Chapter Four
Dylan
Present Day
Today I was supposed to be at the beach with my mom. We haven’t had a vacation in a long time, and we were finally going to enjoy some time away, but mother nature had other plans.
After we got home and I showered, I went straight to bed. I was exhausted from driving for nearly twelve hours, but I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about what my mom said in the car when I asked her about my dad. We don’t talk about him because it makes her cry, and I don’t like to make Mom cry.
I’ve seen pictures of him, and I know I look like him – I just wish I could have met him. Most of the time, I don’t really feel like anything is missing in my life but there are days when it gets to me – the whole not having a dad bit. It hits me especially hard when I’m at a ball game and hear my teammate’s dads out in the stands cheering them on. Then there’s me, out in the field, with no dad calling out:
“You got this Dylan!”
or
“Yeah Dylan, that’s my boy!”
or
“Nice catch”.
I mean Mom comes to all my games – and I am so grateful she does – but it’s not the same.
When I got out of bed this morning, I texted Carrie – she’s my girlfriend – and asked if she wanted to meet up at our spot to watch the sunrise.
The first time we met, we were at a party over on Rodgers Ln. The community park is right next to the house that the party was at and when I took a walk to get away from the noise, I saw her sitting on a hill. She was all by herself, staring up at the moon. That was almost three years ago, and it’s been our spot ever since. The hill is so high, it’s like a mini hike to get to the top but once you’re up there, you have the most amazing view of mountains and sky.
I climbed to the top and expected to be there before her but there she was - with a blanket and two cups of coffee and a smile. That’s exactly what I need right now. I breathe in deeply and smile because Carrie is the best thing in my life.
“What happened to the beach trip?”
She asks when I sit down next to her on the blanket. I sit crossed legged but it’s not comfortable, so I adjust and put my legs out in front of me. She lays her head on my lap.
“Apparently Hurricane Vlada decided to pick this weekend, of all weekends, to rear her ugly face. Mom heard the evacuation report when we were like six hours into the drive. We had to turn around and drive straight home.”
I explain.
“Ah geez, that sucks. Sorry, babe, I know you were looking forward to that.”
She looks up at me.
“It’s alright. We’re gonna do something around here. That just means I get extra time with my girl, right?”
I ask, squeezing her arm playfully.
“Yup, I’m all yours this weekend.”
She smiles and, Lord, that smile gets me every time.
We watch in silence as the sun breaks through the horizon and slowly moves above the mountain tops, enjoying the solitude and the togetherness that encompasses us.
“Have you thought anymore about what you want to do after high school yet?” she asks.
“I think I want to be a pilot.”
I tell her.
“What?! That’s pretty random.”
she laughs, almost choking on her coffee.
“I’ve never heard you mention anything about flying before.”
“True. So, my mom dated a pilot once, it didn’t last very long, but he took us up in his private jet a couple of times. One day he let me be his co-pilot for the trip; I had fun. And now every time I look at the clouds, I think how awesome it would be to see the view from up there.”
I look down at her and sweep the hair away from her eye.
“Still want to be a nurse?”
“Of course! I want to help everyone, and I really want to work in the ER. I think it’s my calling.”
“You’re such a caregiver – it’s the perfect job for you. Any hospital would be lucky to have you.”
“Well, I’ve got to get into nursing school first so let’s start with that.”
I dread the day when we have to leave each other after high school, and I know it’s coming. We only have one more year together before she heads off to either Alabama or North Carolina, both of them are among her top choices for nursing school and both of them are far enough away that I can’t just swing over to see her whenever I want.
“Do you think you can help me with something?”
I ask her.
“Of course, what is it?”
“I want to find out more about my dad without asking my mom, but I’m not sure where to start.”
“I’m on it! Let’s go be internet sleuths.”
She grabs my hand, and we pack up our picnic, heading to her place for some deep dive research and detective work.