Hours of tormented thought later, the plane landed in hot, sunny Tulsa. It was May 28th; 2 days before Ashley ended her high school career with her big graduation. In her life she could see 2 great divides; her life before her mother's cancer, and life after. Life before included homeschooling and fun and the possibility of a big family. Life after was full of the terrors of public junior high school and heartbreak and the lonely life as an only child. And yet, on either side of the divide was Taylor. He'd been there always it seemed, and she couldn't imagine life without him. He was more consistant than even her family life. In fact, he practically was her family.
She saw him as soon as she stepped off the ramp. His electric blue eyes were wide and searching, and he spotted her only a moment after she had seen him. He smiled and waved, and she scampered up to him. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him in a big bear hug. He laughed, and said, "Miss me?"
"Lots!" she exclaimed, relief filling into every one of the little cubbies that had been empty without Taylor.
"I missed you, too," he said. He led her to the baggage claim, where he stood by her nervously.
After a few minutes (and still no appearance of Ashley's bags), she finally asked, "Taylor, is there something wrong? You've been jittery ever since I got off the plane..."
"Ashley, there's something I need to ask you," he said, solemnly.
"Okay?" she asked. He looked serious, and his eyes were pleading.
"Promise me now that you won't say no," he said softly.
"It depends," Ashley said. She saw the pained look on his face.
"This is the most important decision I've ever had to make in my entire life," he said. "So...here it goes..."
"And that's how I came to be where I am right now," Ashley said, lifting her hands off and smiling like a model.
Martha sniffled and dabbed at her eyes again. "I'm sorry I'm such a sap, sweetie. You'll have to pardon me. Close your eyes so I can spray your hair."
Ashley squenched her eyes tight, and waited for Martha to discontinue the assault on her hair by hairspray. Soon, the torture was over, and Ashley could open her eyes again. "Am I all done?" she asked.
"You're set and ready," Martha said, eyes glistening as she looked Ashley over. "And don't you look so beautiful..."
Ashley grinned. "This is the big day. I'd better look good. How much is this gonna cost."
"It would be 30," Martha said, "but because you're so sweet and you told me such a lovely story...I'll give you a 50% discount."
Ashley scrounged through her purse for $15, and then handed the wadded up dollar bills to Martha. "Thanks, Martha!"
"Good luck with that wedding of yours tonight," Martha said.
"You and Beverly will be coming, right?"
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Martha replied. Ashley smiled at her one last time before disappearing out the door. Martha sighed. How the children around Tulsa seemed to grow up these days. Too quickly, too quickly...
