36
––––––––
Charlie
––––––––
AFTER SIGNING OUT of my dad’s laptop, I quickly packed a suitcase and waited for Jackie to arrive. As I watched for her, I thought about calling my mother, but suspected that she might try talking me out of leaving. As angry as she’d be with my father, I knew she’d be against me running off to be with a man I barely knew.
Although, hadn’t she flown to another country to stay away from a man she knew too well?
Five minutes later, Jackie showed up.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said.
“Of course. If you can’t rely on your friends, who can you rely on?” she said with a brittle smile.
“True.”
She popped the trunk of her car open and I put my suitcase inside.
“You call your dad?” she asked when we were in the car together.
“I sent him a text,” I told her.
I
