Silver Foil

What could one old lady do? I can always say no. If she tells me I can't stay with my family I can always move in with Noah, Robyn thought to herself while trying on a dress at the mall.

"What do you think?" Robyn asked coming out of the dressing room.

Her hourglass figure was wrapped in plenty yards of emerald, dupioni silk. The dress had an empire waste with golden gems adorning her neckline. Her hair was let loose and full of curls.

Noah stared up; his face had confused admiration all over it.

"If you naturally look like this, why don't you dress like this at school? Or even let your hair down from time to time?"

"Because I dress in what I have, Noah. I don't own anything like this, and I finally had enough time this morning to do something to my hair. Why?"

"I'm just saying. You're kind of hot, Robyn, share it with the world!"

"Umm, no. I'm perfectly fine being a normal girl."

"Fine, fine. So what are we doing after I buy you a whole new wardrobe?"

"What?!Noah! Don't buy me things! I thought we talked about this!"

"Well, consider it a gift of love."

"Fine. Just don't let me make you buy anything."

Hours later, Noah and Robyn walked out of the mall both carrying two large bags full of everything from clothes to shoes to bags. Noah showered her in "gifts" and topped it all off with a kiss as Noah left her at her doorstep.

Robyn had asked him to leave quickly for no reason he saw. He just obeyed and left. Robyn was now left to enter her house where her real grandmother and parents sat discussing the teenage girl's future.

"Oh, Robyn, you look absolutely wonderful! I haven't seen you since you were a little girl!"

"Maybe that's because you never cared to visit us, grandmother."

"Robyn, there's no need to open up old wounds. This is a happy day. How was your day at school?" her mom asked.

"It was fine. Sorry I'm late; Noah took me shopping."

"Oh, how sweet of him! What did you get?" replied Robyn's mother, looking at the large bags.

"Everything he thought would look good on me. He spoils me sometimes. Anyway, I need to go upstairs and do homework."

"On a Friday?" her father, Harold, asked as the teen ran up the stairs.

"Yeah."

Robyn put her new wardrobe away and unpacked her mountain of homework. She got to work on her English first. She decided to pump up the music with some help from Youtube. The music kept her from hearing the heated debate over her that was taking place below.

"That's it! I am calling my lawyer. He told me that as long as a living relative is willing to take her she has to live with them! I want her packed and ready to leave this wasteland of a house by Monday night. I will be in the hotel up the street."

Roberta then stormed out of the small house and out of the hurting parent's lives. Robyn was still upstairs attempting to read and understand The Old Man and the Sea. Her mother was on the ground bawling her eyes out. Her father was doing his best to console her. He gave up when she ran to their bedroom and cocooned herself in blankets.

Harold climbed up the stairs and entered Robyn's room. It was still the same pink and black checker pattern that they had both worked so hard on decorating the walls.

He planned on easing the news onto her slowly with as little drama as possible. Robyn looked up from her book and stared right through him and into the truth behind his purpose.

"When am I leaving?"

"Monday night. Look Rob-"

"Why bother explaining? We'll keep in touch; it's not like I'm traveling into a black hole. I might as well stop doing this homework and get to enjoy the last days I have left in Irvine, California."

Harold's expression went from grave to heart warming.

"You'll be fine. Your mother is having a nervous breakdown though. Any help?"

"Let me see what I can do."

Robyn headed for the door and stopped to give a strong hug to her father for over a decade.

-

"Noah?"

"I have something really important I need to tell you. Can you be here in 20 minutes?"

"Yeah, sure. What happened?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. I'm a little busy with my mom right now."

"Okay, see ya."

Robyn hung up the phone, holding her mother. Her mother was shaking violently and weeping hysterically.

"Dad, I need you to take over. Noah's coming over. I need to talk to him."

On the other side of town, Noah got into his car and sped off towards her house. His mind was far off thinking about what Robyn could possibly want.

Is she breaking up with me? Does she want to move our relationship to the next level? Are her parents mad at me or something? I hope not. Robyn's my world. She looked great in the mall today. One day, I hope I can see her like that all the time.

Those were his last thoughts before a freight liner truck rear-ended him into a nearby fountain. His side of the car was closest to it. The air around Noah went from red, to purple, to emerald, and back. Then with his final seconds of consciousness it went all the way to black.