on our way

Macy was waiting for a panic attack, but it never came. Even if the phone calls from her mother kept coming. Some were of her screaming. Other times crying. Her mother was not in a good way.

"I dunno what I'm doing." She finally confessed to Dustin. "I should have never came."

"Please, please..don't talk that way." Hadn't he said it before? Maybe he was a robot of some kind, but all she had to do was look up into that sunny face of his and lose all thought of reality. And there went his hands on her fingers, as if it would all be all right in the end.

They'd walked around the village like idiots, what seemed for days. He'd googled, made calls. He wanted to give her some sort of meaning to this thing with her grandmother.

"Look, there is this place in the country-side, lot of orphans spent time there, during the war. I think she must have stayed there when she was a girl." He went on and on about the information he'd traced. She nodded, not even sure it was the correct thing to do. Before she knew it, they were heading toward the train station. Dustin did have a way of making it feel like a field trip. "We'll be back by night fall."

"OK." She meant to smile more, but this really was a sad occasion, tracking down her grandmother's steps when she was barely a teenager.

He paid for the ticket and packed some sandwiches and a thermos of tea. It felt like a picnic of some kind. Without the picnic basket. She watched him check in. And he held her hand as if he really meant to set out to do this proper.

Then she watched his fingers on hers, thinking of her Gram, wondering if she'd done the very thing with a boy from America, who took her away from here.

The feeling of laughter filled her. Oh, she knew what she wanted then. Not the worry of what her mother might do if she were here, nor the idea that Gage was with Halie.

She did hope Gage was happy. She did hope he was having a good time with Alec.

She swallowed back the fear. This was just idiotic. It wasn't. She'd never believe it, in her heart.

Jen had a secret. She couldn't bare to reveal it to her Mom, but Carly found her own place. And it wasn't in a treehouse at Clive's. No, it was at a motel, where you could stay a week or even a year. Just as long as you got the rent in on time.

Yes, Jen was finally with Carly. And it was more than a happy dance of being together. No, this was the real deal. Finally.

Carly was on her own. A weekly paycheck. A/C. A room to chill in with a fridge and a tiny coffeemaker. Funny, how little could be the start of something. But Jen was in the arms of someone she wanted to be with.

Her mom didn't need to know. But then again, her mother spent more time trying to find Carly than spending time with her first born, back from a war torn country.

But Jen didn't spend too much time being sad about it. After all, it was bliss. Maybe her future with Carly wasn't as bleak as she once believed.

"No. They need to know." Carly was right.

"Well, maybe tomorrow." Jen would shrug. The simple conversation went on for a good 3 weeks or so. After all, other moments were on their minds to pacify the time.

Finally, it was Rossie who sat them both down and told them they needed to grow up. Of course, they didn't dare talk back. She was feeding her baby a bottle, like a good Mom would.

"I know..but.." Jen sighed as if her summer was really going to come to an end if she didn't have this bliss with Carly.

"I'm not going back to school." Carly said ever so defiant with her arms crossed. She liked being on her own. What had school ever done for her?

"Don't say that." Rossie didn't budge on her tone. "You, will finish school."

Then she reminded Carly that her mother never finished school and neither did her sister.  And she reminded her how wonderful their lives were. Not. "You, need to change that." She gave Carly the eye.

Jen watched Carly squirm.

"And when you're done with that..well, there's college. You, can be anything you want to be..if you try hard enough." Rossie pressed, giving Baby Asia a burp, ever so gently.

Carly swelled up, as if she knew she was bad.

"She's right. You, can be anything you want to be." Jen could hardly smile about it. All she knew. She wanted to be with Carly. every step of the way.