by Doris Miller
It is now a few weeks later on a Monday afternoon. It is the end of the school day. Missy is at the school, talking to Raymond in the school hallway. She tells him, "I'm leaving for Jamaica tomorrow morning."
"What! You're leaving in the morning?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't know you were gonna leave this soon! Your entire family is leaving?"
"Yeah, my entire family. We're all leaving for the airport tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves at around 8:45."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Oh Missy, I'm gonna miss you terribly!"
"I'm gonna miss you too Raymond!"
"Well who's all leaving for the airport? How many people are going?"
"Well, all together around forty people."
"Around forty people?"
"Yeah."
"Why so many people?"
"Well my mother's family and relatives are going back to Jamaica. My grandparents and some of my father's family are coming along for a couple of months to help us all settle in. My father is coming along because he's moving down to Jamaica with us."
"What! Your father is moving down to Jamaica with you all?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't know that he was moving to Jamaica with you guys! Why is he moving to Jamaica? Oh Missy, don't tell me that your mother made your father quit his job too!"
"Oh no Raymond, my mother didn't make my father quit his job! My father did that entirely on his own! It was his own idea!"
"It was?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"He says he wants to be with his children."
"He wants to be with his children?"
"Yeah."
"Oh that's nice Missy. Where will he be staying?"
"In the same house with us. We're all moving into my mother's house. Well actually my grandfather owns the house, but my mother lives in it. And we're all going to move in there."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"Boy that must be a pretty big house to have you all stay and live in it."
"Yeah, it's a pretty big house."
"Well, I hope you have a wonderful life in Jamaica Missy. Will you keep in touch?"
"Sure! I would love that Raymond!"
"Okay." Raymond takes a pen and pad out of his smock pocket. He hands the pen and pad to Missy and says, "Write down your address and phone number for me."
"Okay," Missy says. She starts to write down her address and phone number in Jamaica. She finishes and hands the pen and pad back to Raymond.
Raymond looks at the pad and says, "Thanks Missy."
"You're welcome. Now give me your address and phone number."
Raymond sadly looks at Missy and says, "Well, your sister Dana was seen around my address. Maybe you can get my address from her."
Missy sadly looks at Raymond and says, "Oh come on Raymond. I'll just get it from you." Raymond writes down his address and phone number on the pad. He finishes and hands the piece of paper to Missy. Missy looks at the paper and says, "Thanks Raymond."
"You're welcome. So what will you be doing for a living while you're in Jamaica Missy?"
"I'll be working for my mother at her businesses."
"You're going to work for your mother at her businesses?"
"Yeah. Me and my brothers and sisters. We're all going to work for my mother. My mother is gonna hire all of us at her businesses. She's going to be our boss!"
"Your mother is going to be your boss?"
"Yeah! She's going to have all of us live with her and work for her! She said she's going to have all of us put to work by next month!"
"Really? Well what about Dana? Will she be working for your mother too?"
"Yeah, while she's out of the hospital."
"The hospital? What hospital Missy? What are you talking about?"
"Well my mother and her parents down in Jamaica had made arrangements for Dana to be put into a mental hospital in Jamaica."
"What! Your family is going to put Dana into a mental hospital in Jamaica?"
"Yeah. They're going to put her into a mental hospital next month."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"Well for how long?"
"Around six months or a year, depending how much time the courts and the doctors think Dana needs to stay in there."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. So while my mother puts Dana into a hospital, she's gonna put the rest of us to work!"
"Really? Well how often will you and your family get to see Dana while she's in the hospital?"
"We'll get to visit her every week and Dana will come home and stay one weekend a month. After that one weekend is over, she goes back in the hospital."
"I see. I hope Dana gets some help while she's in the hospital."
"Oh Raymond we all hope Dana gets the help she needs." Missy looks at her watch and says, "Well, I got to get home and start packing the last of what I have left at my grandparents' house."
"Okay. Well, you take care Missy."
"You too Raymond."
"And Missy?"
"Yeah Raymond?"
"I'm sorry for all the trouble that we've had in the past, dealing with Kathy, your sister Dana and the courts."
"Oh Raymond, so am I. And Raymond, no matter what happened between me and you in the past, dealing with the courts, Dana and everything, I am so sorry about what happened to Kathy!" Raymond sadly looks at Missy. His eyes become filled with tears. Missy sadly says, "Oh I didn't mean to upset you Raymond."
"No that's okay Missy. It's just that every so often, I go to visit Kathy's grave."
Missy shockingly puts her hand over her mouth as she looks at Raymond! She tearfully says, "Oh Raymond, I didn't know! I had no idea you were visiting Kathy's grave!"
"Yeah, I do visit her grave Missy. Every so often I visit Kathy's grave and put flowers on it."
Missy tearfully goes to give Raymond a big hug as she cries uncontrollably on his shoulders. Raymond hugs Missy back. Both of their eyes are filled with tears. They have a long embrace with each other. After they finish their embrace, Missy says, "I didn't know any of this Raymond! I am so sorry! How is Kathy's mother? How is she doing?"
"Oh Kathy's mother had moved away a couple of months after Kathy was murdered. She couldn't take living there anymore Missy. It brought her bad memories of Kathy's death. Especially the fact that we both saw how badly bloodied and butchered Kathy's body was when the police lifted the sheet off the body! That sight is something we will both never forget."
Missy gives Raymond another tearful hug and cries, "I'm sorry Raymond." After their embrace Missy asks, "So what are you planning to do now that Kathy is gone?"
"I'm just going to have to get on with the rest of my life. I will always think about Kathy. I will never forget her."
"Neither will I Raymond. Neither will I. Listen, I have to get ready to go. Now you take care Raymond. I'll call you, okay?"
"Okay. I'll call you too. By."
"By Raymond." Missy turns around and slowly starts to head for the front door of the school building. She opens the front door and waves her hand to Raymond. She sadly walks out as the door closes behind her. Raymond sadly goes to the front door and opens it. He sadly watches Missy as she goes down the street.
Chapter 29
Off To The Airport!
