Chapter 52
Greta
For a moment, the chaos in the airport rattles me.
There are so many people, so many screens, so many signs, so much movement.
Panic is a slippery emotion, hard to catch, hard to control.
Mom seems to sense how I feel and rests a hand on my shoulder as I head toward security.
“It’s all going to work out fine, you’ll see. ”
“Yeah. I hope,” I whisper.
“And if anything comes up, you’ve always got a phone.”
“Right.” I relax a little.
Once I’m in line, I turn around and look back at Mom.
She’s smiling, and so are Dad and Grandpa.
I’ll be gone for a while. That must be weird for them.
Maybe when I get back, things will have changed even more.
I’ve come to realize Lucy was the true pillar of our lives.
That’s why, when she left, the walls started to crumble.
Grandpa lived his dream and went off to Florida, Mom and Dad decided to divorce and go their separate ways, and as for me, I’m still in my cocoon, but soon, very soon, I must take flight.
Despite my nerves. Despite the hole inside me where Will used to be.
Despite my doubts. Despite the open questions.
Despite all I still need to learn.
They hug me, they kiss me, but they can’t follow me any farther. Before departing, I take out the one last letter in its blue envelope and hand it to my mother. She smiles. Not sadly. Serenely. “I was waiting for this. Thank you, Greta.”
Of course she’s been waiting for this. All this time, I thought Mom was asleep and had no idea what was going on. Actually, she saw far more than I knew.
“Take care,” she says. “Call me.”
“I will, I promise.”
“And one more thing. Just one.” She hugs me and whispers in my ear, “Don’t forget that every second of your life is unique and irreplaceable.”
And now I’m leaving. Three people are waving goodbye to me, one is an absence in my heart, and the rest are words I’ll have to hold on to forever.