Bright Angel
Chapter 12

Melissa: As we slid into the driveway of our 2 story khaki stucco house, I noticed the clock read 5:45. "How's that for timing," I told Hillary as she stared at the fake geese in the front yard. "Are those real," she asked with a perplexed expression now mounting on her tanned face. "Nope," I laughed, "You know my mom, she's nature obsessed. But they are kind of cool, aren't they," I told her as I hit the garage door opener. "Yep, could have fooled me!" "That's everyone's reaction. You'd be surprised, I even feel for it the first time I went into the driveway. I almost called my mom to tell her to look out the window!" Hillary laughed at that one. After getting our bags out of the trunk, we hurried towards the backdoor to escape the hot summer sun. "Air!," we both yelled, thankful for the modern convince of air conditioning. We dumped a few bags off on the kitchen table and trudged clumsily up to my room. When we put down all our stuff, Hillary turned to me, "ok, you, teenage prodigy, show me your creation!! " In an attempt not to stumble over various bags and some clothes in the middle of the floor, I cautiously walked into the hall opening the door to the closet next to my room that I had taken over with all my junk. Rummaging through a box of sketches and a pile of canvases, I finally extracted one of an angel with large feathered wings. "Wow, it’s really good. Have ya done any others lately?" "Oh, yea. There's one more," I exclaimed scrounging through the painted canvases lining the tiny walk in closet. “Here it is,” I exclaimed holding up a portrait of my late great grandmother. “ I LOVE that one! Who is it supposed to be?” “Its actually my Nannie, I had her old year book from 1929 for help and had to kinda guess on hair color and such. But I think it turned out pretty good.” “Yea, I think she would have been proud of you.” “She would have been proud of me no matter what,” I told Hillary about my great grandmother. She was the greatest person I ever knew and had a major impact on my life. Losing her was very hard for me and every since I almost always wear her opal necklace around my neck. At this moment, I wasn’t sure how much more tragedy I could endure after the past few years and the crisis that they brought with them. It was hard not to cry thinking of her and I strived to keep the thought of her happily surrounded by everyone else we had lost among God’s angels in heaven. Just then, the phone rang and Hillary turned to me with a huge grin on her face, I believe that is for you Mrs. Ather…or should I say, Hanson.” I laughed as I stumbled past the closet door and into my room wear my white cordless phone lay on the queen size bed. “Hello,” I answered. “Hey, Melissa? This is Taylor.” “Oh, hey, wassup?” “Not much, I just figured I’d call ya and ask if you still wanted to do something tonight?” “Yea, I’m more than up for it.” “Great. Oh, yea, ask Hillary if she wants to come too and I’ll bring Zac.” “Ok, one second,” I put the phone on mute and yelled into the closet at Hillary, who was still going through various pieces of art work and out right junk in there. “Hey, Hill, wanna stay and do something with us tonight, Taylor said something about bringing Zac?” “I think you already know my answers a big fat yes, so I don’t know why you even asked.” “Is it gonna be ok with your parents,” I asked her before confirming plans with Taylor. “Oh, of course they’ll be cool with it. They love you, Melissa. You’re a ‘Good influence on me’,” Hillary mocked her mom. “Ok, I’ll tell him to bring Zac then!” I took the phone off mute and told Taylor of Hillary’s plan to stay at my house. “So, what do you think we should do,” he asked me if I had any ideas. “Well, I have an idea, if the rest of you are up for it.” “Anything for you,” he sweetly said into the phone and I could tell he was smiling on the other end. I laughed, “Ok, my idea was to just hang out at my house and order pizza or Chinese or something and rent a movie.” “Sounds sweet to me!” “Ok, cool, so it’s a plan?” “Definitely, is 8:00 a good time to be over there.” “That’s exactly what I was going to suggest. You read my mind” “Well, great minds think alike.” “ I guess so,” I told him. “I’ll see you at 8, bye!” “Bye,” I told him, hanging up the phone to go tell Hillary what time we were expecting company. After giving her the details and the whereabouts of family, all gone for either the night or most of it anyways, we both realized at about the same time how much of a dump my room was looking like. With a “Better clean your room for the Hansons,” and a laugh, we quickly started folding clothes and other items and putting them in they’re former places.

Chapter 13