Don't Ever Meddle... With Emily's Heart.

I threw several things in a canvas bag; a hairbrush, hairspray, my toothbrush, toothpaste and my purse filled with money I collected from my birthday the day before. I didn’t think I’d need much more than that, wherever I was heading I would be able to buy clean clothes, hotel room and fair back home. Or at least I hoped.

“Emily, what are you doing?” my mother’s panicked voice echoed around my bedroom.

“What does it look like?” I replied sarcastically.

“You’re l-l-leaving?” she stuttered.

I looked into her worried blue eyes for a second then turned my head away. “No, not exactly. I’m going to look for my dad.”

I was sure at that moment I heard her heart break. She was acting so strange - as if she did not want me to go and see him. “Emily, do you really think that’s a good idea?” my mother asked, lips pressed tightly together. I knew it. She did not want me to go see him. I nodded in response, knowing if I spoke, I would only yell.

“Well…” she started, “I suppose you’d like some information about him…” her voice droned off, saddened by the thought that her only daughter was heading off into the big world to find a man that did not even care about her.

My black hair swayed from side to side as I nodded once again - eagerly this time, as I wanted to find out all the facts that my mother could or wanted to tell me.

Her hand glided my black fringe from my face unexpectedly. Her long fingers took my chin in her palm and she stared into my eyes for what seemed like a lifetime.

“You have his eyes. Hazel marbles of mysteriousness,” she whispered softly. Therefore, she obviously knew him long enough to see his eyes; I assumed. “I could never tell what he was thinking by his eyes, but his face said it all,” my mother added.

I laughed nervously and pulled away from her grip. “What else?”

“His shortness. Defiantly!” she swung her head back in fits of laughter.

Standing at only 5ft 4, I knew the short height had to come from somewhere, as it certainly was not from my mother’s side. I glanced at her, unimpressed by the statement. I am guessing she knew by my face, as she quickly stopped laughing and instead stared at me again. I paused for a moment of thinking, to decide what my next question could be.

“Where did you guys meet?” I asked eagerly. My mothers eyes rolled under smoky-shadowed eyelids. I could tell she was thinking, perhaps replaying the events in her mind. “A party. I knew him a while before that but didn’t really pay much attention to him. He was shorter and younger so…”

“HE WAS YOUNGER?” I blurted, utterly shocked.

“Calm down! Only by a few months. I’m not a cradle snatcher!” my bedroom filled with my mother’s laughter once again, then quickly stopped as she cleared her throat to continue. “It was actually one of his friend’s I liked, but, I don’t know… Johnny and I just happened to click. We dated for a year, and then everything just went downhill…”

I gasped slightly under my breath. “What happened?”

“You,” she quickly retorted. “Not just that… we just weren’t… ‘Clicking’ anymore.”

I nodded. People break up all the time. Perhaps it wasn’t because of me.

“So his name’s Johnny?” I cocked an eyebrow. I received no reply so I figured that this was the only information I was going to get. I picked my bag sluggishly from the floor and slung it over my shoulder. My mother quickly stood up and looked into my eyes again.

“Emily, I love you. Be careful will you?”

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around her. Her fragrance seemed to drift off as I touched her; honestly, at the time it was the best smell in the world and I didn’t want to let go. “Yes, mom! I love you too!”

I hurried out the door. Here is to finding my father.