When I Look to the Sky by Barbara S Stewart Page A

 
    Seated, she looked again to where they were all sitting. Nanny and Pops were in the front row; Andy sat next to them, and then Kimmy and Lane, along with Jenna and her boyfriend, Maxx. In the row behind them were her mama’s brothers and their families. The next row was filled with Roddy and Vince, Adaleigh and Marco, and Nathan and Dina beside them.
    She touched the pearl bracelet she wore on her wrist and smiled, remembering. Her very first real, vivid, memory was her fourth birthday, The Little Mermaid party. Andy had given her a pearl necklace in the theme of the party. When she could no longer wear it, because it was too small, he had the original pearls made into the bracelet she wore. Except for Maxx, Marco and Adaleigh, all those people sitting there had been at that party; her family, the people she loved most…
     
    The list of the names of her classmates, the Brighton Preparatory Academy Class of 2016, began. She watched as they crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. O , I’ll be here a while… she thought.
    Finally, it was getting close; “Debra Eileen Martin…” She rose and followed those before her as they moved closer to the stage. “Candace Caitlin McLean…” “David Gregory Napier…” “Myers Allen Newell…” “Carlee Elizabeth Oliver-Stevens…” She ascended the steps, and the headmaster moved her tassel from the right side to the left, and handed her both diplomas. As she exited the stage, she heard Andy whistle as the rest of them hooted and hollered, and she grinned.
     
    Afterward, they all met in the courtyard. As she hugged Andy, she knew his thoughts. “Your mama would be so proud,” he whispered in her ear. She hugged him tighter, and nuzzled his cheek.
    She made her way around the group of people, hugging them all as they congratulated her. Nanny and Pops were having a big party the next day. That evening Andy wanted her time.
    “ Carlee, wait, let’s go for a ride,” he suggested as they got ready to leave.  
    “ OK, I’ll drive,” she answered. They got in her car and she put the top down, “Where to?” she asked.
    “ Let’s head to the beach, what about The Bistro?” he asked.
    “ Sure, I love it there!”
     
    As they entered, Carlee looked around, it was a small place with only a few tables, one of the reasons they liked it. The tables were round and that night there were white carnations in the vases, except on their table, which had calla lilies.
    “ You knew we were coming here,” she laughed.
    “ I hoped,” he replied, loving the smile on her face, the bright eyes that looked back at him, and the laughter he heard.
    Andy ordered a glass of Chenin Blanc, and Carlee her favorite raspberry tea. They looked over the menu, chatting about the days’ festivities. After a while, he pulled an envelope from his back pocket and put it on the table. He didn’t give it to her. He just put it there for her to see.
    “ What are your plans for the summer,” he asked, knowing their last conversation on this subject had netted no real reply. She’d been accepted to Flagler College. It was close to home, and she wanted to stay close. She committed for the fall term, considering a major in psychology.
    “ I’m not sure, Papa,” she replied, fiddling with the straw in her glass. “Camp later in the summer… I have some other ideas, but nothing carved in stone.”
    “ I have an idea if you’re interested,” he said and pushed the envelope her way.
    She ripped into it to find a beautiful card; all of his cards were, and she knew why – he was making up to her what he’d neglected with Beth. She saved every one of them. Inside were a trip itinerary and a credit card. She looked up at him. The plan showed departure from Orlando, landing in England and return a flight four weeks later. The departure city for return was open.
    “ You can take whoever you’d like,” he told her.
    She was drinking it all in, her mind racing, but she said