Gus was most definitely not looking forward to today. Everything in his old house was packed up for transport, sold, or given away and now it was time to say good bye to his best friend, Heather. The teens had grown up next door to each other for such a long time and he adored her. He remembered Justin talking about his best friend from school, Daphne, and Gus figured that his relationship with Heather was probably very similar. She was the one person in the world that he trusted wholeheartedly. She knew more about his feelings and emotions than his own parents did. And now they were going to be separated by Countries. It really sucked, big time.
Heather had made it clear that their friendship was far from over. She had every intention of bugging the hell out of him every chance she got online and their phone calls just might put poor Brian in the poor house. But for now, Gus had to suck it up and go next door to say his farewells. His dad and DJ, his brand new nickname for Daddy Justin, had let the kids know that they wanted to get an early start back to Pittsburgh so he didn't have much time left. Gus headed for the front door, passing his sister who was sitting on the living room floor cross legged with her new cell phone (a gift from Grandma Debbie and Daddy Michael) pressed tightly to her ear.
JR had spent the rest of her time in Toronto saying her good byes to the dozens of friends that she had. Now she was in the throes of her final good bye to her best friend, Angie. The girls had cried a river of tears over being separated, but Angie was also excited at the prospect of getting to visit her friend in Pittsburgh this coming Summer. Her mother had been reluctant to agree but Brian had promised to pay all expenses and had used his considerable charm to convince the woman that the girls would be totally safe. Angie now believed JR when she said that Brian could talk an Eskimo into buying a freezer for his igloo.
JR waved a casual good bye to Gus as he headed for the front door. She knew he was having a hard time bidding farewell to Heather. Sometimes she was even jealous of her neighbor since she knew her brother told the girl everything, including a lot of stuff that he never even told his own sister. But she also liked Heather a lot because the neighbor had always included her in a lot of the play the kids did together, even when JR was so little that she was more a pest than a play companion. The truth was that she'd miss Heather too. She made a mental note to run over and say goodbye too as soon as she could.
Meanwhile Gus headed out the door and crossed the wide lawn that separated his old home from Heather's. She must have anticipated his arrival because the door flew open just as he reached the porch steps. Heather came running out of the door and flung her arms around Gus's neck, almost knocking him to the ground.
"What took you so long? I've been waiting for you forever. Oh geez Gus-Gus, I'm going to miss you so bad," she cried.
Gus was touched, hearing his friend use her childhood nickname for him. His mom had sat them down in front of the DVD player one day when they had first become friends and played the Disney movie "Cinderella". Ever since then Heather had called him Gus-Gus after the mouse in the movie. It was just one of the many happy memories he had of his best friend. Gus squeezed Heather even tighter as he thought of their past friendship. What the hell was he going to do without her, he wondered to himself. He had lots of friends, but only one person that he felt close to and confided in...and now she was going to be miles and miles away.
Gus finally pulled back and set Heather back on her feet. She looked up at him teary-eyed. He leaned in sideways to give her a little peck on the cheek. In that split second Heather turned her face to the side so that their lips met. She pressed her lips firmly to Gus's mouth. Almost instantly the startled teen pulled back. He stood there with surprise written all over his face.
Heather blushed from ear to ear. "I'm sooo sorry Gus. I don't know what came over me." She watched her friend stand there open-mouthed and speechless. "You can close your mouth now."
Gus slammed his mouth shut. In all the years he'd known Heather there had never been a hint of romance between them. Oh, he was a smart boy so he was well aware of the rumors. Even his moms thought there was something special between the kids. Well there was something special...but it had nothing to do with romance. Truthfully, Gus had never felt anything romantic for any gal so far. He adored girls, but he figured he just hadn't found the right one yet, since none of the terrific gals he knew made him feel all hot and bothered. It made it convenient for him that everyone thought Heather was his special girlfriend so that nobody would bug him about finding Miss Right. For some reason, it had felt really wrong when Heather tricked him into kissing her but he wouldn't hurt her for the world.
"I'm sorry too Heddy. You just caught me by surprise, that's all," he stammered out. The worried frown on the girl's face faded and she smiled back up at the tall teen.
"Well, I kinda figured if I didn't give you a smack now I might never get the chance. You know, make you see what you've missed out on by not pursuing me all these years." She laughed out loud and Gus joined in, even though he was feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
For the next hour the teens went to Heather's room and looked through old class books and reminisced about their good times together. By the time Gus knew it was time to get back to the house, he felt at ease with his best friend again and the two of them went out to the porch to say their final good byes. Gus was extremely relieved when there was no repeat of the sneak attack kiss when he pecked Heather on the cheek and she pecked him back. A final squeeze and Gus ran back to his house, waving behind him.
*************************************
Brian and Justin had finally returned from the lawyer's office and were obviously satisfied with all the results from the arrangements that had been made. Once the house sold, the proceeds would go directly into a trust fund equally divided between the two kids. The men had consulted with the teens on what they had wanted to keep for themselves and had already had those things shipped to their house in Pittsburgh. The kids were allowed to give away some things to the people they knew would either appreciate the things or that they knew their moms would want the person to have. All the other items left over had been housed at a well known auction house in the city. Once the sales were completed the lawyers would add that money to the teen's trust fund.
The wrecked vehicle had been fully insured so the lawyers had made arrangements for the settlement money on it to go into the trust fund too, but the Jeep was going back to Pittsburgh with the family. Gus had learned how to drive with the Jeep and the men had decided he should keep it. It would make a good graduation gift and the boy would need it for when he entered college next year. While Brian and Justin checked the Jeep out and made sure it had all the things packed in it that they wanted to take with them, Gus and JR took one last tour around their home that they would probably never see again from the inside.
JR stood in the empty room with the pale pink walls that had been her sanctuary for so long. The place looked so sad with none of the colorful stuffed animals and rock posters that had lain on shelves and been tacked on walls. The room had seen a lot of tears and heard plenty of laughter and silly girlish chatter. JR had mooned over many a young man on that very spot where her canopy bed had once sat. Over in the corner was the dark spot that she had never been able to remove where she had spilled the purple candle wax on the dark pink carpet a few years ago. She had been warned never to have a lit candle in her room and so she had used the heavy dresser to cover the offending spot so that her moms wouldn't realize her mistake. She had tried really hard to remove all the wax but she didn't dare ask them how to do it and after awhile she'd forgotten all about it. The day they moved the dresser, JR had seen the wax and burst out crying. Luckily no one caught her so she didn't have to explain. She was going to miss this room, but it was time to move on. JR liked adventure as much as anyone, so she sucked it up and went back downstairs to join her new parents.
Gus had checked out the whole house, each room flooding him with memories, but he saved his own bedroom for last. His room had a light tan color to both the walls and carpeting. It wasn't because the lad was boring...it was because he had eclectic tastes and he needed a neutral background that wouldn't clash with his various tastes. He had an artistic eye and he had divided up his four walls to display the many different things that interested him. One whole wall was filled with photos of famous athletes like Greg Louganis, the Olympic diver, and Bryan Clay, the Olympic decathlon medalist, and Andre Agassi, the Olympic tennis player. Another wall had displayed Gus's personal art work, while the wall across from it displayed copies of some of the master's works of art. The fourth wall held an array of family photos in beautiful frames, many of which Gus had designed himself. All the items were packed away neatly and on their way to his new home.
Gus stood in his doorway and remembered fondly all the talks he had with his mom, Lindsay. She had been a huge influence on him, encouraging his artistic pursuits. She never gushed when he would show her a drawing he had made. She would critique it like a professional and he appreciated that immensely. It helped him feel like she respected his work. She was never judgmental and Gus always felt protected and loved with her. He loved his mom, Mel too, but she was a busy lady and didn't have near as much time to share as Lindsay did. But what Gus loved best about Mama Mel was that she never showed favoritism between JR and him. She made it clear she loved both kids equally and that endeared her to Gus tremendously.
Thinking about his mothers again brought the tears back to Gus's eyes and threatened to spill over. Gus felt that familiar hot lump in his throat and tightness in his chest that he always felt now when he thought of Mel and Linds. He wondered if it would ever go away. Just then he heard his name being called from downstairs.
"Gus, get a move on. We need to get started!"
It was his dad, Brian. Gus gave his head a firm shake and took a last look, trying to burn the sight into his mind forever. He wiped his eyes dry and headed back downstairs. Brian stood at the bottom waiting for his son to come down. When Gus reached the final step, Brian threw his arm around his beloved son's shoulder.
"I know it's hard to leave the memories behind, Son, but you'll never lose them. I promise. And we'll do our best to make new ones for you that you'll love just as much. You'll make a ton of new friends and then finish school and head off to college. You'll make your mom's proud. I have no doubt of that."
Gus leaned over and gave Brian a small peck on his cheek.
"I know Dad. Let's go."
With that the two slender, tall, and look-alike men walked out to the driveway where the handsome blond man and pretty brunette teenager waited patiently. Both of them took a deep breath and smiled as they saw Brian and Gus walking towards them. They reflected on father and son and marveled at how much alike they were and how happy there were that the two guys were in their lives.
Justin was the first to speak. "Shall we get this show on the road?"
Brian laughed and threw his other arm around Justin. He squeezed his two favorite men together, leaving just enough room for his new daughter to join in. The four of them stood hugging until Brian broke loose and tossed the keys to the Jeep to his son.
"Let's roll, Sonnyboy!" Brian saw the grin spread slowly over Gus's face as he realized what his dad was telling him. Justin and JR took their places in the back seat while Brian scooted into the passenger seat of the Jeep. Gus took one last look at his old home and then hurried into the driver's seat. He started up the engine and felt a twinge of nervousness mixed with excitement as it roared into life. He pulled out of the driveway for the last time and pointed the vehicle towards their new home...his and his little sister's, where the future was uncertain but exciting. He was looking forward to seeing all the gang from Pittsburgh again and his birthplace. He was looking forward to making new friends and seeing what the future held in store for him. He was sorry to let the past go, but it was time. He said one last goodbye to the past and drove off towards the future.
To be continued.......