The Space Between Us(28)

“I don't know. Maybe. I was thinking about it.” His head dropped low as he tried his best to keep his eyes from mine. “Would that bother you?” My heart hurt for him.

“No, Daddy. I won't mind. You deserve to be happy. Mom wouldn't want you to be alone.” Silence fell over both of us at the mention of my mother. It was still hard to think about her being gone, but the truth was, it had been eight years since she passed. My dad put his sadness aside and had done an admirable job raising me alone ever since. I couldn't fully grasp what it had taken for him to pull himself up and be both parents. I knew that some days were harder than others for him, but he was the best dad I could have ever asked for, and that made it difficult to leave him, even though I knew I needed to. “I'll be back to visit soon, Dad. Corbett is only a few hours from here,” I said trying to move us out of the painful memories of my mother.

“You better,” he said with his wonderful smile, and I knew he would be ok. We both heard the honking from the driveway and I knew Reeve arrived to drive us away from the town we had done most of our growing up in. “I can't believe I let you and Reeve talk me into letting you take yourselves to college. I'm supposed to go with you, move you in to your dorm, say goodbye.”

“We don't need a sappy goodbye, Dad. I don't want that. Just give me a hug and tell me you'll miss me.” I smiled at him, trying to ease the situation that was turning out to be more painful than I anticipated. He came up to me and wrapped his giant, warm, papa-bear arms around me. I snuggled into his broad chest and breathed in his scent.

“I’m going to miss you,” he whispered into my hair. I felt the familiar pinch in my throat as I tried to keep from crying. “Don't be too crazy, but have fun. Make sure you don't walk home alone after dark and remember that you can always call me.” I smiled at his sentiment, worried about me always.

“I love you, Daddy,” I said into his chest.

“I love you too, Charlie Bear.” I felt him kiss the top of my head then pull away and quickly turn from me to pick up my bags. I suspected he was also trying to hide his face from me, afraid to show me how much it hurt saying goodbye. I didn't need to see his face to know his pain, because I was feeling it too. I turned to the door and pulled it open to see Reeve sitting in her open driver's side window, half hanging out of her car.

“Are you ready to party, Charlie?!” She yelled from where her car sat on the street. My dad stepped out behind me and a panicked look crossed her face. “I mean, uh, are you ready to study so hard we have no energy to even think about parties?” She said with a smile, halfway trying to cover what she said, but understood that it was a lost cause.

“Reeve, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, and then I'm going to tell you what I told Charlie. Be careful. College is going to be exciting and fun, but you have to be smart too. And you can always call me if you need something.”

“Thanks, Papa Bear,” she said sweetly, sliding back down into her seat. Reeve was the only other person on the planet that called my dad Papa Bear and she's the only one I would allow it from. Reeve had both of her parents, but that didn't stop my dad from treating her like one of his own, and I loved him even more for it.

He loaded all my bags into the trunk of Reeve's SUV and then pulled me into another hug, though this one was shorter and more playful.

“When is Asher getting there again?”

“He left yesterday. He'll be there to help us move in.”

“Good. Make sure he watches out for you.”

“Like I have to even ask him,” I said rolling my eyes.

“I know. I know,” he said and then paused. “I'm proud of you, Charlie. Have fun. And call your father.”

“I will, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you too.”



The three-hour drive flew by, as any road trip with Reeve tended to do. She either talked a million miles per hour, or sang along to some pop song, and I was usually observing. It was dangerous to try and interrupt her long rambling monologues. I’ve been steamrolled many times in the past. So I usually just listened and nodded, giving her the occasional “uh huh,” when the time called for it. She was in her element when she had someone who had no choice but to give her their undivided attention. I didn't mind. She was my best friend. As much as she spoke, she listened when I needed her to. And she understood me more than I was willing to think about or examine.

When we finally pulled up to the university, I couldn't believe the amount of cars that were all trying to fit down the exact same street that we were headed. My first instinct was to regret not having my dad come with us. This was stressful and I wished he was there to lead the way so that I could just follow behind. I took a deep breath and readied myself. This was life now. I was an adult. It was time to start taking charge. I missed my dad.

All the apprehension I felt seemed to float away at the sight of Asher on the side of the road. He was up the street a bit, standing on the side of the road, between two orange construction cones. I watched from our car, crawling along at a snail’s pace, as a few cars tried to park between the cones. He waved them away with a smile that clearly said, “Move along”. He even used his hand to wave one or two away. When he spotted Reeve's SUV, he stepped a little farther into the street and started waving at us. My smile grew even bigger.