| |
No farewell is complete without a proper goodbye. It would’ve been easier for my Aunt Didi to put me on a flight that sent me straight from Atlanta to Las Vegas, but I refuse to go across the country without saying goodbye to my besties. Especially JJ.
Unfortunately, today is the only day I have to say goodbye in person. Tomorrow morning, I’m back on a plane, headed to Nevada.
“The church is throwing us a farewell party tonight,” my dad reminds me. “If you go out with your friends, be at church by six p.m. sharp.”
“Yes, sir.”
We are leaving one church to start another. And since our church here in Tennessee helped fund the church Dad is starting in Vegas, it would be rude for us not to show up and say goodbye.
Dad parks the car in front of my Gram’s house. It’s where we’re staying for the night since our old home is already sold. Dad moved our things over the summer. So all we have to do is fly to sunny Las Vegas.
I send a group text to my friends: I’m back...for now. At Gram’s.
I wait a few seconds for one of them to text me. One minute passes, two then three, four, and five.
Oh well, I can’t expect them to be waiting by the phone for my return. I take a shower to get the airplane stench off me and then get dressed in some shorts and a halter top, something I hadn’t dared to wear in all the hot, muggy summers.
Aunt Didi wanted me to journal and speak affirmations about myself every single day. It’s the same thing my mom tried to do for me only I was the one speaking my confidence into existence.
I check my phone again. Still no messages from my friends. Dang. Thought they’d be ready to hang out when I got back. Only a few hours until the farewell party. Four hours to be exact. What can I do until then? There are other people I need to say goodbye to, but most of them will be at church.
My mind wanders back to when JJ said he’d have something planned. I’m more than curious as to what it is or can be. Why hasn’t he called me to let me know what we’re doing? Does he have his phone back yet?
I flop on the guest bed and scroll through my phone, going back to the last message I sent Benjamin over an hour ago. Made it to TN. Even he hadn’t responded. Where is everyone?
Feeling unsettled and the need to do something outside of watching TV, I go to Gram’s room where she has a plethora of magazines.
I pick up an old Ebony magazine from February 1971 where Diana Ross graces the cover in all her splendor. Eyelashes on the top and bottom, big bright eyes, pearls around her neck, and short curly hair framing her face. She’s absolutely beautiful.
Sitting on Gram’s bed, I go through magazine after magazine, reading articles about civil rights, fashion, and hairstyles from back then.
When my dad tells me it’s almost time to go, I’ve completely lost track of time. I clean up the mess of magazines all over Gram’s floor and go back to my room where I left my phone.
I’ve got tons of messages.
Jessa: Yay you’re back! I’m on my way over.
Xavier: We’re coming to see you.
Jessa: It’s cool if we come over right?
Xavier: Clove you there?
Jessa: Hey, just want to make sure we’re good to come by.
Benjamin: Glad you made it back safely. I miss you already.
Still, there’s nothing from JJ. How odd. Maybe he doesn’t have his phone back yet.
As I’m texting Jessa, my phone rings with the picture of me and JJ showing on the screen.
“Hey!” I answer eagerly.
“Hey, you! Heard you’re back in town.”
“I am. You got your phone back. Where are you? When’d you get back? Can you come see me? Or will you be at the farewell party tonight?”
I silently scold myself for hitting him with a barrage of questions. Clearly, I’ve missed him.
He chuckles to himself. “First, I’m going to apologize for what I’m about to say.”
“Apologize? Why?”
“I’ve left Smalltown already.”
My chest begins to ache and my feet feel heavy. I need to sit down. “What? Why? But I thought—”
“Hold on,” he says. “It’s not what you think. There’s been a change in plans. Ask me where I am.”
With my heart breaking, I’m in no mood for guessing games and I think my eyes are starting to water. “JJ, I don’t know. Are you on your way to the airport?”
“No, I’m in a moving truck. Headed to Louisiana to drop off some of my grandparents’ stuff to my Aunt and Uncle in Shreveport.”
Shreveport? I know he has family down there, but why does he sound so happy about it? He hates going to Shreveport.
“Oh okay. Well, we’ll miss seeing each other I guess. Are you flying to France from Louisiana?”
“Nope. I’m driving to Las Vegas from Louisiana.”
I’m confused. “Say what now?”
“We’re moving to Vegas, not France. Your dad gave my dad a job as Executive Pastor of the new church. Essentially, that means he’ll handle all the administrative work, no preaching. And that school you told me about, Garvey Academy, had a teacher opening last minute. My mom applied and she got the job. She needs to be there by Monday. So this week, we’ve been packing a moving truck, selling things, and taking care of last-minute stuff. I’m going to be in Vegas with you. What do you think of that?”
My heart is beating a mile a minute. “Seriously?” I ask. “You’re not joking? My dad didn’t mention one word of this to me.”
“I asked him not to. I wanted to be the one to tell you the news and I was trying to surprise you but I couldn’t wait.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t.”
“But wait, it gets better. We’re renting a house, five houses down from yours.”
“You lie like a rug!”
JJ busts out laughing. “You and those colloquialisms. But I’m not lying. We’ll be living in the same neighborhood, going to the same school, and the same church—of course. ”
“This is like a dream come true. Am I dreaming?”
“If you’re dreaming, then I am too, so let’s not wake each other up.”
I can’t help but smile. JJ moving to Vegas is going to be so awesome. Especially now that I know how I feel about him. My heart beats furiously inside my chest. “Ugh! I wish you were here so I could hug you.”
“Same. It’s been a really long summer without you.”
My stomach fills with butterflies. I think I’m ready, ready to tell him how I truly feel.
“I love you,” he says, taking the words right out of my mouth. I pause only because I wasn’t expecting him to say it first. His brother, Zach, teases him and makes kissing noises in the background.
With my heart pounding as if I’d just run a marathon, I say, “I love you, too.”
Having known JJ for so long, I can practically hear him smiling. “I’ll meet you in Vegas,” he says.
“Definitely,” I almost whisper. “Meet you in Vegas.”