Elaine had tossed and turned all night long. She was so anxious about leaving for Orlando, and, she had been haunted by "that kiss" with Lance. "Here I wanted to give him something to think about and he probably hasn't given it another thought," she said to herself. "Oh Lance, if you only knew just how much I love you and how long I have loved you." She finished closing her suitcase and pulled all her bags out into the living room. Just a few hours and she would see him again.
"Mom! What time will the limo be here?" she called out.
They are supposed to be here around ten or ten thirty and then we have to pick up the girls, unless they are coming here."
"Rickii and Lynne will be coming here, so that means we can get on the road sooner."
Gwen came out into the living room with a couple of her bags and added them to the pile. She came up behind Elaine as she stood there looking out the front window. As she wrapped her arms around Elaine, she whispered in her ear, "Do you know how proud I am of you? Do you have any idea how pleased I am with the way you have turned out? You have always been a precious gift from God and you still are. I just want you to know how much I love you." With those last words, Gwen's voice cracked with emotion.
Elaine turned and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her as tight as she could. "Mom, I know that you love me because I have seen the sacrifices you have made for me. And I want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done for me, and I love you, too."
"Sweetie, I just want you to be happy. By the way, Mike will be coming with the limo to drive my car back. I think I will ride with him so you girls can laugh and talk and scheme on the way back without me listening in. Okay?"
"Mom you don't have to do that. We can all ride together," Elaine insisted.
"That's sweet honey, but there are some things I need to work on before we get back and I will be better able to do that riding with Mike. Okay?"
"Okay Mom. And, by the way, thank you for the advise you gave me five years ago."
Gwen looked questioningly at Elaine, "What advise, Hon?"
"Do you remember when Lance turned twenty-one and I was so upset because he seemed so unattainable from my perspective? Well, and I know you did it to make me feel better, you told me that they were just getting things really going and he had his company he had just started and that he really needed to devote at least five years to getting everything established. And you reminded me that I had five years of school left to concentrate on, too. Well, we both have made it. He and the guys are more successful than they ever imagined to be. And me, I'm finally through with school and in a few weeks, I will be eighteen years old."
"You've grown up right before my eyes. I can't believe that the time has gone by so quickly," Gwen said remembering. "I never want you to give up on your dreams. You can have anything you put your mind to and work for."
"Oh Mom, I fully intend on going after what I want," Elaine conveyed with a smile on her lips. "I love Lance and I am going to get him."
She went and called the girls to make sure they were going to be there on time. All she wanted was to get on the road to Orlando, and Lance. All she could think of was to be there where he was so that she could hear that deep, sexy voice of his, his laughter and most of all, she wanted to be able to just touch him and look into those magnificent green eyes. Oh how her heart ached just to be near him, to be close.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Elaine checked the caller ID and it was Orlando. She grabbed the phone and answered. On the other end was the voice of an angel. "Well, hello there," came Lance's deep tones. "How's my girl doin' this mornin'?" The southern accent was really strong.
Elaine caught the 'my girl' remark and responded with, "Your girl is doin' just fine, sweet pea," with like southern drawl.
"Just wanted to let you know that Mike and Dave should be there around ten or ten thirty this morning. Are you ready to hit the road?"
"Oh yes. I've been ready since five this morning. I can't wait to get there and see you guys. Is everything going smooth to leave out in a few days?"
You know there are always some glitches, but we are moving along. What I called about is since we are going to be here in Orlando for a few days and your Mom's apartment is too small for all of you to stay there, I wanted to offer my house for you and your friends to stay at until we leave. Would you like to do that?" he asked almost pleadingly, it seemed.
"But Lance, what about your family? Won't they be in to spend time before you leave?" she inquired.
"They won't be able to come in until the day of the party the night before we leave. By then, most of our things will be loaded on the buses, and there are plenty of couches in the house for others to sleep on. It won't be a problem, really. I would love to have you visit. Besides, you'll have the house to yourself most of the time while we are doing last minute things."
Elaine thought to herself that this would be a perfect time for her to really get to know him. She had traveled on the road with him, but that was a totally different lifestyle. Getting to stay in his home with him would be so cool. "If you are sure Lance, we would love to stay with you."
They talked for a while longer and Lance told her to be sure and let Dave know to bring them to his house. He would be expecting them by early afternoon and they would do something special for the evening. He even promised to have Justin and JC over.
Finally, the girls arrived just shortly before the limo got there. Everything got loaded in record time and they said all their good byes and headed out for Orlando. Elaine buzzed Dave up front. "By the way Dave, I forgot to tell you that you are supposed to take us to Lance's house," Elaine smiled at her friends with a knowing look.
"Why are we going to Lance's house?" asked Lynne.
She proceeded to tell them about what Lance had offered. The girls were so excited they couldn't stop chattering. When they finally settled down, Elaine let them in on what had happened on graduation night.
"You are one crazy individual is all I can say," said Rickii. "When you set your mind to something, you do it all the way. Poor Lance doesn't stand a chance."
All three looked at each other and then screamed. Poor Dave thought something had happened and he almost ran off the road. The girls apologized and they sat back for their ride to Orlando and the time of their young lives.
