The Principal's Office

Chapter 20

I drove over to my house and went up the steps. Stains from the explosion is still there, I softly smile to myself as I walk past them.

Michael brought over another tramp to the house and I had to get to my closet. I sent him a text message this time telling him I needed some clothes for a birthday party that takes place at the beach and he literally opened the door and threw them at my face.

"You're killing the mood. Get your own place. Matter of fact, go live with that dyke you keep defending,"

.... Ugh you can forget about that second chance.

I went to the downstairs bathroom and called the lawyer, "Yes hello? Yes, finalize them. He's already signed them and I'm over it." I said and hung up the moment the lawyer gave met the word that it was official.

I sighed with great relief and slipped into a white tube top and a red boho skirt that had a slit all the way up to my hip and I did a tight a and neat bun with a pair of sandals. I admired myself in the mirror and second guessed myself.

Why is a principal attending a friday night party that's filled with her students? No it's just a party, I doubt all those kids would show up. I made my way out the driveway and drove over to Jimmy's dealership and greeted him.

"I thought I rec- oh my, good afternoon Mrs. Waters. What pleasure do I owe?" I took off my shades and shook his hands, "It's Ms. Waters Jimmy," I smiled and he was taken aback. "I'm actually here to talk about Olly's first skateboard."

I caught his eye when I said that. "What did you want to know?" he grabbed both of us a bottle of water and sat us down.

"What did it look like? Were there any- I don't know, designs? I saw about like 7 different style of skateboards in her room last time I was here and now I'm not so sure of myself."

He smiled brightly and chuckled, "she loved that board like just as much as she hates her name."

My attention averted towards him about Olly's real name, but I don't think it's my place to speak. "I don't know my skateboards like I know my cars, but I do have a spare picture of her and that board." he gets up to go to a desk and open a drawer.

He comes back to hand me a photo of a girl with pure blonde hair in an oversized white santa cruz tshirt and some denim shorts. She stood next to a woman who shared similar features. I saw the board and examined it. But not as much as I examined the little girl in the photo.

"Olly is one helluva stinker, I'll say," her dad laughed and wiped a tear.

"234." he laughed even harder.

"What was that?" I shifted my focus to him.

"She fixed 234 cars one summer and begged me lord knows how many times to get the board to be replaced by another replica with the same stickers because the deck had rotted over the years. when I say that had to be happiest day in her life, it'd be a understatement. She took the thing everywhere." he laughed some more and I laughed with him.

Olly doesn't really look like the girl in the photo, but then I look at the smile and I couldn't help but smile as I saw the connection.

"What was significance of the skateboard? Why was she so attached to it," I became intrigued.

Jimmy sighs and stares off into the early sunset, "it was a little gift from her mom... When her mom was a life guard, she'd teach Olly how to surf. The skateboard was extra practice. They decorated the deck together one afternoon... it was the same afternoon that- Olly had last seen her mother. I don't understand why'd she leave," he clicks his tongue and sighs back into his seat, dealing with opened wounds.

I apologized for prying but he shook his head, "no. Don't be. Olly's one helluva kid, mom's missing out- big time," he sips on his water and I softly laugh while looking at the photo.

I'm not sure why I didn't notice it earlier, but now looking at the woman next to young olly, I see the same maroon beanie I confiscated from Olly, but only this time, it's on the woman in the photo... it must be her mother's. I run my finger across the woman with the beanie on.

"Yeah, that's all Olly has left of her mom. The beanie, the skateboard, but last and certainly not least; her mother's name," he sighs again and gently retrieves his photo as he tucks it away.

Quickly changing the subject, Jimmy averts the topic to skateboards again, "Finding it may be a little challenge because it was a season edition. but here's an address of a skateboard shop that should be your luck- Oh and here," Jimmy hands me a set of wheels and trucks. "The icing on the cake, when you do find it," he cupped them into my palm and smiled dearly as I noticed paint designs of little finger prints on the trucks, assuming their Olly's, as he headed out to the garage.

Olly, I do believe it's my turn to go on this wild goose chase.