Chapter 8. Absent

Moving trucks came. They didn’t stop in batches of two; a whole group of them rolled by. I watched from the street as they unloaded furniture’s, paintings, a grand piano, and so much more. There were dozens of boxes too. I didn’t think I’d see so many.

News exploded after that. News I haven’t heard in my isolation.

After one year in office, Lyndon Morgan has decided to turn his house in Bear Creek as the Governor’s Mansion. It would be his official residence, his office, his comfort. The Morgan’s were back.

Dad was working on a grandfather clock when I barged inside the store. His two other employees were varnishing a table. I didn’t care if they hear. I’ve been keeping my silence for years anyway.

“Did you know about it?” I asked. My face was pale as wax on the mirror on the wall. My voice sounded faint from all the running. Nonetheless, my heart was alive. Anguished but beating fast.

“Huh?” dad said. He put his tools down to look at me. “What are you talking about?”

“Mr. Morgan. . .” I pointed to the direction of their mansion. “Are the rumors true? Are they coming back?”

Worry flashed on his face. “Destiny.”

“Are they?”

“Yes.”

I lowered my shaking finger. “You knew about it, didn’t you? You knew, and you didn’t tell me. How could you?!”

Dad glanced helplessly at the other men. “Can you please give us a—“

“No!” I cut off. “I don’t want a moment with you, dad. I don’t want a moment with any of you.” I turned to my heels and shoved the door open. It banged close behind me.

I texted Spencer on my way to the house. ‘Did you know?’

It took him ten minutes to respond, all of which I used to go to my room, pull a chair next to the window, and observe with my telescope.

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘I forgot to tell you.’

I squeezed the phone while typing. ‘What’s wrong with you?!’

I erased it and typed another message. ‘I’m not talking to you anymore.’

I erased that too and sent a blank text. He didn’t deserve a word from me. He should burn in hell.

What I couldn’t understand was why no one told me. Dad, Spencer, even Ester. They knew how much I’ve waited for this day. They knew how much it meant to me. So, why didn’t they?

Wasn’t I the most deserving to know in Bear Creek? Wasn’t three years long enough to wait? Why? Why? Why?

Saturday passed, then Sunday. I saw everything from the bedroom window. After the furniture’s were delivered to the mansion, other staff arrived. Most of them were in uniform so the cleaners and the guards were easily distinguishable. The security stationed around the house were in khaki pants and black shirts, but the best ones, the ones that came with Mr. Morgan, were all dressed in suits.

The Governor himself has grown a full beard. It was trimmed on the sides and pointy on the bottom. His blonde hair was brushed back to reveal his stern eyes and pursed lips. He looked more intimidating than the last time I’ve seen him.

As for his wife, Mrs. Morgan didn’t look a day older. Clear skin, brief smile, a dress that flattered her slim figure. A female guard accompanied her to the mansion.

I spied for hours, waiting. I stayed by the window hoping to catch a glimpse. But despite the skipped meals, the rushed showers, the missed sleep and the grogginess, not once did I see her shadow.

Monday morning finally came. Senior year.

Dad followed me to the front door. I’ve come down to find him waiting by the sofa, hands clasped together. He rose to his feet soon as he saw me, and began to tail me like a cop. “Eat breakfast first,” he urged.

I shouldered my backpack and continued to the door.

“Breakfast is important before school. You’ll think better when you’re not hungry.”

I ignored him and reached for the knob.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said.

My hands froze. I turned around so he could see the full blunt of my anger. He deserved every bit of it. “What’s your excuse for not telling me? Did you forget it like my friends did?”

Dad brushed a hand over his mouth and shook his head. He looked like he’d grown older the past few days. “I didn’t know how to pick you up after she left,” he started. “None of us did.”

“And that gives you the right to keep her a secret?!”

He flinched at my sharp tone. “That’s not it. She left you without saying goodbye. You weren’t prepared for it. She made you sad.”

“She made me happy too. We grew up together.”

“And you grew apart.”

“You don’t understand, dad.”

“I understand it better than you do.”

“You don’t.” I shook my head. How could they not see it? “When someone comes in our life, we open a door to ourselves. When someone leaves, we close that door. But to be left alone without so much as a goodbye is to leave that door open. Mine has been like that for years. I’ve been waiting and waiting, and to have her come back means I don’t have to wait anymore. I can move on with my life.”

“See that’s the problem,” he said. “You want to move on, but you want to move on with her.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

He drew in a long breath and went to me. I was torn between leaving and staying. Whatever he wanted to say wouldn’t be good. I should probably go.

Dad placed a hand on my shoulder before I could leave. “I understand how special she is to you, Des. She opened a door you didn’t think you had.” He bent down so he could look me in the eye. “But sometimes you have to close the door and leave it as it is. Not every first is meant to be the last.”

Another problem was waiting for me when I finally emerged through the door. Spencer was leaning on the wall, hands shoved in his pocket, eyes on the ground. He perked up when he saw me leaving, and fell into step with me on the street.

“Are you mad?”

“I don’t have time for this, Spence.”

He ran a hand through his hair. It was free from wax unlike most of his friends. He licked his lips nervously before starting again. “I really did forget. Sorry.”

I stopped walking to stare at him. “I know you act stupid sometimes, but you’re not that slow. You kept this from me on purpose. Why?”

He squirmed on his feet. His eyes darted sideward like he was looking for an exit. He took a breath and stood his ground. “We were trying to protect you, Ester and I.”

My hands fisted. “I’m not a child. I’m more than capable of protecting myself.”

“But you’re important to us.” He nodded encouragingly to me, or maybe to himself. “We want you to be happy again, with or without Genesis. We’d do everything to bring back your smile. We’ll even risk your hate.”

“I don’t hate you.” Not yet. One more stunt like this and I would.

“But you’re still mad,” he said. “You’ve never been mad at us.”

I frowned because he was right. We’ve fought about millions of things as kids, but we’ve never had an argument like this. “Where’s Ester?” I said.

He glanced beside him like he was only noticing her absence. “Oh. . . She went ahead of us.” He scratched his ear. “You know how frank she is. I told her she’ll make the situation worse if she talks to you.”

True. Ester was blunt, sometimes at the expense of other people. She wouldn’t hold back with her words, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood to patronize her facts. We’d have a shouting match again. We were barely alright after I kicked her out of my room last time.

“Ok,” I said.

“Ok? Like we’re okay?” Spencer sounded hopeful.

I started walking again. “Ok, like I’m still not talking to you.”

We arrived at school in time for the first bell. Since Spencer was my classmate in most classes, he took the liberty to sit beside me even when I told him not to. Ester was in the honors class. She’d loaded on her schedule, meaning I’d only get to see her a couple of times a day, including lunch and gym. I didn’t know what club she’d join. Probably some geek whiz program.

I loved school so much. I loved introducing myself on the first day to people I’ve already met. I loved being called by the teacher. Those few seconds of eye contact gave me the chills. I loved the hushed voices when there’s an authoritative figure around. I loved sitting on my chair for hours, staring at the window. And did I mention the strong colognes and the old bubble gums stuck underneath my desk? Pure and total torture.

There must be a silver lining somewhere, right? In a year I’d graduate, find a job, and pay bills until I died. Hooray!

Something flew to my desk while the Mr. O’hara was writing on the blackboard. I took the crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out. ‘Are you still mad?’

Spencer’s handwriting was barely comprehensible. How did he pass first grade again?

I clicked on my pen and wrote. ‘Stop writing to me. O’hara will see us.’ I tossed it to Spencer just when the teacher was turning.

The paper was sent back when O’hara glanced at his book. ‘Don’t be mad anymore. Puh-lease!”

‘You talk like a hormonal teenage girl,’ I wrote back.

He read the message and chuckled. Spencer batted his lashes to me and replied. ‘Heh. I learned it from the cheerleaders.’

The paper stayed with me for a while as the teacher dove into discussion. Lecture on the first day was so uncool, but his soothing voice put me into a trance. I thought about dad and my friends while listening to him drone. I thought about who was right or wrong. I thought about a thousand other things until I realized that I’ve written something on the paper and was giving it back to Spencer.

‘Where’s Genesis?’

I shifted anxiously on my seat as I waited for him to answer. Finally, he handed me the paper, his face turned to the front.

‘I’m not sure.’

I clutched the note until the class ended and another one began. I didn’t know what to write anymore. Everything began and ended with Genesis. If I wouldn’t get the reply I wanted, I’d leave things as is.

Just before lunch was nap time. I meant study hall. Instead of being monitored inside the classroom, we were asked to go to the library. Spencer was nibbling on a cinnamon roll while walking beside me, his puffed-out cheeks reminding me of when we were ten.

“Wanna?” he offered.

“Nope.”

“But you’re so thin.”

“And you’re so. . .” I eyed him. “Tall.”

He smirked and flexed his biceps. “You mean Hercules?”

“Careful with all that air, Spence. You’ll choke on it.”

“I was kidding.” He popped the last bit of cinnamon on his mouth and chewed happily. “I got to give it to Bertha though. She makes the best batches of bread.”

“Why don’t you ask your best friend to go with you then? He can use more Baguette.” In his mouth. Preferably shoved to his throat.

“Brad? No, he doesn’t like bread. He says it messes with his diet.”

“You said he wasn’t your best friend,” I accused. “How come you’re acknowledging him now?”

Spencer’s face went blank before he realized what I said. “Hey, that’s not fair! You tricked me into saying it.”

“Whatever, and keep your voice down. We’re entering the library.”

The two of us ceased talking once we were inside. I’ve been here too many times to know that the librarian kept a watchful eye on each and every student who passed by her station. Spencer and I chose a table and agreed to meet back when we’ve picked our books. I didn’t really know what to get since we didn’t have homework or anything to study, so I strolled to the shelves like a ghost.

On one of the farthest corners where students rarely went, I stopped to check the titles. This part was dusty. I got the urge to sneeze as I took a book.

My sneeze was halted when I heard someone talking on the other side. I peeked through the gap to see who they were. Both guys were seniors. I couldn’t see their faces, but their stance gave them away. Nobody could look that self-assured in school except for the popular kids and the oldest brood.

I was about to return the book and go on my way when one of them spoke. “The Morgan’s are here again, huh? Small world.”

The other guy nodded. His hand went to the shelf in front of them so he could pretend to browse. “Heard they got into some kind of trouble in the city.”

“The Governor?”

“No, dude. His daughter.”

I ducked when he turned around. My chest was on the verge of exploding. I didn’t know why I was hiding.

Their muffled voices still pierced through the shelf. “I saw it coming a mile away from Gaby, to be honest. From what I heard the last time she was here, she was some kind of trouble maker.” He whistled low. “All that makeup on, and still hot though. I bet she’d hooked up with some married dude and scandalized her dad.”

“You know what the funny thing is?” the other guy said.

“What?”

He paused. “Are you sure no one’s listening? We might get in trouble if news spread.”

“Do you want me to check the other row?”

“Okay.”

I crawled to the end of the shelf as fast as I could. Their footsteps stopped just when I leaned my head on the wood and hugged my knees to my chest. I felt like a dirty rat. Snooping was bad, but I couldn’t help it.

“There’s no one here. Tell me.”

The guy cleared his throat. “Gaby wasn’t the one who got into trouble,” he said. “It’s the younger sister.”

“Genesis?”

“That’s the one.” He chuckled. “I guess she’s not as clean as she used to be.”