CHAPTER
4
LORRAINE
AND GALEN
Rose
stood and finished the last of her coffee, so looking forward to the
day when she could call this house home.
She
and Emily had been best friends since kindergarten. Rose started
school a month late. Emily saw her in the lunch room, looking
confused and with everyone ignoring her. Rose looked about ready to
cry, so Emily walked over and introduced herself.
“Hi!
My name is Emily. Think our seats are next to each other. Come with
me. I'll show you.” Rose smiled at Emily and looked relieved that
someone seemed to notice, and even care she was there. She was still
scared and tears were at the surface. Emily showed Rose her seat at
the table, indicated to Rose the way the bathrooms, described all the
rules they had to follow, such as how they had to wash their hands,
the place where the cubbies were with their names on them, and where
to hang their coats and sweaters. Emily thought Rose looked so pretty
in her blue jumper and her patent leather shoes and her hair in
braids. Wonder if Mommy will buy me a pair of shoes like Rose's,
Emily thought to herself.
Emily
asked Rose where she lived. Rose replied “In a house on Waterbird
way.”
“That
is the street I live on” Emily answered. “Maybe we can play
later.”
When
school was out the two girls walked home together because they lived
too close to take the bus, and discovered they only lived three
houses away from each other. Emily and Rose thought this was great.
Emily
and Rose became really good friends. It got to the point that they
did everything together. Emily was a slight bit taller than Rose and
had blondish, brown hair that fell in ringlets down to her shoulders.
She had blue eyes the color of blueberries, and a smile that would
light up the room. Rose won prom queen one year with Emily runner
up.They both got along with the other girls in their class.
The
years passed by and Emily and Rose went through all of the rites of
passage you go through growing up; puberty, developing breasts, First
bras, their monthly, boys, dates, proms, graduation. They did
everything together.
It
came time for college and they insisted on going to the same
university. Their parents were not crazy about this decision and
tried to talk them out of it, so they decided to go to schools in the
same city. Rose was interested in journalism and Emily was an artist.
Emily found an excellent art school in Philadelphia. With their minds
made up they went to their guidance counselor looking for
scholarships and financial aid, neither of which the counselor
thought would be a problem. Together they approached their parents.
“These
schools are expensive,” Emily's father whooped rather loudly.
“Daddy,” Emily tried to keep her cool. If Daddy loses it I will
end up going nowhere, “Daddy stop. You knew I was going to go to
college. What is the big surprise and besides I have applied for a
scholarship and I have to get my portfolio together.”
“Did
you have to pick the most expensive school in the country” her
father said, still booming. “
“Where
is that friend of yours going to school?”
Emily
cleared her throat.
Her
father chimed in “Let me guess. Philadelphia somewhere..”
Emily
started to cry, turned around and walked out of the room.
“You
have not heard the end of this yet young lady,” her father said,
still yelling. Emily's mother came into the room and wanted to know
what the commotion was about. At that point Emily walked back into
the room and told her mother what was going on.
“It's
only the most expensive art college in the country,” her father
said, not quite so booming now. "It wouldn't happen to be in
Philadelphia?” her mother quizzed. “Rose's mother just told me
she applied and was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania.”
“Mommy,
Daddy,” Emily started, “I don't think you understand. Rose and I
have been friends for a long, long time and we enjoy spending time
together and being there for each other through the good and the bad
and it's not like we haven't talked about it, but we decided that we
would both do better in school if we were closer together and we had
each other to lean on if need be.”
Emily's
father went into his office and slammed the door.
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