A Million Wishes Read Free Page B

don’t worry about me. See you soon.”
     
    Not giving him a chance to answer her, she hung up the phone, and just as quickly as she’d hung up, she picked it up again, called her professors message lines and let them know of her family emergency and requested they email her assignments so she could keep up with her classes.
     
    That done she got out of bed and walked to the shower, cranking it on steaming hot and stripped, stepping into the steam, the heat, the solace and waited for the tears to come but they never did. She just stood there, trembling, holding her throat, feeling the walls closing in on her and trying to catch her breath. Miki dunked her head under the water and grabbed her shampoo bottle, squirting a dollop in her hands and sinking down to the floor of the tub, she methodically scrubbed her head. Wishing things could be different. Wishing she’d had enough heart to have given her Mother another chance. Wishing time had a dial you could turn back so you could fix things that needed to be fixed in order to live with yourself, and not in guilt. If wishes were kisses…
     
    Rising and rinsing off before the water got cold, she went through the motions of getting dressed and packing, taking a few minutes to call her best friend Gina and let her know what was going on and where she’d be, refusing her offer to come with her. Finals were too soon, she wouldn’t dare jeopardize her friend’s grade just to ride to Sugar Creek with her, even if she desperately wished she could lean on her right now. No. She was no longer the dependent scared little girl she was when she was 13. Her life had changed then and she was strong, she didn’t need anyone.
     
    Miki pulled her damp, vibrant red hair up in an unruly knot, not caring that little wisp’s of it fell free. Her green eyes, that were usually bright and vibrant, were dull and lifeless. She dug through her closet and found her nicest black dress, heels and stockings, then reached for her soft pink Juicy sweats, tank top and jacket, quickly donning them along with her Nike shoes. She wanted comfort today. It was a long drive and cool autumn weather. Again, methodically she checked her bags, counting outfits, lingerie, appropriate dress for funeral and services, satisfied she had enough, she zipped them up and carried them to the door. Heading back into the kitchen she grabbed a grocery sack and filled it with the fruit she had in the bowl on the counter, and grabbed a few other snacks from the cabinet.
     
    She needed strength, had to fuel her body, even if she didn’t feel like it. Grabbing a few bottles of water and sticking them in her bag, she grabbed the rest of her things and headed out the door, locking it tight and packing everything into her 57 Chevy, Daddy’s truck. Callum had it for years, and when mentioned trading it off, she nearly had a fit, and insisted on buying it from him, not caring it was old and battered. It was one of the few things she had left of her father. Her iPod set to road traveling music, she backed out of the driveway of her small cottage rental, heading south, back to Sugar Creek where it all began.
     
    The closer she got, the tighter her throat felt. Her hands were sore from clenching the wheel so hard, and her bottom lip was tender from her absently chewing it. Old habits were hard to break. Familiar sites were coming in to view now. Mr. Wilson’s old general store looked exactly the same as it did growing up, and she was sure if she went in there he probably still had the old soda fountains and would make her the best cherry vanilla coke around. That made her smile. He’d always been such a sweet man, spoiling her and her siblings.
     
    Then there was the ice cream shop that Callum always took her to on Sunday’s after they went to church when she moved in with him all those years ago. He’d done his very best to parent her, but in those days he was quite a hell raiser himself. She turned out pretty good with a