The last day, p.1
The Last Day, page 1
part #1 of The Last Day Series
The Last Day
By
M.M.E. Yoho
For My Husband who provides me with never-failing support and encouragement, my children who bring joy and light into my life and finally for my mother, I miss you everyday.
Preface
If I had known that May 22nd was going to be the last day I would have been more attentive. My mother had gotten out of bed early to make me a farewell meal, and I would have spent more time lingering over breakfast with my parents and younger sister if I had known. I should have savored each bite of those fluffy pancakes topped with real maple syrup, eaten just one more piece of that crispy applewood bacon. If I just would have spent more time reassuring my mother her startling blue eyes might have lit up with their usual humor rather than the worry that was reflected there when I said goodbye. I definitely would not have let the last words I said to my sister be so harsh and dismissive.
Perhaps if I had known that it was the last day, I would have done more than just glance up to look for rain clouds. I would have also noted that the blue sky looked a little too blue and maybe a bit too perfect. I should have realized that the clouds seemed very uniform, all shaped and sized the same. The birds weren’t chirping and singing their usual springtime songs of joy. I realize that now.
Sampson, our black and white cocker spaniel, wasn’t his happy-go-lucky self that morning either. I wish that I hadn’t been so frustrated with him, that I had taken just a few extra minutes from my day to pet him and scratch that particular spot just behind his left ear that always made him so happy. Instead, I just yelled at him to hurry up and stop staring at the sky like an alien was going to appear. However, I was in a complete state of oblivion. I could hear Mrs. Trible next door in her backyard yelling at her dog, Petey, in frustration.
Looking back now, it all seems so obvious, but at that moment in time, it just seemed like a typical day. The Sunday morning paper had been waiting for my father, as usual, on the doorstep. Lucy, my sister, had seemed annoying as she complained because I was getting to go to the beach with friends a week before the family headed there. She was stuck at home finishing up her last week of school while I was getting to enjoy a graduation celebration with my friends.
Sometimes perfection precedes anarchy and normal precedes chaos. On that day I didn’t notice the perfection in the sky, and I also didn’t know that anarchy would soon rule. Life seemed exciting and new, yet ordinary. I didn’t know how the day would end and couldn’t even imagine the struggles that were headed my way. All I saw was a brand new sunny day that was going to lead me into the best summer of my life. If only I had known that it was going to be the last day I would have done things so very differently.
Chapter One
May 22nd
I opened my eyes with excitement when I heard the phone alarm chime out my wake up tone. Today is going to be a great day, I thought as I completed my morning ritual of a few quick stretches, followed by a quick check of my phone to see which of my friends had been trying to contact me. I glanced around my large room and smiled at the sight of the packed luggage waiting by the door.
I love this room, I thought as I rolled out of my queen sized bed. I had carefully chosen every picture on the wall and the grey paint, with scarlet accents, reflected my love of all things from The Ohio State University. Today was the last time I would see my Ohio bedroom for a while. My parent’s business let us have the flexibility and luxury of living in the upper-class suburbs of Columbus, Ohio during the school year and spending summer months at our beach house in North Carolina. Today my friends and I would head to North Carolina, a week before my family, to open the beach house and celebrate our recent high school graduation. After a summer filled with rest and relaxation, I was planning to return to Columbus and move onto campus to start college. That is when adulting would begin, but for now, I was going to take some time to have fun and get a great tan.
I heard my mother moving around in the kitchen downstairs as I stepped into the shower and realized that I needed to pick up my pace or Ty would be here to pick me up before I even had the chance to eat breakfast. I let myself daydream about Ty as I quickly washed my hair and finished up all necessary shower tasks. Ty, also known as Tyler Robins, was my beautiful rebel. My parents weren’t big fans of my relationship with Ty, even though they had known him since birth and his parents for longer. They just thought that we were just too young to be as serious as we were. Ty’s father and mine had been friends throughout high school and college, and although my father was fond of Tom Robins, he didn’t understand what he called his “unconventional, doomsday thinking.” Mr. Robins was sure that sooner, rather than later, there would be some sort of catastrophic event which would lead to either complete annihilation of the human race or, at the very least, a drastic change in life as we know it. The Robins family had a bunker in their backyard, and Ty’s mother had a year's worth of food stockpiled. They were definitely preppers like you saw on the doomsday television shows, and although Ty made jokes about it, I knew he was prepared just in case his father happened to be right. He always seemed to be more aware of what was going on around him than the rest of our group. Ty’s father had made sure that the truck that Ty drove was equipped to handle anything that might happen and, instead of tools in the shiny silver toolbox that sat in the back, one could find any supplies that they might need if the world went crazy. Mr. Robins made a good living helping others prepare for imminent doom, and there was no way that his son wouldn’t be ready as well.
I would say that I fell in love with Ty despite his prepper tendencies. To be honest, I fell in love with him when I was five years old, and he was six. He wouldn’t stop making fun of my name and pulling my hair. His hair was too long, and his smile was crooked, but he made me laugh and pushed me to step beyond my comfort zone and try new things in life. He goaded me into climbing a tree when I was six, and boy was my mother angry about the ruined Easter dress and scraped knees that came along with that adventure. From camping, which I have grown to love, to eating a cricket, which I will never forgive him for making me do, Ty had been with me through it all. When I was about ten, his father began talking about a catastrophic event being imminent, and he believed that everyone should be preparing for it. Ty idolized his father, and I knew that, even though he made jokes with our group of friends when his father’s prepping practices came up, or someone made what they thought was a funny end of the world joke, he really did believe what his father had always told him. Sometimes when he held me close, he would whisper in my ear, “I’ve got you, Elli. No matter what I will always keep you safe.”
After a shortened version of my usual morning rituals, I threw on the clothes that I had so carefully chosen the night before. The hours that we would be spending in the car required that I wear something comfortable, but I wanted to look good too. I always tried to look good for Ty. As far as I am concerned, I’m average looking at best. My brown hair might shine, but it usually had its own idea about what it wanted to do unless I was willing to spend over an hour taming it with a straightener. My eyes couldn’t decide if they wanted to be blue or green and there was nothing special about my face. It was just an average shape, and I was just average looking Eloise. Even my name wasn’t impressive. Eloise is so old-fashioned, as my parents had intended my name to be. My sister suffered the same fate. Lucy was really Lucille. At least my friends all called me Elli, which I love, but Lucy is stuck with Lucy like the annoying Charlie Brown character. Lucy had at least gotten my mother’s flawless beauty. She was long-legged and thin. Her blonde hair always stayed in place, and her eyes were so light blue that they almost appeared translucent. I was shorter and curvier than both my mother and my twelve-year-old sister. Ty always told me that I was too self-conscious because, according to him, I am the most beautiful and perfect creature on the planet. When he said it, I always responded that love is blind, and so he must really love me. I see the way all the other girls look at him and then at me. They are obviously trying to figure out how someone as attractive as him could choose to be with someone as mousy as me. I often ask myself the same thing so I can’t blame them for wondering.
The smell of bacon emanating from the kitchen made my stomach growl and reminded me to stop contemplating Ty and get down to the breakfast which Mom was working so hard to create. I was struggling to get the biggest of my suitcases down the steps to the foyer when a strong arm reached over me, lifting it as easily as a pillow. Startled, I jumped before looking up to see the smiling face of my father.
“Good morning El. Did you pack everything you own or have you got some rocks in here too?” Although Dad’s eyes were smiling, I could see the worry there as well. I knew that he and my mother were worried about me taking off on this trip without them. It would be the first time that I had traveled without the family, and they had always been very protective of me. I think the worry and protectiveness came from the fact that I was always sick as a child. Even at birth, I had been too small to come home from the hospital for a month. Of course, that could have been because I was born eight weeks early. My mother always calls me her miracle baby and a fighter, but deep down I know that I’m really not a miracle or a fighter. I’m afraid of everything. Strangers make me nervous. Crowds and parties are enough to send me into a panic attack. Without Ty and my friends, who know me so well, I think I would probably live life like a hermit crab. Instead of a shell though, I would curl up in a blanket with a hot chocolate and a good book.
I released the suitcase as Dad grabbed it. Before he co uld leave, I turned to kiss his cheek. I would always be daddy’s girl, no matter how old I was. “Good morning Dad. I think I left a few things behind, but I have another few suitcases to grab. I was going to let Ty have the honor of going up to get them for me when he gets here. I just don’t want to forget anything. I want to relax and enjoy this summer, and maybe shop a little because I am sure that even with all of these suitcases there is something that I am forgetting.”
My dad chuckled as he picked up the heavy suitcase and headed down the stairs. For a brief moment, I considered going back to my room to grab another suitcase but the smell of the bacon was like a siren’s song to my stomach, and I quickly bounced down the stairs and towards the kitchen. I passed Dad about halfway down and called out, “I’ll try to leave some bacon for you, but if I were you I wouldn’t expect to find any left!”
I saw Dad pick up his pace a bit as I rounded the corner into the kitchen. Mom was standing by the stove looking more like a cover girl model than a mother of two in her early 40s. She was dressed in a cami top with some pink lounge pants. Her blonde hair was piled in a messy bun, and there was a natural pink glow to her cheeks and on her lips. She looked like her name, Barbie. She hated her name, and, in fact, chose to go by her middle name, Marie. Her hate of her name is the main reason that Lucy and I had such old-fashioned names.
A mound of bacon sat on the counter beside the stove, and I could see that she had been mixing what appeared to be pancake batter. She quickly sat the bowl aside, walked over, and hugged me. I could see the worry in her eyes but chose to ignore it as I returned her hug. I wasn’t sure that she was going to let go, but she finally did and went back to her bowl.
“Good morning, Mom. Those wouldn’t happen to be banana pancakes would they?” Mom gave me a wink and a half smile as she started to pour the batter onto the griddle. “Are you spoiling me? Or trying to make me look bad in a bikini?”
“Oh my dear, you would look beautiful wrapped in rags, when will you learn this? I just thought you might like a few of your favorites to get a good start to this morning. We will miss you, and you must promise me that you and Ty will be careful. Just because Ty is eighteen doesn’t mean that he is mature enough to be responsible for one of my babies. What if there is a car accident?”
“Mom, come on. You know better than to worry about how well Ty can take care of me. I also think that I do a pretty good job of making my own decisions and taking care of myself. Now let me stuff myself with your delicious cooking before I am stuck eating fast food for a week.”
Lucy stumbled into the kitchen just as the first pancakes were coming off the griddle. Her complaining began immediately, as had become the pattern in the past few months. She used to be happy and, well, pleasant most of the time but as my graduation had neared she had become increasingly difficult to coexist with peacefully. She had been getting progressively more annoyed at my growing independence while she was still expected to be in the house by 9 pm, even on weekends, to her utter embarrassment. Lucy and her friends abused the lifestyle of privilege that my parents both worked hard to provide us. Lucy was too young to remember any of those years when my parents struggled to keep food on the table and the heat on, but I remembered them all too well. I don’t take for granted all of the comforts and conveniences that we had. I was shocked when I had gotten a car for a Christmas gift the year before, but Lucy believed that she was entitled to have everything that she wanted and do anything that she wanted without limit. A giant sigh preceded her bored, annoyed opening complaint.
“It’s Sunday! I don’t know why I have to get up early just because Eloise is getting to leave for the beach.” She always called me Eloise when she was annoyed. “It’s not like I am getting to go off with my friends to have a good time. I could have slept in for hours!”
“Good morning to you too, Lucille.” I returned with a bright smile in her direction. Her glare at me gave me a bit of satisfaction. I knew that she wanted more freedom from my parents but taking her frustration out on me wasn’t going to fly. I had spent years taking her places with me and including her with my friends, but she was just too young to do the things that we did now. I was almost an adult, and she needed to understand that. “I am sure that you will have a great last week of school without me. You can follow Jason Dean around like you always do, all doe-eyed, hoping that he will pay attention to you.”
I could see the hurt in Lucy’s eyes, as well as disproval in my mother’s, as soon as the words left my mouth. I felt immediately guilty. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything, but she just annoyed me so much sometimes. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Lucy jumped up from the table, called me a jerk and left the kitchen. I didn’t look up as my mother sat a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I’ll go apologize.”
Dad gently patted my hand and Mom patted my back as she walked away.
“She won’t listen to you right now. You know that. You have to give her some time. I know that she pushes your buttons on purpose, but you have to not let her bait you into responses like that. Don’t let it ruin your day. Call her later with an apology, but for now, eat your food before it gets cold.” Mom said as she sat the heated maple syrup in front of me. I noticed that the plate she sat down for Dad had a heaping serving of bacon and a large stack of pancakes, but her plate contained some fruit and just one piece of bacon, a treat for her.
“Mom, why don’t you have some pancakes? They are so good!” I muttered as I placed a fork full in my mouth.
“I have to watch my figure,” she replied as she daintily speared a fresh strawberry and placed it gently in her mouth. My mother was the last person who needed to watch her figure or count calories, but she always seemed to be on some fad diet. I always wondered why she worried about it so much, but she worried about every calorie and even an ounce of weight gain. I knew it wasn’t caused by pressure from my father. He was always telling her that she was stunning and didn’t need to worry about diets and calories, while he was trying to get her to taste his cheesecake. She had worked as a model before she married my dad and she once told me about how much pressure there was for models to maintain excessively thin figures. In one of her modeling pictures that I had found hidden away, she looked like skin and bones. It just looked very unhealthy, in my opinion. She must have sensed my disappointment in the fact that she wouldn’t join us for pancakes because she took a bite of her bacon and reached with her fork to my plate. I smiled when she stole a tiny piece of my pancake. It was somewhat bittersweet that she seemed to savor it so much.
Talk at the table turned to a discussion of the route that my friends and I would take for the trip, as well as our plans to camp for the night in the mountains along the way. I knew my parents were very nervous to send me off with a group of teenagers, but, for the most part, my friends and I were very responsible. Ty was always ready for anything that might go wrong, and he always made sure that I was safe. You would think that his prepping tendencies would make my parents more comfortable, I thought to myself. It wasn’t Ty that they disliked, it was just the idea of me being so entirely devoted to someone at my age. They thought that we were too young. My mother always told me that I didn’t know who else was out there, and my response was still the same. I didn’t need to know who else was out there because Ty is the perfect human for me. He makes me a better person, and I do the same for him. That is all that matters. Life isn’t about trying every piece of chocolate, I told her, just finding your favorite flavor. Once you have that, you don’t need to taste every other one.
After having been cautioned about the danger of strangers, what to do in the case of an accident, and how to avoid all the other common pitfalls that naïve teenagers succumb to, my parents moved on to discussing all the responsibilities that we would have once we got to the beach house.
My mother started. “You know that it can’t be ALL days of lying on the beach when you get there. The house has been shut up for months. You will need to get everything back to living condition. I added funds to your bank account, so you should go to the grocery and get everything that you will need for the week, as well as the basics that we can use for a while. Make sure you call Bill. You remember Bill, Mr. Dugan, the property manager? Yes. Call him when you arrive so he knows that you made it there and he can help you if there is an issue that needs immediate attention.”
