Post by hollygirl on Mar 7, 2008 8:41:28 GMT 10
Chapter 107: Accepted
six weeks later...
Sitting in the kitchen, Abby stared out the back window watching Luka doing yard work with his dad. She thought of when they were kids in the back yard while Nate worked around them. How, in the fall, they would jump into the piles of leaves, and send them flying everywhere. She laughed thinking about the angry faces they would get when Nate looked back. It felt like he was looking at her through the windows, but she wasn't sure until he winked at her, giving her a bright smile. Abby bit her lip, and then smiled back, giggling to herself. She couldn't remember a time where she felt so warm. So full of life. So happy. She felt the change, and those around her saw it. She was still thin, but not sickly looking.. she had put on a few pounds since she'd been here. But that didn't surprise her. Mariana was a nurse, and considered Abby her daughter, so there was no way she would let her skip a meal, or leave the table without an empty plate. The cuts on her arms were healed, but ugly scars were a constant reminder. She stopped drinking and smoking.. and got all of her grades up to high A's. The grades were probably the easiest since she was such a bright student. She couldn't even believe she had let her grades get so low... she was thankful that as a senior your grades freeze, and colleges don't see all of them on your transcripts.
"Abby dear?" Mariana called.
"Yeah?"
"Could you run out and get the mail?"
"Sure thing."
"Thank you." She said in her sweet voice.
Stepping outside, she immediately felt the warm sunlight on her face, with the cool breeze, keeping the day nice, and not too hot. She grabbed the mail, and flipped through it anxiously as she made her way back inside. "Here it is" She said to herself. Her letter from Penn. State. She took in a deep breath and set it aside on the counter, not wanting to open it alone. At that very moment she felt her heart sink. A letter addressed to Luka... from the University of Zagreb. She knew where that was.. thousands of miles away, in Croatia. He didn't even tell her he was applying there... She dropped all the mail, and sank into her chair, feeling a sensation she hadn't felt in weeks. Tears in her eyes... a warm droplet sliding down her cheek. She wouldn't ever see him.. It was too far..
She heard the back door open, and quickly wiped her face, looking down at her math book. "Hey there.. still working on that homework?" She looked behind her and forced a smile.. Luka stood there, sucking down a water bottle. "I'm just checking it over." She said in a shaky voice. He furrowed his brow, noticing her voice, but nodded, and looked around.
"Oh! Your letter came." He said, surprised.
"Yeah.."
"Have you opened it? did you get in?"
"I was waiting for you.. I didn't want to look at it alone."
"You got in." He said, cutting her off. "I know you did."
"Maybe not.."
"Oh, come on!" He said, sitting beside her. "Open it." She held out her hand and he passed it to her, squeezing her shoulder with his free hand. Sighing, she tore the envelope open, and unfolded the paper, reading it quickly. She felt a smile spread across her face, and set it down, looking up at Luka. "You got in!" He exclaimed. "See! I knew you would." He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight "I am so proud of you Abby." He said in a whisper. "This is what... your sixth acceptance letter?"
"Yeah.. but those other ones don't matter.. I wasn't even exactly interested in going to some of them."
"But, just knowing you have all the options.. I mean, that must feel good?"
"It does."
"Why don't you seem as happy as I thought you would be?"
"I am.. I am happy.. really happy."
"What's wrong?"
"You got mail.." She started as she stood up. "From Zagreb.." She said, dropping it in front of him.
"Oh.."
"When did you apply there?"
"A while ago.."
"Are you going to open it?"
"Yeah.." He met her eyes, and held her gaze as he tore it open. He read over the paper, and then set it down.
"Well...?"
"I got in." He couldn't help but smile.
"Congratulations."
"I don't even know if I'm going there.."
"Luka.. you just don't apply to medical school in Croatia and then not go."
"You did that.. you applied.."
"It's not the same! Zagreb, Croatia? You are not turning that down.. you love going there."
"But I love.." He stopped mid sentence.
"What?"
"I love you more." He whispered.
Abby shook her head. "No.. I will not be the reason you don't go.. Luka, I love you too.. but you will go.. ok.. you are going to be a great doctor.. really great.. and going there is gonna be good for you..."
"Abby.."
"We all have to sacrifice things to get what we want.. to be who we want to be.. I would know.. so.. you are going to go. You want to.. I know you do.. I can see it in your eyes.. I heard it in your voice.. I'll be fine.. we'll be fine.. we'll still talk.. you'll still be my best friend and the most important person to me... ok?"
"Ok.. yeah.. and you can come to stay with me some time.. I'll show you all around.."
"Yeah.. definitely."
"But we don't have to worry about that now.. we won't have to till the time comes."
"Right.. I am happy for you Luka.. really." She said embracing him again.
"Me too."
six weeks later...
Sitting in the kitchen, Abby stared out the back window watching Luka doing yard work with his dad. She thought of when they were kids in the back yard while Nate worked around them. How, in the fall, they would jump into the piles of leaves, and send them flying everywhere. She laughed thinking about the angry faces they would get when Nate looked back. It felt like he was looking at her through the windows, but she wasn't sure until he winked at her, giving her a bright smile. Abby bit her lip, and then smiled back, giggling to herself. She couldn't remember a time where she felt so warm. So full of life. So happy. She felt the change, and those around her saw it. She was still thin, but not sickly looking.. she had put on a few pounds since she'd been here. But that didn't surprise her. Mariana was a nurse, and considered Abby her daughter, so there was no way she would let her skip a meal, or leave the table without an empty plate. The cuts on her arms were healed, but ugly scars were a constant reminder. She stopped drinking and smoking.. and got all of her grades up to high A's. The grades were probably the easiest since she was such a bright student. She couldn't even believe she had let her grades get so low... she was thankful that as a senior your grades freeze, and colleges don't see all of them on your transcripts.
"Abby dear?" Mariana called.
"Yeah?"
"Could you run out and get the mail?"
"Sure thing."
"Thank you." She said in her sweet voice.
Stepping outside, she immediately felt the warm sunlight on her face, with the cool breeze, keeping the day nice, and not too hot. She grabbed the mail, and flipped through it anxiously as she made her way back inside. "Here it is" She said to herself. Her letter from Penn. State. She took in a deep breath and set it aside on the counter, not wanting to open it alone. At that very moment she felt her heart sink. A letter addressed to Luka... from the University of Zagreb. She knew where that was.. thousands of miles away, in Croatia. He didn't even tell her he was applying there... She dropped all the mail, and sank into her chair, feeling a sensation she hadn't felt in weeks. Tears in her eyes... a warm droplet sliding down her cheek. She wouldn't ever see him.. It was too far..
She heard the back door open, and quickly wiped her face, looking down at her math book. "Hey there.. still working on that homework?" She looked behind her and forced a smile.. Luka stood there, sucking down a water bottle. "I'm just checking it over." She said in a shaky voice. He furrowed his brow, noticing her voice, but nodded, and looked around.
"Oh! Your letter came." He said, surprised.
"Yeah.."
"Have you opened it? did you get in?"
"I was waiting for you.. I didn't want to look at it alone."
"You got in." He said, cutting her off. "I know you did."
"Maybe not.."
"Oh, come on!" He said, sitting beside her. "Open it." She held out her hand and he passed it to her, squeezing her shoulder with his free hand. Sighing, she tore the envelope open, and unfolded the paper, reading it quickly. She felt a smile spread across her face, and set it down, looking up at Luka. "You got in!" He exclaimed. "See! I knew you would." He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight "I am so proud of you Abby." He said in a whisper. "This is what... your sixth acceptance letter?"
"Yeah.. but those other ones don't matter.. I wasn't even exactly interested in going to some of them."
"But, just knowing you have all the options.. I mean, that must feel good?"
"It does."
"Why don't you seem as happy as I thought you would be?"
"I am.. I am happy.. really happy."
"What's wrong?"
"You got mail.." She started as she stood up. "From Zagreb.." She said, dropping it in front of him.
"Oh.."
"When did you apply there?"
"A while ago.."
"Are you going to open it?"
"Yeah.." He met her eyes, and held her gaze as he tore it open. He read over the paper, and then set it down.
"Well...?"
"I got in." He couldn't help but smile.
"Congratulations."
"I don't even know if I'm going there.."
"Luka.. you just don't apply to medical school in Croatia and then not go."
"You did that.. you applied.."
"It's not the same! Zagreb, Croatia? You are not turning that down.. you love going there."
"But I love.." He stopped mid sentence.
"What?"
"I love you more." He whispered.
Abby shook her head. "No.. I will not be the reason you don't go.. Luka, I love you too.. but you will go.. ok.. you are going to be a great doctor.. really great.. and going there is gonna be good for you..."
"Abby.."
"We all have to sacrifice things to get what we want.. to be who we want to be.. I would know.. so.. you are going to go. You want to.. I know you do.. I can see it in your eyes.. I heard it in your voice.. I'll be fine.. we'll be fine.. we'll still talk.. you'll still be my best friend and the most important person to me... ok?"
"Ok.. yeah.. and you can come to stay with me some time.. I'll show you all around.."
"Yeah.. definitely."
"But we don't have to worry about that now.. we won't have to till the time comes."
"Right.. I am happy for you Luka.. really." She said embracing him again.
"Me too."