Crash

53: UCC

David-

"David?" Alexandra peeked into my room.

"Yes?" I looked up from packing my bag.

"These came in the mail today," She held out three big, yellow envelopes.

I took them and she scurried off. I didn't order anything and our mail never came like this. Picking one envelope, I used my thumb to open it and pulled out a stiff paper.

Dear Ms. Lyra Jay Kellie,

Thank you for choosing the University of Central California. We are happy to inform you that we have accepted your application for our program. For further information and registration, go to WWW.UCCinfoforgrads.org. We hope to see you this fall.

            Signed,

             Head of UCC, Martin R. Cabert.

I sat back, slightly confused. A college acceptance letter to UCC? I didn't recall even talking about applying to colleges with Lyra. I quickly opened the other two. They were also acceptance letters. One was from UCA and the other was from UCP. I sat on the edge of my bed, wondering why Lyra didn't tell me about this sooner.

The door creaked open. Alexandra shuffled into the room and stood in front of me. I pretty much ignored her presence and reread the letters over and over.

"I got curious, what are they? I know the mail never looks like that," She pointed out.

"They're college acceptance letters..." I mumbled, my eyes flickering over them.

"College? She never mentioned anything about college to me," She sniffed.

Of course she didn't, Lyra never liked you. I felt the bed beside me dip down, "She never said anything about it to me either..."

"What? You're- you're her father, why wouldn't she tell you?" She stammered confusedly.

I looked at the three letters in my hands, "I'm not sure.."

Alexandra took one from my hands and skimmed over it. She shrugged and handed it back, "Well, whatever. College is..fun."

"Right but do you know what this means?" I looked at her. She eyed me carefully and seems to pick her words cautiously.

"It means...that she wants to go to college?" She said it more like a question instead of an answer. How did she not know? She had to see this. How come I hadn't seen it sooner?

"It means she's ready to start her life!" I exclaimed, letting the papers fall from my hands and flutter to the floor.

Alexandra flinched and leaned away from me, "Is..is that a bad thing?"

"I-I don't know... I've just never focused on a day like today. I new she'd take off eventually but I don't know it'd be so soon. I can't imagine going to work without Lyra, she my partner," I mumbled. I couldn't see myself hiking along with just Tony. I've always had Lyra by my side, it made no sense to me to go anywhere without her.

"Then what are you going to do?" Alexandra asked. I wasn't too sure but only one idea came to mind because I wasn't going anywhere without Lyra.

"Retire," I said after thinking for a few moments. That was a reasonable option.

"What?!" Alexandra exclaimed as if I had told her she couldn't buy anymore shoes.

"Alexandra, I'm fifty six years old. I can retire. I could've retired a long time ago. I suppose it's time I let Lyra go. Maybe I've been smothering her. Have I kept her around me too much? I hope she can survive on her own. Who are we kidding though? It's Lyra. Oh god...she's going to find some boy at college and fall in love. And then she'll get married and then go off and have a bunch of kids..." I rambled to mostly myself, somewhat forgetting that Alexandra was in the room.