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“Meet me at this address, and we’ll take off from there.” Diane fished in her pocket for a business card. It had her name and an address on it. Lando knew of the road, and it wasn’t far from her house. “Pack light. There isn’t much room in the vehicle for personal items with all of our equipment.”
“I can do that. I’m not a very heavy packer in general.”
“Good. Then I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” Diane stood up and held out her hand.
Lando followed suit and took it, shaking. She gave her thanks for the opportunity again and saw Diane to the door. Staring down at the card in her hand, giddiness swelled in her chest. She had to tell her aunt. Someone would need to watch the house for her while she was gone, take care of certain things. Grabbing her cellphone, Lando immediately made a phone call.
“What’s up?”
“Aunt T, you got time for a visit tonight?”
“Uh…not really, but I can. Why?”
“I need you to come over.” Lando could barely keep the excitement out of her voice.
“Is this an emergency?”
Having to think that over, Lando immediately nodded. “It is. Not major, but I do need to see you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I get off work.”
“Awesome. Bye, Aunt T.”
“Bye, Stinker.”
That gave Lando three hours to put her kitchen back in order, pack, and do everything she could to close up the house for the next six months. It was a monumental task, but one Lando was happy to undertake.
When her aunt arrived, Lando had the house cleaned and mostly shut down. She’d called all the utility companies, put a stop on her mail, and was ready to begin packing for the next six months of her life. Aunt T walked right into the house and called out to get Lando’s attention.
“Hey,” Lando said and she came around the corner. “I’m just packing.”
“Packing?” Aunt T dropped her keys on the kitchen table, following Lando into the back bedroom. Her scrubs were dirty, and Lando knew she’d be tired, but there was no one else she could ask for this favor.
As soon as Aunt T was settled on the edge of the mattress, Lando stared at her closet. Packing light was harder than she’d anticipated, especially when packing for six months of the year. She could always purchase things she’d forgotten, but she didn’t even know how often they’d have access to laundry facilities.
“What’s this all about?” Aunt T glowered, and Lando knew she was going to have to do some good explaining to make up for the lack of information and the quick decision.
“Remember a few months ago when I applied for that internship?”
“Yes?” Aunt T still looked suspicious.
“Well, I ended up getting one today, and we leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Aunt T’s eyes went wide. Lando’s stomach churned with guilt. Aunt T was very easily like the third mother for her, her grandma being the second, and she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary worries or fears. “Who are you going with?”
“A woman named Diane and her team.”
“Does Diane have a last name?”
“Uh…yeah. It’s on that card on my nightstand.”
Aunt T leaned over and grabbed the business card, staring at it. Lando focused on packing, knowing she didn’t have much time before she’d have to crawl in bed and attempt some sleep. “Do you even know this woman?”
“Not really, but she works with Professor Myers. She’s the one that hooked me up with her.” It was a small lie, but Lando knew it’d ease her aunt’s discomfort.
“Will your professor be going with you?”
“Yes.” Lando firmly shoved a rain jacket into her duffel bag.
