"Forever Young"
by
emily-ruth
Joey lightly touched the silver picture frame as she dreamily stared
at the picture. It was of her and Dawson in their senior year of high
school. Her arms were tightly hugged around his neck, and his arms were
comfortably draped around her waist, they were engaged in a kiss that
could drain the Atlantic Ocean. She smiled as she remembered how in love
they were, how their relationship surpassed any other high school
romance. They were together from the middle of their sophomore year,
until she left for college. She went on to Boston University to major in
Marine Biology, where she got her teaching degree, and Dawson went to
Stanford to major in Film Development. They were so far from each other,
that they decided that ending everything would be the easiest thing to
do. They tried to keep in touch, but as the years went by, they slowly
lost track of each other. Last she heard, Dawson was in Mexico directing
a movie...and that was last year.
Ugh....whatever happened to my life?! How did everything end up
so...so...so messed up? She thought as she placed the frame back on
her night stand. How did I go from graduating valedictorian in high
school, Suma Cum Luade in college...to now? Her thoughts continued
to drain her....
"Mommy?" Joey turned to her doorway, and smiled.
"Hi sweetie, what's wrong?" Joey scooped the small boy into her
arms.
"I couldn't sleep....where's Daddy?" The small boy snuggled into
his mother's arms.
"David, honey, don't you remember what I told you last month? We
aren't going to see Daddy anymore...he left." Joey sadly admitted. She
re-met Anderson after she graduated from college, and she told him the
truth about her and her family. One thing lead to another, and soon,
they were married. They moved to New York where Anderson worked as a
lawyer, and they lived in a huge house, filled with gorgeous furniture,
and beuatiful anitiques.
She was now only 29, with two three year old kids, and a failed
marriage. She loved her little twin boy and girl, more than anything
else in the world....but raising two children alone took more than just
love...it took, responsibility, hard work, and thankfully,money was
taken care of. After Anderson and her divorced the month before, he
promised to always support their children. It's not that Anderson was a
bad husband, he was wonderful...he supported them, he loved her and the
children, but the "spark" that was there before faded in the four short
years of marriage.
When they did get married, she tried desperately to convince
herself that she was doing the right thing, that she was no longer in
love with Dawson...and for a while she did believe that.
Although, a marriage based on a lie could only last for so long. "David,
you didn't wake up your sister did you?" She looked at the small bundle
in her arms, that was fast asleep.
"No mommy, i woke up on my own." Joey looked at the doorway and saw
her beautiful daughter. "Can we sleep in here tonight mommy?
Please?"
"Sure sweetie..we have a long drive tomorrow anyway..come here."
The small girl hopped onto the bed next to her mom. Joey quietly put
David on the other side of her, careful not to wake him up. "Goodnight
Casey."
"G'night mommy." Casey yawned out her words and snuggled up close
to her mother. "I love you."
"I love you too sweetie." Joey squeezed her two children and fell
asleep, with Dawson on her mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey took a deep breath as she drove into the familiar town.
Everything looked the same since she left eleven years before. She
rolled down her window and took a deep breath of the salty air. She
looked behind her as the small bodies began to stir from their sleep.
She looked at her watch, 9:53, it was way past their bedtimes.
She drove for ten more minutes before she pulled into the unfamiliar
driveway of her sister's. Bessie and Bodie moved into a bigger house
after Bodie opened his own, five-star, classy restaurant. They had
gotten married when Joey was a Junior, and everything was going great
for them. Joey was happy for her sister's good fortune, despite her bad
luck with love.
"Mommy, where are we? Are we there yet?" Casey rubbed her eyes while
she waited for a response.
"Yes, we're here." she let out a deep sigh," Now wake up your
brother." Joey stopped the car, and pulled the keys out of the ignition.
She unbuckeld her seatbelt and turned to look at her children. " Hey
buddie. How was your nap?" David nodded in response, and snuggled back
into the seat. "No, no, wake up. I have to talk to you guys.Do you guys
remember your Aunt Bessie and Uncle Bodie?" she waited for their nods,
which never came, only two faces of confusion. "You remember, they came
to visit last year? Well, we're gonna be living with them for a couple
of months. I want you two to be poilte, and great, like you always are."
Joey tried to sound happy as she smiled at the two toddlers.
The two children nodded, and started to get out of the car. She
smiled. How am I so lucky to be blessed with two of the most
wonderful children, ever put on this earth? She got out of the car,
just as the front door of the house opened. Bessie and Bodie stepped out
with huge smiles on their faces. Joey couldn't help but smile as two
children came running out of the house.
"Hi Aunt Joey! Hi Aunt Joey!" Alexander, and Melissa hugged their
rarely seen aunt.
"Hey Alex! Hey Meme!" Joey embraced her neice and nephew, then
spotted her own children, who looked scared to death. She let go, and
walked over to her children, and pushed them towards the other children.
"Have you guys met your cousins? This is David, and this is Casey. Casey
and David are three," She explained as she picked Casey up in her arms,
"and Alex is 14? My God you're old! And Meme is six." She desperately
tried to make her children familiar with her nephew and neice, but they
stayed a good distance from the new people.
"It's good to see you Aunt Joey...Well c'mon Meme, you need to go
to bed." Alex pushed his little sister towards the house, and passed his
parents. Joey struggled to pick both her children in her arms, but
Bessie came over and picked up David, who looked terrified, but remained
still in the stranger's arms. Bessie and Joey walked towards the house,
as Bodie started to unload the car.
"So how are you holding up? You okay?" Bessie pushed open the door
and started up the staircase.
Joey followed, "Yah, surprisingly, I'm fine....I think everything
will be okay. I'm gonna find our own place here, then move the rest of
our stuff, from New York, later."
"Okay, but remember, you guys can stay here as long as you like. We
have plenty of room." Bessie lead her sister into a small room with two
twin sized beds. She laid David down and started to take off his
shoes.
Joey did the same as she whispered, "Thanks Bess...thank you for
everything."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawson drived down the still un-paved roads of his hometown. He
looked at his watch, 10:22. He came home earlier than he expected, and
he was greatful. He decided to take a break from his stressful life in
California, and come back to Capeside for a rest. He put his good
judegement with his parents, and let them buy a house for him, not too
far away from their's. He was told that it was near the ruins, huge, and
gorgeous. He passed by Capeside High, and his thoughts immediately
turned to Joey. He had thought about her a lot (more so than usual)
ever since he decided to move back to Capeside. The last time he spoke
to her was four years ago before her wedding. He recalled the
conversation, like it had happened yesterday.
"Dawson, I'm getting married."
"Wha? Huh? Slow down Jo....you're getting married?! To who?
When?"
"Next month...to Anderson Crawford. I would really like for you to
come....it's going to be in New York, April 17...."
Dawson remembered how much his heart broke when he realized he
had no chance of getting her back. He had always wanted to, but his busy
schedule always held him from seeing her, talking to her..let alone get
back together with her. He never mat another woman, who quite captured
his heart like Joey did, so many years before.
"I'm sorry Jo....but I mean...I'm filming a movie over in Paris
next month, and seeing as how we would just be getting started, I don't
see how I could possibly get away...I mean, I'm sorry."
"Oh, well...uh.....no problem...really...Well Pacey and Jen are
coming, I'll tell them you said hi?"
Dawson could still hear the hurt in her voice to this day...He
was telling the truth about the movie, but it wouldn't be that hard to
get away for two or three days while his best friend got married. But he
didn't think he would be able to bare seeing the love of his life get
married to anyone that wasn't him.
"Sure, Jo...well Congradulations..and uh.....good luck."
Dawson pulled into a driveway. "2020 Bush Lane" he thought out
loud. It was huge, and gorgeous for that matter. He waited out at
the edge of the driveway, for the moving van.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(The next day, Noon)
"BESSIE!!!!! I'm leaving! Are you sure this is all you want?" Joey
tied her hair into a loose, low, ponytail, and snapped it with a strong
clip. She examined herself in the mirror. She was wearing her jeans, and
a yellow Ann Taylor tank top that Anderson had gotten her for Easter.
She sighed deeply as she looked at herself. It totally seemed to faze
her how she still had the same figure she had when she was eighteen! But
afterall, her mother was very skinny, and everyone always said that
Bessie and her mother's face, but she had her mother's figure.
Bessie walked into the room, unnoticed by Joey. "You look great. A
little overdressed for the Supermarket don't ya think?" She smiled.
Still looking at the mirror Joey said, "I know, but what can I
say? I guess some of my New York habits are going to stick with me
wherever I go!" she laughed as she tied a light yellow scarf around her
neck.
"Well there aren't many people to impress here in No-man's land."
Bessie smiled, and walked out of her sister's new room.
Joey 's thoughts again turned to Dawson. She ran after her sister
down the stairs. "By the way Bessie, have you heard anything about
Dawson? I haven't talked to him since the wedding." She walked into the
kitchen where her children were happily eating "Captain Crunch Cereal".
She sat next to Casey and wiped her mouth, which was at that point, a
milk covered mess.
"No...but I'm not sure...why don't you stopped by Gail's after
the market? I'm sure she knows." Bessie was busy cleaning the
dishes.
"Okay...I think I will...." Joey put on an overly happy face and
smiled to her children, "C'mon you guys! Do you want to go the market?"
Trying to make the idea of grocery shopping sound appealing.They nodded
happily. Joey picked the two in her arms and walked towards the front
door, "Bye Bess, I'll see you in about an hour!" She put her children in
the back seat, and buckled them up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawson walked hungrily to his refridgerator. He opened the door,
but found nothing but a note from his parents.
Dear Dawson~
We were about to fill your fridge with all the wholesome foods a young
man like yourself SHOULD eat....but then we weren't sure what a
"Big-Hollywood-Director" would want in his fridge! Sorry, but you
remember the old grocery store, right? I think you'll do fine!
We are so happy that you have moved back to good ol' Capeside!
Love Always~
Mom & Dad: Proud Parents of the Famous, Academy Award winning Director,
Dawson Leery.
Dawson smiled as he put down the note. He ran up to his
bedroom, and got dressed.It looked like he was going to the Market!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey parked in a parking space, and got out of her car. She
glanced at the other cars around. Her sliver BMW looked like a limo
compared to the old Lincolns and Trucks scattered in the Parking lot.
She opened the back door and let her kids jump out. She took a hold of
their hands and crossed the street. Just as she walked into the
"big-for-Capeside" market, Dawson pulled up.
Dawson glanced at the other cars in the Parking lot. All the cars
were so....old. Every car, except for a silver BMW not too far away. He
shut the door to his black Mercedes, and crossed the street to the
market entrance, and walked in.
Joey pushed the cart that had her two kids securely seated in. She
turned to the next isle, as she looked down at the list. Okay, i got
milk, eggs, bread...next is tomatoe sauce...oh where, oh where, is the
tomatoe sauce? She looked to her left and saw a box of "Captain
Crunch Cereal". Well you can never have to much of a good thing!
She thought as she picked up the box and placed it in the cart, and
looked down at her list again. She absent mindingly continued to push
the cart, as Casey and David were saying mindless babble. Then all of a
sudden, she heard a loud CRASH!!!! She looked up from the list
and saw she had crashed into a man's cart. He had been reading a cereal
box label.
"Oh, God...I'm really sorry...I didn't mean to bump into you, but
i was stupidly not paying attention, and then BOOM! And then I looked up
and I saw that I had bumped into you..." she let a fast flood of
apologies flow out of her mouth, she looked at her kids, "Are you two
okay?"
Casey clapped her hands wildly, "Let's do it again mommy! Let's do
it again! Crash, BOOM!!!!!"
David was staring at the man with the cereal box,"Mommy. Mommy,
that's the man in your picture, mommy!"
Joey looked up from her children, and looked at the man for the
first time. That man looks remarkably familiar!!! She racked her
brain to try to think.
Dawson was staring into the most beautiful face he had ever seen,
and once seen before. "Joey? Josephine Potter? I mean, Josephine
Crawford?" He stared at her not believing what was right in front of his
face.
Oh my gosh! "Dawson? Oh my gosh! Dawson Leery?!?!?!? Is
that you?" She said shocked. She was grabbed by two arms and was lifted
from the ground in a huge hug. She laughed gittily as Dawson swung her
around. He finally put her down, and she pulled away. She could see
tears in Dawson's eyes, and she felt tears in her own. She pulled him
into another warm embrace, "I can't belive it's really you!" she
whispered into his ear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C'est Finis! Nombre Deux coming up!
Emily~Ruth
Emme706@aol.com
I LOVE FEEDBACK!!!! Constructive critism welcome! All
comments too!