Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) (9 page)

“I know; you’re marrying him.” She said
bending back her leg from her knee and pretending to be
kissed.”

“I’ve got to get dressed and pack the rest
of my things. Can you give me a hand please?” I begged.

“Anything for you bestie—let’s blow this
Popsicle joint.”

Within an hour I was completely packed and
we were headed out the door. There was an assembly line full of my
family waiting outside on the porch. My dad had his arm wrapped
around my mother while she sniffled quietly into her tissue.
Grandma Rose stood next to Grandma Evi, holding her hand. Aunt
Juanita held a small gift bag in her hand and my brothers; Edward,
Peter and Jason were smirking and joking around, as usual. At the
very end stood a very somber-looking Richie. The whites of his eyes
appeared with a hint of red and his cheeks slightly flushed. I
couldn’t believe we were actually leaving St. Marys. I had dreamt
of this day for years. I reached out and gave my mom and dad quick
hugs as they were going with us anyway to help unpack and make sure
we were properly settled in. I could hear my mom let out a little
sob. I squeezed her a little tighter and kissed her cheek. Next,
were my grandmothers, Rose and Evi, best friends also. Even though
Evi wouldn’t be able to tell you now because of her dementia, in
their younger days, those two women ruled the town and had all
sorts of mischievous fun together. Rose continued to help my mother
look after Evi and would recount the stories of old on hot summer
afternoons when my mother was at work and they sat on the front
porch—sipping ice tea and staying cool from the heat. I hugged both
of my grandmothers and kissed Evi. She kissed me back and smiled,
staying silent. Grandma Rose had a death grip on me and whispered
in my ear “give em grief in Athens” before laying a quick smooch on
me.

Next, came Aunt Juanita. She held up her
arms and smiled as she embraced me. “I want you to take this as you
start your new journey.” I carefully moved the tissue paper from
the gift bag and reached inside to find a beautiful chartreuse
leather bound book. On the front of it was a large leather stitched
dusty-rose colored daisy with a white center. I opened it up to
find that it was a journal inscribed with the words ‘go and make
your own destiny’. I thanked her and gave her one more hug. Next,
my brothers, Edward, Peter and Jason picked me up and started to
carry me to the car as I screamed and others laughed. With my legs
flailing all over the Crawford’s stepped out of their pathway while
CeCe giggled and yelled “don’t drop her on her head.” Letting me
down in nearly one piece, Richie helped to catch my fall.

Richie looked at me, seriously, and said,
“Take lots of pictures, come home soon, have lots of fun—but not
too much fun without me. I’m going to miss you Char.” He hugged me
tightly and whispered “I love you sissy pants” before our brothers
picked him up and carried him away yelling “she’s got a life
Richie, let her go.” Cranking his head around, he smiled at me
warmly. I knew both CeCe and I would miss Richie dearly.

By this time, Mr. Crawford was ushering Bev
into their Rover and CeCe was checking the trunk to make sure her
parents remembered all her bags and belongings. I looked around the
farm once more. The peaches were fully ripened. From afar I could
see the flaming fury’s hanging like ornaments on Christmas trees.
They got their name for their beautiful red-orange vibrant hues. As
the breeze blew gently, I sucked in the sweet aroma of peach
nectar. Seeing all of my family, on the porch, watching me off made
me smile realizing how lucky I was to have such a great life. The
best friend possible by my side, a family that would go to the moon
and back for me, and now a guy that made my heart hum and my lips
smile, made me feel invincible.

In a few moments we were off and driving
towards our tomorrows. Looking behind me, I could see my
grandmothers and Aunt Juanita hanging on the front porch. All my
brothers, except for Richie, had disappeared off somewhere. He
stood leaning against one of the old white wooden posts on the
porch, waving. My mom was already busy looking at the map to help
navigate my dad to Athens. Meanwhile, CeCe was somewhere up ahead
in her parent’s vehicle, amongst the truckload of items she felt
necessary to bring with us to school. I knew that if I’d forgotten
something at home, she was sure to have brought it along. Although
I consider myself to be fairly organized, CeCe never skipped a beat
remembering all the details when it came to anything exciting,
especially college. I decided to lay back and take a nap. I knew it
would easily take us at least six hours to get there—not including
bathroom stops and lunch. I took my CD player and headphones out of
my purse and turned up Jewel. I looked forward to a few hours of
quiet so I could close my eyes and see Skylar again. It had only
been seven hours since I’d seen him last but it felt like an
eternity. I was already dreaming of the next time I’d be in his
arms.

His eyes were a sapphire blue and pierced
right through me. The intensity of his gaze ran chills up my back.
When he looked at me I felt so exposed. I could feel my pulse start
to pick up and my breathing slow. With his lip curving slightly up
to form a side-ways smile, he communicated so much to me without
saying a word. His jaw looked to be chiseled right out of some sort
of smooth ivory; it was strong and sculpted perfectly. Like a Greek
god, his skin was soft with a hint of sun kissing his dimples. His
face was noble and beautiful. Silently, his gaze stayed fixed in my
mind. The ends of his ear-length, coffee-colored hair looked like
they had been dipped in the sunlight as they shimmered a golden
bronze. I loved the way he looked at me with a slightly curved grin
I wondered all the things he thought about.

A tickling sensation swept over my face. The
more I moved the more it followed me. Suddenly, I heard giggling
abruptly disturbing my dreams of Skylar. Opening my eyes, I caught
a glimpse of CeCe hovering over me with her feather pen.

“Must have been a good dream—you had a
ginormous smile on your face. We’re here Char!”

Looking around I could see cars with trunks
open all over with parents pouring out of them with bags and all
sorts of dorm-room furniture. I spied my parents talking with the
Crawford’s as I peered out the window. We were here and I couldn’t
believe it. I must have slept the whole way; I felt like we just
left the house moments ago. I had just awoken from the best dream
and felt like I was awaking to another one. The campus was bustling
with life. I could see girls and guys all over hustling and heaving
around totes, chests, and other items with excitement. I couldn’t
wait to get to our room and start decorating it with all the pieces
of home I’d brought with—especially my photographs of CeCe and I
and my family. I smiled quickly thinking I needed to get a photo of
Skylar up. Then I wondered about when I would see him next. He’d be
leaving soon for school overseas. I had hoped to see him before he
left. However, it was at least a four hour drive from Athens to
Savannah.

“Come on slow bones. We need to get to our
room before someone else tries to move in.” CeCe said pulling me
out of the car.

“Okay, okay. I’m coming.”

By this time, CeCe’s parents had their arms
full of her things. My parents were also pretty well loaded up with
my suitcases too. I grabbed my remaining things and we began the
trek. As we walked towards the dorms, I caught CeCe’s eyes roaming
the campus looking at the new prospects. I was surprised that she
wasn’t doing a happy dance although I figured she was probably
waiting for her parents to leave to do that. The campus was full of
so many new and young faces. If I remembered correctly, there was
only one other person from our class besides CeCe and I going to
the University of Georgia this year. The campus was old. It had
been founded in 1785 and was dotted with imposing brick buildings
with large white pillars, a signature piece of architecture in the
south. Grand oak trees, over a hundred years old or more, sprawled
the campus. I could hear my mother’s excitement for us as she
talked with Bev and gazed around the campus. Our fathers made small
talk, mostly about sports and weather, as they carried the majority
of our things.

“There’s Myers Hall.” CeCe said, pointing
excitedly.

“We are on the second floor.” I said as I
led the way to the elevator.

We had to take two trips in the elevator
with all the stuff we had. Once upstairs, we found our way to the
help desk and gathered our keys. CeCe’s parents, with CeCe’s
prompting, ensured we had our own private bath en suite because
CeCe didn’t want to have to share a bathroom with anyone else,
other than me, and even that was tough for an only child like
herself.

“I found it.” CeCe said, rushing to open the
door amidst all the other college kids in the hall, eager to get
settled in.

As she opened the door it smelled a little
stuffy—like it had been closed up for many months. CeCe dropped her
things on the floor and hurried over to the window to bring in the
fresh late summer breeze. Once in, I saw two twin beds smaller than
the queen-size beds we were use to. The room had a desk for us
each, two dressers, and a closet that would be a tight fit for both
of us to share. My mother had set down my suitcases next to my bed
and took a seat at my desk. Our fathers let out a little sigh as
they dropped the mega load they had been toting around the campus.
Bev placed CeCe’s things on her bed with a bit of a scowl on her
face.

“This is much smaller than I remember
James.” Bev said, scratching her head.

“It’s fine mother.” CeCe said, with her face
still peering out the window.

“How about we get you girls settled in
quickly and then take you for an early dinner before we leave?” My
mother suggested.

“That’s a great idea mom.” I said as I
turned to squeeze-hug her.

We were settled in a short time later with
our fathers doing the majority of the work—pulling out our things
from suitcases and hanging up clothes in the closet while us women
talked and put up nick-knacks and picture frames. Of course, we
could move things around to our liking later. For now we were just
trying to get rid of all the bags and things that took up most of
the floor space.

We found a nice little neighborhood
family-style restaurant within a 10-minute walk from the dorms.
CeCe had spied a poster hanging up outside the restaurant about
some Delta Delta Delta party going on later and that they were
recruiting for new sorority sisters. She had whispered in my ear
before sitting down that she wanted to go to the sorority party and
to rush at dinner. Her mother had been a
Triple D
. Though
she did not want to be like her mother, CeCe had heard good things
through the years about their social activism and especially good
parties. I figured it would be nice to get out and meet some new
people and finally have some peace to call Skylar later—without
family lingering around.

I kissed my parents goodbye and hugged my
mother about three more times before they left. I hugged Bev and
James goodbye too and thanked them for allowing CeCe to keep their
SUV for us to use. The Crawford’s were riding home with my parents
so that CeCe could keep their vehicle to get back and forth to home
and school. CeCe hugged her mom and dad and thanked them also. I
could see Bev’s eyes start to well up bit before she quickly
blotted them with her silk handkerchief. Richard Crawford kissed
his daughter’s forehead and told her with a warm smile on his face,
“be good and call if you need anything”. He quickly slipped her a
credit card and told her to keep it for emergencies.

Suddenly they were off and we were free.
Free to be who we wanted to be. We ran, quickly, back to the dorm
room and primped in our new bathroom. CeCe turned on some Prince
while I looked for clothes to wear to the party. We knew just about
every word to every Prince song. CeCe always had a mad crush on
him. I loved the way he could dance and how quixotic his music
videos were. As we sang, laughed, and got ready for our first night
out, a picture of Skylar flashed in my head. I sat down waiting for
CeCe to finish up. I felt my breath disappear for a second. I
wanted so badly to hear him, to see him, to feel his arms wrapped
around me, tightly, again. I reached into my purse and picked up
his sweater. I held it to my face, closed my eyes, and laid back on
my bed. I could still smell his cologne and inhaled deeply. I found
the paper with Skylar’s number on it and the words
olive
juice
and picked up the phone in our dorm. Smiling, I took in a
deep breath and slowly dialed his number. I was already getting
nervous just thinking about hearing his voice in a minute. I hit
the last number and waited. I heard the first ring begin and any
second I knew he would pick up the phone. I bit my lip in
anticipation. Then the second, third, and fourth ring came and I
waited for someone to pick up. My heart started to pound. I sat
there while the phone rang and rang. There was no voicemail and no
one on the other end of the phone. Where was he? I hung up the
phone and tucked the paper into my jean’s pocket for later. I
figured I would find a payphone while we were out and try again, my
heart a little sad. He must have been out to dinner with his
parents or at the beach.

The Tri Delta house was beautiful and very
sophisticated. There were girls and guys all over as we walked
through the house. A girl wearing pink, pink, and more pink greeted
us in. She was blond and wore hot pink lipstick with a smile the
width of her face. She gave us a flyer about the recruitment for
this year’s Tri Delta sisters. CeCe’s face lit up in excitement as
she turned towards me. I didn’t know much or care about being a
sorority sister but CeCe sure did. She grew up hearing stories from
her mother and her Godmother whom had been one of her mother’s Tri
Delta sorority sisters. While CeCe was talking to the girl with hot
pink lipstick, my mind wandered back to Skylar. This time last
night I was sitting on the deck of a big beautiful beach house,
alone and happy, never knowing I was about to meet the man of my
dreams. A man, I didn’t even knew existed. My heart picked up again
and I smiled as I recounted parts of our conversation. Skylar’s
playfulness and sincerity kept me smiling in my own little world.
CeCe was in her element and as happy as a peach to be surrounded by
all the things she adored. I was content on the sidelines thinking
about Skylar—hoping that later I would get to hear his voice
instead of only recalling it in my mind.