“Hey, Debbie, you’re home! How did it go?”
“Oh, Robyn, it was amazing!” Deborah began. She then went on to share about the evening, including the almost floor to ceiling aquarium, the dresses that some of the other girls wore and even the slow dancing she did with Nicholas.
“Did you step on his feet?” Robyn wondered.
“No,” Deborah laughed. “It’s not the first time I’ve slow danced with anyone.”
“How do you know what to do?”
“It’s easy. You kind of just go with the flow. Some guys are good at leading, which makes it that much easier.”
“Was Nick good at leading?”
“He was. It was really fun to dance with him. We even danced as a larger group to some of the faster songs.”
“That sounds like so much fun. You’re so lucky!”
“You’ll get your turn someday, Robyn,” Deborah assured her.
“Oh, I know. Hopefully I can wear your dress when I can go.”
“By that time you’re going to want to find your own dress, believe me.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Robyn said as she started to touch and admire the dress Deborah still had on.
“I’m going to go change. I’ll be right back,” Deborah stated.
When Deborah came back to the room in her pajamas, she carefully hung her prom dress up in order to keep it nice. She then took off her jewelry, undid her hair and then went to lie in bed.
“So you had a good time with Nick?” Robyn asked with a sly smile.
“Yes," was Deborah's dragged out answer. Ignoring what Robyn may or may not have been implying, she continued, "The whole evening was fun. I didn’t feel left out or anything and really enjoyed myself.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m exhausted though so I’m going to try to go to bed now. Okay?”
“Okay. Sleep well.”
“You too.”
Deborah was glad Robyn allowed her to end the night there because she didn’t want to discuss how foolish she had been earlier in regards to Nicholas and the prom queen. She felt really stupid for even caring and wanted to forget that it even happened. From now on she vowed she wasn’t going to care about what Nicholas did in his free time or who he dated. In the end it was none of her business anyway. Whatever Nicholas wanted to share with her he would and what he didn’t want to share he wouldn’t.
And, she thought to herself, vice versa.
8
“So what sounds like a good gift to get mom for Mother’s Day?” Deborah threw out in the open in hopes of getting ideas.
Deborah, Robyn and Alex were all going shopping together in Alex’s car. But not one of them really had any good ideas of where to go or what to get. They just wanted to get their mom something extra special this year to show how much they all love her.
“We could get her some of her favorite indulgences,” Robyn answered. “Like her favorite bath soaps, chocolates, candles or perfumes.”
“That stuff doesn’t last though,” Deborah pointed out.
“That’s true. What about a beauty treatment or something like that?” Robyn rebounded.
“I don’t know. That doesn’t sound like something she'd like,” Alex replied.
“I have an idea! I really liked the bracelet I got from Nick a couple of years ago. Why not get mom something like that? Something with our birthstones on it or picture in it?” Deborah suggested excitedly.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Alex said. “I think we should get her a necklace or ring because she doesn’t wear bracelets at all.”
“Let’s do a mother’s ring and then give it to her in a jewelry box with our picture on it!” Robyn said excitedly.
“Sounds good to me,” Deborah approved.
"Me too," Alex agreed.
The three of them made small talk as they drove to the nearest jewelry store. It was a gorgeous day in May. Not only were the plethora of multi-colored tulips in full bloom, but the sun was out and the traffic wasn’t as busy as Alex was thinking it would be. Being this close to Mother’s Day and the Tulip Festival, a week-long event that was filled with parades, fireworks and food vendors, among other things, Alex thought for sure he’d have to fight more traffic than he was.
Once they got to the store, Alex let the two girls decide on the design of the ring seeing as he felt they’d do a better job at it than what he would. He had to admit that when all was said and done that the ring turned out to be beautiful. He knew that his mom would absolutely love it.
The kids were even able to get the jewelry box from the same store. The three of them decided on one that had on one side a place to put a photo, the other side held necklaces and below were two drawers to hold rings and bracelets. The jewelry box was a cherry color, which would match their mom’s bedroom suite perfectly.
The only thing left to do was get their picture taken. So they went to the nearest One Hour Photo store to do so. It wasn’t completely professional looking, but would do just fine considering they didn’t have a lot of time or money available.
When everything was taken care of, the three Harrington children drove back home having spent less than $300. Neither of them regretted the purchases they made because they knew that seeing their mom’s face when she opened her gift would be well worth the cost.
Getting the ring for their mom made Deborah reminisce about the bracelet she got from Nicholas on her sixteenth birthday. Having not seen him in a while, she decided to ask Alex about him.
“So, Alex, what has Nick been up to lately?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“It’s just that he hasn’t been around in a while. He used to come over all the time.”
“You do know that he has a job and everything, right? He’s barely home these days so he doesn’t have that much time to come over and see you like he used to.”
“I’m not suggesting that he needs to see me per se. It’s just that we all used to hang out and we don’t much anymore. I was just curious as to what was going on.”
“Well, we’re all getting older and we all have our own lives, Debbie,” Alex said annoyingly. “You’re going to have to get used to that.”
“No need to be that way, Alex,” Robyn chipped in. “I was wondering the same thing too. We all know we’re all getting older, but it seems like Nick’s fallen off the face of the earth because we haven’t seen him in so long.”
“Thank you, Robyn,” Deborah stated. “I’m glad at least someone understands me. Sheesh! Someone sure seems cranky!”
“He’s just been busy,” Alex said a little more nicely. “That’s all.”
“Are you going to see him anytime soon?” Deborah wanted to know.
“We’re going to a baseball game in a couple of weeks so I’ll see him then for sure. Why?”
Alex was getting really sick of all the questions Deborah was asking, which she could tell from his tone of voice.
“Well, I was just wondering if he was going to come to my graduation ceremony. I would really like to have him there and I haven’t been able to ask him to come myself. Can you ask him for me; to come to the graduation ceremony and the party afterwards?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Thanks.”
The three of them arrived home. Ms. Harrington was home as well so Alex distracted her in the kitchen while the two girls brought her gift upstairs to wrap it and keep it hidden until Mother’s Day.
While putting the gift away, Deborah thanked Robyn for backing her up in the car on the ride home.
“No problem."
Deborah didn’t say anything in return. Truth be told, she missed Nicholas. She missed the times when they’d all hang out together at least once every week. Ever since prom two years ago, she had seen Nicholas maybe once a month. She knew that as they got older that things would change, but she felt like she had lost one of her best friends. With the way things used to be between the two of them she thought that would never even
be a possibility.
---------------
Alex and Nicholas spent most of the three-hour drive to their first baseball game catching up on each other’s lives. It had been over a month since they had last seen each other so they had a lot of things to discuss. They talked about a range of topics from their jobs to each other’s family to anything being new.
“It sure is good seeing you again, buddy,” Alex stated first after a long pause when they had gotten the basic questions out of the way.
“Oh, I know. I feel bad that we haven’t gotten to hang out lately. I’ve just been working crazy hours.”
“It’s okay. I totally understand. So how do you like your job?” Alex was a little curious to hear Nicholas’ response seeing as he seemed to like it, but some of the things he’s mentioned before didn’t seem that great.
“I love it, man. It pays well and it’s fun. I’m not doing the same thing over and over and I do get some good exercise. The only downfall is that I can’t really take college classes like I kind of wanted to because of my schedule.”
“That sucks. But if you love what you do and it pays well then don’t worry about it!”
“Yeah, I guess,” Nicholas thought out loud. “What about you? Still like your job?”
“It’s okay. It’s not something I’d want to do the rest of my life though.”
“Did you want to go to school?” Nicholas asked.
“No. I never wanted to do that. That was more Deborah’s thing than mine.”
The two boys were silent for a moment and then Nicholas asked, “Speaking of Deborah, how is she?”
“Fine. She’s graduating in a couple of weeks, which reminds me that she wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come to her graduation ceremony and party afterwards,” Alex said in a way as if it were a huge chore.
“Of course I’ll be there. Tell her I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”
“Okay.”
“She’s doing good though? Has she missed me?” Nicholas asked teasingly with a hand to his chest and a short glance at Alex, making both of them laugh.
“Yeah, she’s good. She did ask about you a while back, asking where you’ve been lately, but that’s it.”
“Did you tell her I’m a working man now?” Nicholas said, still with a hint of teasing in his tone.
“Yeah,” Alex answered with another chuckle.
“Anyway, is the rest of your family doing well?”
“All are doing fine. What about yours?”
“They’re good.”
Nothing left to say on that subject, the two boys were quiet for a while, just listening to the radio softly and looking out the windows at the flat terrain they traveled on.
Finally, after he couldn’t find any good music playing on the radio, Nicholas asked Alex, “So anything else new?”
“Not really. How about with you?”
After scrambling his brain for anything that might be new, Nicholas finally remembered what he wanted to tell Alex.
“Actually, there is. You may not believe this, but I’m moving out!”
“Really?”
Alex didn’t even know what to say beyond that. On the one hand, he was completely excited. However, he was also a bit jealous that Nicholas could move out and he really couldn’t yet; not with the money he was making. Plus, he was a bit sad that his best friend would no longer be living next door.
“Yeah, I figured it was about time. I make enough money and I just want my own space.”
“Well, that’s cool, man!”
“I’ll be moving out in a couple of weeks when my apartment is ready.”
“Well, let me know if you need any help,” Alex offered.
“I will. Thanks!”
For quite some time the boys talked about Nicholas moving. Alex got all the details regarding where he’d be living and what his place was like. They were both so focused on the topic that, that was what they were still discussing when they got to the baseball stadium.
After finding a parking space, they completely dropped their discussion and began talking about how cool the stadium looked, how busy it was and about the game and who they thought would win. Being the first professional baseball game they had been to, both boys were super excited.
They found their seats after getting some food at the concession stand. When the game had started, as expected, fans all over were cheering for their favorite team. Alex and Nicholas were no exception. By the end of the game, both friends had nearly lost their voice from screaming so frequently.
The game was over a couple of hours later, the team that Alex and Nicholas rooted for winning. The two boys were so engrossed in the game that time flew by and they were surprised when the last inning had ended.
“It sure is going to be fun getting out of here,” Nicholas commented sarcastically.
“Tell me about it,” Alex said as he stared at all the cars trying to leave at the same time. “They should have someone controlling all of this.”
When Alex and Nicholas finally got back on the highway to head home, they chatted about the game, how neat the experience was and how glad they were that their team had won. In the back of his mind though, Alex was thinking about Nicholas moving. He still didn’t know how he felt about it.
He dreaded telling Deborah about it too.
She’ll probably throw some huge fit, he thought, because she already seemed to have a problem with Nicholas not coming over as often. So who knows what she’d do if she found out he wouldn’t even be living next door anymore.
Therefore, Alex opted to keep it all a secret. He figured Nicholas could tell Deborah himself if and when he wanted to.
Nicholas dropped Alex off at home and thanked him for the great time he had.
“Oh, and don’t forget to tell Deborah I’ll be at the graduation,” he reminded Alex.
“I won’t. Thanks!”
It wasn’t until Nicholas got home and looked at his calendar that he realized Deborah’s graduation was the same day his apartment would be ready to move into.
Shoot! And I have to work a half day so how am I going to get this all to work? I’ve got to figure it out, he thought. I’d hate to hurt Debbie’s feelings by not being there when I said I would.
Immediately, Nicholas started planning things out for that day. That way when it finally came he would have all his ducks in a row.
---------------
“I can’t believe it’s finally here, Felicia!” Deborah said to her best friend over the phone. “I’m so excited!”
After the girls had talked for quite some time about the upcoming ceremony, Deborah noticed the time and realized she had to get going.
“Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tonight, okay? Bye!”
Deborah ran downstairs to get a little snack to tie her over until after her graduation ceremony when her party started. Alex was already at the table eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles cereal.
“Did you happen to ask Nick if he was coming tonight?” Deborah asked her brother.
“Yeah,” was his short response he gave without even looking up at her. He just focused on the cereal he was eating and the newspaper he had in his left hand.
“Well, what did he say?”
“He said he’d be there.”
“Really? That’s awesome! Thanks for asking!”
“Yep.”
Again, Alex didn’t even look up.
Deborah then headed over to get her own bowl of cereal, thinking it was a good choice. She carried a huge smile on her face from the good news that she’d get to see Nicholas tonight. It made her feel special that he would be celebrating this occasion with her like she did with him two years ago.
Just then Ms. Harrington came into the kitchen and demanded Alex and Deborah hurry up and get ready because they had to leave in forty-five minutes. Hearing that, Deborah scarfed down her cereal and quickly ran upstairs to get her stuff. She, Alex and Robyn ended up being ready a few minutes before their m
om so they waited for her in the car.
When they got to the school, Deborah took off for the cafeteria where her class was supposed to meet while the rest of her family went to the gymnasium to find a seat.
“Hey, girl!” Felicia called out as soon as she spotted Deborah walking through the cafeteria doors.
Deborah met her with a hug and the two of them talked until the principal asked for everyone’s attention. Seeing the time on the digital clock by the doors, Deborah knew it was time for everyone to line up and get ready to head to the gym. She was glad that they were allowed to enter single file instead of with a partner like her brother's class had to.
As the entire class started heading towards the gym, Deborah could hear the class song playing. Everyone was walking slowly enough that when Deborah entered the gymnasium she immediately started searching for her family.
And Nicholas.
She finally found her family, but Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. She searched the rest of the crowd thinking that he was possibly sitting with someone else but still couldn’t find him. Deborah felt disappointed but remained hopeful that she either just missed him or that he was running late. She figured she'd catch him for sure at the party her mom and dad were throwing for her after the ceremony.
The ceremony was boring, but finally it was time for the diplomas to be handed out. Somewhere in the middle was Deborah so it took some time to get to her name, but once it was called she was glad to get up and move a little. She heard shouts and screams from various people in the crowd once she got the diploma and shook the principal’s hand. Then she went to go sit back down. When all diplomas were handed out and the class was presented, the students all stood up, threw their hats in the air in celebration of being done with high school and then they were all allowed to leave to meet up with family and friends.
Growing Up Neighbors Page 14