Three Months Later:

Elena

The whistle of the wind and the thuds of rain are hitting the windshield, drowning out the radio station that my dad insists on listening to. I try to ignore the noises while consuming myself with my thoughts. Everything I have ever known is being left behind. Sadness wouldn't be the word I would describe of how I'm feeling; all of this was my idea. The idea of traveling so far away never crossed my mind until now.

"Aw come on!" my Dad shouts at the radio, jolting me out of my thoughts. There must have been something the ref said about the Detroit Lions game that he didn't agree with.

"That should have counted!" Looking over at me, he apologizes for his outburst. I smile at him. Dark brown hair is beginning to pepper with grey and white, his skin is pale with a dark mustache, deep brown eyes that can tell a story all on their own. Has he always had those tiny crow-feet wrinkles by his eyes? He notices me smiling at him and he just laughs. The laughter is something to be reckoned with- it's cavernous, loud, obnoxious, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I don't know where I would be without this man. That's why we're doing this, I remind myself as we pass the "Welcome to Ohio" sign.

We are moving. My Dad been a police officer for nearly my whole life, until recently – now he's a transferring lead detective. He hasn't always been a man of the law. Dad has done some questionable things in his younger years, but he cleaned up, swore that it made him a better man and father because of it.

Turning to face my Father I ask, "Are you excited at all about going back to Georgia? I know it's been a while."

He looks over at me before facing the road again, "Yeah, sure. I just hope I can still remember my way around." He teases.

"Hey dad?" He looks at me again with those dark pools of secretive eyes, "How come you never went back, until now?" We never went into the details of his past. Whenever I have tried to get information from him, he'd just power down or make an excuse to leave the room. It always made me wonder, just what kinds of things he has done that makes him feel so ashamed to the point where he doesn't want to share anything.

Caught off guard, his grip tightens on the steering wheel. Stuttering and shrugging his shoulders making the winter coat chaff, he says, "I-I'm... Not sure. I guess the opportunity never really came up." That is the extent of how the conversations go about Georgia. The state seems to be the only entity on this earth that knows the whole story of the mystery that is my Dad.

All I know about my Dad's past is that he is from the land of peaches. He's been in jail a time or two. He met my Mom at Georgia State College and University where she had an academic scholarship. They saw each other and instantly fell in love. He had to give some things up to follow her back to the mitten state when he was 24 years old.

As we push further through the countryside of Ohio towards Kentucky, the last five years of my life begin to flash before me. He made a point to make every ballet performance, piano recital, and band concert. My mom and dad both did the best they could to be involved with my life, to watch me grow. A twinge of sadness scratches deep in my chest at the memory of my Mother, wishing she was still here.

Multitasking is a skill - a skill my Dad has mastered. Since my Mom passed, he did what he could to be my Dad, Mom, and best friend. Every Saturday night we would have a Daddy- daughter date night; we would go to dinner and see a movie. I hold those preciously to my heart, since I haven't had much of a social life.

Whenever I did go out, it was either with my Dad or Rachel.

A smile comes upon my face remembering my dearest friend. We have known each other since we were practically in diapers. She has and always will be my best friend, now I am moving away from her.

"Rachel had promised me that she would visit – do you think she could come visit over Christmas break?" I ask, hoping she can. Unlike me, she is very sassy, dramatic, and just full of life.

"Yeah, I don't see why not? I wouldn't mind paying for her plane ticket so she can come, I know money is tight for them right now." He smiles at me. He is so thoughtful. Rachel means so much to me and he knows it. I don't know if I would have made it this far without her.

****************

Overlooking the city lights illuminating in the distance of Louisville brought me to the memory that haunts me every day: My Father was shot during a drug bust five months ago, it was enough for him to have to spend the night in the hospital with the surgeon removing the bullets from the right side of his chest cavity. I begged him to look for another job in a safer place so maybe the constant ache of worry on whether he'd come home or not may loosen its hold on me. Losing a Mother is hard enough; I can't lose a Father too.

My birthday is in two weeks, I'll be eighteen. So, I guess that will make me a legal adult, but that doesn't mean that I want to do it all alone. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost my Dad. I didn't realize I was picking at my nails until I ripped the nail on my pinky too deep, a slight shooting pain surges up my arm causing me to jump out of my worst thought of almost losing my Father.

​A raspy tired voice steals my attention and I suddenly realized how quiet it was in the cab of this U-Haul van. "Hey, kiddo – I'm sorry that I couldn't find a place in Michigan, but you'll like it in Georgia – I know it will be tough at first. It will all be ok."

​Looking over at my dad, I see that he has a solemn expression and it hurts my heart, "Dad," I say, "It's really okay. I'm just glad that we'll be in a safer place for the kind of work that you do. I'm thankful that you agreed to transferring. Besides, it will be fun for me to see what state you grew up in." I ended with a sincere smile and nudge his arm. He nods his head and smiles at me, then brings his focus back to the road.

I didn't think we would ever move to Ludowici Georgia. Apparently, it is a quiet little town not too far from the Atlantic Ocean. I have never seen the ocean before nor been outside of Michigan. There is no denying that there is a bit of excitement bubbling my nerves for this new adventure. Leaving Detroit behind is overwhelming, I will miss Rachel and the home I grew up in. However, if it means that my Dad may be safer because of it, then maybe I'll be ok...