Divine Chaos
16
The next afternoon, Val had to leave. I sighed as I put the last bag into the back of her beat up Jeep and she gave me a hug. We stood in the embrace until my dad came outside.
“Thanks for coming, Jade needed some girl time,” he said, making his way towards us in the driveway. “She’s been stuck in the house too long with me.”
She chuckled and he leaned in to give her a hug. They said goodbye before he walked back inside. I sighed again, not wanting her to go.
She nudged me, “When are you coming back home?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “When I’m ready.”
“Just call him,” she said before giving me a hug again.
“I love you,” I told her softly.
“Love you too!” she squeezed me once more before jumping in her car and starting it up. I backed away, and she blew me a kiss before backing out of the driveway and heading down the road.
Her words echoed in my head, “Just call him.”
Just call him…
**********
I picked up the phone for the third time before sitting it back down. I was sitting on my bed, resisting the urge to crawl into a ball and hide away for the rest of my life. I took a deep breath and picked it up again. I found his name in my contacts list and clicked on it. I stared at the green call button for a minute before pressing it down and putting the phone up to my ear.
It rang three times before I heard a, “Hello? Jade?”
“Hi,” I said, barely audible.
He heard it though, “Oh, God, Jade…” he continued, “It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Yours too,” I said, not sure how I felt.
We were silent for a minute and I listened to him breathing. It was nice. After a few minutes he broke through it, “Jade?”
“Yeah?” I asked hesitantly.
He paused a moment before saying, “I love you.”
My breath caught in my throat. “I love you too.”
“You remember,” he started over, “Do you remember that night? We were laying on the hood of my car and you said… You said that you could feel this fire inside of you. Burning, but in a good way, like coming in from a snowy day and sitting by the fireplace? Do you remember that?”
I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me and replied softly, “Yeah,” I remembered it like it was yesterday.
“Well, do you remember what I told you?”
“Yeah,” my voice quivered. I swallowed before responding, “You said you felt it too.”
“Jade,” he paused again. “I can’t feel it anymore,” he whispered.
I didn’t say anything. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. “I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve it,” he said, his voice low.
“Can I see you?” I asked, feeling a longing inside of me.
“When?” he asked, his voice perking up a bit.
“Like tonight?” I stood up and began packing up my things, throwing them haphazardly in my cheetah print suitcase.
“Yeah, I mean, if you want to,” he said.
“Okay,” I continued throwing clothes in the bag. “See you then.”
“Jade,” he caught me before I hung up.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hung up and rolled my suitcase into the living room. I told my dad I was leaving and he let me go, no questions asked, before giving me a hug. He walked me out and slung my suitcase in the back of my Corvette.
“Be careful,” he said. “I trust you.”
“Thank you dad,” I climbed in and rolled down my window.
He leaned down, “Sorry I left you guys.” We hadn’t talked much on this subject, feeling too awkward about it.
“It’s okay dad.” I answered. “Sometimes you have to leave in order to come back. Don’t be such a stranger.”
He smiled at me, “I have the most intelligent and gorgeous daughter in the whole world,” he had tears in his eyes.
I kissed his cheek before pulling out of the driveway. “I love you daddy.”
“I love you too.”
I drove away from my waving dad, glad that one relationship was finally repaired. It was then that I realized I was going to fix one more as drove into the open arms of love.
THE END
“Thanks for coming, Jade needed some girl time,” he said, making his way towards us in the driveway. “She’s been stuck in the house too long with me.”
She chuckled and he leaned in to give her a hug. They said goodbye before he walked back inside. I sighed again, not wanting her to go.
She nudged me, “When are you coming back home?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “When I’m ready.”
“Just call him,” she said before giving me a hug again.
“I love you,” I told her softly.
“Love you too!” she squeezed me once more before jumping in her car and starting it up. I backed away, and she blew me a kiss before backing out of the driveway and heading down the road.
Her words echoed in my head, “Just call him.”
Just call him…
**********
I picked up the phone for the third time before sitting it back down. I was sitting on my bed, resisting the urge to crawl into a ball and hide away for the rest of my life. I took a deep breath and picked it up again. I found his name in my contacts list and clicked on it. I stared at the green call button for a minute before pressing it down and putting the phone up to my ear.
It rang three times before I heard a, “Hello? Jade?”
“Hi,” I said, barely audible.
He heard it though, “Oh, God, Jade…” he continued, “It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Yours too,” I said, not sure how I felt.
We were silent for a minute and I listened to him breathing. It was nice. After a few minutes he broke through it, “Jade?”
“Yeah?” I asked hesitantly.
He paused a moment before saying, “I love you.”
My breath caught in my throat. “I love you too.”
“You remember,” he started over, “Do you remember that night? We were laying on the hood of my car and you said… You said that you could feel this fire inside of you. Burning, but in a good way, like coming in from a snowy day and sitting by the fireplace? Do you remember that?”
I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me and replied softly, “Yeah,” I remembered it like it was yesterday.
“Well, do you remember what I told you?”
“Yeah,” my voice quivered. I swallowed before responding, “You said you felt it too.”
“Jade,” he paused again. “I can’t feel it anymore,” he whispered.
I didn’t say anything. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. “I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve it,” he said, his voice low.
“Can I see you?” I asked, feeling a longing inside of me.
“When?” he asked, his voice perking up a bit.
“Like tonight?” I stood up and began packing up my things, throwing them haphazardly in my cheetah print suitcase.
“Yeah, I mean, if you want to,” he said.
“Okay,” I continued throwing clothes in the bag. “See you then.”
“Jade,” he caught me before I hung up.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hung up and rolled my suitcase into the living room. I told my dad I was leaving and he let me go, no questions asked, before giving me a hug. He walked me out and slung my suitcase in the back of my Corvette.
“Be careful,” he said. “I trust you.”
“Thank you dad,” I climbed in and rolled down my window.
He leaned down, “Sorry I left you guys.” We hadn’t talked much on this subject, feeling too awkward about it.
“It’s okay dad.” I answered. “Sometimes you have to leave in order to come back. Don’t be such a stranger.”
He smiled at me, “I have the most intelligent and gorgeous daughter in the whole world,” he had tears in his eyes.
I kissed his cheek before pulling out of the driveway. “I love you daddy.”
“I love you too.”
I drove away from my waving dad, glad that one relationship was finally repaired. It was then that I realized I was going to fix one more as drove into the open arms of love.
THE END