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He wasn’t flashy though. He was dressed well in a dark blue silk shirt and a pair of dark gray slacks. Just the right kind of man who would be able to provide a good, stable home for my mom. If it came to that, and I had a feeling it would with the way the pair looked at each other.
I had my dessert and then left them to have a couple of drinks together. I was old enough to join them, but it looked like the informal celebration had turned into a date. I didn’t want to intrude so drove myself back to our home out in the country.
I smelled the familiar smell of home when I walked in and felt myself relax. I’d brought my suitcase in with me and emptied it out into the dresser that had been in my room since I was a 16-year-old. I found a smaller bag and packed it with the new underwear I’d bought, along with the dress, a pair of jeans, another t-shirt, socks, and the heels to go with the dress. I added a nightgown, just in case, and then put in some travel-sized toiletries.
I planned to put my hair up in a heavy bun, with tendrils around my face. I wouldn’t need a curling iron or straighteners. My plane arrived early the next day, and if I left early Tuesday morning, I’d get home early. Mom would be at work, so that should be no problem.
I looked around and saw my purse. I remembered the letter and the plane tickets inside the card. I took the letter out and read it.
Dear Nicolette,
Congratulations on your graduation! Your grandfather and I are very proud of you. We have been absent for much of your life, but losing your father took a toll on us that we are only now starting to come out of. We want to apologize for neglecting you for so very long and hope that you’ll accept these tickets to come out and visit us. The money is for whatever trip you’d like to take or whatever you might need before you start work.
I hope you can forgive our absence in your life, Nicolette, and hope that you will come out to see us. Your grandfather has become frail over the last few years and flying is hard on him. Below is our phone number so, if you don’t mind, please call me sometime. I’m very proud of you and hope to see you in a few months.
It was all very sweet, and I read it twice before I put it down. Mom had been right. Dad’s death had hit them very hard. I couldn’t imagine, didn’t want to imagine, what they’ve been through. Sure, they maybe could have been in my life a little more, I decided, but who can judge what we cannot comprehend?
I put the tickets and the card with the letter in my underwear drawer and decided I’d call the woman that was my grandmother when I got back home. For now. I had an adventure to prepare for.
I’d bought a cheap home waxing kit and used it now to make sure every part of me was smooth. I’d read to do it the night before a big date to make sure you could take care of any mishaps before the date. It was painful but worth the outcome. I looked neater, anyway, I thought as I put the box and its contents in the cabinet under the sink.
I practiced applying makeup and got it down pat just to wash it all off again with a giggle. I was ready for tomorrow anyway. I put my makeup in my handbag and then set the alarm clock and the alarm on my phone.
Mom came in and we said goodnight to each other. She looked like she was in a daze of happiness, which I very much approved of, as she walked down the hall to her own room. It was a small house, with three bedrooms, a single bathroom, the kitchen, and the living room. Enough for us, anyway.
I got a text as I slid into bed. Brooklyn telling me goodnight. We’d spent so long together in the dorm, outside of the dorm, that it felt odd to know I’d never share a dorm with her again. Sure, she’d spent most of her free time with Stuart after she met him, but this was different now. Everything had changed. We were so used to being near each other and now we were miles apart. She’d gone to the apartment she and Stuart rented, along with him, and they were now getting settled in.
I waited for a text from the Rome brothers but got nothing. I guess they were busy with their own graduation celebrations. It was telling. The way we all celebrated differently. People like Amanda and the Rome brothers were probably at wild parties, full of music and booze, but here I was, in bed already. Brooklyn would soon be in bed, too, rather than at a party.
