The Story of Vada Munroe

Chapter Two

Vada got out of the car along with her parents and she extended her arms up in the air as she stretched out her entire body.

"Vada, go unlock the front door, please." Casey said. Vada nodded and took the keys from her father and walked around the car and up the porch. She put the key in the lock and unlocked the door. She pushed the door open and returned to her parents. "Thanks, honey." Casey said, taking the key back from Vada. "Your boxes are on the bottom, so just hang tight, okay?"

Vada nodded. "Sounds good to me." She turned her back to them and walked back towards the house.

Casey smiled softly and turned towards Jennifer. "She's a lot like you."

Jennifer stood up straight with a box labeled kitchen held against her body. She looked up at him and smiled softly and said, "She is, but can't help but worry about that."

Casey tilted his head slightly. "We don't know if she'll end up like that yet."

"Yeah, yet."

Casey huffed silently. "Don't think like that. Her first day of high school is tomorrow. Let's hope it goes well." Jennifer nodded in agreement and followed behind him towards the house. A while later, Vada leaned against the wall with a cigarette in between her index and middle finger. She brought the cigarette to her lips and inhaled sharply, watching as her father gathered more boxes from the trunk. She looked past him, to the house across the street. A boy who seemed about her age caught her attention and, from what she could see, he had dark brown hair and was pretty tall. The sound of her father's footsteps coming closer caught her attention. She looked over at him just as he stopped beside her. He shifted the box in his hands slightly over to his right before raising his hand to hers and he flicked the cigarette out of her hand. She scoffed and looked down at the cigarette as he stomped his foot over it.

She looked back up at him and yelled, "Dad!"

"I thought I told you to stop."

Vada crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the ground. "It's not that easy."

He sighed and readjusted the box in his hands. "If they're not gone by next week, I'm going to tell your mother." He said before walking into the house. Vada sighed softly and pushed herself off the wall. "Go get your boxes. I'll be out to help in a minute." Vada walked down the stairs and walked over to the trunk of the car.

I started smoking when I was fourteen. Dad was coming home from a meeting late that night when he saw me smoking from my bedroom window. I saw him see me and I panicked. I tossed the cigarette out the window and sprayed so much perfume I thought I was going to die. I knew there was no point in trying to pretend I wasn't smoking because he had already seen me, but I was young and scared half to death. I never saw my dad so angry in my life, even to this day.

Vada turned towards her father just as he set her last box on the floor. He let out a soft sigh and stood up straight.

"Thanks dad." Casey looked up at her and nodded. "And I'm sorry about earlier." She added.

"It's okay. I just want what's best for you."

"I know."

Casey took a moment before speaking, "Your mother is making dinner, it should be done in an hour."

"Okay." Casey turned his back to her and began walking towards her bedroom door. "Dad." Casey turned his head to look back at his daughter, sitting on her bed, looking at him. "Why aren't you and mom married?"