Chapter 7.28: Dear Diary, the Future is Yours, Dammit

Part 1: Before You Go

… an excerpt from the diary of Kara Poe

Dear Diary, I’m dressed and ready to go with the guys to drop Kai off at his new school. It wasn’t until Bram had to make some phone calls and we were almost out the door that it occurred to me what I’d forgotten to explain to Kai all along.

When he came out of his room, wearing all black as usual, I suppressed the desire to ask him what he was wearing. As if reading my mind, he mumbled, “I don’t have to wear the uniform until classes start.”

Forcing a smile that was miles too wide, I shrugged and said, “You look fine. At least you’ll travel comfortably.”

He stared at me a minute, and in the back of my mind, it seemed almost as if he was seeing me for the first time in a long while.

“You look different.”

“Oh, um, maybe because I didn’t put my hair up. It’s necessary for work to keep it out of my eyes, but I thought this would be nice for a change.” And Bram liked it down, I didn’t add.

He stared a moment longer. “No, your face is different. You look younger… not so worn out.”

It was true that since my reconciliation with Bram, I’d been more at ease, even sleeping better. Little steps had gone a long way with Kai, too, because now he wasn’t avoiding me every chance he had. A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even stood here to speak to me in conversation.

“I’m so proud of you, Kai. Things haven’t been easy for you, but you’re trying so hard to make things better.”

His lips parted slightly, and he gazed at me with eyes that were receptive, and even pleased.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked.

“Of course. You can ask me anything.”

“Okay.”

Then he hesitated, and I wasn’t certain he would move forward. I was about to encourage him to continue, when he finally did on his own.

“If you know something’s not… right.” He stopped again, licked his lips, and cleared his throat. “If I know something about somebody, something bad but my friend doesn’t know it, I should say something to her, right?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I struggled not to show as much reaction as I wanted to. Yet my pulse was racing through my veins and pounding so hard in my temple, I wondered if he could hear it. “Will this friend get hurt if she doesn’t know?”

Now, he stared at his shoes, and shifted his weight a few times from foot to foot. “Yeah, probably,” he whispered.

At this point, it was near impossible to hold myself together. He was trying to tell me something, but what was it? I took a step forward without touching him. What I really wanted to do was pull him into my arms and tell him whatever had happened, he was safe. But was he?

“Kai, what is going on? Please, tell me what this is about.”

He shook his head and took a step back, away from me. “It’s not a big deal.”

But he was lying, I could see it in his crystal blue eyes. “I know we’ve had some rough times in our relationship, but I love you, Kai, and I want you to talk to me. Please. I bet I could help.”

His eyes were damp, and he swiped at them with his fingers, clearing his throat again. I knew deep down he wanted to tell me. What was so horrible? It seemed to me, he was fighting to hold back.

But he shook his head, his resolve standing firm. “No, I mean, it’s under control. Really, it’s no big deal, but I need to make a phone call before we leave.”

My heart sank, and my chest felt heavy. If only I’d been the kind of mom he could talk to.

Before this had all come up, I was preparing to tell him about our family tradition of keeping a journal. I was the current heir, and he my only child. So, he would be the next heir to write a narration of life events. But now I couldn’t see focusing on all that. Instead, my heart ached with all the things I wish I could say, and with all the things I wish he’d tell me about what he was getting at today.

I tried one last time. Looking him straight in the eye, my voice as calm as I could keep it, I pleaded with him to tell me what was wrong.

In place of a verbal answer, he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I’ll miss you, Mom.”

Tears filled my eyes as I held my boy in my arms, and I kissed his cheek. “I’ll miss you, too.”

Part 2: Warning Jade

… an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth

“Hello?” said Jade through the phone.

I’d come into the garage for some privacy.

“Jade, I’m leaving in a minute, so I don’t have long to talk but I wanted… I wanted to say bye again before I left.”

“Kai, that’s so sweet. I’m glad you called.”

Over the next few minutes, she rambled on about how she was going to cool it with making her dad mad. She said she was losing interest in that game, and had decided since I was going away, she was going to buckle down to get the kind of grades you need for a scholarship to business school.

Listening to her, I almost forgot why I called in the first place. But then she said, “Did you hear me?”

“Oh, huh?”

She sighed loud enough to let me know she wasn’t impressed with my listening skills, then said, “I said, will you write to me?”

She wanted to hear from me! I held a smile back. “I’ll text you.”

“Sounds good.”

“Listen, um, there’s another reason I called.”

“Yeah?”

Oh boy. I was shaking so bad, I had to hold extra tight onto my cell phone.

“Uh… yeah. I wanted to tell you- tell you that Frank isn’t the guy I thought he was.”

“Who’s Frank?”

Outside, I could hear the car beeping, and I knew my parents were waiting and wondering where I went off to.

“You know, Milton! His real name is Frank Cooper. Listen, Jade, I don’t have a lot of time here. My parents are waiting in the car for me and getting impatient.”

“What about Frank Cooper?”

“He’s not who I thought he was- “

“-Right? I thought his name was Milton.”

My heart was thumping hard, and I felt like I was about to lose my mind. “Please, just listen for a minute. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t go back to Milton’s Garage. Ever. He’s not a good guy.”

Jade skipped a beat, then said, “What has he done?”

How could I tell her he’d videoed us doing the dirty? I don’t know how she would feel if her dad saw those tapes, but I knew I definitely didn’t want my parents to see them!

“He’s done bad stuff. Just stay away from him and the garage. Don’t take anyone else there, just steer clear. Promise me!”

“Yeah, okay,” she said.

I could hear the bewilderment in her voice.

“Thank you. Thank you, Jade. I’ll miss you.”

And then I was gone, and on my way to a new life.

Part 3: Dating Bram

… an excerpt from the diary of Kara Poe

Dear Diary, Kai has been away for a few months, and while his texts are short, at least I hear from him. He seems well, and like he’s doing all right. Last time Bram and I inquired about his grades, they were good, too. Just as Kai’s life seemed to be falling into a good place, so was mine.

Bram and I started dating. Going on real dates, I mean. You know the kind where you get to know each other as if for the first time. It’s been dreamy, and wonderful, and everything I needed.

Tonight, he took me to Sérénité where he’d reserved a little corner table. The meal was fabulous, and the atmosphere perfect. It felt like we were the only two people in the world.

After our scrumptious meal and coffee, Bram asked me to dance. He didn’t ask me to take him to the dance floor, but we stayed in our tiny corner.

It was pleasant to be in his arms while we danced. No, it felt like home. I belonged here, and I always had.

“Did you enjoy dinner?”

“It was very good,” I said.

A smile touched his lips. “I thought you might like it.”

We danced for a few minutes, then I softly asked, “How is Jarah?”

“Well, he is Jarah, but he’s doing all right. He’s been living with my sister Sloan and her husband.”

My stomach warmed at the thought of Sloan and her little girl, Zayday, who I hadn’t seen in years.

“How’s little Zayday?”

He chuckled, pulling me closer. “She’s not so little anymore. She’s about to graduate university, and then she will work in agricultural science.”

“Really!” This pleased me to no end. “Remember the garden we kept together?”

His smile widened, and he nodded. “How could I forget all those days of pulling weeds, watering, planting…”

As his voice trailed off, my mind stayed back in those days for a few minutes. It was me, and Bram who’d gotten Zayday interested in gardening. And it had been that very garden that Bram, and I bonded in.

“Would you like to have a garden with me again someday?” His lips were close to my ear, his voice a mere whisper.

In asking me that, I sensed perhaps he wasn’t speaking only of gardens. My heart was full as I considered the question, and I couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Yes, I think I’d like that very much.”

Just before he kissed me, I saw his lower lip shake slightly, and I knew he loved me still. Suddenly, I realized he and Kai, my family, were all I wanted. They were all I needed.

The kiss was like none other I’d experienced before. It was soft, but hungry. Afterward, he leaned in, his hot breath against my ear.

“I love you, Kara. I’ve always loved you, and I will never stop.”

Notes from Kymber

Hello, gentle readers, and friends! I wanted to let you know that I created a family tree page HERE. The picture of this particular tree is of the founder/heirs only. There was no way for me to make a comprehensive list of all the family members, and their families, and so on, and put it on a single page. So, the more detailed family tree, if you would care to peruse it, is HERE at Family Echo. While looking at that family tree, you will probably see characters you forgot about, and also how many children other family members had that weren’t mentioned in the story.

Thank you, as always, for your lovely support. I really appreciate you,