Until Tomorrow (2 page)

“Ouch!”

“Ouch? You haven't seen me in months, and all you can say is ouch?”

“Ouch and hi!” Christy said, giving Katie another, less aggressive hug. “You look great.”

“So do you,” Katie said.

“Did you know Antonio was coming?” Christy asked. Katie's green eyes flashed. “Yes. We just figured it all out two days ago.”

Christy turned to Todd. His grin grew wide. “Tonio set it up for us to go camping in Italy with him.”

“Camping?” Christy echoed.

“We can talk as we go,” Antonio said, taking Katie's pack and carrying it for her. “My car . . .” He indicated the door he wanted them to move toward.

Todd strapped his backpack on his broad shoulders and grabbed Christy's hand, pulling her with him out of the station. Katie latched on to Antonio's arm as if she never meant to give it back, and the two of them led the way out of the station at a fast clip.

“So we're going camping?” Christy asked. “Yep. Tonio has the equipment. It's all set up.”

“What about Scandinavia?”

“What about Scandinavia?” Todd asked.

“I thought we were going there first.” Todd stopped walking. “Did you tell me that? Because I didn't think we had a plan yet. That's why I set this up with Antonio. If you told me and I didn't catch that email, I apologize.”

“No, you're right.” She knew she didn't want to be the one to start an argument. Not here. Not now. “We don't have a plan yet. This is fine.”

Christy was having a hard time thinking straight. She thought Todd had mentioned starting their journey in Norway and working their way down to Italy. But now she wasn't
sure. Maybe Katie had suggested that itinerary.

Tonio led them to his small white minivan illegally parked across from the Bahnhof. He opened the side door, and Christy noticed a large dent on the front bumper.

Tugging a gray canvas bag out of the open area in the center of the van, Antonio said, “Give me some help. This must go on the roof.”

The four of them moved all of Antonio's camping gear out of the van and onto the roof, securing it with ropes under a tarp.

“How did you two plan all this?” Christy asked Todd, trying to sound calm.

“Through email.” Todd shoved his and Katie's travel packs into the van's belly and climbed in. A bench seat ran the back width of the van, and along the van's sides were built-in cupboards. The van's center was empty except for their packs.

Katie gave Christy another excited hug before climbing into the backseat next to Todd. “Are we going to have the adventure of our lives or what?”

Christy nodded numbly. She settled into the front seat and fastened her seat belt, but not a moment too soon. With only a quick glance over his shoulder, Antonio hit the gas pedal and pulled out into the traffic with a roar. Christy clutched the edge of her seat and sat as still as she could as Antonio yelled at the other drivers in Italian and darted his way down the street.

From the back of the minivan, Katie laughed hysterically because, as the car lurched, she had crashed into Todd.

“Tonio,” Katie cried out, “we're not in Italy yet! Do us a favor and let us live long enough to get there.”

Tonio glanced at Katie in the rearview mirror with a grin. He slowed down and put on his turn signal for the first time. He was pulling onto the main highway that led out of town, the opposite direction from Christy's dorm.

“We need to go the other way, Antonio,” Christy said. “The university is that way.”

“No, I have been to Basel before. This is the road we take back to Italy.”

“No!” Christy practically yelled as panic took over. “We can't go to Italy now!”

“Why not?”

“I don't have any of my things!”

Antonio said something in Italian that sounded like an apology, jerked the car onto a side street, and then stopped. He looked at Christy with a friendly expression and said simply, “Which way?”

With Antonio at the wheel, they reached Christy's dorm in a few minutes. During the drive, she calmed down and tried to think straight.

“We'll wait here,” Antonio said, stopping the car in another illegal parking place.

“I'm not exactly ready,” Christy said, looking at Todd and Katie for support. “I didn't know anything about this. I mean, I'm mostly packed, but it will take me a few minutes to finish getting all my things together.”

“I want to see your room,” Katie said, crawling out of the back of the van. “Come on, you guys, let's all go in.”

“They're really strict about parking around here,” Christy told Antonio.

“We'll wait here,” Todd suggested. “In case we have to drive around the block a few times.”

“And we'll hurry,” Katie called over her shoulder as she followed Christy into the brick building.

Christy scurried to her room and opened the door. “Wow! This room is a lot smaller than I thought it would be,” Katie said, looking around. “Wait until this September when we're at Rancho Corona University. The rooms are
twice this size and for just two people, not three. It's way better than here.”

“Hey, it's great here, too,” Christy said defensively.

Katie looked startled. She quickly reached over and gave Christy's arm a squeeze. “Oh, I'm sure it is. Don't get upset. I was just saying how it's only going to get better in the fall when we're all together at the same school. Don't you agree?”

Christy nodded slowly. Nothing was going the way she had imagined it would. They were supposed to be sitting in the bakery right now, calmly discussing their plans over coffee and pastry. Instead, they were bolting out of town in Antonio's rocket-mobile.

“So,” Katie said, clapping her hands together, “what do you need to pack? I can help.”

“That bag is ready to go,” Christy said, pointing to the backpack in the corner. “I need to grab a few more things for my day pack, though.”

Katie suddenly threw her arms around Christy in a breathless hug. “Can you believe we're standing here, in your dorm room, casually talking as if we do this every day? Christy, we're in Switzerland!”

“Yes, we are, aren't we?”

Katie pulled back and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, what's with you? What's wrong?”

“I'm just trying to think of what I need.” Christy reached for her day pack and began to fill it with items from the desk.

“You would tell me if you were upset about anything, wouldn't you?”

“Of course.”

Katie picked up one of the travel books from the desk and said, “You're not planning to take any of these, are you?”

“A few of them. At least one.”

“They're too big,” Katie said. “We don't need tour books. We're on an adventure! Why would you want to haul them
all over the place and look like tourists?”

Christy ignored Katie's comment. She grabbed the book on top of the stack and stuffed it into her pack. “I'm ready. Let's go.”

Katie carried Christy's pack out for her and commented on how much lighter it was than hers.

“I hope I'm not traveling too light. I can't think of what else I need.” Christy pursed her lips together, trying hard to come up with anything she might have forgotten.

The guys were waiting in the van with the engine running. Todd had moved up to the front seat.

Christy climbed into the back of the van and said, “I was thinking maybe we could stop at the Konditorei before we leave. It's the best bakery in Basel, and it's only a few blocks away. It would give us a chance to talk through our plans.”

“I'm not hungry at all,” Katie said, clambering into the van. “Are you guys?”

Todd shrugged.

“Then we will hit the street,” Antonio decided.

Katie laughed and playfully tagged him on the shoulder. “You mean hit the road, Tonio.”

“Yes, hit the road. Here we go.”

The van lurched forward as Christy grabbed for her seat belt and fastened it tightly. She stared out the window as Tonio roared past the bakery and headed toward A-2, which would take them south to Italy. For weeks she had dreamed about going to her special Konditorei with Todd. When they were in London together a year and a half ago, the two of them had walked hand in hand down the streets until they found a small bakery. They sat in a booth in the back corner of the tea shop and opened their hearts to each other. During that conversation, they decided they weren't ready to commit to a more serious relationship.

But that was a year and a half ago.

In her dreams and in her waking hours of sitting alone in the Basel Konditorei, Christy had imagined the conversation she and Todd would share over tea and scones. Now she drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She felt ready to move on and to define their relationship more solidly than ever before.

What if Todd isn't ready to move on? What if I'm ready to make a stronger commitment and he's not? At least I think I am
. At the moment, Christy was so frazzled she didn't know if she should trust any of her thoughts or feelings. The only thing she was sure of was that her seat belt was buckled as tightly as it would go, and they were on their way to Italy.

2

Katie wiggled into a comfortable nest she had made with their packs in the middle of the van. She jabbered a mile a minute about how incredible all this was.

Christy smiled at Katie and nodded every now and then. But her gaze kept going to the back of Todd's head. All her thoughts were about what was going on inside that head, under the short, sun-kissed blond hair. Or more important, what was going on inside his heart?

How do you really feel about me, Todd? Are you in love with me? Really in love?

Christy realized again, with sadness, that their chance to bend their heads close together in quiet conversation at her favorite thinking spot had been snatched from her. They were part of the group now. The gang. And if Todd was true to form, he would be a team player the rest of the trip. That meant he would give equal attention to everyone. He was like a mellow golden retriever—always loyal, ready to go along with the others on a moment's notice, and generally content with life no matter what the circumstances.

Christy knew she didn't want to become the hyper schnauzer of the group,
yip-yip
ping the whole time.

“Hey, Tonio,” Katie said, “where exactly are we going?”

“
Italia. Mi Italia
,” Tonio said dramatically. “I am taking
you to my favorite camping ground. You will love it. At night, hundreds of baboons come from the forest and eat everything they find in the camp. This is why you must close up your tent.”

“You must mean raccoons,” Katie said. “I doubt any baboons are in Italy.”

“Ah yes,” Antonio said, looking at Katie in the rearview mirror. “Raccoons. Once again you are right. Where would I be without your helpful lessons in English?”

“Admit it, Tonio. You've missed me.”

“I've missed you, Katie,” Tonio stated loudly.

“Go ahead, tell me you can't live without me,” Katie continued.

“I can't live without you.”

This was typical banter for Tonio and Katie. They used to tease each other back in California all the time. And a tinge of romance had existed between the two of them. At least Katie had thought so—or was Antonio just being a romantic Italian? Christy wished she and Todd could express themselves boldly like Antonio and Katie—only not as a joke, but sincerely.

Will I ever hear Todd say, “I can't live without you”?

“He's crazy about me,” Katie said, turning her attention back to Christy and smiling broadly. “Hey!” She leaned closer to Christy. “If Tonio and I decide to get married this week, you will be my maid of honor, won't you?”

“Of course.” Christy's voice came out small and thin. These topics weren't laughing matters for her. The day she would ask Katie to be her maid of honor, Christy knew she would be asking seriously.

Katie laughed. “This all feels like a dream, doesn't it? I don't care if it is a dream. If it is, don't wake me. I've never been happier in my life. Deliriously happy!”

For the next few hours, as they roared down the highway
through Switzerland and into Italy, Antonio and Todd kept a tight conversation going between themselves. Christy couldn't hear what they were saying since the windows were open and the van was noisy. Katie scooted her nest closer to Christy and filled her in on all the details of what had been going on with their friends back home.

As Christy listened to Katie, she found herself settling in. Their journey might not have started off the way Christy had thought it would, but they were on their way. She was determined to be a team player and not give in to moody contemplation.

They stopped only once for gas, or “petrol,” as Antonio called it, before arriving at the campground. Their spot had a large open space for tents under a circle of tall trees. Christy had no idea where they were, but she was surprised that the terrain was so similar to what she had become used to in the hills around her school. It seemed odd to think of Italy as having the Alps, too.