Chasing Cars
CHAPTER 1:
Chasing Cars
“I don’t want to move into a spooky murder house,” I complained to my best friend, Haylee, as we finished mopping the kitchen, “I want to stay here with you.”
“I would love to live in that house,” Haylee confessed, quickly adding, “But I wouldn’t trade you for the privilege. I feel so nauseous; what am I going to do without you?”
“You may finally get the courage to ask Payton out now that I won’t be around to stand in your way,” I countered. Payton was a boy in our grade that we both had a crush on since Freshman year; to preserve our friendship, we had resolved never to date him.
“If I were forced to choose between you and Payton, I would pick you every time,” Haylee insisted loyally.
“What if there were two of him?” I countered, raising my brow.
Haylee paused and chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she pretended to consider it; her outrageous expression caused me to burst out laughing.
Before I could elaborate on the scenario, my mother appeared at the threshold, “You missed a spot in the corner,” my mother said, pointing at the immaculate floor.
Haylee sighed as she gingerly moved forward and whisked the mop across the spot my mother had indicated.
“Why did you have to sell to such picky buyers?” I grumbled as I shed my rubber cleaning gloves and tossed them into the bucket where we stored the remainder of our cleaning supplies.
“Because they were willing to pay the asking price,” my mother replied as she gazed around the room. Apparently satisfied, she returned her attention to me, “Did you remember to drop off the donation boxes?”
“We did that this morning, but full disclosure, most of Dharma’s stuff went to me,” Haylee quipped, as she brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and preened, “I’m a worthy cause.”
My mother attempted to give Haylee a stern look but couldn’t prevent the corners of her lips from upturning, “I think I am going to miss you the most,” my mother told her.
“I’m going to miss you guys, Ms. Dupree,” Haylee exclaimed, “I can’t believe I’m starting my senior year without Dharma!”
When Haylee made this declaration, my stomach did a flip-flop. Haylee and I have been best friends since my first day of kindergarten, and our relationship has survived every phase of my development.
We suffered through puberty together, and when most of my class was filled with anxiety over starting high school, I felt secure, knowing that Haylee would be at my side.
I will be going to a new school miles away this year, and Haylee won’t be there to lend me her confidence.
Hot tears threaten the corners of my eyes. Haylee took notice, and her eyes began to water as well.
But before I could dissolve into an unconsolable mess, my mother intervened. “You guys will still be able to talk and see each other,” she reasoned as she wrapped a protective arm over my shoulder. "You can make Zoom calls, and we can fly Haylee out to visit during the school breaks.”
“Why do we have to move?” I moaned, knowing full well why my mother anticipated a fresh start.
My father was a physicist whose work required him to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, several times a year. My mother had always been anxious about his flights, but he returned home safely each time. It was a shame the same couldn’t be said of his trip to the local supermarket, which was only eleven miles from our home.
Martin Dupree was more than a brilliant scientist; he was an excellent father who was generous with his free time, always willing to organize science fairs, and often encouraged the town to donate a percentage of the ticket sales to a worthy cause.
The town loved him, and I suspected this was not only due to his generosity. He offered the little town some prestige. Most of our neighbors loved bragging to outsiders that they lived next door to a scientist who worked on the Cern Particle Collider.
I think, at first, my mother had been grateful to have so many people to mourn his death with, but soon, the consistent reminder of her loss began to weigh on her. She was a licensed doctor who favored holistic medicine. With my father’s support, she had opened her own natural therapy clinic over a decade before, and business had been booming, but she eventually closed her doors and became introverted.
My mother had never been much for television, so she sought escapism and comfort through books, and this is how she discovered the horror/thriller author Virginia Cole.
Virgina Cole’s last book was a paranormal thriller based on Virgina’s experiences in a home that had been the scene of a family massacre. When my mother found out that Virgina Coles' estate was putting the house up for sale, my mother leaped on the opportunity. She was so intrigued that even my protests couldn’t dissuade her.
“I don’t want to move,” I declared, “Especially not to a house that is reported to be haunted.”
“The house is not haunted, at least not anymore,” my mother chuckled, “According to Virginia, they were able to discover why the house was so active and since it has been dormant.”
“Dormant?” Haylee countered, “That just means the ghosts are asleep, biding their time until they can find a teen girl to gobble up!”
I reached over and poked Haylee in the ribs, “Stop being so dramatic.”
“The house is very charming,” my mother countered, “And due to the new zoning in the area, I was able to acquire a business license for the first level of the house, so I will never be far from Dharma or home.”
I did my best not to make a face. Though my mother considered this beneficial, I had to strongly disagree. No child wanted to be under their parents' constant surveillance.
“Where will we live if the downstairs is being used for your practice?” I demanded.
“Only the formal rooms and a single guest bathroom will be designated for business. There is a den, two additional bathrooms, a kitchen, and five bedrooms that should suit our living needs.” my mother rattled off promptly, signaling that she would hear no other protests.
“Good,” I said, relenting, “That means we can set up a guest room just for Haylee.”
“I can ship you some of my stuff if you want to personalize it,” Haylee offered, warming up to the idea.
“This can be an adventure for all of us,” my mother said, spreading her arms so that we could gather in a quick group hug.
After my mother released us, she said, “Now that the cleaning is completed, we need to get a move on. I would like to arrive at the house before tomorrow evening so we can go to the grocery store and settle in. Haylee, why don’t you help Dharma carry out the rest of our bags while I lock up?”
Reluctantly, Haylee followed me to the front door where the remaining bags had been stored. “This is so unfair,” Haylee whined as she slipped my overnight bag over her shoulder, “I wish I could go with you.”
“And miss your chance with Payton?” I teased as I opened the door.
“You are moving to California, the land of the beautiful people,” Haylee reminded me, “I suppose you meet boys far better than Payton.”
“We aren’t moving to Hollywood,” I reminded her. “I suppose the boys in my new neighborhood will be just as boring as the boys here.”
“In a few months, we will have to start referring to the boys in our age group as men,” Haylee remarked, reminding me of our pending adulthood.
“Nah, they will still be boys,” I quipped as we loaded the bags into the hatchback of my mother’s car and slammed the hatchback shut. "Besides, I doubt any of them will be interested in me.”
Haylee guffawed, then shook her head, “With your dark hair and flashing green eyes? I don’t see how any man could resist.”
I gazed at Haylee, drinking in her blue eyes, blonde hair, and all-American good looks. I had always been envious of her because she had easily blended in at school.
Though my father was of European heritage, my mother was from India and stuck out like a sore thumb in our community. I had inherited her dark hair, rich complexion, and my father’s bone structure and green eyes. My mother would often ask me to look her in the eye, claiming she could see a glimmer of my father within.
“Moving somewhere more diverse may be an advantage,” Haylee said, “Most of the hillbillies around here don’t know what to do with a girl like you.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with them either,” I muttered in a low voice because my mother was now standing on the stoop and struggling with the lock on the front door.
I suppose the bolt was rusted from never being used. Nobody in town was in the habit of double-locking their doors, which was fine with us kids since our parents’ complete disregard for our safety came in handy when we wanted to sneak out.
After my mother finally managed to secure the lock, she commented, “It’s going to be hard to get into the habit of locking our doors at night.”
Haylee leaned in and jeered, “No more late nights for you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, shaking my head, “There will be no Haylee to enjoy them with.”
Haylee’s eyes began to water as she gathered me into a bear hug. “I will come visit you every chance I get,” she said.
“You swear?” I prompted her.
“I promise,” she stated vehemently. Now, you better be off. The sun is waning, and the night threatens.” She announced in a dramatic tone, attempting to break the tension.
“Haylee, I don’t know what we are going to do without you,” my mother proclaimed as she walked over to Haylee and offered her a parting hug.
“I will miss you too, Deva,” Haylee confessed, wrapping my mother into a hug and then asking, “Is it alright to call you Deva?”
“Just this once,” my mother joked. She released Haylee and then turned to me, “Are you ready?”
Though I was anything but ready, I nodded in compliance before turning to Haylee. “I’ll text you the entire trip.”
“Just not past ten,” Haylee cautioned me, “I have my job orientation tomorrow, and my mother will kill me if I’m late.”
My mother walked around the car, slid into the driver’s side, and started the car, signaling that it was time to wrap things up.
I climbed into the car, rolling down the window so Haylee and I could continue our farewells, “I’ll text you every day,” I swore.
“You better,” Haley called out, waving as she followed the car down the street. I stuck my hand out the window and waved to her in response until my mother pulled onto the main road, and I lost sight of her through the side mirror.
