Page 30 of Being Julia

“Thanks. I drew it while I was down at the beach.”

My dad and Collin walked in, and my mom showed my dad the sketch of London.

“That’s a beautiful picture, princess,” he said as he kissed my head.

“Thanks, Dad.” I grabbed the bowl of pasta and set it on the table.

We sat down and ate dinner as a family, reminiscing of the days when we were younger. Little did I know that tomorrow would be the day that changed my life forever.

Iawoke to a whole lot of noise going on downstairs. As I yawned, I grabbed my phone and texted Collin to come to my room. He opened the door and stepped inside.

“What?” he asked.

“What the hell is going on downstairs?”

“Did you forget that today is your graduation party, and the caterers and planners are here?”

“Already? My God, it’s only eight o’clock in the morning.”

Collin shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room. I stepped out of bed and walked down the hallway to my parent's room. My dad told me to come in when I knocked on the door. He was sitting up on the bed, checking his phone.

“Good morning, princess.” He smiled.

“Morning, Dad,” I said as I cuddled up next to him. He put his arm around me and kissed my head.

“Is something wrong?”

I sighed. “No, I just don’t want to go downstairs yet with all that racket going on.”

“Ah. Me neither. That’s why I’m sitting in here.”

“Mom’s okay with that?”

“I told her I was running up here to change clothes. She’ll realize it soon enough and come look for me.”

“I miss London, Dad.”

“I know you do, sweetheart. We all miss London, and I know it’s hard for you without her being here. But today’s your graduation party, and there’s going to be about three hundred people here, so you need to try and at least act happy. I know you’ve been doing that a lot lately, but once today is over, you’ll have the whole summer to relax.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and my mom stood in the doorway, staring at us.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Connor, why are you sitting up here?”

“I’m comforting our daughter, Ellery.”

She glared at him with knitted brows as she walked over to the bed.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“Connor, downstairs! Julia, why don’t you go take a shower and get ready for your party?” She smiled.

I sat up and looked at my dad as he winked at me. As soon as I walked out of the room and shut the door, I heard giggling. I rolled my eyes because I knew what that meant.

The party was a success, and I could tell how happy my mom was. People were everywhere. Tables filled the patio and backyard under the beautiful white canopytents. The spread of food was excellent and could probably feed a small country. The DJ was awesome and played everything my friends requested. My mom had a play area for the smaller children, and then games were set up on the beach for the older kids and adults. I made my rounds and tried to talk to as many people as possible. It was nearing dusk, and I needed to step away from the party for a while to gather my thoughts. With as many people that were here to celebrate my graduation, it still felt lonely without London. I didn’t want my parents to worry if they couldn’t find me, and I didn’t see my mom, so I told my dad I was going for a walk.

“Dad,” I said as I pulled him aside. “I’m going to go for a walk down the beach if you’re looking for me.”

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