If Opposites Attract, Then We Were Meant to Be
"Home Is Where the Heart Is."
***Sam’s P.O.V. ***
“Sammy!” My dad came running at Lizzie and I and pulled both of us into a bone-crushing hug.
“Dad-we-can’t-breathe,” I coughed.
“Oh sorry, I’m just so happy to see my girls- hey wait a second! I don’t have two daughters! Who is this pretty stranger Sam?” dad laughed. Lizzie’s pale cheeks flushed pink.
“Dad this is Lizzie. Lizzie this is my dad, Eric Kratzer.” I answered introducing my dad and my friend. They shook hands and exchanged friendly smiles.
“Pleased to meet you sir.” She added.
“Sir? Well I’m not used to that. Normally it’s ‘Dude’ or ‘Eric’. Feel free to call me anything you like Lizzie.” My dad chuckled. Already I could see they were going to get along fine. A week here? No problem!
***Billie’s P.O.V. ***
Wow a lot of companies want to sign us! Some guy even brought us here to Disneyland for the week. Poor guy had no idea what he was getting himself into…
*** Sam’s P.O.V. ***
Well Billie, Mike, and Tré are out of town so I will have plenty of time to spend with just the girls. I guess I won’t be seeing the guys since I’ll only be here a week and they will be gone for that long. I have to admit that it made me a little depressed since I really missed my old friends.
***
“Starr? Hey it’s Sam! I was wondering if you and Ana wanted to come to the beach today. Oh yeah? Cool so I’ll pick you up at… let’s say eleven-ish? Sound good? Great! See you then!” I buzzed excitedly. Lizzie, Ana, Starr and I were really having a good time with the whole girl-time/ female bonding; when I was with them no subject was really off limits. The constant chatter, high-pitched squeals, and giggles were a comfort and made me feel like I had never left Berkeley.
***
Lizzie, Ana, Estelle and I pulled up to Starr’s spacious brick house slightly late but giddy to be going to the sandy beach. The beach had always been a place where you could forget everything and just have fun laying out, swimming, or playing a game like volleyball or Frisbee.
Having a toddler with us made us all very observant watching out for Stella as she toddled around in the surf and sand. She clapped and laughed as the foamy waters came up to her knees and then rushed back just as quickly as they had come. She also seemed amused and amazed by sand castles. Ana had bought one of those sand castle kits at the drug store on the way here and helped her daughter use its contents to make sand creations fit for a princess.
Lizzie, Starr, and I looked after that little girl like close aunts and we each loved her equally. We expected that when Lisea had her baby it would be like when Estelle was first born. Little Stella seemed to be grow bigger every day. Too soon she would be all grown up. Time is such a strange thing…
“Aw look!” Lizzie whispered pointing at Stella who had fallen asleep on a sandy towel under our umbrella. Her lips were slightly open showing off her three teeth, Stella’s soft light brown curls blew in the breeze and her light lashes flickered open for only a moment every once in a while. Smiling Ana crept over to her sleeping child and took a picture with a disposable camera.
We decided that we should call it a day since Stella was already tuckered out. I didn’t blame her she had had a truly exciting day for a three year old.
***
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” It is amazing how very accurate that old saying is. When you are having fun your time is shorter but when you are bored time drags on at an agonizing speed. I always wished there was a way to combine the two, away to create the perfect rate for any mood. Many times I also hoped one day the world would let me fast forward through the bad parts and leave the happy times for me to let go on and on until the end of time.
My week back home had embodied the phrase to a t. It seemed like I had arrived and left the very same day. I had kept busy during my stay but it was an enjoyable time spent with my friends. Once back “home” I fear I’ll be stuck in a rut again. No one to help me leave my cares behind, no one to share a bathroom with (as odd as that sounds)! I would be alone. Sure I would be back as soon as I could but frequent visits don’t change the face that I’m over a thousand miles away from my real home.
Another road trip. Have you ever noticed that roads always seem endless until you are where you need to be? Lizzie and I made it back to North Carolina exhausted and sad. We were already missing California and we had only been gone two days. Our backs hurt from the hard beds of the hotel and we were sweaty from being in my car with the sum looming high right overhead. It seemed to follow us mocking our depression with its super enthusiastic happy ways.
I squinted up at it, ready to crash out on the sidewalk if I had to. My eyes hurt from concentrating on the identical roads for hours and I had a headache from lack of caffeine. Great I was becoming an addict like Mike and my dad in that way. I would definitely be sleeping well tonight, if I could stay awake long enough to make it to tonight.
***
I didn’t even last an hour after I sat down on the couch of my apartment. The second my butt hit the cushions my eyelids drooped and I toppled over so that I was lying on my make-shift bed. I instantly had that falling feeling and then I watched dreams flicker by like an old movie. In the background of an unclear image I could distinctly hear a haunting lullaby.
“Sammy!” My dad came running at Lizzie and I and pulled both of us into a bone-crushing hug.
“Dad-we-can’t-breathe,” I coughed.
“Oh sorry, I’m just so happy to see my girls- hey wait a second! I don’t have two daughters! Who is this pretty stranger Sam?” dad laughed. Lizzie’s pale cheeks flushed pink.
“Dad this is Lizzie. Lizzie this is my dad, Eric Kratzer.” I answered introducing my dad and my friend. They shook hands and exchanged friendly smiles.
“Pleased to meet you sir.” She added.
“Sir? Well I’m not used to that. Normally it’s ‘Dude’ or ‘Eric’. Feel free to call me anything you like Lizzie.” My dad chuckled. Already I could see they were going to get along fine. A week here? No problem!
***Billie’s P.O.V. ***
Wow a lot of companies want to sign us! Some guy even brought us here to Disneyland for the week. Poor guy had no idea what he was getting himself into…
*** Sam’s P.O.V. ***
Well Billie, Mike, and Tré are out of town so I will have plenty of time to spend with just the girls. I guess I won’t be seeing the guys since I’ll only be here a week and they will be gone for that long. I have to admit that it made me a little depressed since I really missed my old friends.
***
“Starr? Hey it’s Sam! I was wondering if you and Ana wanted to come to the beach today. Oh yeah? Cool so I’ll pick you up at… let’s say eleven-ish? Sound good? Great! See you then!” I buzzed excitedly. Lizzie, Ana, Starr and I were really having a good time with the whole girl-time/ female bonding; when I was with them no subject was really off limits. The constant chatter, high-pitched squeals, and giggles were a comfort and made me feel like I had never left Berkeley.
***
Lizzie, Ana, Estelle and I pulled up to Starr’s spacious brick house slightly late but giddy to be going to the sandy beach. The beach had always been a place where you could forget everything and just have fun laying out, swimming, or playing a game like volleyball or Frisbee.
Having a toddler with us made us all very observant watching out for Stella as she toddled around in the surf and sand. She clapped and laughed as the foamy waters came up to her knees and then rushed back just as quickly as they had come. She also seemed amused and amazed by sand castles. Ana had bought one of those sand castle kits at the drug store on the way here and helped her daughter use its contents to make sand creations fit for a princess.
Lizzie, Starr, and I looked after that little girl like close aunts and we each loved her equally. We expected that when Lisea had her baby it would be like when Estelle was first born. Little Stella seemed to be grow bigger every day. Too soon she would be all grown up. Time is such a strange thing…
“Aw look!” Lizzie whispered pointing at Stella who had fallen asleep on a sandy towel under our umbrella. Her lips were slightly open showing off her three teeth, Stella’s soft light brown curls blew in the breeze and her light lashes flickered open for only a moment every once in a while. Smiling Ana crept over to her sleeping child and took a picture with a disposable camera.
We decided that we should call it a day since Stella was already tuckered out. I didn’t blame her she had had a truly exciting day for a three year old.
***
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” It is amazing how very accurate that old saying is. When you are having fun your time is shorter but when you are bored time drags on at an agonizing speed. I always wished there was a way to combine the two, away to create the perfect rate for any mood. Many times I also hoped one day the world would let me fast forward through the bad parts and leave the happy times for me to let go on and on until the end of time.
My week back home had embodied the phrase to a t. It seemed like I had arrived and left the very same day. I had kept busy during my stay but it was an enjoyable time spent with my friends. Once back “home” I fear I’ll be stuck in a rut again. No one to help me leave my cares behind, no one to share a bathroom with (as odd as that sounds)! I would be alone. Sure I would be back as soon as I could but frequent visits don’t change the face that I’m over a thousand miles away from my real home.
Another road trip. Have you ever noticed that roads always seem endless until you are where you need to be? Lizzie and I made it back to North Carolina exhausted and sad. We were already missing California and we had only been gone two days. Our backs hurt from the hard beds of the hotel and we were sweaty from being in my car with the sum looming high right overhead. It seemed to follow us mocking our depression with its super enthusiastic happy ways.
I squinted up at it, ready to crash out on the sidewalk if I had to. My eyes hurt from concentrating on the identical roads for hours and I had a headache from lack of caffeine. Great I was becoming an addict like Mike and my dad in that way. I would definitely be sleeping well tonight, if I could stay awake long enough to make it to tonight.
***
I didn’t even last an hour after I sat down on the couch of my apartment. The second my butt hit the cushions my eyelids drooped and I toppled over so that I was lying on my make-shift bed. I instantly had that falling feeling and then I watched dreams flicker by like an old movie. In the background of an unclear image I could distinctly hear a haunting lullaby.