Good-byes

Chapter 2: Good-byes



         The next few days were pretty much a blur. If I wasn’t sleeping, I was talking to my parents, looking through all the paperwork I had in a folder, or staring out the window. After our important talk, my parents and I had planned out when we would be together again. We decided that for Thanksgiving, I would take a plane down to Florida for a few days. Then, for Christmas, my parents would drive to Rhode Island to stay with me for a week.

         When we finally found a parking spot in front of the building where I would be staying, I was almost sad to get out of the car. We each grabbed a bag from the back of the van, and then headed to Dorm number 56 on the first floor. I reached the door first. I tucked my hair behind my ear before I knocked cautiously three times.

         “Come in!” I heard someone shout from somewhere inside. I glanced over my shoulder at my parents, who both made the motion for me to go in. I faced the door again, took a deep breath, and then turned the knob. I walked through the doorway and was greeted with the smell of macaroni and cheese. It made my mouth water and my stomach growled. I wasn’t surprised, we hadn’t stopped all day to eat and it was almost seven o’clock in the evening. My parents and I stood in the entrance hall until someone walked through the door. I thought it might be my roommate until the figure walked into the light. I gasped involuntarily. It was a guy. I heard my mother’s intake of breath and knew that she was about to blow up.

         “Hi, I’m Colin, Anna’s boyfriend,” he held his hand out to me. I smiled and shook his hand.

         “I’m Kirsten. Um, these are my parents, David and Melinda Anderson.” They shook Colin’s hand too.

         “So, I guess you’ll probably want to see your room?” he asked. I smiled shyly and nodded. He pointed down the hallway to our right.

         “It’s down there. The room on the right is Anna’s, so I’m guessing yours is the room on the left.”

         “Thanks, Colin.” I led the way to my room, careful not to trip over the clothes in the hallway. I would have to do something about that later. My door was open a little bit, so I just kicked it lightly toward the wall. In my room, there was a twin-sized bed, a writing desk, and a small closet. For many people, it would be too small, but to me, it was perfect. I placed the bag I had been carrying in the corner beside the writing desk before flopping down on my new bed. I had to admit, it was surprisingly comfortable. My parents put the bags in the closet before taking a closer look at my room.

         After spending the next fifteen minutes inspecting every nook and cranny, my parents were satisfied.

         “It’s small,” my mother told me, “But I think it fits you in a way.” She kissed the top of my head.

         “Thanks, Mom.” I stood up from the bed and put my hands in my pockets.

         “I’m going to meet my new roommate,” I told them. My parents nodded and followed me to the kitchen where I assumed she would be. I walked into our shared kitchen. It was small, just like everything seemed to be in the dorm, but it was very cute. Sure enough, Anna and Colin were there. Anna was sitting at the table while Colin stirred the pot of macaroni and cheese. She turned her head to look in our direction and squealed.

         “Oh my gosh, you’re finally here!” she nearly shouted as she clapped her hand. She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I didn’t cringe away as I would have with other people. Something about her had me thinking that we were going to be really great friends. She pulled back suddenly with a guilty look on her face.

         “Is that okay? That I hugged you I mean? I know we just met, but I have a feeling that we are going to get along really well,” she told me honestly. I beamed.

         “No, its fine, I was just thinking the same thing actually.” She laughed.

         “Well, this is Colin, my boyfriend.”

         “Yeah we met a few minutes ago.” She turned to glare at him and I smiled apologetically.

         “You told me that was Scott at the door, Colin.” He shrugged.

         “Sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said as he held his hands up in a surrender position.

         “Who’s Scott?” I asked, feeling the need to get Anna’s attention away from Colin. She turned to look at me and Colin gave me the thumb’s up behind her back. I tried not to laugh as Anna explained.

         “Scott is Colin’s roommate. They’ve been friends for a while and they managed to get a dorm together when they came here. He was supposed to be coming over tonight. I hate hearing from Colin that he’s alone, so I invite him over as much as I can.” She grinned at me and winked.

         “He’s single and really cute too. I think you might like him, Kirsten.” My mouth turned down slightly.

         “Oh, well, I’m actually not really looking for a relationship at the moment,” I told her. She grinned and looked slyly at my parents, who were pre-occupied with looking through the contents of the refrigerator.

         “Who said anything about a relationship? I just meant casual sex,” she grinned. My hand flew up to my mouth to stifle my laughter. Thankfully, my parents didn’t notice.

         My parents spent the next hour investigating while I got to know Anna. Even though I had only known her for sixty minutes, I knew that she would be an easy person to share a dorm with. She was smart and had a great sense of humor. She included me in every conversation. I mostly just listened to Anna and Colin poke fun at each other. Finally, my mother called me to the front door so I could see them out. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that this was the good-bye I had been dreading for the past seven months.

         I followed her out the door and to the van. My dad was leaning against the passenger door looking very put-out. I stood a few feet from them, unsure as to who would speak first. Just when I thought that I should just go back inside, my mom stepped toward me.

         “You make sure to call us and e-mail us whenever you can. Don’t go too long without making sure we know you are alright,” she said as she embraced me. The strength of her grasp knocked the wind out of me temporarily. I wrapped my arms around her.

         “I’ll try and call or e-mail you guys every day,” I told them. My mother let go of me so I could hug my dad too. I saw his face, and nearly asked to ride back with them to Florida. His eyes were brimming with tears and his expression was enough to make me start to cry too.

         “Dad, I’m going to miss you so much,” I whispered when he hugged me. He kissed the top of my head.

         “Me too, kiddo.” I heard him sniffle quietly. He stepped away from me, wiping his tears as he went. I wiped my eyes too before looking back at my parents. They stared at each other for a moment until my dad opened my mom’s door for her, something he hadn’t done in a while. She smiled shyly after him as he walked around to the other side of the van.

         “Talk to you soon, honey,” my mom called out the window.

         “Okay, Mom. I love you guys!” I shouted. They were backing up now.

         “Bye, love you, Kirsten,” my parents yelled in unison. I waved until I couldn’t see them anymore. I sighed, breathing in the crisp Rhode Island air. A small part of me hoped that I would get over this feeling that I was alone. Another part of me was jittery from excitement. In two days I would be starting my new classes at my new school. And I was as far away from Florida as I knew I needed to be.