mr. Riley. It sure does mean a lot to me.”
“No need to thank me, Julia. You’re the one who deserves the recognition. It just shows me that you’re going to do something great in the world someday. You have a bright future ahead of you. I’m just sad I won’t be the one handing you you’re high school diploma in the next couple of years,” he said with a genuine look upon his face.
“Oh, so you know I’m leaving then?” I asked.
“Yes, this is why I called you to my office. Your mother called me this morning and informed me that you’ll be leaving in a week for New York. You must be excited. You’ll be going to the Big Apple. I’ve always wanted to go, but the wife doesn’t like big cities.”
“Yep, the Big Apple, lucky me,” I said with a little sarcastic tone.
“I take it you’re not thrilled to be going?”
“Can I be honest with you, Mr. Riley?”
“Sure, Julia,” he said with a sympathetic tone in his voice.
“When my parents first sprung this news on me, I wasn’t having it, but then I changed my mind for two reasons.” I paused for a few seconds to compose myself, and then continued. “First reason was because I knew no matter how much I fought my parents, I’d have to go. And secondly, when I realized that I wasn’t really leaving anything or anyone behind, I knew I wouldn’t be missed.” I told myself not to tear up, but I did.
I really didn’t want Mr. Riley to feel bad for me. I just needed to vent. Someone to talk to that wasn’t going to judge me or reprimand me, but before I knew it, he walked around from his desk and came over to me.
“Julia, Julia, Julia, you’re one of a kind, my dear. There should be more people in this world like you. You remind me a lot of my younger sister when she was your age. If I may, share with you some words of wisdom that my mother once shared with my sister?” Mr. Riley asked.
“Yes, please,” I said while trying to keep my composure.
“You’re the only one who can choose which path in life you will take, but remember to choose wisely. Be proud of who you are and never lose sight of where you are going,” he said with a genuine smile and then the bell rang.
In one sense I was glad I was literally saved by the bell. I mean don’t get me wrong, the fifteen minutes I spent with Mr. Riley was nice, but I was really hungry and I didn’t want to miss lunch. As I thanked Mr. Riley for listening and for the advice, he handed me my transfer papers that I needed to take with me for my new school.
Once lunch was over, I had two more classes left and I could head on home. I had informed my teachers that I would be transferring schools at the end of the week. Oddly enough, they all said they were going to miss me, but really most of them didn’t ever acknowledge me except when it was time to turn in homework. I chalked it up as they were just being polite. It’s probably standard protocol in the teacher’s handbook somewhere.
As soon as the bell rang, I hauled out of my last class. I tossed my books into my locker and out the door I went. I was glad it was Friday. Two days of no school, but then I realized, two days of packing. Ugh!!
Chapter Four
When I arrived home the first thing I did was toss my backpack on the counter and raided the refrigerator. At school they either served something gross half the time or when it was something good, it was never enough. I knew not to eat too much or my mother would kill me, so I grabbed an apple to tide me over until dinner. Most of the time I was the first one home, so usually I’d try and get my homework out of the way, but seeing I didn’t have any I decided to head on up to my room and finish reading my book.
Once I was in my room, I kicked off my shoes and threw my backpack in my closet on the floor. Throwing my body across my bed, I leaned over to my nightstand and reached for my book. I had only four chapters left in the book and I was hoping to finish them before dinner. Reading page after page, I found myself happy at the end of the book. It wasn’t a sad ending; it just left you with hope which in my case made me feel like maybe I’d find hope too.
It had been only a few minutes after finishing my book, when I heard the house door open and close. I knew one of my parents had come home from work. Usually, my dad is the one who ends up home first and then shortly after Mom shows up unless she has court in the morning which means she stays at the office late preparing for her case.
“Julia, are you home?” Dad yelled through the house.
“I’m in my room, Dad,” I hollered back down so he could hear me.
“If you’re not busy, can you come in the kitchen, please?” He asked with a strange tone in his voice.
I wasn’t sure if I was in trouble or not, but I answered, “Sure be right down.”
I was hardly ever in trouble, so I couldn’t imagine what could make him sound so weird. After placing my book back on my nightstand, I made my way to the kitchen. As I approached my dad he didn’t look upset, but then again he could be waiting for the right moment. Quickly, I tried thinking what could be up, but nothing came to mind, so I pulled out a chair and sat while waiting for him to say something.
“So, Julia, how was school?” He asked.
“It was just fine. How was your day at work?” I asked trying to buy me more time to think of what could be up.
“Work is work,” he replied with a peculiar look upon his face.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I blu
rted out, “What did I do?”
With a slight smile on his face and a small snicker he said, “Why is it whenever I want to talk to you, you think you’re in trouble?”
I wasn’t sure what to say to his question. Heck, I didn’t think I was that obvious, but then again, I apparently didn’t hide things very well. And now that I knew by his smile and snicker that I wasn’t in trouble I said, “Trouble? I never thought I was in trouble. Come on, Dad, I’m an angel.”
“Yes, Julia, you are an angel. You’re my angel and that’s why I picked you up a surprise.”
“You did? Where is it?” I asked while smiling like I had just won the lottery. My dad has always bought me the coolest gifts. I remember when I was five he bought me a Barbie dream house, ten different Barbie dolls, and a Barbie power wheel for Christmas. Then when I turned ten he bought me a huge stereo for my room, so I could only imagine what he bought me this time.
“I’ll be right back. I have it in the garage, but you have to promise not to peek,” he said like I was still his little girl. Of course, I agreed and played along to make him happy. Waiting anxiously, I tried to think of what it could be. Maybe he finally broke down and bought me a car. I do have my learner’s permit and I’ll need one eventually. No, it can’t be that. He said he was bringing it in from the garage. Darn it! There goes that awesome idea. From the opposite side of the door, my dad yelled, “Are your eyes closed, Julia?”
“Yes, Dad, they’re closed,” I said with even more excitement now, knowing he was about to hand me an amazing gift.
I wanted to peek so badly, but I didn’t want to get caught, so I kept them closed. The anticipation was killing me and just as I thought my dad was going to tell me to open my eyes he said, “Now, Julia, before I give you your present, I need you to promise me something.”
“Yes, of course, whatever it is, I promise. Now, can I open my eyes?” I pleaded.
“First, hold out your hands,” he said.
The longer it took, the more aggravated I was becoming. I just wanted to see what the big surprise was already, but once again I played along, but not before hearing the front door open. Finally, I heard my dad whisper to me, “Julia, open your eyes, hurry.”
Popping my eyes wide open, there in my dad’s hands was an IPhone. I couldn’t believe it. Jumping off the chair, I wrapped my arms around him saying, “Oh, Dad, you’re the…”
“I know, Julia. I’m the best dad,” he said with a smile on his face while handing me the phone.
“Hello, I’m home, anyone here?” Mom called out.
“Yes, dear, Julia and I are in the kitchen,” Dad replied lovingly.
“Julia, hurry! Stick the phone in your pocket. Your mom doesn’t know I bought you the phone and you know how she hates it when I do something without discussing it with her first.”
I never really understood why Dad worried about Mom freaking out when he bought something. I mean, really, he does work hard and should be able to spend his money whenever he wants, but then again, Dad does sometimes buy silly things. Last year he bought a Bow Flex gym that he saw on TV and when Mom asked him why he spent so much money on something so silly he said, “It’s not silly. I bought it to stay in shape, dear.”
In the end, Mom was right. It was silly. I think Dad might have used that thing a couple of times and now it sits in the garage collecting dust. However, I still didn’t understand why Dad would think Mom would be mad at him for buying me a phone. I didn’t see it being silly, but I didn’t want to cause an argument, so I stuck the phone in my pocket like he asked.
Entering the kitchen Mom smiled and said, “There are my two favorite people in the world.”
Both Dad and I looked at each other and wondered what Mom was up to. She must want something, but what? I was afraid to ask, so I waited for Dad to say something. After Dad kissed Mom on the cheek he asked how her day was.
“It was really good. My court case didn’t last as long, so I was able to get back to the office to wrap up some paper work. On the plus side of that, I even had time to call the moving company and pick up boxes on the way home,” she said with a smirk.
There it was, the moment of truth. Mom was about to ask Dad and I to get the boxes out of the car. Ugh, I didn’t want to help. I wanted to go into my room and check out my new phone, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Honey, would you like Julia and me to get the boxes out of the car?” Dad asked without hesitation.
“That would be great, dear,” she said while leaning into him and smacking his butt.
“Oh, gross. Really, Mom? I’m standing right here,” I said while making a gagging noise.
Mom just laughed at my remark while Dad told me to help him get the boxes. Once we finished bringing them all in the house, I headed up to my room before dinner so I could check out my new phone. Not only did my dad buy me one of the best phones, he also bought me a Marylyn Monroe case for it. While letting it charge, I read through the book it came with to see what features it had. As I touched the screen, I noticed a phonebook on it. Sadly, I really didn’t have many numbers to store on my phone besides my mom, dad, grandmother, and a few distant relatives. I did however download the Kindle App to the phone for my books.
In the middle of setting it up I could hear Mom call up to me reminding me to wash up for dinner. I really wasn’t all that hungry, but I knew if I didn’t eat she’d think something was wrong. I could hear her saying, “What’s wrong, Julia. Do you have a fever? Is it cramps? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?” I love my mom, but she is very overprotective and it sometimes drives me crazy.
As we sat at the dinner table to eat, my stomach began to growl. Huh, maybe I was wrong, but then again Mom’s cooking could make anyone want to eat. There I sat in front of homemade meat loaf, mash potatoes, green beans, and corn bread. I was now wondering what was for dessert. While stuffing my face, Dad looked up from his plate at my mom and said, “Oh, honey, I forgot to tell you that while I was on my way home I stopped at the store and picked up a phone for Julia.”
Holy crap was about the only words that kept running back and forth in my head. I waited for her to say something like, “You bought Julia a phone without discussing it with me first?!” Instead, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was no yelling, or making my dad feel like he shouldn’t have bought me a phone. Instead my mom smiled and said, “Oh, good. I’m glad you did. I was thinking about taking her this weekend to get one.”
My mouth kind of dropped open just a little. I was completely in shock and happy at the same time. Happy more for my dad knowing his butt wasn’t about to be chewed off. By the look on Dad’s face he had been holding his breath just waiting. Slowly, I could see him exhale. I found it to be a little bit funny.
“I’m glad you’re fine with it, honey. To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous that you’d be upset that I didn’t discuss it with you first,” he said lovingly.
“No, this is a good thing. Moving to the city can be a bit scary. I’ll feel a little bit better now that you have a phone, Julia. This way if you ever need me or your dad, you’ll be able to reach us,” Mom said as she tapped her hand on my arm.
“Alright, who’s ready for dessert?” Mom asked knowing even if Dad and I didn’t have much room left we’d still shove it down our faces.
“Is it brownies? No, wait, is it chocolate cake?” I asked as my mouth began to water even after I had just eaten dinner.
“No, it’s actually strawberry cheese cake,” said Mom with a slight smile knowing that was one of my favorite desserts. Well, anything Mom baked was my favorite.
As I shoveled the last piece into my mouth I felt like I was going to puke, never mind having to move from the kitchen table. I knew I should have waited for my dinner to digest, but when my ears heard cheese cake, it was over. Once I was finally able to move from my chair, I helped Mom clean up before heading up to my room. I thought it was the least I could do after she made such an awesome meal lik
e always. Seeing it was Friday night, I’d stay up a little later messing with my new phone while watching some TV. Everything was just about done in the kitchen, so I scooted my way to my room, but not before my mom said, “Julia, remember not to stay up too late. We have a big day ahead of us.”
“Yes, I know, Mom,” I said with an uncertainty in my voice which caused her to look at me with both eyebrows raised.
“Packing, Julia. We will be packing all day tomorrow.” Mom smiled.
“I know, Mom. I’ll be up bright eyed and bushy tailed,” I replied with a chuckle so she wouldn’t think I was being a wise guy.
“All right then, goodnight, dear.”
Chapter Five
The next morning Mom was at my door telling me it was time to get up. I was sure hoping it was at least past nine in the morning. Rolling over to look at my clock, I almost fell off the bed from the shock of just how early it was. Six thirty! What was she, crazy? It was Saturday and she’s dragging me out of bed even before the rooster crowed. Even though my body felt limp and wanted to stay in bed, I knew to get up before my mom came crashing through my bedroom door saying, “Rise and shine sleepy head.”
Torn Souls Page 3