Page 143 of All I Ask
I look down at the girl and she turns to the name.
“Destiny, get back here. Oh, God, you scared me!” Her mother yells with that frantic sound to her voice. “I thought I lost you. Don’t ever leave me like that, okay?”
My heart pounds as the name strikes me. Someone I love is on Destiny Lane. Someone I left.
Jesus. I need to get a grip.
The woman takes the little girl in her arms and walks off, kissing the side of her head as she goes.
I head out of the store, no longer thirsty, and walk toward the gate. There’s a store with a few toys in the window. I stop short when I see the creepy doll.
I quickly take my phone out to take a picture to send to Derek and stop. I have to stop doing this. It was my choice to leave and here I am, seeing all these things that remind me of him.
Instead of sending the photo, I drop my head and walk fast. If I don’t see anything, then I can get through this and do what I keep telling myself is what I want.
Florida is where the gallery is. Florida is where I will finally make enough money to get out from my parents’ thumbs, give Chastity a better life, andbesomething.
They’re already boarding, so I walk straight over to the gate attendant.
The couple in front of me are talking about their wedding and my chest starts to ache again.
“Do you think the girls will be okay?” the woman asks.
“They’ll be fine. This is our weekend. Our daughters will be just fine.”
She leans her head onto his shoulder. “I can’t believe we’re finally married.”
His eyes are so filled with love it makes my breath catch. “We waited long enough to finally be happy. It’s still so surreal. We’ve known each other forever…”
They start to walk forward and it’s my turn. “Miss?” The gate attendant stands there with her hand out.
I look down at the ticket and the tears I was holding back start to flood.
What am I doing?
Why am I here?
This isn’t the only chance I might have to do something with my art. There were tons of messages and comments asking to buy the paintings outright.
I’m going to leave for well over a year, and for what? A gallery. A gallery that didn’t know of me until that profile was made. I was fine before that app. Sure, I wanted more, but Derek saw the more in me when I couldn’t.
He’s what matters. He, Chastity, and Everly are all I need. They’re more than I could ever ask for.
We could make it through the time apart, I know that. But why make myself wait for the one thing in this world that I’ve wanted more than anything?
I can paint from that room.
I can sell them on my own.
Hell, I can open my own damn gallery. There’s about to be a very empty space above the store that has great views of the ocean.
“Miss?” the attendant says again, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Are you going to board?”
“No. No, I’m not. I have to go.”
I race out of the terminal and down to where the cabs are located. Thankfully, I find one willing to take me the hundred miles up to the island. The entire way, I can’t stop smiling.
This was the right choice. The only choice. Making a move like this should’ve been full of joy, but it wasn’t. He’s my joy. My family is my joy, not a gallery in Florida.
