103 | Mildred-4

"Dad we can't hear you so well," Luke said in a calm voice, "The connection's breaking." I could still hear him perfectly. "WE?! WHO IS WE?! ARE YOU WITH HER?!" "Actually, I think there's been an accident," Luke said, "We have to go. There's a raccoon stuck in the driveway." The yelling at the other end was immediately halted with the 'beep' of the conversation ending. He hung up. "A raccoon in the driveway?" I asked Luke. "Yeah, isn't that the story you always tell to convince me you know what you're doing?" he smirked, knowing the outrage that would pour out of me. Breathe Millie "It's a true story! You can't just claim my story as your own. There was never even an accident because I saved the raccoon! Accident diverted. How many times do I have to tell you the story before you actually remember it correctly?" "Maybe a hundred times more." ** We walked into the forest and were immediately engulfed by the tall trees. I was enjoying the comfort of my new hiking shoes while Luke checked his phone a couple times. "Fortunately, we lost signal now," he muttered. I'm sure he was thinking about his dad. I hadn't heard Mr Dawson yell at Luke like that, but from the way Luke handled the call, it didn't seem like the first time. I could see how much his father affected him. The contagious smile Luke had from this morning was gone. I asked, "Why does your father hate me so much?" Luke glanced at me and put his phone away, breathing out. "He doesn't hate you. He thinks you're a distraction. I train five days a week and, with school on top of that, there isn't much room for anything else." "Have I been a distraction?" I asked him, seeking his honest opinion. We walked across the rough terrain, stepping over a log that had fallen in the path. "Yes," he admitted, "But you're also my motivation. Can we change subject? I want to forget basketball today." I nodded. We all have our problems and sometimes we need to go through them alone. I was relieved we were ok again. He looked at me and his blue eyes had that sparkle to them. He was wearing a winter jacket with a black beanie over his head. He looked so handsome, but then again, I always thought that. "I'm sorry about my dad," he said, unable to change the conversation entirely, "You don't deserve the way he's treated you." "That's ok." "I've been thinking," Luke suggested, glancing at me to see my reaction, "Since my dad knows your dad, should we ask him to set up a meeting?" "No," I replied, shutting that idea down. Luke looked straight ahead as he processed my response. "Aren't you curious?" "Sure," I replied. After everything I've gone through this year, I realized that I didn't need to lean on the memory of my dad to feel love. So I said, "I want to know where my dad is and what he's up to. Does he have a new family? Has he told them about me? I want to know if he regrets what he did, but deep down, I know he doesn't." A bird squawked in a bush next to me and I bumped into Luke as I tried to get away from it. After a second, we continued walking and I continued speaking, "Your dad spoke to him recently and he still didn't show up to see us. So no, I don't want to meet a man who doesn't want to meet me. I need to focus on me and the person I need to become. But one day I will find him. I'll wait until I'm successful, so I can show him how much I don't need him anymore. Maybe then he'll regret leaving us." Luke didn't say anything, but he reached out and took my hand in his. He laced his fingers between mine. "I don't know what it's like to grow up without a father. But I do know that you'll have your own family one day and you'll be more of a parent than he ever was," Luke spoke sincerely, "You don't need to prove anything to him." I nodded and squeezed his hand, feeling grateful to have his support. He really believed in me. "In six months, you'll be so far away," I said, not liking the thought of our future. It was the looming inevitable that we would have to part ways. "University of Kentucky is so far from here." "We'll find a way, Minnie," he replied, "I've never been in a long-distance relationship before. I guess this open communication topic will become a bigger theme for us." "We've gotten better at it, haven't we?" I asked, ignoring how he forgot to mention Austin's pill bottle to me before I found it. "I think so?" he asked, looking at me with a crooked smile, "Will you tell me everything that goes on here after I'm gone?" "Sure," I smiled back, swinging our intertwined arm casually. "You'll tell me if Austin and Cearra hook up?" I gasped, "You told me there was no chance!" Luke smirked, "I'm starting to reconsider that." I slapped his arm playfully, wishing he would tell me what made him change his mind. "You'll tell me if the old lady attacks you again? And most importantly," Luke said, stopping in the middle of the path to look me in the eye, "Will you tell me your darkest moments? When you're scared and insecure?" I gazed up at him, feeling his arms slide over my jacket. "Yes," I lied. I've learnt that there are highs and lows to every relationship. I've learnt that honesty is important, but to what extent? Luke has no idea how broken I am. The darkest side of me is dark and it's getting darker. I wanted to hide that from him. Love is not unconditional. Everyone has a limit. "Good," he smiled. I gazed up at his flawless features and his face that was looking so earnestly at me. "I'm sorry. Everything was fine before I came along," he whispered, confessing his guilt for bringing the blackmailer to my doorstep. I rejected that apology, "You have no idea how wrong you are. Luke, my life was not fine before you. You gave me more than anyone can take away." He kissed my cold lips and said, "I know this trip doesn't solve our problems, but I wanted a free moment for us. I feel like time is flying faster than we can keep up." I nodded and he leaned his forehead against mine. It feels like just yesterday we were camp counselors, being thrown together in the unlikeliest of situations. "This trip may not solve all our problems," I agreed, "But it puts things in perspective." I held onto him. The forest was a cocoon around us, almost protecting us from the outside world. In here, we were just two people – with short lives compared to the nature around us. This place will be here long after we will. But this moment is one I'll never forget. T H E   E N D