Title: Welcome to My World
Author: Taffy
Email: bstuller@splis.com
Category: Liz & Son
Rating: TEEN – er, okay, I got carried away in part 1, make it - MATURE.
Disclaimer: Don’t own them, just borrowing them. Promise to return them only slightly used.
Notes: This is mainly a Liz story and what happened to her life after Destiny, but with a couple of changes, which you’ll read about in more detail than I had planned (hence the MATURE rating). And how it changed everything.
Nothing after S1 is applicable, so throw it out the window. You’re in my world now.
~
Part 1
~
March 2014
He bit into the sandwich with gusto. He loved Mom’s cooking. She always knew just how he liked things. No one else knew to add the Tabasco or jalapenos. He remembered in fifth grade Tommy Johnson stole his lunch, saying it was his. That had been the first fight he’d ever gotten in and his first trip to the principal’s office too. Mom wasn’t real happy about missing work, but she’d laughed too when Tommy bit into the peanut butter, jelly, and Tabasco combination while in the principal’s office to prove it was his. The look on Tommy’s face was worth the three-day suspension and week of detention that he got for fighting. But Mom had missed work.
It had always been just Mom and him. Always. A friend of Mom’s came to visit once, a long time ago. He sort of remembered him. He had dark hair. But he didn’t stay and Mom had cried when he left. He was pretty sure Mom called him sometimes, usually when times were tight. Mom worked all kinds of jobs to make ends meet but sometimes, no matter how hard she tried, they just didn’t.
He thought the man sent Mom money but he wasn’t sure. He’d often wondered if the man was his father. He’d almost asked her once but he’d chickened out. She always got upset when he asked about his dad. She’d just say that he had had to leave and she didn’t know if he’d ever be back. Afterwards, he would hear her crying later on when she thought he was asleep. He’d never met his dad, never seen his picture, nor even knew his name. His dad was a mystery to him. There were lots of mysteries in his life, like why he liked Tabasco so much, why he sometimes just knew things, why they moved so much, why it was just the two of them, why they couldn’t go home. He wished he knew the answers.
“Hey Jamie, wanna play shortstop?” Eric yelled from the pitcher’s mound at the boy in the bleachers eating a sandwich.
“Yeah, okay,” he yelled back and shoved the last Tabasco drenched bite into his mouth and chugged the remainder of his Cherry Coke before shoving the garbage back into the paper bag, and pulling his baseball mitt out of his backpack. He caught two fly balls and stopped a line drive before the lunch bell rang, calling them back to class.
“Oh, hey, the coach wanted me to give you the signup info for the Spring League. You gonna make it, right? I mean the team really is counting on you.” Eric told him as they walked back to class. Jamie had only been here since Christmas but he was an excellent shortstop. He could even pitch some, and his hitting was solid. The coach had been dying to get him to sign up, and since his dad was the coach and Jamie was sort of his friend…well, they really needed him on the team.
Jamie glanced at the sheet in his hand and frowned. A $75 signup fee, $80 for uniform plus new cleats, which means a $155 total due by next Friday. He already knew it wasn’t happening. Friday was the last day of the month and rent was due by the 5th. He shoved it in his backpack. “I’d like to, but…”
“Great! I’ll tell my dad you’re in!” Eric cut him off as he took off down the hall towards his class.
~
Mom was at the kitchen table studying when he got home. Mom was always studying. She loved school and was always picking up a class here and there. Someday she might actually get her degree. But mainly she worked and took care of him. She’d done everything under the sun to put a roof over his head, anything from waitressing and cashier to administrative assistant, her current position. “Hey Mom,” he greeted her as he walked in and dropped his backpack in the chair.
Liz looked up and gave him a smile. “Hey Jamie. How was school today?”
“Okay,” he replied as he stood in front of the open refrigerator trying to see if there was anything good to snack on. He finally pulled out some string cheese.
“That’s good. Honey, you’re… I’m afraid you’re going to need to catch the bus for a while. We both are. The car crapped out today on the way home. The mechanic said something about a lifter collapsing.”
He sighed. No Spring League this year, that’s for sure. No use even mentioning it. He shrugged and tried to hide his disappointment. “Okay, no biggie. I take it home already.”
“Thank you, honey.” Liz told him with a sad smile. Jamie was a trooper. He had to be unfortunately.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Sandwiches and macaroni and cheese,” she told him putting on a brave front, much like her son did. Their groceries had to make it until her next paycheck, more than a week away. Liz sighed. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was going to go to Harvard and become a noted microbiologist. She and Max were going to get married after college and have careers for a while, a two-story house, two cars in the driveway, and then start a family. That had been the plan, her dream. Instead she had a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment that she could barely afford in the so-so part of town, a nowhere job that she hated, her ten-year old Pontiac was in the shop, and her thirteen-year old son has never known his father. And she slept alone at night. Where had it all gone so wrong?
~
June 2000
Liz sat on the closed toilet seat and stared at the little blue + sign. She closed her eyes for a moment and wondered how this had happened, then snorted. She knew damn well how it had happened. That night in the van when they were on the run for their lives, they needed each other, to touch, to reaffirm their love and their hope for a life together…
Max couldn’t stop the tremors that racked his body, his mind, and spirit. They had stripped everything away from him and turned it on him, used it against him, but they hadn’t broken him. He had held on to hope, to her. He shook his head, refuting her self-recrimination for ruining his life. “No, that was the day my life began. Liz, when I was in that room, and they did what they did to me. You're what kept me alive. The thought of you. The way your eyes look into mine. Your smile. The touch of your skin. Your lips. Knowing you has made me human. Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny is the same: it's you. I want to be with you, Liz. I love you.”
Her heart melted as she looked into his tortured eyes. She knew he meant every word. She couldn’t deny it, couldn’t deny him. “I love you.” Their kisses were sweet and gentle. She could feel his hands shake as they touched her face, her hair, and eventually wrap around her to hold her tight. They stayed that way for several minutes, just holding each other. When he finally loosened his hold on her she leaned back and brushed his wet hair out of his eyes. She felt a new shiver go down both of them. Her mind tried to convince her it was from the cold wet clothes but her body knew it was otherwise. “Max, we need to get out of these clothes before we get sick.”
He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His brain was already on overload. All he could do was nod numbly in agreement. His arms dropped to his sides as she peeled his damp jacket off and hang it over some old broken table to dry. He silently watched her bend down to remove his muddy shoes and socks. He felt his heart pounding as she rose and slipped her fingers under the hem of his t-shirt and pull it over his head. He could feel himself stir with need and grabbed her hand as it reached for his belt buckle. “Liz…”
She froze and looked into his eyes. She saw his desire and incredible need, not just physical need but emotional, love. He was nervous and uncertain. She removed her hand from his and slowly slipped off her own jacket and then shoes. Her eyes never left his as she pulled her top over her head. She saw his Adam’s apple quiver when he swallowed as she slid the zipper down and her slacks fell to the floor. “Your turn. Stand up,” she instructed.
That was easier said than done, he thought. He slowly rose and fumbled with his belt. He gave up and finally let Liz do it. The sound of his zipper coming down seemed awfully loud for some reason. He grabbed the waist of his pants to keep them from falling. “Liz… I… um, Liz…I can’t… control… everything my body does. It… uh, it can have a mind of its own sometimes… like now.” She just gazed into his eyes. He got so lost in those large dark pools that he didn’t realize he’d let go of his pants. He was startled when she broke eye contact to pick them up. He watched in amazement. For some reason the memory of him and Michael sneaking a peak at a Frederick’s of Hollywood catalog came to mind. They were something like ten or eleven at the time. They had it all wrong. All that red and black lace was nothing. Somehow there was nothing sexier than the little white cotton bikini panties and bra that were standing before him right now. God, he was in trouble. He moaned as she pushed him back down on the old sofa.
“Lay down. You need to rest,” Liz told him. She was doing her best not to look below his waist as he stretched out on the sofa, but it wasn’t easy. It was quite hard in fact. And it wasn’t the only thing. She wondered what it looked like, how it felt in her hand, in her. She glanced down. That was a mistake. It was even larger now. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. It was fascinating. “How does it fit,” she thought she said silently.
“What?” He was having difficulty getting enough air for some reason. He closed his eyes and prayed he wouldn’t loose it and embarrass himself. He almost did when he felt a very tentative touch on him. Gulp. “L-Liz… uh… w-what are you doing?”
“I don’t know.” she replied honestly. The sight of him there, needing her so much, and her needing him, wanting him. How could she not? He was her soulmate, but only if he wanted it too. “Do you want me to stop?”
With a slight shake of his head, he answered ‘no’. He fought for control as her fingers continued their exploration, ever so delicately through his boxers. It was driving him insane but he never wanted it to stop. His eyes were growing heavy with desire as her delicate touch began to make its way along his abdomen and chest. He saw her pause and frown, at the red gash running down his chest. “I can heal it once the drugs wear off. It… it’s okay,” he tried to assure her. She finally nodded and then kissed each breast before her lips found his. Their kisses fed their hunger for more, more kisses, more touching, more everything, everywhere. More. His lips caressed her lips, her cheek, her neck, and her shoulder, then to the valley between her breasts, off to the side. He felt her breasts contract and her nipples harden through the fabric of her bra. He heard her moan and looked up at her, his eyes asking if she wanted him to continue.
She kissed him in reply and then she slid down his torso and settled just past his hips. He felt so warm to the touch as her lips planted kisses and love across his chest, careful to avoid the indignity done to him. Then lower. She felt a shiver run through him as she kissed just below his navel, but if anything he felt even warmer to the touch. She could feel his manhood pressing against her, straining to be free of the boxers. She hooked her thumbs on either side of the restraining garment and slid them down past his hips. Fascinating, she thought as she stared at him. A finger lightly ran down his length and elicited something between a moan and a groan from him. She couldn’t help a slight smile. She loved how his body was responding to her slightest touch. As she watched his manhood stand even prouder, an earlier concern resurfaced. “How’s it going to fit?”
He laughed. After everything he’d been through these last twenty-four hours, she actually made him laugh. God, he loved her so much. “Actually, I’m not sure but I’m pretty certain we can figure it out if we put our minds to it.”
She slid back up, settling just above his sex. She plopped her elbows on either side of him and gave him a grin. “Actually, I understand that it isn’t our minds that we have to put together to make this work.”
His laugh turned husky as he felt her hot, soaked panties rubbing against him. “You sure? I suppose you read some books on the subject,” he joked as his fingers played with her hair.
“Um hum. And you? Do any studying?” she teased back as her body rubbed against his, trying to ease the ache building deep inside her.
“Oh yeah, Michael had some magazines. Did some intense late night studying,” he managed to choke out as her every movement increased his pleasurable agony. He’d reached his breaking point and his hands grabbed her hips, stilling her movements and bringing her up to meet his lips. His hands slipped underneath her panties and peeled them away as they kissed. All movement ceased as they stared long and hard into each other’s eyes, communicating their desire, their need to complete their union. He kissed her hard once then shifted out from under her. He hovered over her for a moment, his knees and hands supporting his weight, and gazed into her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said and reached up to meet his lips. She felt him shift as he positioned himself at her entrance. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she felt herself stretching to match his size. His movements were slow and gentle as he eased further into her. Her hips instinctively matching his movements, and building on them, until he reached her barrier and froze.
“Liz, look at me,” he gasped out. It was taking every once of control he had left not to hurt her. His powers hadn’t returned so there was no way for him to make this pain-free. Her eyes met his and his head bent to kiss her deeply. He nipped at her bottom lip, a little harder than usual. He felt her legs shift up and push against his hips, urging him deeper. With one hard thrust he broke through and again froze as he saw the pain etched on her face. “Liz?” God, he’d hurt her. Should he stop? Withdrawal? Go slow? Fast? “Liz?”
She bit her lip at the first shot of pain and closed her eyes. They both lay perfectly still. ‘Liz?’ she could hear his worry. As the pain subsided she opened her eyes and gazed into his fearful ones. She moved her hips a little, slowly building the intensity with his movements matching hers. He felt incredible. She still felt some pain but she pushed it back, determined on feeling him, feeling his love. She could feel the walls around him starting to contract and pulse, her climax taking her by surprise. “Oh God! MAX! Oh God!”
Her words spoken in the heat of passion did it for him. An anguished moan escaped his lips as a sheen of sweat covered him, his body tensed and his love spilled forth, filling her. He moved a few more times as he released the last of his essence. He was still panting for breath as he dropped to his elbows and scooped her up in his arms.
She would never forget the feel, the smell of him. It surrounded her and filled her as they lay in each other’s arms that night. Their one and only night together.
“Liz! Liz, are you ready? Come on, I want to get going before the mall gets too crowded!” echoed in from the hallway, snapping her back to her present situation.
“Coming, Mom!” she called back as she shoved the test back into the box and into the brown paper bag. Now what was she going to do with it? If she threw it away here, her mom might find it. Same thing if she tried to hide it. She hid it behind her back as she peeked out the bathroom door to make sure her mom wasn’t right there on the other side. Phew, coast was clear. She quickly crossed over to the bed and grabbed her purse, shoving the paper bag inside. She’d throw it away at the mall.
“Liz, come on. We’ve got a ton of things to buy before you leave tomorrow for Florida. Your Aunt Donna is so thrilled that you’re coming for the summer,” Nancy reminded her.
Liz plastered a smile on and wondered what her mom’s reaction would be if she suggested stopping by the maternity shop to see the latest summer fashion for pregnant teenaged daughters. Somehow, she didn’t think her mom would be too thrilled. “I know. I can’t wait. Come on, let’s go!” Might as well fit into that bikini while she still could, she decided.
~
It was past midnight and she was still packing. She’d chosen mostly comfortable clothes with stretchy fabric. She knew her mom was a bit surprised at some of her choices. She hadn’t been expecting some of the flowing tops and loose fitting pants and shorts. Liz figured she might as well get things she could wear for a while. She wondered how long she was going to be able to wear the bikini that she was currently packing. Maybe with a t-shirt over it, it would do for the summer. She looked up in surprise at a tap on the window. Max. At her request, he had stayed away so she wasn’t expecting him. As she neared the window, she could tell that he was upset, very upset.
“Liz… I… we… we need to talk,” he rushed out as soon as the window slid open. He glanced in her room toward the closed bedroom door, but he still didn’t want to take the chance of being overheard. “Can you come out?”
She shook her head affirmative and took his offered hand of assistance. We certainly do have something to talk about, she thought.
He just stared at her. He’d caught glimpses of her here and there but he had dutifully stayed away as she had asked, and now… now he wished more than anything that he could have these last three weeks back, if he’d only known. He realized that she looked kind of pale. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What’d you want to talk about?” She figured she’d let him go first before she dropped the pregnancy bomb on him.
He didn’t know how to say it other than just saying it. “I… I’m leaving. We’re leaving.”
“What? As in leaving Roswell? Leaving New Mexico? The U.S.? Earth? What?” She asked in alarm.
“All of the above,” he confirmed and began to pace the small balcony. “I don’t want to. None of us do. Nesado came to see me today. That signal we triggered last month was heard. Our people sent a ship. It’s here… well, technically it’s hiding out on the dark side of the moon. It’s sending a shuttle to pick us up. We… people are fighting and dying in my name… my predecessor’s name… they… they have an actual chance of succeeding, of being free. They need my help.”
This was unbelievable. Now? He’s leaving now? “Help? You’re a seventeen-year-old high school boy from Roswell. How are you going to help?” How could he leave me? Leave the baby? How could he go off with her, with Tess?
He stopped pacing and looked at her. He could see how upset this was making her. He hated this. “I know. I won’t be much more than a figurehead. But they need someone to… to rally around. A leader, even if it is in name only.” She was blinking back tears now. “Millions of people have a real chance to be free. How could I not do whatever I could to help them? But…” He took a step closer to her. His hand brushed along her hair to her shoulder, and finally to her cheek. She looked up and met his eyes through her tears. “I already told them that I wouldn’t stay. I’m coming back. No matter what I have to do. I’m coming back. I… “ He was fighting the tears now. “I want you to be happy, Liz. I want you to live your life. Go to Harvard and get your degree. I won’t lie. It most likely will be years before I can get back. But maybe I can see you graduate.”
“What about Tess? She’s your wife. Won’t she have something to say about that?” she bit out through angry tears.
“No. She can have the crown and anything else the galaxy has to give her. This is home for me, wherever you are, is home. When I’m done, I want to come home,” he assured her.
She swiped at her eyes. “What about the Special Unit, the FBI?”
“Nesado has to come with us, but he’s already shut the most active parts of the Special Unit down. Once we leave… well, even if they question you, there’s nothing they can learn really. You’re human. There’s no reason to hold any of you. Nesado’s assured us of their procedures and he’s given the sheriff contact information of people that can… well, light some fires if things get nasty. But there’s no aliens left. Nothing to find. You’ll be safe.”
“When are you leaving?” she asked shakily as her world was rapidly spinning out of control.
“Tonight… as soon… as soon as we’re done … saying good-bye,” his voice trailed off.
“Then… then y-you shouldn’t keep them waiting,” she stuttered in defeat. She couldn’t keep him. If she told him, he’d stay. If he stayed, people would die. She couldn’t live with herself knowing that. She saw him staring at her through the tears. It seemed forever before he made a move for the ladder. He just reached it and was about to swing his leg over when something snapped in her. “WAIT!” she shouted and he froze at her call. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. Kissing him over and over. “I love you. I love you. Remember that. I love you.”
His tears mixed with hers, his kisses with hers, and his soul with hers. She was his everything. “I’ll remember. I’ll remember it always. And you remember how much I love you too. I crossed a galaxy once to find you, and I’ll do it again. I love you, Liz Parker. I will always love you. And I’ll come back. I promise.” His departing kiss was long and hungry. He had to force himself to tear himself away.
She watched him drive away with Michael and Isabel and Tess. She curled up in a ball on her balcony and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She watched the dark blue of night fade to twilight as a new dawn broke through. A new dawn. A new dawn where she was an unmarried pregnant teen, whose boyfriend was long gone, and because this was Roswell, it had to have an alien twist. She ran her hand over her belly. Max had been wrong about it being safe because only humans remained. He’d left her his child, his part alien child. It would be up to her to keep it safe. She slowly rose to her feet and started making a plan. Money. She needed money to leave on. That’s what she had to do, leave Roswell. Once people found out that she was pregnant, they’d know that Max was the father. And with Max gone, they’d be after her and the baby. She had to leave before Max was discovered missing and before anyone found out about the pregnancy. She had to leave as soon as possible. She went in and took a shower, dressed in comfortable traveling clothes, and then repacked. She took a smaller case, one she could more easily carry. She put her essentials in an overnight bag. Out were bathing suits and party clothes. In were running shoes, extra jacket, jeans, t-shirts, a sweatshirt, sweats, anything that she thought she might need while on the run. She’d head to the bank and take out every dime she had, a little under two thousand. She’d buy a prepaid cell phone. One that was impossible to trace. She’d take her address book and her journal. She might have to burn those but better to take them than leave them. No doubt her parents were going to go nuts when they discovered her missing and would be ransacking her room looking for any clues about where she’d gone and why. She’d go along with the plan of taking the bus this afternoon to Florida, just as she had planned. But she’d be watching to see if anyone was following. If they were, there were lots of busy bus terminals that she could get lost in along the way. A calm settled over her. She knew what she had to do. She had a plan.
~
Part 2
March 2014
“Mom! Did you see my notebook? I can’t find it. It’s not in my backpack!” echoed out to her from her son’s room.
Liz looked around the tiny, neat little kitchen without seeing it, but that wasn’t surprising. After two and a half cups of coffee, she still wasn’t completely awake. Getting up an extra hour early to take public transportation sucked. God, she didn’t want to be doing this for too long. She didn’t want Jamie to have to do it either. She spotted the missing notebook half shoved underneath the sofa. “It’s out here in the living room,” she called back as she bent to pick it up. She noticed a loose sheet of paper hanging out and being a mom couldn’t help but see what it was.
“Mom?” Jamie asked from the hallway as his mom was standing there reading the paper that he didn’t want her to see.
“Spring League signups end next Friday,” she stated as she read. Baseball, Jamie loved baseball. She blamed it on Kyle. Jamie was only a day old when Kyle showed up with that tiny little mitt with the smallest little soft baseball velcroed to it that she’d ever seen. It was all Kyle’s fault. “I’ll give you a check next Friday. Make sure the coach doesn’t stick you at shortstop the whole season, though. I want to see you on the pitcher’s mound a couple of times,” she smiled at him. He had a pretty good pitching arm.
“Mom, that’s okay. I don’t need to play. I… I play it in school already. That’s enough,” Jamie told her. Mom had enough to deal with and he didn’t want to add anymore to it.
“No, no it’s not enough,” she told him and shook her head. “Jamie, you’re good at it. You love it. And you’re going to play. Don’t worry about the money. We’ll work it out. We always do somehow. Besides, with practice and games, I’ll know where you are and no need for a babysitter. So see, it’s cheaper already,” she teased.
Jamie rolled his eyes. “Mo-om, I’m way too old for a babysitter,” he lamented but then turned serious. “But what about the car?”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure it wants you to play baseball too. Don’t worry about it. It’s not going anywhere,” she told him and mentally added the ‘unfortunately’ at the end. She hated the bus. She’d ridden enough buses to last a lifetime.
~
June 2000
The three of them stood in a discreet corner at the Roswell Greyhound Bus Station. They were a sorry looking lot. Maria was an emotional mess. She’d been crying all night and it showed. Alex looked miserable but was trying to put on a brave front. She doubted she looked any better. She’d told her parents that she wanted Maria and Alex to take her to the bus station. She was so tempted to tell her best friends her plans and about the baby. But she knew that they would hop on the bus with her if she did. No way would they let her do this alone. She couldn’t let them do that. They had lives out there waiting for them, ones that didn’t involve aliens and running from the FBI. They would never forgive her for this but it was for the best.
“I can’t believe they actually left,” Maria sobbed. “I mean, he always said it, didn’t he? He was going to leave someday. I just… I just….” She couldn’t go on. She felt Liz’s arms wrap around her, and another pair of arms go around the both of them.
Alex finally loosened his grip in the group hug and cleared his throat. “So, um, I talked to the sheriff today. He’s pretty sure that there’re three or four agents hanging out in Roswell keeping an eye on things, probably on us too. He’s already got a call from the Evans today, wanting to know if he’s had any sort of reports, you know, accidents and such. Valenti figured another day and the Evans are going to be going bonkers looking for them.”
Liz shook her head in confusion. “Wait, didn’t they tell them they were leaving in a note or something?” Her and Max hadn’t gotten that far in talking last night. She’d just assumed they had.
“They mailed it. They’ll probably get it tomorrow. You know the Roswell Post Office. Mailed locally two or three days minimum, everything else wait a week and it will show up eventually. They didn’t have a lot of time for goodbyes. They just told them they were leaving without much any explanation. I don’t think either knew what to say. I imagine we’re all going to be getting calls from them for any information,” he further explained.
‘See Mrs. Evans, your son left the Earth to fight in a war on his home planet, which he’s the ruler of, but don’t worry, he promised to come back. Did I mention he’s part alien? Oh, and he sort of left me with a little something, like your grandchild. With luck it won’t be green and three feet tall and have antennas for ears, especially if they’re anything like the size of his ears,’ Liz mentally rehearsed and rolled her eyes. What a hell of a conversation that’d be.
Alex’s eyes narrowed with concern. “You okay, Liz?”
“Yes…no, no, I’m not. None of us are and we won’t be for sometime. I think my parents were right. A change of scenery will do me some good.” She was doing her best to convince them of that, and maybe herself as well. Guilt crashed into her as she thought of her parents. They’d given her five hundred dollars this morning for spending money, sort of a bonus for being such a good daughter with straight ‘A’s and for always pitching in at the Crashdown. A good daughter. Right. A good daughter, sixteen and pregnant, and getting ready to run off to have the baby, forget about high school and college, being a microbiologist, comfortable house, exciting job, your soulmate by your side. Forget all about that. She felt the tears start to pool. Damn, this was so unfair. She felt Alex’s arm slip around her and hold her tight. She was leaving them all behind. She probably would never see them again. She hugged Alex tighter. She was going to miss him so much! And Maria. God, Maria is going to come unglued. No more late night phone calls to talk, no more ice cream binges or sharing clothes, or covering for each other. No more being a sixteen-year-old high schooler with a bright future. Stop it! She sniffed and dried her eyes. “Alex, you take care of Maria while I’m gone.”
“You know I will. And you take care of yourself. Have a great time. Say hi to Mickey for me when you’re at Disney World. And you know if you need anything… anything at all, just call,” he told her and hugged her again.
“I know,” she told him and then turned to her other best friend.
“Oh Chica!” she sobbed as they fell into each other’s arms. “You call me when you get there.”
“I will,” she lied. She heard them calling her bus. “I have to go. I love both of you so much. Take care of each other while I’m gone,” she told them as she headed towards the bus. She found a window seat and just stared out at her two best friends. They’d been the Three Musketeers while growing up. She didn’t know how she was going to do this without them but she would, somehow. She had to. She noticed her friends’ expressions changed and followed their line of sight. A man was making a mad dash for her bus. A man dressed in a suit and tie with shiny shoes and hair a little too short and perfect. He looked right at her as he boarded the bus and took an aisle seat near the back. She could feel his eyes on her as the bus pulled out.