Eleanora
“Daddy,” I yell as I enter my suite. He’s talking to the other fathers. I look quickly for my mom, who is standing with the other moms, looking completely out of her element. I want to go to her and give her a little push, let her know it’s okay to be friends with women who don’t belong to the same country club she does, but I go to my father instead.
“Sugar how is your car?”
“It’s perfect, Daddy. I think I want to take Sofia up on her offer and take a road trip. Don’t you think it’d be the most amazing adventure before I start work?”
He leans forward and kisses me on the cheek, like usual, his hands are gripping my upper arms. “Yes, you have a full year ahead of you. You need this time.”
A full year, right? “Thanks, Daddy. I’ll check in every day.”
“And send pictures because your mother is going to worry.”
“I will. Maybe I’ll even make videos. It’d be great for everyone to see when I get home.”
I feel horrible for lying, but I’m not ready to go home and be an adult. I want to explore, to sightsee and find myself. What’s better than doing it in California, especially since I don’t have to worry about finding a place to live.
“Annamae,” my dad says from across the room. “Come say goodbye to Eleanora so we can leave. She’s going to drive home with her friend.”
“Willard, I don’t believe this is the best idea. Maybe we should call Rhett and have him come out here to drive with her. We could extend our trip for a few more days, maybe head to Spokane where things are,” she pauses and looks around. The other parents are staring, waiting for my uptight mother to speak poorly about the area we’re in. “Well, it’s a bigger city, more to do,” she says, covering for herself.
My dad does the same to her as he does with me by placing his hands on her arms. It’s a miracle they even have children with the way my father touches my mother. “Annamae, she’s twenty-two years old. I’m confident Eleanora and Sofia can drive across the country in a brand new car.”
My mother nods. “I’d feel better if Rhett came out and drove with her.”
Dad looks at me and I shake my head. If my brother comes out, I’m screwed. My plans, even though they just came to fruition, will be ruined. I’d have no choice but to drive home. And forget stopping. Rhett will drive ten to twelve hours each day until we’re home.
“Honey, Eleanora will be fine. She’ll check in every day and this will give you some more time to get her room ready.”
My daddy’s fooling no-one. Jeannette is responsible for the house. My mother has never lifted a finger, other than to cook a random meal so her friends don’t think she’s stuck up.
Mama looks at me, she doesn’t smile right away, but eventually, there’s a slight grin. “You promise to call every night?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t like this one bit, but your daddy… well, bless his heart. Every day, you hear me?” Mom pulls me into her arms and hugs the ever-loving shit out of me. When she pulls away, there are tears in her eyes, not that she’d let me fully see them. She’s a proud woman and doesn’t show a lot of emotion when there are people around.
“Have fun and be safe,” my dad says. For a moment, I think he’s going to give me a hug, but he steps away before anybody contact can be made. It’s fine. I know he loves me. I’ve never doubted that. I may complain about my parents and their antiquated values, but I’ve had a good life, an amazing one at that. Our house is a revolving door of family, and thanks to our staff, there’s always comfort foods when you need them. This vacation will be good for me. It means I won’t have to interview for a job with an extra ten pounds resting on my hips from the amount of food I’ll have consumed by walking in the door.
My parents say their goodbyes. What really gets me is that my mom hugs each of my roommates. I’m not sure she even knows their names, aside from Sofia’s, and that’s pushing it. My mom is like a fish out of water when she leaves the comforts of home. She loves being home, in her gardens, hosting her parties, but get her out in the world and it’s like she’s afraid something is going to come out and bite her. As soon as they leave, Kellie and I do a little dance while the other parents look on. I have no idea if they know the coup we just pulled off, and I’m hoping if they do, none of them say anything to my parents. Of course, I’m making a big assumption that my parents swap numbers with the others.
I let a half hour or so pass before I start carrying my bags down to my car. Over the last two months, I shipped home anything I wanted, keeping only a suitcase full of clothes and my bathroom supplies.
Back in my room, I make sure it’s the way it was when I moved in, only a bit cleaner. The people they hire to clean rooms leave a lot to be desired. When I told my mom this, she suggested some of our staff fly out and clean the suite properly. It took a lot of convincing to get her to change her mind. It’s a college dorm, there’s so much that goes on in these rooms, none of them will ever be spotless.
Kizzy, Debbie, and Ashley all say goodbye, leaving Kellie, Sofia, and I. I’m lingering. I don’t want to leave Sofia, even though I know we’ll see each other soon. If I’m living in California, with my own set of wheels, I can easily road trip south to see her.
Sofia and I hug. She breathes in loudly, a sure sign that she’s crying. “Hey, our lives are just getting started. No need for tears.”
“I know, I’m just going to miss the crap out of you.”
“Me too, but we’ll have late night chats about boys. I’ll FaceTime you so much you’ll get sick of me. And hey, maybe I’ll bump into your brother and we’ll send you a selfie.”
Sofia laughs. “Yeah, you do that.”
The three of us leave, heading in separate directions. Kellie tells me she’ll pull around to where I’m parked. Inside my car, I breathe in the new car smell. One thing missing is a flower or something for the vase on my dashboard. Soon enough, this will feel like it’s mine and not some rental. It needs some personal touches.
Kellie honks, I wave and back out. My first ever road trip is starting out under a lie. I feel bad about it, but my parents would’ve never agreed. They had a hard enough time letting me go to Idaho for college. That discussion and argument was a year in the making. If it weren’t for Rhett, I probably would’ve become a Game Cock.