Chapter 2
1998
"Hey, Storm, it's me. Listen, I know you live in Chapel Hill, so I was wondering if you could pick me up at the bus station. It's four o' clock right now, so...hopefully you'll get this message and you'll be here soon. Bye."
Storm was my older brother who moved to North Carolina when he was accepted at UNC. We had never grown apart, but we weren't exceptionally close. He had a drinking problem stemming from his early teen years, and I wasn't into that. He failed a lot of his classes and dropped out of school in his sophomore year of high school. It wasn't until a close friend of his died from alcohol poisoning that he decided to get his act together. He took classes in a community college and was able to have enough credits to graduate from high school despite the fact that he had dropped out of it.
He lived alone in a Victorian-style house in Chapel Hill, where he spent a lot of time either studying, sleeping, eating, or typing on the computer. He listened to music, but unlike me, he never played it. He would always like to hear me sing, and I thought that it was surprising because I never thought my voice was really that good. Now that I was bringing my acoustic guitar, I could actually practice my singing without being disturbed by the sounds of "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
I sat in the bus station for about an hour and twenty minutes, keeping my stuff between my legs in hopes that no one would think of stealing anything. But North Carolina is a far cry from New York, or at least it seems that way. The truth is that robbery can happen anywhere, and I wasn't taking any chances. I had never been to North Carolina in my life and I had absolutely no idea what it was like.
I remember what Storm was wearing the minute I saw him. He was wearing these khaki pants and a long-sweater (even though it was the middle of June), and his long brown hair was pulled back into a tight French braid. I was wearing my pigtails and I almost laughed out loud when I saw him.
"Yes, darling," he chuckled. "I got your phone call, and it took me a while because I had to run some errands for a friend."
"It's good to see you, Storm," I said significantly, wrapping my arms around him.
"Oh, Idalis," he sighed. "You won't believe how much I missed you. How are Mom and Dad?"
"Mom and Dad are.....OK, I guess."
His face fell. "They still can't accept it, can they?"
"Could they ever?" I sniffed, picking up my guitar. "Even if it wasn't one of their children, they still wouldn't understand the concept or the reality of the thing."
"Well, I for one have to congratulate you for coming out to them," he said, picking up my two bags. "That was brave."
"Brave, but not fulfilling," I sighed.
"Maybe one day they will," he replied optimistically. "Maybe they'll see you for who you are and find a way to deal with it."
"Only when they're long gone will they ever be able to accept it, Storm," I explained sadly. "At this moment, I don't think they ever will."
"You've got my support if you need it," Storm said with a smile.
I gave him a kiss and said, "I think I will. Thanks."
Chapter 3
Chapter 1