Chapter 262: Goodbyes
*We don’t say goodbye. We say see you later. – Michael Ray*
RYE’S MEMORIES
It was Rye’s thirteenth birthday. For September, it was mild. Not that Rye noticed. There was only one thing on her mind. One wish for this day.
Her dad.
They lived just off the base in Jacksonville. Her mom, Donna Leigh, hated living on base especially when they were in the United States. Both Rye and her older sister attended local public schools.
Leigh Anne turned sixteen in July and was the popular party girl. Donna Leigh always said that Leigh Anne was her daughter while Ryanne was completely her father’s child. She even had his gray patch in her mother’s black hair. Whenever she said it, it always seemed like an insult. Especially if Mike was not around. After his death. there was no doubt that is was an insult.
Rye was a nerdy good girl. She was an honor student at a magnet high school. She had even skipped the eighth grade going from seventh grade straight to high school.
Currently she sat in chemistry doing a quiz on chemical reactions. When she dressed that morning, it was with a specific moment in mind. She wore a navy and baby blue empire waist dress with cap sleeves and rounded neckline, black sandals and her toes were painted Marine red and gold.
Rye had done two side French braids mixing her gray patch with her shoulder length black hair. Leigh Anne had even put a little mascara and lip gloss on her. She felt pretty. Maybe she would make ral friends this year.
The one difference between Michael and his daughter was that she was not a people person. People were mean and cruel and picked on little girls with a grey streak in her black hair.
So far, no one had given her hair a second glance. She was grateful.
Today, she turned thirteen. The news had done a story about a deployed dad who surprised his son on his birthday. She didn’t care if the news cameras were there. She didn’t care how it happened.
Rye just wanted her dad home.
Her mother was spending more and more time with her friends. The ones that dad did not like. Friday night she had taken Leigh Anne with her. She had heard them come in around three and they were both giggling loudly.
If dad were home, it would not be like that. He would not let it. There were times that Donna Leigh would start doing this when he would go out for extended periods. But he would be home after a month or two and it would stop.
“Your mom has a type of illness and if she doesn’t take her medicine, she loses herself.” Her dad had once told Rye when she was younger.
He had now been gone for four months. The pill bottles hadn’t been touched in over three months. The only thing that Rye could think was that her dad needed to come home.
And today was her birthday.
There could be no better day for him to come home. He would come home. Mom would take her medicine. Leigh Anne would quit smoking. She would be happy. They would all be happy.
There was a knock on the door and Rye thought that her dad was about to walk through the door. The teacher spoke with someone at the door.
“Rye-Anne, go ahead and gather up your books. Don’t worry about the rest of the quiz.”
Maybe her dad was in the hallway. She quickly put away her books and laptop. Shoving her pencil in her backpack pocket she slid off the stool. Rye put her quiz in the basket and walked out of the classroom.
“Ryanne, your mother asked that we come to get you. Do you need anything from your locker?” a Marine in dress blues asked.
Something was wrong. Her mother asked them to get her. When they got home, Leigh Anne was sitting on the front porch steps. She was crying. Leigh Anne never cried.
The Marine carried her bag inside the house and that’s when Rye’s world fell apart.
It was Rye’s thirteenth birthday. The day after her father died. The day she found out. She never celebrated another birthday.
She never had another home. From then on, it was just surviving. Survive today. Worry about surviving tomorrow when it got here.
So much of the time it was surviving on her own. Depending on herself. Learning early that nothing was free.
Everything came with a price.
Nothing was done purely out of kindness.
Men could never be trusted.
These were the lessons that Rye learned well.
It was what kept her safe.
Kept her alive.
