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

nothing.
    “I never made that trip with your mama. We went to England and Ireland one time, but I never took her on the European tour. That was a bad time,” he continued, sadly, remembering.
    She knew the story.  She thought for a while, still saying nothing. Finally, she replied, “I’d like that.” Thoughtful another moment she added, “When do we leave?”
    “ We?” He looked up and she had a big smile on her face.
    “ Papa, I can’t think of another person I’d rather take that trip with!”
    “ Really?” This surprised him. “I made sure the ticket could be in anyone’s name once we confirmed it all. What about Jenna?”
    “ Are you saying you don’t want to go with me?” she teased.
    “ No, not at all, I just figured…”
    “ Well then, its set! Let’s get this thing going! I gotta be back by August 12 th . Butterfly Camp starts the 15 th , and I move into the dorms at school the 27 th .”
    “ You sure you want to drag this old fella along with you? I’m not as quick as I used to be,” he said and laughed. He would celebrate his 66 th birthday in October.
    “ That just means we can linger longer over what we will experience! I’m sure!” Her excitement showed, and was contagious. First a jaunt through Europe was a dream, but sharing it with Andy was something she knew she would cherish, forever.
     
    Later that evening, Andy was thinking about the summer. The idea of a trip through Europe excited him too. But his thoughts kept coming back to Butterfly Camp. He couldn’t believe that she’d be going for her 10th year, her second year as an advisor. It seems like yesterday, where did all those years go?
    His phone rang and he looked at the display, “Hey, what’s up?”
    “ I just wanted to check in, I saw how emotional you were this afternoon,” Adaleigh said.
    “ My girl is growing up,” he said. “I was afraid I was going to go through withdrawals sooner than later, but we will be taking a tour of Europe, I guess.”
    “ She asked you to go?”
    “ She did, and I gotta tell you, Addy, I am excited to see the world through her eyes for just a little longer.”
    “ I guess this means you aren’t available to start some new music with me,” Adaleigh said.
    “ I like your choice of words,” he laughed. “Marco can get things started. I’ll be available sometime in August.”
    She heard the smile in his voice and said, “Good night Andy, I’ll see you tomorrow at the party.”
    “ I’ll look forward to it.”
     
    At the party the next day, Carlee excitedly told everyone about their trip. Andy watched from across the room as she chattered on and on with excitement. She glowed as she told them about their journey. Andy going with her wasn’t a surprise to any of them. They knew how much she loved him, and how he adored her.
    Kimmy handed Carlee a package wrapped in brown paper, like a paper bag, and tied with a piece of twine. In Kimmy’s hand writing, there was a note on the paper; “To the graduate! Love, Kimmy and Lane” Carlee loved the simplicity. Pulling the string, she allowed it to fall to the floor. She carefully ripped the paper, making sure to save the note. There was a layer of tissue paper and she smelled new leather. She ripped into it and there was a leather case. She opened the case to find an iPad. Inside the case was a note.
     
    “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St. Augustine.
    For your trip! We love you, Kimmy & Lane
     
    Jenna handed her another small package. She ripped into it, and opened the box. Inside were two plug adapters to convert to European electricity. She opened envelopes with cash gifts from her family, Marco, Dina and Nathan. Roddy and Vince gave her a gift bag, and stuck inside was a new phone with a camera, better and more compact than the one she had.  
    They knew, of course Papa would have told them. They may not have suspected that she would take him, but she knew they knew.
    Adaleigh