Mr. Banks on the phone talking to the sheriff about blocking the main road out of town.”
“You got to be kidding me,” I said, but I had no doubts that my father would do just that.
“I better go,” Lyfe told me, but instead of heading toward the door, he cocked his head. “Are you sure that you’re all right?”
It was now or never.
“I … I … I.”
“Lyfe! Corona,”
Daddy thundered from somewhere in the house.
“Guys!” Tess huffed with another roll of her eyes. “Everybody is waiting.”
“I better go.” Lyfe delivered another peck to the side of my cheek and then finally took off toward the garage door, where he disappeared with his brothers.
The minute the boys were gone, my shoulders drooped with the weight of the world.
Tess lingered at the door. “Corona?”
“Uhhh … oh. I’m coming.”
“But—”
“Please,” I begged, close to tears. “Just stall Momma for a few more minutes.”
Tess stared, but then finally nodded and ran off.
I sucked in a deep breath, but for some reason I still couldn’t breathe. I tried again and then again, until I was chugging in so much air that I was hyperventilating. I couldn’t do this. I wouldn’t do this—not to Lyfe or to myself. There was so much I wanted to do before I could even consider getting married. And I knew that there were things that Lyfe wanted to do as well.
It was one of those times when if you truly love someone, you have to set them free.
Resolute, I gathered up the yards of silk and rushed back up the staircase, then blew into my bedroom like a hurricane. Two seconds later, my sister rushed in. “Help me out of this thing,” I ordered.
“What?”
“You heard me. The job pays twenty dollars.”
That got my sister to move. In no time, Tess had unfastened the pearl buttons on the back of my dress, and then I ordered her to lock the door and help me pack.
“But where are you going?” Tess asked, nervously. “Hennessey wasn’t kidding. Daddy asked Sheriff Cooper to block the main roads.”
“Then I’ll take the back roads,” I said, grabbing my small suitcases out of the closet.
Tess blinked. “You’re running away?”
“I have to. This isn’t right and Daddy isn’t listening to reason,” I huffed as I pulled clothes out of my drawers and started cramming them into my suitcases. “This is my life, and I’m going to make my own decisions.”
“But … but … “
“All I need is a head start.”
“But where?”
“I’m going to stay with Aunt Charlene.”
“In New York? How are you going to get all the way up there?”
I dropped to my knees beside the chest of drawers and quickly pulled out my stash. Being a sought-after babysitter in town, I had managed to save a lot of my money. All I needed to do was borrow my father’s car to the airport and my cash would take care of the rest.
“I don’t know about this,” Tess said, backing toward the bedroom door.
I caught the sneaky movement out of the corner of my eye, and I flew to the door and locked it before my sister had a chance to bolt. “Snitches get stitches,” I warned with a wave of my finger.
Tess gulped as her eyes widened.
Unless I wanted to tie my sister to a chair, I would need to go at this another way. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you … it’s just that I can’t marry Lyfe right now. It isn’t right. You know it. We all know it. And if I don’t stop this train wreck, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”“But I thought that you loved him.”
“I do. And I will always love him. But getting married like this … at our age, is going to destroy our love before it ever has a real chance of getting off the ground. We need to have a chance to grow into ourselves before we try to blend our lives together. I want to finish high school. Go to college. Start a career. And I know that he wants those things too.” Tears blurred my vision as I cocked my head and stared into my sister’s eyes.
“You got to be kidding me,” I said, but I had no doubts that my father would do just that.
“I better go,” Lyfe told me, but instead of heading toward the door, he cocked his head. “Are you sure that you’re all right?”
It was now or never.
“I … I … I.”
“Lyfe! Corona,”
Daddy thundered from somewhere in the house.
“Guys!” Tess huffed with another roll of her eyes. “Everybody is waiting.”
“I better go.” Lyfe delivered another peck to the side of my cheek and then finally took off toward the garage door, where he disappeared with his brothers.
The minute the boys were gone, my shoulders drooped with the weight of the world.
Tess lingered at the door. “Corona?”
“Uhhh … oh. I’m coming.”
“But—”
“Please,” I begged, close to tears. “Just stall Momma for a few more minutes.”
Tess stared, but then finally nodded and ran off.
I sucked in a deep breath, but for some reason I still couldn’t breathe. I tried again and then again, until I was chugging in so much air that I was hyperventilating. I couldn’t do this. I wouldn’t do this—not to Lyfe or to myself. There was so much I wanted to do before I could even consider getting married. And I knew that there were things that Lyfe wanted to do as well.
It was one of those times when if you truly love someone, you have to set them free.
Resolute, I gathered up the yards of silk and rushed back up the staircase, then blew into my bedroom like a hurricane. Two seconds later, my sister rushed in. “Help me out of this thing,” I ordered.
“What?”
“You heard me. The job pays twenty dollars.”
That got my sister to move. In no time, Tess had unfastened the pearl buttons on the back of my dress, and then I ordered her to lock the door and help me pack.
“But where are you going?” Tess asked, nervously. “Hennessey wasn’t kidding. Daddy asked Sheriff Cooper to block the main roads.”
“Then I’ll take the back roads,” I said, grabbing my small suitcases out of the closet.
Tess blinked. “You’re running away?”
“I have to. This isn’t right and Daddy isn’t listening to reason,” I huffed as I pulled clothes out of my drawers and started cramming them into my suitcases. “This is my life, and I’m going to make my own decisions.”
“But … but … “
“All I need is a head start.”
“But where?”
“I’m going to stay with Aunt Charlene.”
“In New York? How are you going to get all the way up there?”
I dropped to my knees beside the chest of drawers and quickly pulled out my stash. Being a sought-after babysitter in town, I had managed to save a lot of my money. All I needed to do was borrow my father’s car to the airport and my cash would take care of the rest.
“I don’t know about this,” Tess said, backing toward the bedroom door.
I caught the sneaky movement out of the corner of my eye, and I flew to the door and locked it before my sister had a chance to bolt. “Snitches get stitches,” I warned with a wave of my finger.
Tess gulped as her eyes widened.
Unless I wanted to tie my sister to a chair, I would need to go at this another way. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you … it’s just that I can’t marry Lyfe right now. It isn’t right. You know it. We all know it. And if I don’t stop this train wreck, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”“But I thought that you loved him.”
“I do. And I will always love him. But getting married like this … at our age, is going to destroy our love before it ever has a real chance of getting off the ground. We need to have a chance to grow into ourselves before we try to blend our lives together. I want to finish high school. Go to college. Start a career. And I know that he wants those things too.” Tears blurred my vision as I cocked my head and stared into my sister’s eyes.
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