by Lydia Rose
“I can’t have you do that. I’ll pay for my own ticket.” Ellen shook her head.
“Ellen, my parents pay for everything. You need the money for school. That will be my Christmas gift to you.”
There were tears in Ellen’s eyes and her voice choked. “Thank you, Allie. Thank you.”
Allie put her arm around Ellen. “Thank you for being my friend.”
CHAPTER NINE
Allie stood on the train platform waiting for Ellen’s train to arrive. Her parents were happy that she had invited her friend to join them for Christmas. As the train approached, Allie’s heart began to thump against her chest. The train stopped and Allie waited for Ellen to step off the train. Ellen came down the steps looking for her. Allie put up her hand in a wave.
“Hi,” Ellen said as she walked toward Allie.
“Hi, yourself.” Allie reached around Ellen and brought her in for a hug. “I hope the train wasn’t too crowded.”
“It was fine.” Ellen wore a matching smile to Allie’s. As she watched Allie’s face she saw the smile disappear as her eyes followed another.
“Merry Christmas, Allie,” Mary said as she approached.
“Mary,” Allie said without offering a holiday greeting.
Mary looked at Ellen. “I’m Mary. I’m a friend of Allie’s.”
Allie grumbled something incoherent and Mary laughed.
“Well, I used to be her friend. Her best friend.”
Ellen stuck out her hand. “I’m Ellen and I am a friend of Allie’s.”
Allie put her hand in the small of Ellen’s back trying to lead her away.
“Allie, I wasn’t sure what train I was going to be on.” Mary looked at the ground. “Can you drop me off at my house?”
“Of course we can,” Ellen said before Allie could answer.
Mary got into the back seat of the car and Ellen sat next to Allie.
“Do you go to North Carolina State?” Ellen asked turning toward Mary.
“No. I work at the courthouse.”
Allie got to Mary’s house and stopped.
“Merry Christmas, Mary. It was nice to meet you.” Ellen offered keeping her voice friendly.
“You too, Ellen. Enjoy your time with Allie’s family. They are going to love you.” Mary looked at Allie. “Merry Christmas, Allie.”
Allie never looked at her and as soon as the back door closed, she pulled out of the driveway without a glance in her direction.
“She’s the one you told me about?”
Allie nodded.
“I saw her on the train. She was staring at me. I thought I had something on my face.”
“She must have seen your NC bag and since you two were on the same train.” Allie shrugged. “Mary must have put two and two together.”
“What do you mean she put two and two together?”
“Meaning, you were coming to see me.”
“Why would she care?” Ellen asked not understanding.
“She doesn’t care. I think it probably was just curiosity because she thinks you and I are together.” Allie lowered her voice. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care if she thinks we are together, but if you want her to think you’ve moved on.” Ellen smiled wide. “You should smile and let her see you happy.” She looked at Allie closely. “You aren’t over her, are you?”
“If you’re asking if I’m still in love with her, I’m not. I can never forgive her for what she did to us and that’s what hurts the most.”
Allie pulled into the driveway of the farm and stopped in front of her parent’s home.
“This is beautiful, Allie. Your whole family lives in this compound?”
Allie nodded. “Yes. I told you we all had houses here.”
“I know you did, I just couldn’t picture it. You are so lucky to have such a close family.”
“Let’s go meet the parents,” Allie said opening the car door. She opened the front door and her mother was standing there. “Hi, mom. This is Ellen. Ellen this is my mother.”
Ellen held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Summers.”
“Please call me Annie,” Annabelle said pulling her in for a hug. “We’re very happy that you could come.”
“Thank you for inviting me to spend the Holiday.”
“Allie show Ellen to the room. Maybe she wants to rest for a while?” Annabelle asked.
“Come on, Ellen.” They walked up the stairs and went into Allie’s room. “If you aren’t going to be comfortable here, you can stay at my grandparent’s house.”
“Allie, relax. This is perfect.” Ellen lifted her suitcase onto the double bed and began to unpack.
“Would you like to rest a while?” Allie asked.
“No. I’ll just unpack and come back downstairs.”
Allie pointed to the drawers that Ellen could use. “There’s also room in the closet. The bathroom is over there. It’s a Jack and Jill bathroom. If my brother James bothers you, let me know.”
“Go ahead, Allie. I’m fine.” Ellen shooed Allie out of the room.
Allie went into the kitchen to help her mother. “So where are we eating this year?”
“At grandma and grandpas. We’re all making something so grandma doesn’t have to do all the cooking.” Annabelle said.
“Guess who I had to give a ride to?” Allie asked frowning.
“Mary?”
“Yep, she was on the train with Ellen and asked for a ride.”
“I heard Steven broke up with her, honey.”
“So. It’s none of my business.” Allie added and now understood the looks that Mary was giving her at the train station.
“If she wanted to come back to you, would you let her?” Annabelle asked softly.
“No, mom. I would never be able to trust that she wouldn’t leave me again.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. So, Ellen?”
“No, mom. Ellen is just a friend,” Allie said as Ellen walked into the room.
“A very good friend,” Ellen said with a laugh as she walked into the kitchen.
“Why don’t you show Ellen around the farm?”
They put their jackets on and went out the door.
“Your mom is terrific,” Ellen said as they went down the porch stairs.
“Wait until you meet my grandparents,” Allie said taking Ellen’s arm.
They walked down the driveway and just as she was going to knock on the door, it opened.
“Allie,” Alison said pulling her into a strong embrace. “Come inside.”
“Grams, this is my friend Ellen.”
“Ellen, we’re so happy to have you here.” Alison hugged her too.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Adams. Allie has told me so much about you.”
“Belle, come out here.” Alison called. “Ellen, this is my husband.”
Belle stuck out her hand. “I’m happy to meet you,” she said with a smile.
“I’m glad to meet you too,” Ellen said taking the hand in her own. “This farm is so big. I never pictured it this big.”
“Have a seat girls.” Alison led them to the couch.
Ellen felt comfortable with Allie’s family. Everyone treated her like she was a member of the family and by Christmas morning she felt as though she was.
They were having breakfast with Allie’s family when the doorbell rang. Stan went to the door and greeted the guests.
“Come into the kitchen and have a cup of coffee,” Stan said leading the guests to the kitchen.
Allie tensed when she saw who was standing there. It was Mary and her mother.
“Hello, Mrs. Dawson,” Allie said softly.
“Oh, Allie. It’s good to see you again.” Mrs. Dawson pulled her out of the chair and hugged her tightly.
Mary stood there watching her mother.
“Have a seat you two.” Annabelle poured them each a cup of coffee.
Ellen leaned toward Allie. “Smile, Allie.”
Allie looked at
Ellen and smiled. She tried to make the smile seem natural instead of forced. Ellen took her hand under the table to relax her.
Mary watched as Ellen reached for Allie’s hand.
“So how is school, Allie?” Mrs. Dawson asked.
“I like it. By the way, this is my friend Ellen.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ellen,” Mrs. Dawson said. “Thank you for giving Mary a ride home. I wasn’t sure what train she would be on.”
Allie just shrugged and glanced at Mary who was staring at her. Allie stood up taking Ellen’s hand with her. “We’re going to go over to grandmas and see if she needs any help with anything.”
“Can I speak with you a moment, Al?” Mary asked.
Allie looked at her and nodded. She let go of Ellen’s hand and walked into the other room. “What do you want?”
Mary looked at Allie’s face and then down at the floor. “I just wanted to tell you that Steven and I have broken up.”
“Mary, it’s none of my business what you do.” Allie stared her down.
“So you and Ellen are together?” Mary asked softly.
Allie moved closer to her. “Frankly, that’s not any of your business either.”
Mary’s head lifted and Allie could see the tears ready to fall. “I still care about you, Al. Can’t we try again?”
Allie laughed. “Do you think I’d be that stupid to take you back? Allie walked away and called Ellen. “It was nice to see you again Mrs. Dawson.”
“You too, dear.”
Allie reached for Ellen’s hand and they went out the front door. As soon as they were outside, Allie began to cry.
“What did she say to you, Allie?” Ellen asked squeezing Allie’s hand.
“Let’s go to the barn.”
Once they were inside, Allie sat down on a bale of hay. “She wanted me to take her back. Apparently, Steven broke up with her.”
Ellen sat next to Allie, but didn’t comment.
“She thought I would be stupid enough to take her back and forget everything she did to me. Like I would ever be able to trust her again.” Allie wiped her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Allie.” Ellen took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I know how hard it must have been to tell her no.”
“I thought it would have been harder to ever tell her no, but I couldn’t risk my heart again to her.”
“You’ll meet someone else someday who will treasure your heart,” Ellen said softly.
“I hope you’re right, Ellen.”
CHAPTER TEN
Saturday morning Allie drove Ellen back to the train station. “Allie, I had such a wonderful time with your family. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Everyone loved you, Ellen. I’m glad you were here with me. I don’t think I could have handled Mary as well if you weren’t here.”
“I’ll always be here for you, Allie.” Ellen looked into the blue eyes.
“I love you, Ellen. You are a good friend.”
“I love you too, Allie. I’ll see you back at school after the break.” Ellen picked up her suitcase and stepped onto train. She waved at Allie once more before disappearing into the train car.
Ellen went to work at the coffee shop Saturday evening. A few of Allie’s friends turned up later in the evening.
“Hi, Ellen. How was your Christmas?” Rachel asked.
“Best I’ve ever had.” Ellen admitted to the couple.
“Are you going back for New Year’s Eve?” Emily asked.
“No. I’m working right through New Year’s. I can use the money,” Ellen said with a chuckle.
“When does Allie come back?”
“New Year’s day.”
More customers came into the coffee shop and Ellen left to wait on their table.
Ellen had to admit to herself that it was a lonely week without Allie. She missed Allie’s company, but she was happy that her roommate wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Annabelle drove Allie to the train station New Year’s Day. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning?” She asked her daughter.
“No, mom. I’ve got a report to finish and I’d rather get that done before the dorm goes back to being nosy again.”
Annabelle kissed her daughter before she boarded. “I really liked Ellen. She seems like such a nice girl.”
“She is, mom, but don’t make it out to be more than it is.”
“I won’t as long as you don’t,” Annabelle said with a smile.
Allie grinned. “I’ll be fine, mom. I promise.” She walked up the steps and waved. “I’ll see you as soon as I can get away.”
“Don’t wait too long, honey.”
Allie sat down in the seat and waited for the train to start moving. It was hard to leave her family behind each time she came home, but the excitement of school always spurned her on. The train started moving and Allie released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Her fears were that Mary would be on the same train.
Allie decided to stop in at the coffee shop before going back to the dorm just to see if Ellen was working. She pushed the door open and saw Ellen immediately. Allie took a seat in hopes that it was Ellen’s station and picked up the menu.
“Would you like something to drink?” Ellen asked with her pad and pen in hand.
Allie lowered the menu and looked up smiling. “What would you recommend?”
“Allie.” Ellen screamed. “You’re back.”
Allie stood and hugged her friend close. “Just got off the train.”
“And you came to see me?” Ellen asked surprised.
“Of course.” Allie sat back down. “Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year, Allie. So what would you like to drink?” Ellen asked wearing a wide smile.
“I’ll have a coke and a grilled cheese sandwich.”
“When I bring your food back, I’ll take my break,” Ellen said patting Allie’s arm.
Ellen brought back her soda and went to the kitchen to collect her sandwich. She put the plate in front of Allie and sat down. “So what did you do for New Year’s Eve?”
“Nothing really. Just hung out with the family. At midnight we shot off some fireworks.” Allie shrugged. “What did you do?”
“Worked and then went home and worked on a term paper.”
“I’m sorry that you had to spend it alone,” Allie said gently. “When the term ends, will you go home?”
“I don’t think so. Mr. Andrews said I can work full time in the summer. He knows someone that will rent me a room for the summer,” Ellen said excited.
“So you’ve got it all worked out?”
“Seems so,” she said with a shrug.
“I was hoping you could spend a week or two out on the farm.” Allie looked at the food on her plate.
“I’m sorry, Allie. I’m just not in a position to pass up the work.” Ellen reached for Allie’s hand. “Maybe I can come for a weekend. I could leave Friday evening and return Sunday afternoon.”
Allie looked up and smiled. “That would be great. I don’t think I want to go the whole summer and not see you.” She admitted with a grin.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
At the next meeting Allie went to on a Saturday, she met a girl named Jane. She was two years older than Allie and shared an apartment with another girl.
“So you’re a freshman?” Jane asked Allie after introductions.
Allie nodded. “I am. Are you in school?”
Jane wrinkled her nose. “No. I work at the courthouse.”
“Really. Do you know Mary Dawson?” Allie asked not believing she asked or cared.
“I know of her. She’s not the friendliest person.” Jane leaned over. “I think she’s afraid of me.”
“Yeah, that would be Mary.”
“I guess you know her well?” Jane asked trying to understand the connection the two women had.
“We grew up in the same town.” Allie didn’t elaborate nor did she think it was her right to tell Jan
e about their love affair.
“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee after the meeting?” Jane asked.
“Sure. I know a great coffee shop near here.”
As they walked toward the coffee shop, Jane took Allie’s arm. “I like you,” Jane said with a laugh. “I haven’t been to those meetings in months and now I finally go and meet someone interesting.” Jane’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Must be destiny.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I’m happy that we met.” Allie felt awkward with Jane’s intense stare. It was almost as if Jane could see right through her. “Here we are,” Allie said opening the door to the coffee shop.
Jane took a seat next to Allie in the booth. “I’ve been here plenty of times. The food isn’t great, but the coffee is very good.”
Allie watched as Ellen walked over to the table. “Hi.”
Ellen looked at Allie and then her gaze moved to Jane. “Hi,”
“Can we get a couple of coffees, honey?” Jane asked.
Allie turned to Jane. “Jane, this is my friend Ellen. Ellen, this is Jane.”
Ellen watched as Jane took Allie’s hand. “Hey, can we get the coffee?”
“Sure,” Ellen said walking away.
“That was rude. You totally ignored Ellen.”
“Hey, she never talks to anyone. I’ve asked her out and she just looked at me like I had three heads.”
Jane reached for Allie’s hand again and she pulled away. “I don’t think this is going to work out, Jane.” Allie stood. “I’m sorry.” She walked out of the shop and walked toward the bus.
Allie’s mind was reeling with thoughts as the bus made its way to the college. Why is it so hard to find someone to love? Her relationship with Mary happened so easily. They were friends who fell in love. I want that type of love again. The kind where we are friends first. I crave that friendship, I crave that love that Mary and I had. Should I go back to Mary? The bus stopped at the campus and Allie got off and walked back to the dorm. No, you can’t go back to Mary.
