when i'm gone

where are we going

i finished brushing my teeth and putting on my nightgown. i crawled inside my bed and exhaled. the layers of blankets were bound to keep me warm through out the night, but since it was summer, i doubted i would really need them. i started to wonder whether it would grow to be stuffy in the room. i was used to it anyway. back at my house, we didn't have air conditioning so it was always hot. mommy walked in and turned on the fan on the ceiling. thank god. "alright, everyone in bed?" mommy looked at the me, cc, and twyla, all snuggled up in bed. i clutched the blankets, just excited to get to sleep.

"get to sleep right away. tomorrow grandma and grandpa and i have a big surprise for you guys. i think you'll really, really like it." she winked at me. i don't really like surprises... "what is it?" twyla sat up in bed. cc turned over to face mommy more clearly, "is it somewhere we go?" he rested his cheek on the back of his hand. "it won't be a surprise if i tell you!" mommy laughed and kissed us all goodnight. "sleep good and i'll wake you bright and early." she turned out the light in the room and closed our door. i felt relaxed with how dark the room was and how twyla and cc didn't talk after the light went out for the first time. i flipped over to face the window and a stream of moonlight filtered through the blinds. all of my worries seemed to be absorbed by the comfortable mattress. the pillow cradled my head perfectly, my eyelids heavy. i let out a big sigh, relaxing all my muscles, not having to stress about mommy or daddy for one night. i smiled faintly before i was gone into a deep slumber.

i felt something warm on my face and the shaking of my body. i peeled open my eyes, the sunlight streamed into them making them a vibrant blue. i seemed to be in the same position as when i fell asleep. i hadn't slept that good in a very long time. i yawned, stretching my arms to see twyla and cc already creeping out of bed. mommy sat on the edge of mine and patted the top of my legs that were covered by the blankets. "morning, baby," she cooed. i rubbed my eyes and sat up. i could already feel my hair was crazy and frizzy. i murmured, "what time is it?" mommy giggled, "6:30." i had no clue why she was waking us up so early. we didn't have school, did we? "come on, you need to get dressed. breakfast will be ready in 10." mommy stood up and headed for the door.

"wait, mom!" cc ran out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. "what do we wear?" mommy placed a hand on her hip. "charlie, put on some shorts and a t. girls, maybe a tank top and some shorts or a skirt. something comfortable, but you should be able to stay cool in." charlie groaned, "so complicated." i squinted at cc, "hey..." he looked over at me guiltily. "is that my toothbrush?" i squealed. cc took off in the other direction toward the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. "hey! you can't do that!" i hopped out of bed and banged my hands on the door. "hey, hey, it's ok. just get ready. i'll find you a new toothbrush," mommy assured me.

i rolled my eyes, finding cc rather annoying this morning. i unzipped my suitcase and threw open the top. i saw a really cute t-shirt that was a faded blue and had a yellow surfboard on the top left corner and on top of the surfboard it said "reef surfer". i threw that on with a pair of tight jean shorts. i put on a pair of white peds then my black vans. turns out, twyla had a similar idea for an outfit. she wore the same shirt except it was a faded pink and the surfboard was green. same shorts. same shoes. guess triplets think alike. cc opened the bathroom door and had on a vintage t-shirt that said "the beatles" across it in cool rainbow colors and he had on long tan shorts.

"i wonder where we are going," i looked at twyla. "probably to get ice cream or something." cc scoffed, "at 6 am? you're stupid." i bit my tongue. i didn't like when cc talked badly to twyla. i glanced at her and could see a bit of hurt glisten in her bright blue eyes. "no, she could be right. what if it's good ice cream that's far away?" i tried to back her up so she would be less put down. a smile grew onto her face and she nodded, "see?" eventually, the three of us ran down the elegant stairs and into the kitchen where mommy, grandma, and grandpa were waiting. i sat down on a chair against the island in the kitchen and mommy pulled out a brush. she combed back my hair into a tight pony tail and she did the same with twyla. "my hair is fine!" cc swatted mommy's hand away. "ok, but it looks silly." grandma and grandpa both wore hats that had a cartoon character on them. it looked like a mouse? that's weird.