• Chapter 1
    Another Move ( continued)


    I open the small wooden door and see Clara and Hannah sitting on the couch to the left reading by candlelight. They nearly jump at the sight of me, which since I had off today, is totally understandable. I mean, if you went through a whole day completely ignored and then somebody that could see you showed up, wouldn’t you be a little startled? “ Hey you guys.” I walkover and sit next to Hannah and pull Charlie up on my lap.
    “ Good Evening, Mel,” says Hannah as she and Clara dip their heads in greeting. I’ve gotten used to this over the years and dip my head in response as if I had been raised to do so. We are all silent for a moment as if we are avoiding the conversation we know has to take place. Charlie is the one to break the silence. “What are we going to do now that you will not be here to talk with us, Mel?”
    “ Well, I don’t really know. I suppose you’ll do whatever you did before I came here.”
    “ But how-” Charlie starts when Clara cuts him off. “ Now Charlie,” she says, “ there is no need to pry. I’m sure Mel has told us everything she knows,” Hannah and I nod in agreement. We talk for another minute and then it is time for goodbyes. This was different for me. I have never actually been friends with my Stars; it was just a “ Hi I’m here” End of Conversation type of relationship, so I never got attached. “ I best be going, my parents are probably wondering what happened to me,” I say. All four of us stand up and move toward the door. “ We’ll miss having you around Mel,” Clara whispers.
    “ Definitely,” agrees Hannah. She moves forward and gives me a small hug and a peck on the cheek. “ If only we could visit one another,” she added with a sigh. Seeming has though she wants to add more but is not sure if she should.
    “ I’ll do my best to try and visit you, I really will,” I reply, doing my best to believe my own words. Then, in an almost inaudible voice, Charlie says, “I’ll miss you too Mel.” I bend down, put my hands on his shoulders, looked him in the eye and say, “ I’ll miss you too Charlie.” Kissing him on the forehead as I stand up.
    Just then Kelly comes in. “We’ll be in the car Mel. Don’t take too much longer,” she says. I nod to show I understand her and she leaves. “ Well, I really should be going. I still have to say bye to David. I’ll miss you all very much.” I open the door and walk out. Glancing over my shoulder I see Charlie, Hannah, and Clara waving as they close the door. As I walk back to the front I take in the sight of the candles on the walls and the smell of the wood floor. I am going to miss this place a lot, I say to myself.
    The restaurant is empty when I get to the front. David is wiping off tables; I grab a cloth and go over to help him. He smiles when he sees me. “ You don’t have to help Mel, really,” he says. After four or five tables I stop and tell him, like I did Clara, Hannah, and Charlie, that I really should get going. “Keep in touch?”
    “ Promise,” I say as I walk out the door. We get home about thirty minutes later and I trudge up to my room thoroughly exhausted.


    L L
    My alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning. My parents have been up for a while packing up the last bit of stuff. I situate my blanket and pillow on the back seat of the car. I pass Kelly on my way back into the house; she says there is coffee in the kitchen.
    I walk past the couch and turn the corner to the kitchen. I pick up my coffee and go to sit at the table.
    “Honey are you all right?” My mom comes over to lift me off the floor.
    “I guess it takes time for it to become more then just a picture.”
    Since we are leaving I see the now bare house as if we were still living in it. I manage to focus on the fact that the house is actually empty and turn the corner. Nothing. No couch, no television, and no computer. I have never really experienced an empty room before. I wiped my hand over my cheek. I will never focus on emptiness again. I settle into the car still trying to shake the view of my empty living room.

    End of Chapter 1