STEPS or LOVERS

CHAPTER 2: CALIFORNIA

AUTHOR'S P.O.V..........

Denomia is a 17 years old girl. She finished high school last year. This year she will start college.

When she was small, Denomia was always a daddy's girl. She loved her dad so much. She followed him everywhere in the house. But 5 years ago, her dad died. That day changed everything.

After her dad died, Denomia became very sad. She was not happy anymore. She stopped talking a lot. She started staying away from people. Even her friends. She would sit alone in her room. She did not want to go out. She did not want to laugh.

The only person Denomia felt free with was her mother, Mary. With Mary, Denomia could talk. With Mary, Denomia could cry.

Mary’s story is also a touching one. Mary was still very young when Denomia was born. Life was hard for her, but she loved Denomia more than anything in the world. She raised Denomia all by herself. It was just the two of them for some years after she denomia was born.

Then Alex came into their lives. Alex made Mary smile again. For the first time in a long time, Mary felt joyful. She felt hope. She thought maybe life would be good again. But life took Alex away too. After Alex was gone, it was just Mary and Denomia again.

Mary did not give up. She worked very hard. She is a nurse. She works in one of the biggest hospitals in New York. She works long hours to take care of Denomia. She wants to give Denomia a good life.

Now Mary and Denomia are about to start a new life. They are moving to California in 3 days.

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DENNY'S P.O.V..........

It is remaining 3 days for us to move to California.

Three days. That is all.

Everything has been set and planned already. The boxes are packed. The clothes are folded. The papers are ready.

I already told my friends about the moving. When I told them, they were so sad. Maya cried on the phone. Jay said he did not want me to go. They were even crying. I tried to smile, but it was hard. I will miss them.

Right now, I am in my room. I am sitting on my bed. I am just staring at the ceiling. The ceiling is white. There are no answers there.

I keep thinking about California. What will it be like? Will I make new friends? Will college be hard?

Most of all, I keep thinking, "Am I gonna be okay?" I say it to myself quietly. Over and over. "Am I gonna be okay? Am I gonna be okay?"

California is supposed to be a new start. Mom keeps saying that. "New start, Denny." But I am scared. What if I take my sadness with me? What if I can never forget?

I miss my dad. I miss him every day. It has been 5 years, but it still hurts like it was yesterday. I miss the way he used to call me "Denny girl." I miss the way he made me laugh.

I also think about Alex. Mom was happy with Alex. For a short time, our house felt warm again. Then he was gone too.

It feels like every time we get happy, something takes it away.

There is a knock on my door. It is soft.

"Denny, come out. Dinner is ready," my mom says from behind the door. Her voice is gentle.

"Okay mom," I say. My voice is quiet.

I get up from my bed. I take one last look at my room. Soon this room will not be mine anymore. I leave my thoughts behind and walk out.

We sit at the table to eat. The food is good, but I don’t have much appetite. We eat in silence. The only sound is the fork on the plate.

After dinner, mom clears the plates. I help her wash them. We still don’t talk much.

Then mom comes to my room. She sits beside me on my bed. The bed sinks a little with her weight.

She looks at me for a long time. She does not say anything at first. She just looks at me with those eyes that know everything.

"Denny," she says softly. "Talk to me."

I shake my head. I don’t know what to say.

Then mom pulls me into a hug. It is a tight hug. Like when I was 6 years old and had a bad dream. It smells like her soap and her shampoo. It smells like home.

"You are going to be okay," she says into my hair. "I know you are scared. I am scared too. But we have each other. That is all we need."

Tears start to fall from my eyes. I try to stop them, but I can’t.

"What if I still feel sad there, mom?" I whisper. "What if California doesn’t fix anything?"

Mom pulls back a little and wipes my tears with her thumb.

"What if it does?" she says. "What if it is better, Denny? What if you meet new people? What if you find a part of yourself that you lost?"

I sniff. "What if I can’t forget dad?"

"You don’t have to forget him," mom says. "We will never forget him. We will take him with us in our hearts. But we also have to live, Denny. For him. For us. He would want that."

We talk for a long time that night. We talk about dad. We tell stories and laugh a little and cry a little. We talk about Alex. Mom says she misses him too. We talk about the new college. We talk about the new house in California. Mom showed me pictures. It has a small yard and big windows.

For the first time in a long time, my chest does not feel so heavy. For the first time, I feel a little lighter. A little hopeful.

That night I sleep better than I have in weeks.

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The next day goes by fast. And the next one too.

We do last things. Last trip to the store. Last walk around our neighborhood. Last goodbye to the neighbors.

My friends come over one last time. We take pictures. We promise to call and text every day. We cry again.

On the last night in New York, I cannot sleep. I lie in bed and listen to the sounds of the city. The cars. The sirens. This is the only home I have ever known.

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AUTHOR'S P.O.V........

Three days passed quickly. Too quickly.

The boxes were all taped shut. The labels said "Kitchen" and "Books" and "Denny's Clothes."

The tickets were ready. Two tickets. One for Mary. One for Denomia.

From New York to California.

It was time for Mary and Denomia to leave.

To leave the apartment.

To leave the hospital where Mary worked.

To leave the memories of a husband and a man named Alex.

To leave the pain.

They were moving to California.

A new city.

A new home.

A new chapter.

Mary carried one suitcase. Denomia carried another. They looked back one last time at the door before they closed it.

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DENNY'S P.O.V........

The airport is loud. There are so many people.

Mom holds my hand as we walk. Her hand is warm.

On the plane, I look out the window. New York gets smaller and smaller until I cannot see it anymore. Just clouds.

My stomach feels funny. Part of me is scared. Part of me is excited.

"Mom," I say.

"Yes, Denny?"

"Do you think dad would like California?"

Mom smiles. A sad smile, but a real one.

"I think he would love it," she says. "I think he would love to see you start college there."

I nod. I lean my head on her shoulder. The plane keeps flying.

Hours later, we land. California is bright. The sun is so big here. The air smells different. It smells like new.

We get our bags. We get into a taxi. The driver talks a lot. He points out places. The beach. The freeway. The palm trees.

When we get to our new house, I stand in front of it. It looks just like the picture. Small yard. Big windows.

Mom unlocks the door. "Welcome home, Denny," she says.

I walk inside. It is empty, but it does not feel empty. It feels full of chances.

I go to my new room. It is bigger than my old one. The walls are white. Waiting for me to put things on them.

I put my bag down. I look out the window. I can see the sky. It is so blue.

"Am I gonna be okay?" I whisper to myself again.

But this time, it does not sound so scared.

This time, it sounds like a question I might actually get an answer to.

Mom comes in and puts her arm around me.

"We are gonna be okay," she says.

And for the first time, I believe her.

We have each other.

We have a new start.

And we have 3 days of packing, crying, and talking behind us.

Now we have California in front of us.