Forever Gone: Excerpt

I put the volume louder as I waited for my dad to pick it up from the Richmond Airport in Rhode Island. I haven’t been here for ten years, not since my mom died in a car accident with my brother, Greg.
I set my bags on the chair next to me and pulled my sweater back on. It was like a refrigerator here in the airport. The government just announced that they didn’t have enough money and this stupid airport is now blasting the air conditioner up. Seriously, people don’t have a mind here.
I looked at my watch again: 2:34. My dad was late for more than half an hour.
“Faye,” I heard someone shouted. I turned around and saw my dad wearing jeans and a t-shirt, next to him was a woman. I took off my earphones.
“Sorry, sweetie, kinda lost track in time,” he said picking my luggage up. I nodded.
“This is Julia, my girlfriend,” dad introduced. “Julia, Faye; Faye, Julia.”
The way he said girlfriend made me uncomfortable; I didn’t want to have a new mother, all I wanted was my biological one, but I know that I won’t get that. But I know that dad still has to move on without mom here.
I smiled. “Hi Julia.”
“Hello Faye,” she said. She had a heavy southern accent.
“Well, why don’t we get Faye settle in the house,” dad offered and carried my things to the car. I walked with Julia.
Dad moved here a week ago because he had to register for his new job in South County Hospital as headmaster of the ER department. I stayed at California with grandma as dad got his things done in Rhode Island. We thought that moving back here to Rhode Island would be a better start for him, since he just lost his job in California.
“So how did you meet dad,” I asked Julia.
She looked at me surprised. “Oh, we were in the same college a few years ago, I mean many years ago.” She was nervous and I could tell. “Really, ha that’s kind of funny.”
Julia’s eyes widen. “I mean like classmate to boyfriend and girlfriend.”
She relaxed. “You’re nervous aren’t you,” I asked.
She looked right into my eyes and nodded. Her eyes were blue and they were very attracting.
I gave her a nervous laugh. “Actually, I am too, but you seem nice and I like you.”
She smiled. “I like you too.”
Dad came walking toward us. “So what were you ladies talking about?”
I smiled. “About you and they aren’t good.”
Julia and I laughed and we went in the car. I could see the relieve face on dad’s face.

I went in my room. It was blue and green, just like it was ten years ago. My hand brushed against my new desk and remembered that it use to be a small, tiny drawing table that mom brought for me.
“Faye,” dad said standing at the door.
“Hey,” I said and he came in.
“Feels weird doesn’t it,” he asked sitting next to me on the bed. I nodded.
“I never thought that we would be back and that I would still be in this house either,” I said.
Dad nodded. “I mean we bought the house, so why buy another one.”
I nodded. “I like it here, it’s warm.”
Dad smiled. “Oh yeah I found letters on the table and some were yours and some were you mother, you know.”
I nodded. “I’ll take it all, it’s better to be hard than to be hard for both.”
I grabbed the letters out of his hand.
“Where’s Julia,” I asked trying to change the subject.
“Oh, I told her to go home and have a rest since we’re going to work tonight.”
“You’re going to work tonight,” I asked.
“Yeah and I actually have to leave now,” he said checking his watch.
I smiled. “It’s alright; I’m big enough to take care of myself. I’m no longer the little Faye that lived here ten years ago.”
He nodded his head and got up. “Good night, sleep well.”
I smiled and nodded. I know that I won’t sleep well tonight and we both knew that. I closed the door as I heard the front door shut. The bed seemed to be welcoming me and I plopped myself onto the bed. I reached for the letters as I scanned through them looking for letters that belong to me.