Georgie's Moon (15 page)

Georgie buried her face in the roughness of his jacket. From somewhere deep inside a cry made its way up. She could feel it trying to surface and couldn't stop it.

“No!” she wailed. “It's not true!”

He rocked her and smoothed her hair, cradling her as she cried. But in the end it didn't matter. He still said, “Yes, honey, it is.”

19

Georgie sat on the steps, listening to Mom's and Jack's soft voices coming from the kitchen as she looked at the moon. She felt sad and tired. For months she'd been pushing against a door to keep it closed. Now that the door had been blasted wide open, she barely had the strength left to stand.

Mom came outside and said, “Jack is sleeping on the couch tonight, sugar. He said to tell you good night.”

Georgie nodded, then asked a question that had been nagging her. “Mom? What happened to Lisa?”

“She called her mother to come get her.” Mom opened the screen door. “Come sit with me for a minute.”

Georgie sighed loudly.

“Oh, I'm not going to tell you to talk about your feelings,” Mom said. “I have something for you.”

Georgie stood and dusted off the seat of her skirt. She went into the kitchen and pulled out a chair across from Mom.

“Jack asked me to give you this,” Mom said. “He sent me mine in July, after your dad's plane crashed, but he knew you weren't ready for yours. He would have given it to you himself, but he thought you'd had enough of him for one day.”

Mom slid an envelope across to Georgie.

Dad's handwriting was on the front. Georgie picked it up, rose, and said, “Good night, Mom.”

Georgie sat alone in her room, staring at the envelope. Dad made his letters stand straight up and down, almost like soldiers at attention. Georgie had gone through the mail each day for months, praying for a letter from Dad. Now that she had one, she didn't want to open it. She knew this was the last one she would ever get.

She threw on pajamas and brushed her teeth. She put the letter in a drawer, then crawled into bed.

She couldn't sleep. The letter called to her. Finally she opened the drawer, grabbed the envelope, and carried it to the window. She slid the paper out and rubbed her hand over it, knowing Dad was the last person to touch it. She carefully spread it open and read:

Georgie,

I hope you never see this letter. I'm writing it for Jack to give you in case I don't make it. If I know you (and I do), then I know you're mad at him for giving it to you. Don't be. He's following my orders and he'll be the one to look after you and Mom from now on.

As for you, Captain, we need to add a contingency plan, which is sort of a backup. Your contingency plan has three parts. One is to take good care of your mom. Love her enough for me, too. She hasn't had it easy living with two hardheads like us.

The second part is, don't make me into a hero. I know you love me, but I'm a stubborn soldier who should have retired so this wouldn't have happened. Think your own thoughts and follow your own mind, girl. You've got a good one.

The most important part is this. You've been my whole world since the day you came screaming into it. You're everything I see and everything I feel. Always remember that my love for you is bigger than life, Georgie. A little thing like dying isn't going to stop it.

With love always,

Dad

That night Georgie fell asleep on the floor, bathed in the moonlight, with her body curled protectively around Dad's letter.

*   *   *

Georgie stayed close to Mom the next morning. After months of feeling suffocated, being near her felt as comforting as a bandage on a raw wound.

After lunch, Mom said, “Since Jack is leaving this evening, he and I need to spend some time filling out papers and doing things that I've … put off. Tying up loose ends, I guess.”

Georgie had a few ends to tie up herself.

First she went to the Sunset Home. She found Sophia on the patio, reading a book.

“Hello, Georgie!” She laid the book in her lap, then really looked at Georgie. “Is something wrong, dear?”

Georgie slumped on the bench beside her. “Soph, remember that letter I read you from my dad?”

“Of course!”

Georgie unbuttoned her jacket. “I lied when I said I'd just gotten it. He sent it last summer. It was the last letter he sent.”

She handed Sophia Dad's letter. “Until this one.”

After reading it, Sophia carefully folded it, put it back inside the envelope, and placed it on the bench beside Georgie. She patted Georgie's hand and waited.

Georgie said, “Mom told me his plane went down in July. But they couldn't find his body. I hoped he was still alive, trying to come back. I guess I pretended he was alive because I couldn't stand to think otherwise. Crazy, huh?”

Sophia sat back in her chair. “When my husband died, I set the table for two at every meal and I talked to him just like he was sitting there.”

She tucked her book into the side of her chair. “So, tell me, Georgie. Does that make
me
crazy?”

“Nah.” Georgie's mouth lifted at one corner in a small smile.

“Time helps with the pain, dear,” Sophia said. “But the hole in your heart may stay. Try to think of it as a good thing—a reminder of how much you love your father.”

Georgie took a deep breath, releasing a little of the pain she'd been carrying as she exhaled. She carefully slipped the letter into her pocket.

She stood, unlocked Sophia's brake, and began pushing her inside. “So, what's it gonna be today? Backgammon or chess?”

“I'd love a game of backgammon.”

“Okay, we'll play chess next Saturday.”

“
Next
Saturday?” Sophia turned in her chair to look at Georgie. “Lisa said she was coming next week, but I thought yesterday was your last visit.”

Georgie shrugged. “I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the line I started really liking ya, Soph.”

*   *   *

That evening, Jack kissed Mom goodbye on the cheek, then turned to Georgie. “Are you and I okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Georgie said. “No sense in killing the messenger, right?” She grabbed Jack's bag; then she and Mom followed him to his rental car. “Besides, my orders say that you'll be taking care of us from now on.”

Georgie slid her gaze to Mom. “Right, Mom?”

Mom nodded, with tears in her eyes. “I'm going to let you two say goodbye.” She hurried toward the house. It hit Georgie full force how much Mom missed Dad.

Jack watched her go. “It's been hard on her, too, Georgie.”

“Yeah,” Georgie said. “I know that now.”

“Will you read my letters from now on?”

“Yes,” Georgie said. “I might even answer them.”

“I'd like that.” Jack put his bag in the trunk and turned to her. “Your mom wants to stay here, Georgie. She wants to open up that preschool. Is that good with you?”

“It's an okay place.”

“You got friends here?” he asked.

“I don't think so.” Georgie thought of Lisa. “There was this one girl, but we're just too different.”

“Your daddy and I were your age when we met. We were like night and day. Fought like we hated each other. Then we became best friends.” Jack slammed the trunk. “Now, I want you to let me know when you get yourself a best friend, okay?”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, I mean it. You write and tell me in a letter. Deal?”

Georgie hesitated, then said, “Deal.”

“I'll be looking forward to it.”

After he left, Georgie thought about Jack's question. Did she have a friend? She found her mom at the kitchen sink.

“Mom, I have to talk to Lisa,” she said. “Tonight.”

*   *   *

This time Georgie waited until Mom completely stopped the car. She wasn't in a rush to hop out because she didn't know if Lisa would want to see her.

Georgie saw a figure making its way toward her and, even though it was dark outside, she knew it was Lisa.

She turned to Mom. “You're not going to
stay
while we talk, are you?”

Mom smiled. “How about I go for a drive?”

Georgie gave her a grateful hug.

“Hey,” Georgie said to Lisa as her mom pulled away.

“Hi.” Lisa folded her arms across her chest. “After you ran away yesterday, your mom told me about your dad. I'm really sorry.”

“Me, too,” Georgie said. She followed Lisa to the porch and sat next to her.

“You told me off pretty good yesterday,” Georgie said. “When I told you to stand up for yourself, I didn't mean with me.”

“You deserved it.”

Georgie chuckled. Even if Lisa told her to get lost, she liked this tougher version.

“So why are you here?” Lisa asked, fingering a wisp of hair.

“I wanted you to know I saw Sophia today.” Georgie cleared her throat. “I told her about my dad.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, she was cool. I told her I'd still visit.”

“That's great. I mean, I'm glad you want to go back.”

Georgie pulled a chrysanthemum that was growing beside the porch and began plucking its petals. “Listen, the main reason I'm here is to say I'm sorry I gave Kathy your poem.” Georgie sighed. “I guess there are a lot of things I'd like to undo.”

Lisa took a deep breath. “And being my friend is one of them.”

“Well … no. I can't stand Angel,” Georgie said. “And Kathy got on my nerves. She
still
has a crush on Donny Osmond. Being around you is a whole lot better. Even when we're fighting.”

Lisa smiled and hugged her knees to her chest.

“Your choice of crushes isn't much better than Kathy's, though,” Georgie said. “I've noticed how you've been spending a lot of time with that peacenik Craig.”

“You don't get it. I know some people call our soldiers killers. But Craig and Carla don't blame them. They just want the war to end before anyone else dies.” Lisa's forehead furrowed. “I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I do, too.”

Georgie had felt all along that people were either for the soldiers or against them. Maybe Lisa was right and some just wanted the deaths to end. It was something for her to think about.

She gathered the fluffy petals, cupped her hands, and blew them toward the sky. They swirled in the moonlight, then floated to the ground.

Georgie's eyes smarted and she tried to swallow but couldn't. Tears spilled from her eyes.

Lisa put her hand on Georgie's shoulder.

“For a minute I almost forgot about my dad,” Georgie said. “Vietnam is on the other side of the world. When it's night there, it's day here, so Dad always saw the moon before I did.” She wiped her face on her sleeve. “He promised to send me his love on the moon, so every night I come out and look at it.”

Georgie brushed the petals off the step. “I guess there's no reason to do that anymore.”

Lisa chewed her bottom lip. “It was a way for you to stay close to your dad. Why should that change?”

Tears slid down Georgie's cheeks. “So, how long have you been this smart?”

Lisa grinned. “I've always been smart. You just weren't smart enough to notice.”

Georgie smiled and gave Lisa's shoulder a shove.

Lisa shoved back.

*   *   *

Georgie saw Lisa leaning against Georgie's locker before she reached it on Monday morning. She felt her face break into a big grin. “Hey!” she said.

“Hi.” Lisa looked sad.

“Is something wrong?”

“First tell me how you're doing.”

“Better,” Georgie said. “I've felt so angry that I wanted to hurt everyone around me. I don't feel that way anymore.” She took a deep breath. “But I miss him so much.”

Lisa was quiet for a minute. “In a way, we both lost our dads this weekend. Mine moved out.”

“Why?” Georgie said.

“After you left last night, Carla called and said she wants to come home. Dad hung up on her and Ma got mad about it. Then they began arguing about Alan—again.”

Lisa took a ragged breath. “I ran upstairs to escape their fighting. The next thing I knew, Ma came into my room to tell me that Dad was moving out.”

She turned her bright eyes on Georgie. “It doesn't seem right. Your dad is gone, but he had no choice. My dad did.”

Georgie closed her locker door, and they walked toward homeroom. Lisa was right: her dad had a choice. Nothing should keep a family apart but death.

“Where's your dad staying?” Georgie asked.

“In the back room of his store, Ma says.”

“Store?” Georgie said. “I never knew he had a store. What kind?”

“A paint store. Premium Paints. You might not have seen it. It's here on the North Ridge side.”

“Wait, I think I
have
seen it. It's on … um … I can't think of the street.”

“Chestnut Street.”

“Oh, yeah! Now I remember.” Georgie thought she should become a detective.

*   *   *

The bell over the door chimed as Georgie walked into the paint store after school. One customer held fabric swatches next to paint chips. The way she frowned and stared at each one told Georgie she would be there a while.

Georgie walked toward a loud sound in the back. Lisa's dad stood next to a vibrating machine, which was shaking a can of paint.

He shut off the machine when he saw Georgie.

“Hello, Georgie,” he said. “Lisa's not here. You'll probably find her at home.”

“I know she's not here, Mr. Loutzenhiser. I want to talk to you about her.”

He scratched beneath his chin. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”