Chapter 1: Disappointment
1416 Words
Chapter 1
Elle
He's coming home tomorrow! One day left. One day.
I can't say that in my head enough times to really understand what it means.
Cody is finally coming home tomorrow. I haven't seen him in six months now. I really miss him.
We've been best friends since I can remember. No, I mean way back... Like back to kindergarten time. Not kidding. So yeah, we've been friends for a very long time.
But I also feel something else for him. I have for about a year. But when I decided to tell him, he told me that he got a callback and had to leave. If you don't already know... Cody is a soldier. So he has been in Afghanistan for the past six months.
I don't like him being a soldier. It doesn't go one day without me thinking of the fact that Cody can die any second. I can't lose him. I just can't.
I don't know why he chose to become a soldier. He only had the highest grades in school, he could've been anything, and he did have plans to go to law school, but after graduation from High School he was like "Elle, I wanna be a soldier". Right out of the blue. Why? I mean, I know that his father wanted Cody to become a lawyer, maybe becoming partners in his law firm. Cody’s brothers don't want to become lawyers or partners with their father, they are fine working with their mother at her small café. Their father thinks they're lazy. He had higher hopes for Cody, but he can't call Cody lazy, he's doing a service for our country. That's honorable mo matter our feelings about it.
I usually help out at Mrs. Williams' café, it's small but it's always full, and we always have taken away orders. It's the best little café in town, and there is rarely time for a break. The café’s name is Sugar, just Sugar. We serve a lot of sweet goodies, so the name is suitable.
I'm working as a singer at the café once a week, and the other days I hell behind the counter. I help out as much as I can, but I'm in college as well so I don't always have the time. In four days I'm graduating though so I will have more time to hell out at the café. I don't know what I wanna do in life, so I guess I'm gonna keep working at the café to help out Cody’s mother. But I'm only twenty, so I have time to decide what I want to do in the future if I don't stay at the café. I need the money to pay for my apartment, Mrs. Williams is laying me good money to work at the café even though told her it's too much. Don't get me wrong, she earns a lot of money in her café, it just feels wrong, I've known this family since I was little.
Right this minute I'm walking towards the café. It's sunny today. Just like my mood. I'm not very often like this. Happy, I mean. I'm trying to keep a smile on my face each day for everyone to see, but inside I'm not happy. I'm sad. That’s because Cody isn't home. But the thought of him on a plane back home right this minute, makes me feel the happiness I've longed after.
"Elle!"
I turn around and see my best friend Vicky jogging up to me.
"Hey Vicky", I say happily when she arrives.
"Wow, someone's in a good mood today", she laughs.
"Well of course, how can I not be?" I ask.
"That's right, Cody is coming home tomorrow, right?" She asks.
"He is", I say, feeling all warm inside my whole body, just by thinking of seeing Cody’s face again. Looking into his eyes. Oh, those eyes. I can never forget how beautiful they are. The ocean deep and clear blue eyes.
"Olala", Vicky teases. "Gonna tell him?"
I nod.
I have to tell him. I didn't get the chance last time. I'm not gonna waste another day after he's home. And if he doesn't feel the same I'm gonna go and die in a hole. Okay, just kidding, no but I'm just gonna have to accept that.
Really... I don't think that he likes me. I have nothing to offer. And I mean... Nothing. I'm not beautiful like Vicky or smart like Cody. The only thing I can do is sing and work behind the counter. But that's about it.
Vicky is very beautiful. Her light blue eyes, her long, flowing strawberry blonde hair. Her adorable dimples. She usually has her hair up in a blue ribbon. She loves ribbons, she has them in every color, but blue is her favorite. Dark blue. Maybe a little old fashioned bit so gorgeous
One of my two sisters also loves ribbons. She always wears them, but at the end of her two braids, and sometimes as a headband. She has had the two braids ever since she was little, like most young girls but she likes them and so does everyone else. I also used to have two braids, but I started with one braid after I turned eleven, and then finally I stopped with braids completely and now I just have it flowing around my head.
"So is your mom coming to your graduation?" Vicky asks as we start walking towards the bakery again. She also helps in the bakery sometimes. When the pressure is too high.
"No", I say low.
I don't even wanna think of my mother. She lives in another city with my sisters. If I could I would've made them stay with me. They lived here at first, but my mom moved and forced my sisters to move with her even though they didn't want to, they are underaged though so they didn't have much of a choice. Ugh, I hate our mom. She was never there for me or me after our father left, and when she got out of her depression, she accused me of not taking care of my sisters the right way. She also said that it was my fault that my father left us. I hate her so much.
"Your sisters?" Vicky asks carefully.
She knows what I think of my mother, and why.
"Yeah, Daniel is going to get them for me", I say. "They can't go alone, I mean they could, they're fourteen and sixteen now, but I don't want them to travel all that way by themselves".
Daniel is Cody's middle brother. He told me that he would get my sisters because he knew that I was going to be upset if they weren't at my graduation. The Williams family is coming as well. I feel like I have great support even though I don't have contact with my mother.
We arrive at the café but no one is there and the 'close' sign is up.
I frown. What? It's in the middle of the afternoon and it's a high pressure day here at the café. I take up my key and open the door. They gave me a key. They say that they trust me with it and wanted me to have it.
When we enter the café we hear sobs. We walk inside the office and see Cody’s father and mother.
Mrs. Williams is hugging a letter while crying and Mr. Williams is trying to comfort her. Me. Williams should be at his office, something has to be up for him to be here.
"What happened?" I ask.
They jump when they hear me.
"It's Cody... He's not coming home tomorrow", Mr. Williams says.
And just like that, all my happiness is gone and I'm back in the darkness.
"What?! Why?" Vicky asks.
"We don't know, we just got a letter where he says that he's in Afghanistan still, that he can't come home yet and that he's sorry", Mrs. Williams says.
NO!
"But ... I want him to come home", I whimper in a small voice.
Mrs. Williams stands up and walks up to me. She embraces me in a warm loving hug.
"We know sweetheart, we want him to come home as well", she says warmly, stroking my hair.
I feel the tears slowly flow down my cheeks. He's not coming home tomorrow.
- Writer
