Read Online Departures by Robin Jones Gunn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robin Jones Gunn
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tomorrow, Melissa?”
Melissa gave Christy a startled look. “Are you sure?” Melissa turned to Matt.
Matt nodded. “Sure. You’re welcome to come. It’s just a big family picnic like we do every year.”
“What time?” Melissa asked casually.
“Around ten.”
“Okay.”
Christy didn’t know if she should be pleased with herself for being kind and generous or mad at herself for including Melissa in her last day with Matt.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Melissa said, rising to go.
Christy and Matt both said good-bye, then sat in silence for a few minutes. Christy wondered if Matt was upset that she had invited Melissa. It was hard to know since he hadn’t volunteered any information on how he felt about either Melissa or Christy. Perhaps the interest Christy felt toward him was as one-sided as it always had been.
“It sure was hot today, wasn’t it?” Matt finally said.
“Yes. It’s cooler in here now than it was a few hours ago.” Christy reached over to touch one of the daisies in the centerpiece. “I’m surprised any of these flowers are still alive.”
“It’s supposed to be hot tomorrow too,” Matt said.
“Oh,” Christy said. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the weather. “Hey!” Christy said, brightening. “Your mom said you were offered a scholarship to Rancho Corona. Why didn’t you tell me? I have some friends who want to go there.”
“Have you ever been there?” Matt asked.
“No, but it’s only about an hour from my house.”
Matt’s expression lit up considerably. “Really? I didn’t know Rancho was so close to where you live. Where are you going to school in the fall?”
Christy plucked a sprig of baby’s breath from the centerpiece and twirled it between her fingers. “I’m going to live at home and take classes at Palomar, the local community college. It seemed the best route for my first year since it’s the least expensive way to get my general ed classes taken care of.”
“I thought of doing that too,” Matt said, “until these full scholarships came in. They were both a surprise.”
“What were the scholarships offered for?”
“Baseball,” Matt said with a smile. “You didn’t think they were for academic excellence, did you?”
Christy shrugged and smiled, looking down at the flowers in her hand. “Some people have a burst of A’s their last few years of high school.”
“Were you one of those people?”
“No,” Christy answered with a laugh. “I earned every measly A I got. And believe me, there wasn’t a bumper crop of them, especially this past year.”
“Remember when we did those science projects in second grade with the lima beans and yours was the only one in class that wouldn’t sprout?” Matt leaned back and balanced on two legs of the folding chair.
Christy cringed. How could Matt remember that? She had pushed that painful experience far from her life. “Miss Kaltzer gave me a D. It was the lowest grade in the class, because she said I watered mine too much and killed it. I watered my bean just as much as everyone else did! That bean was a dud, and I still think the whole thing was unfair. It was a conspiracy! I think the janitor came in every night and watered just my bean.”
Matt laughed.
“I still hate lima beans. I refuse to eat them. As a matter of fact, I hate anything that resembles a lima bean.” Christy suddenly wondered if that was why she hated nuts.
Matt was laughing so hard the folding chair began to buckle underneath him. Christy noticed it and said, “Matt, your chair!” When he didn’t hear her, she reached over to grab his arm. Just as shedid, the legs gave way and the chair went down, taking Matt to the floor with it.
Matt kept laughing. He was laughing even harder from the floor, which made it impossible not to join in. Christy chuckled as a crowd of concerned adults gathered around to see what all the noise was about. Matt took a moment before he gained his
Melissa gave Christy a startled look. “Are you sure?” Melissa turned to Matt.
Matt nodded. “Sure. You’re welcome to come. It’s just a big family picnic like we do every year.”
“What time?” Melissa asked casually.
“Around ten.”
“Okay.”
Christy didn’t know if she should be pleased with herself for being kind and generous or mad at herself for including Melissa in her last day with Matt.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Melissa said, rising to go.
Christy and Matt both said good-bye, then sat in silence for a few minutes. Christy wondered if Matt was upset that she had invited Melissa. It was hard to know since he hadn’t volunteered any information on how he felt about either Melissa or Christy. Perhaps the interest Christy felt toward him was as one-sided as it always had been.
“It sure was hot today, wasn’t it?” Matt finally said.
“Yes. It’s cooler in here now than it was a few hours ago.” Christy reached over to touch one of the daisies in the centerpiece. “I’m surprised any of these flowers are still alive.”
“It’s supposed to be hot tomorrow too,” Matt said.
“Oh,” Christy said. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the weather. “Hey!” Christy said, brightening. “Your mom said you were offered a scholarship to Rancho Corona. Why didn’t you tell me? I have some friends who want to go there.”
“Have you ever been there?” Matt asked.
“No, but it’s only about an hour from my house.”
Matt’s expression lit up considerably. “Really? I didn’t know Rancho was so close to where you live. Where are you going to school in the fall?”
Christy plucked a sprig of baby’s breath from the centerpiece and twirled it between her fingers. “I’m going to live at home and take classes at Palomar, the local community college. It seemed the best route for my first year since it’s the least expensive way to get my general ed classes taken care of.”
“I thought of doing that too,” Matt said, “until these full scholarships came in. They were both a surprise.”
“What were the scholarships offered for?”
“Baseball,” Matt said with a smile. “You didn’t think they were for academic excellence, did you?”
Christy shrugged and smiled, looking down at the flowers in her hand. “Some people have a burst of A’s their last few years of high school.”
“Were you one of those people?”
“No,” Christy answered with a laugh. “I earned every measly A I got. And believe me, there wasn’t a bumper crop of them, especially this past year.”
“Remember when we did those science projects in second grade with the lima beans and yours was the only one in class that wouldn’t sprout?” Matt leaned back and balanced on two legs of the folding chair.
Christy cringed. How could Matt remember that? She had pushed that painful experience far from her life. “Miss Kaltzer gave me a D. It was the lowest grade in the class, because she said I watered mine too much and killed it. I watered my bean just as much as everyone else did! That bean was a dud, and I still think the whole thing was unfair. It was a conspiracy! I think the janitor came in every night and watered just my bean.”
Matt laughed.
“I still hate lima beans. I refuse to eat them. As a matter of fact, I hate anything that resembles a lima bean.” Christy suddenly wondered if that was why she hated nuts.
Matt was laughing so hard the folding chair began to buckle underneath him. Christy noticed it and said, “Matt, your chair!” When he didn’t hear her, she reached over to grab his arm. Just as shedid, the legs gave way and the chair went down, taking Matt to the floor with it.
Matt kept laughing. He was laughing even harder from the floor, which made it impossible not to join in. Christy chuckled as a crowd of concerned adults gathered around to see what all the noise was about. Matt took a moment before he gained his
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