"There you are kid. We were about to send in a search party for you." My grandma said from the couch.
"Yeah what were you doing in there Sandi." My younger brother, Richard said from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a large bowl of popcorn in his lap.
"Nothing really, I was just writing." I said sitting next to him, grabbing a handful of popcorn.
"Ah, you're so much like your mother." Dad said from the couch, his arm wrapped lovingly around my mom.
"You know, your in there two." She said with a laugh.
"Yeah, I know. She just has more of you in her I think." He said joining in her laughter.
Man how I wish I could find what they had. The love they hand for each other filled the room when they were together, and when they were apart you could still feel it. They were amazing. I watched them go back and forth, laughing with each other on the couch behind us. Maybe someday I'll get that.
"Now come on you two. Remember our number one rule. No talking during the movie." Grandma said, as she bit off another piece of her red vine.
"So what are we watching anyway?" I asked.
"Majority ruled." Richard said, "So we're watching Willy Wonka." He replied, stuffing more popcorn in his face.
"No wonder there's twice as much junk food than usual." I said laughing, grabbing the bowl of malted milk balls and popping one in my mouth.
"Okay you two, now Shhh." Grandma said, hushing us.
We exchanged a look between us, trying not to bust up laughing, and then turned back toward the movie.
***
I woke up and I was laying in my bed, Dad must have moved me. Last thing I remember was them going into the stark white TV room and the cowboy kid getting shrunk. It was still dark outside my window. I reached from my phone lighting it up, four am? I climbed out of my bed, sliding into my slippers, and padded down the hall and into the kitchen.
Quietly I pulled a mug out of the cupboard, while preheating the Keurig to make a cup of tea. On the island countertop sat my course catalog for the coming fall semester. As the hot water slowly poured over my teabag I flipped through the course offerings. Mom told me how the first week of classes would go, she said it was called shopping week. I'd be able to take as many classes as I wanted, to try them out, before settling on the classes I would take for the rest of the term.
"I thought I heard someone." I heard come from the other side of the living room, near the hall.
I looked up startled to see my Dad standing in the dark, open space. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I said picking up my tea.
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, walking over.
"No...not really." I said, returning to the catalog.
"You wanna talk about it?" He asked pulling a mug from the cabinet, and placing into under the Keurig, brewing himself a mug of coffee.
"I don't know..." I replied to his question.
"Well let me guess? It's about school." He said looking down at the catalog.
I stopped flipping. "It's just...I've never been alone. Even all my friends are going in different directions. I mean, I'm happy I got into Yale, I'm happy that I'm going to yours and Mom's Alma Mater. I just...like I said...I don't really know." I said.
"Can I let you in on a little secret?" He asked, and I looked up at him. "I was scared when I started."
"You? No way." I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Really. It's wasn't the school or the college experience that scared me though." He said taking a sip of his coffee.
"Then what was it?" I asked.
"Well, there was a ton of family pressure put on me, because I was the heir of our family publishing company. I felt like a disappointment to my father and I didn't want to be a further disappointment while I was at Yale. I mean yeah I partied and lived it up, I mean hey it was college. But hey, I want you to know right here and now, that you will never be a disappointment. You just do your best." He said
"Thanks Dad." I replied, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"And since you have my drive and your mothers brain, I don't think you'll have a problem." He said with a chuckle. "Sweetheart, you'll do beautifully at Yale." He added at the end.
"You really think so?" I asked.
"I know so." He replied. "Now you should try to get some more sleep. I had to be up anyway, got some work to get done."
"You know, I think I'm going to stay up a little longer and go through the courses. I want to pick some good ones to check out for shopping week." I said smiling.
"Okay. I love you Hon." He said, and then leaned over and kissed me on the forehead before turning and walking down the hall.
"Thanks Daddy." I whispered watching him disappear. Then I picked up the catalog and walked over to the couch, sat down, and opened it to all the possibilities that were coming.
