Escaping Fate (16 page)

I briefly wondered how he had gotten my
phone number, since it was not in the phone book yet, but I
supposed that the mom network that seemed to exist no matter where
you lived had taken care of that pretty quickly. I was certain my
mom had something to do with it. Thankful to have a phone jack in
my new room, I retreated to my bedroom. I quickly dialed the number
and waited.

On the third ring a hesitant voice
answered, “Hello?”

“Tanner? This is Arra,” I said. “My mom
said you called.”

“Yeah, I did. Um, thanks for calling
back.”

Silence.

“Did you call just to say hi, or,
uh…was there something else,” I said. Fatigue was overriding my
manners. Realizing how rude that must have sounded, I quickly
added, “I had a lot of fun yesterday.”

“Did you?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure.
You seemed kind of upset when we were eating.”

I winced. I had never been any good at
hiding my feelings from others. Last night had obviously been no
exception. I wondered if this was the last time I would speak to
Tanner. That really didn’t help me come up with any words to soothe
him. “I’m sorry, Tanner. I didn’t mean to be such an awful
date.”

“You weren’t awful, you were great,” he
said. “It’s that that sometimes you seemed kind of sad or
something. I hope it wasn’t anything I said or did
yesterday.”

“No, of course not, Tanner. It’s just
that the move has been kind of rough, I guess,” I said.

“Yeah, I bet. I can imagine it’s been
kind of a shock after what you were used to in Manhattan,” Tanner
said. “I’m glad you’re here at least.”

“Thanks, Tanner. I’m actually glad I’m
here too,” I said and meant it.

“Then what is it?” he asked.

What could I possibly tell him that
would actually make sense. “It’s just some family stuff. Things
have been a little tense for me this past week.” It was so much
more, but how could I tell him any more than that? I wanted to. I
did not want to leave our short relationship at a phone call.
Sitting under the moonlight wrapped in his arms would be a much
better way to say goodbye. I wanted that moment.

“Hey, Tanner,” I said. My voice sounded
shaky and strange to my ears. Hopefully Tanner didn’t hear it as
well.

“Yeah?”

“You know the park down the street from
my house?”

“Sure.”

I couldn’t believe I was about to say
this. “Would you meet me at the park tonight? I just need to get
out of the house and maybe talk for a little while.”

He didn’t say anything for a few
seconds and I panicked. What was he thinking?

“What time?” he asked.

I breathed in a sigh of relief. “Nine
o’clock?” I could definitely convince my parents I was going to
sleep by then. I didn’t even have to fake being tired.

“Sure, Arra, no problem,” Tanner
said.

“Thanks, Tanner. I’ll see you tonight
then,” I said.

“See you tonight.” I waited for the
inevitable dial tone before releasing my grip on the receiver and
dropping it back onto the base. My last ounce of strength seemed to
evaporate as soon as the phone left my fingers. I could hardly
believe he agreed to meet me. I had barely known him for two days
and I had asked him to meet me at a park after dark.

Although thoughts of sitting next to
Tanner at night were dancing in my head, I was not worried that he
mistook my invitation for anything other than a chance to get away
from my house for a few hours with a friend. Tanner was sweet and
sincere. I felt safe and happy with him near me. I needed to feel
that way again, even if it only lasted a few hours.

Planning to sneak out did leave me
feeling a little guilty. If I just asked, my parents would think
about it and play the overly concerned parents for a while, but
given that the park was less than a hundred feet from my house and
my dad could probably stand on the front porch and watch us if he
really wanted to, I was sure they would agree. The fact that my dad
could watch us was the biggest factor for sneaking out. David may
be in college, but my dad was hardly ready to see me grow up. No,
letting them believe I was in bed was the best way to go. I needed
some time away from any reminders about what tomorrow would
bring.

In Tanner’s arms I could pretend that I
would see him again the next day and that he would actually pick me
up Saturday night to go to the bonfire on the beach. With him, I
could pretend everything was fine for one more night.

Pulling a thin blanket over my
shoulders, I drifted into a dreamless sleep. It only lasted a few
hours, but it was a welcome break all the same. The timid knock at
my door barely registered in my weary mind. The knock came again, a
little stronger. I stirred, but did not answer right
away.

“Arra, honey, wake up. It’s time for
dinner,” my mom pressed.

“I’m not hungry,” I complained. My head
was groggy and I could not seem to get my eyes to open all the way.
Wondering how long it had been since I had gotten a good night’s
sleep, I shoved my face deeper into the pillow. How many nights
since the dreams started? I didn’t want to count anymore. I didn’t
want to think about dreaming or photos or anything remotely
connected to my bizarre heritage.

“Arra, get up,” my mom said a little
more harshly. “Everyone is waiting on you.”

“Fine,” I said, tossing the blankets
back.

“If you would sleep and eat properly,
you wouldn’t be so tired all the time,” my mom muttered under her
breath as she backed away from the door.

“If only that was all I needed,” I
whispered. Trudging from the hazy room, the brightness of the
kitchen and its heady aromas filled me. Pot roast with brown gravy
and homemade mashed potatoes. One of my absolute favorites. My mom
must still be pretty worried about me. At least she would believe
me when I told her I wanted to go to bed early after dinner. She
would probably want to tuck me in herself. I stepped into the
kitchen and green beans smothered in butter and garlic pushed a
little more of my sleepiness away. My mom was a wonderful cook. I
would miss her cooking immensely.

“Well hello, sunshine,” my dad teased.
“Did you two have a nice day together?”

I nodded a little too enthusiastically
as I tried to look sincere.

“We had a nice walk,” my grandpa
said.

My mom quickly served everyone and the
meal began. There was little talking at first, for which I was very
grateful. As the plates emptied though, the chatter sprang back to
life. A playful grin spread across my dad’s face and I almost
groaned. What now, I wondered.

“So tomorrow’s the big day,” he
said.

I gagged on my roast. “What?” I asked
between fits of coughing. “What did you say about
tomorrow?”

“It’s your birthday,” he said, with a
question in his voice and a quick glance at his wife. My mom only
shrugged helplessly and swished her hand at my dad, prodding him
forward. “What would you like to do? It’s your day.”

“Oh, I don’t know dad. Is there even
anything to do here?” I said, pretending that my melancholy was
still due to my previous dislike of the town.

“Of course there are things to do.
There’s the beach, a movie, dinner, bowling, skating, hiking. Take
your pick.”

I appreciated the effort. Actually
Grainer seemed to have a surprising amount of things to do. Most of
them required me to be outdoors, which I was not used to, but I
would have been willing to try if I had more time. Grainer was just
not that important anymore. Truly disappointed that I would miss
the bonfire on Saturday, I coughed trying to cover up an unexpected
sob. Too tired to continue the charade, I simply said, “Dinner and
a movie sounds great, Dad.”

“What do you want to see?” my mom
asked. “I’ll have to call and check the times of the theater here.”
Always planning ahead. My mom made me smile.

“I think that show I wanted to see
before we moved is still in theaters. You know, the one with that
actor I like,” I said. I didn’t have a clue what movie I was even
talking about but it seemed plausible that there would be something
playing that fit that description. My mom nodded her head. Maybe
she knew what movie I was talking about. My grandpa tried
desperately to hide the pain in his eyes. Mom and dad seemed
oblivious, but seeing his pain doubled mine and I had to look away
before tears started falling.

“I’ll get tickets in the morning,” her
mother said, calculating where to fit it into her schedule. “We can
go to Willowby’s Steak House. I’ve heard it’s
delicious.”

“That sounds great, Mom.” I smiled. Of
course they would go there. It was the only real restaurant in
town. Everything else was a diner or fast food. That might have
bothered me greatly before, but now I truly wished I could survive
long enough to spend the evening with my parents. I had spent so
little time with them the past few days, and most of what we had
spent together was filled with me complaining about everything in
sight. A sniffling cough snapped me out of my musings. My grandpa
was standing up.

“Well, I better head home. Thanks for
dinner, Judy.” He patted my shoulder roughly.

“You’ll come tomorrow won’t you,” my
mom asked.

Another stifled coughing
sob.

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it,” he
agreed.

We all stood to walk him to the door.
He gave hugs all around, holding me longer than the others. “We’ll
get you through this. I won’t let them have you,” he whispered
fiercely. “Don’t give up yet.” I smiled encouragingly and nodded.
Watching him close the door, my hope dwindled to
nothing.

“I’ll be in my room,” I muttered. “I’m
still pretty tired.”

My parent’s voices followed me as I
walked away. I could hear the deep concern in their voices. I could
hear my mom complaining. What more could she do? she was asking. My
eyes burned. If only it was a matter of making friends, of fitting
in. They had no idea that tomorrow would be the last birthday I
would ever see. Who could blame me for not wanting to celebrate
that fact?

I fell into my bed to wait.

Chapter Twenty

8:45p.m.

The only way it would take me fifteen
minutes to walk to the park was if I decided to do an impression of
a snail on the way there, but I couldn’t stand to wait any longer.
The last thing I wanted was for Tanner to show up first and think I
wasn’t coming. He probably already thought I was a little weird.
Kicking my blanket off, I crept over to the window.

I could hear the faint sounds of the
television playing the living room. Hopefully they would stay there
and not try to come in and cheer me up. Forcing the window open for
the first time since moving in, I stuck my head out into the cool
night air. Apparently this house was built before screens were
invented and the previous owners had never bothered to update. That
was fine by me. It made one less thing I had to do before sneaking
out.

Pulling my head back in, I stuck my leg
out instead and climbed through to the soft grass below. My
sneakers were a little damp by the time I made it to the gate
thanks to the sprinklers that had been on a few minutes earlier,
but everything seemed just as quiet as before so I unlatched the
gate and slipped through.

The house next door to us was quiet and
dark. I had heard my mom mention that an elderly woman lived there
so I wasn’t surprised that there was no one awake. I passed by her
carefully pruned yellow rose bushes. The aroma of the blooms
radiated over the sidewalk. Normally I liked the smell of roses,
but scents from the dreams crept into the air somehow and my steps
quickened. The lights were blazing in the next house, but I hurried
by and rounded the fence to the park.

I stepped off the sidewalk and caught
movement at the back of the park. My heart stopped and so did my
feet. The figure quickly stepped into the spreading light of the
street lamp. Tanner’s features lit up under the pale light and I
could see his nervous smile.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey, you’re early.” My relief had me
shaking almost as badly as my fear had. I tried to shake it off as
I stepped towards him.

“I, uh, didn’t want you to get worried
I wasn’t coming so I came a little early,” Tanner said.

“How long have you been here?” I asked.
If the sprinklers in the back yard hadn’t turned on, I probably
would have been here twenty minutes ago.

“Just about ten minutes or so,” he
said. His sheepish smile drew me in closer. “Besides, I really
wanted to see you again anyway.”

“Me too. Seeing you that is, not me.”
Now I was blushing from his compliment and my bumbling speech. Of
course that’s what I meant. I didn’t need to explain it. Tanner
just smile and offered me his hand. I took it and let him lead me
over to an old wooden bench at the edge of the light.

At first we just sat quietly. It felt
good to be near him. With Tanner I could pretend tomorrow would
just be another day. Even though I’d told Tanner I needed to talk,
he didn’t push me. He seemed content to let me get to what was
troubling me when I was ready. I was thankful for that. When he did
finally speak it was just an innocent question that hit the wrong
nerve.