Two updates in one day; aren't you lucky. Hehe
Okay, I decided that this would be the last chapter. So sorry to any of you who wanted more, but I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter.
--
Chapter 4
I woke up the next morning with sunshine streaming on my face from the windows. Finally I got a good night sleep. An excellent night sleep, in fact. It took me a moment to remember what happened last night, but the moment that I did, I rolled over to put my arm around Elizabeth, only to find that she wasn't there. The side of the bed she slept on was hardly warm. I sat up in bed and looked around the room. Her dress, shoes, and purse were all gone, and I felt panic rise in my chest. I quickly got out of bed, not really noticing that I was completely naked. I looked out the window and saw her walking away.
Quickly, I pulled on my boxers, some sweats and a t-shirt before running down stairs and outside in record time. "Wait, stop!" I called after her and she stopped for a moment before turning around. "Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving" She said matter-of-factly.
"But why?"
"Will, I like you. I really like you. But Will, you're leaving. Yesterday I thought that it would be fine just to have one night together before we never see each other again. But that nights over. It will just be easier to leave right now. Goodbye" She was about to turn around to leave, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.
Oh, god, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell her. "Look, I haven't been completely honest with you" This got her attention and she stood in front of me with her arms crossed. "My life is so screwed up; and not because I lost my dad. That was just icing on the cake. But a few days ago, I lost a major production company 2 million dollars. 2 million dollars! And that was the result of everything I have been working towards since college. And before I came here, I had had enough. I have a very dark date with destiny"
She just looked at me. "So, who cares?"
"What?" I just spilled my guts to her about almost killing myself and all I get is a 'who cares'?
"Who cares if you screwed up? It's just money"
"Just money? Its 2 million dollars! That's a lot of just money"
"But you deal with it and move on. Don't turn your back on everything."
"You don't get it" I muttered.
"No, I do get it. You're upset, you're disappointed in yourself. If it turned out badly, then maybe that's because it was never meant to be. There's still something out there for you, and it's up to you to find out what it is. And if you get upset and decide to turn your back on it and decide to leave everything behind, you'll never find it. And who knows, that thing could've made you the happiest man the world"
I looked at her and digested her words. I guess she is kinda right. I mean, as unhappy and mad at everything in world as I was before, I've almost forgotten about it and have had fun since I met Elizabeth. Maybe Elizabeth is the something out there for me. But before I could respond, she was already walking away. I watched her as she walked to her car and opened it, but before she got in, she looked back at me. "Katie's wedding is tomorrow morning, but I'll try and make it to Bill's memorial after if I can" Were those tears in her eyes? And then she got into her car and drove away, but not before sparing me one last tearful look. What was that other look in her eyes? Well I've seen it enough before, I should know it well. It was the infamous 'last look'.
--
The rest of the day went by very slowly, the slowest of all days. I picked up my mom and sister from the airport that night and took them back to the hotel, where they got a separate room. Then I spent the rest of the night alone, thinking of Elizabeth.
It was the next day, and my mom, sister and I were all in the town square and the memorial service was just about to start. Clouds had come in today, looking as if it was going to rain. Hopefully, it would hold out long enough to finish the memorial service. There were a bunch of tables and chairs set up for guests, there were a few buffet tables set up, a large stage in front of everything, and hanging from the stage was a large banner that read If It Wasn't This, It Would Be Something Else. I was trying to find my mom and sister, because it was almost time for us to go up on stage and give a speech.
I found my sister talking to Aunt Lola, and then she and I walked over to my mom who was sitting alone, looking uncomfortable around these people who didn't really like her.
"Mom, it's time for us to give the speeches" I said. She nodded and my sister and I walked up on stage as she waited at the stairs.
"Hello everybody. My sister, mother, and I would all like to thank you for joining us here today." I started and everyone went silent and gave Daniel and me their full attention.
"We loved him and it is just so heartwarming to see how many other people did. He was such a fun guy, especially in these last few years. He was generous, compassionate, and he loved his family and friends." Danielle added.
I started to feel uncomfortable and guilty, thinking of how I didn't know him very well, so instead of adding anything else, I called my mom to the stage so she could give her speech, "Ladies, and gentlemen, Natalie Turner" My sister and I clapped as she came up and the audience joined.
My sister and I took our seats in front as she started. She started blushing madly, and she was twiddling her thumbs as she spoke into the microphone on the podium. "Bill and I first met 25 year ago. I was a waitress and he was a successful business man and he was waiting for a fellow business associate to have lunch with at the restaurant I worked at, and I spilled hot tea all over him. So as I was helping him clean it up, we talked and one thing led to another and three months later, we jetted off to Atlantic City and got married. Then he took me here to meet his family, but I was not the girl they had in mind; not the one they wanted him to marry. I changed the plan, I messed things up, but I loved him and he loved me. Then about a year later, we were blessed with our first child, our son, Will" She smiled and motioned to me, then motioned to my sister, "followed closely by our daughter, Danielle, 10 months later. And today, we are here to celebrate the life of this great man, husband, and father, instead of mourning his death."
She paused as everyone clapped, then she changed her tone to sound a bit more bright. "Since Bill had died, I have been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, as you might expect. When he was alive, he was more fun-loving, and more of a risk-taker, as opposed to me who was a bit more uptight and wanted to be safe, especially with two young kids. Even ask them, they could tell you how over protective I was. But Bill was always trying to get me to do more, be spontaneous, and just live! So for the first couple days after he died, I didn't do anything. I stayed at home in bed, watching sad movies and eating chocolate. But then, the next day I woke up and just decided to go out and do something; something spontaneous or new or something out of my comfort zone that I would never do; the kind of things he had always wanted me to do. So I thought about. At first I thought I could go bungee jumping or go skydiving," everyone started laughing at my mom, including me. My motherbungee jumping? That would be a sight. When the laughter died down, she took the microphone off of the stand and started walking around the stage. "But then I realized I was out of my mind and decided to do something a bit saner. Then I remembered one time a of couple years ago when Bill had gone out for groceries and came back, not only without groceries, but with a boat. He had a damn motor boat hooked onto his truck! So I decided to maybe go out and buy something big, something that would be fun. So I thought about getting a nice sports car, so Danielle and I drive to the car lot and are looking around and I find this beautiful, shiny, red convertible. So after talking to the sales man, I buy it." She said.
"My daughter drives my other car home, and I decided to drive the convertible home. So, I'm driving with the wind in my hair, the music on, and just having a good time, then I come to a red light and stop and another car comes up. There's a young man in it, maybe 20 years old and he rolls down his window and says, 'Hey baby, nice car', and I said 'excuse me?!'. I was shocked! And then he went on to say 'So, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?'" Everyone was laughing again and my sister's face was red with embarrassment. Who else's mother talks about 20 year old guys who hit on her? "I cannot for the life of me remember the last time someone used one of those lame pickup lines on me. But hey, I guess I still got it!"
The laughter in the audience was uncontrollable, but I stopped laughing when I saw a car pull up and park on the street, and saw Elizabeth getting out. I started to walk towards her as my mom started another story, but I wasn't listening anymore. Elizabeth stayed by her car, but was trying to look for me in the audience, but froze when she saw me coming.
"You came. I didn't think you would" I said softly. I really didn't think she would.
"I just wanted to give you this" She turned her back to me and leaned into her car through the opened window. She pulled out a map and handed it to me. "I marked and labeled all the places for you to stop, mostly landmarks."
"You marked like…6 nut farms!" I stared at her with an amused smirk.
"Who doesn't love nuts?" She smiled. "I also have this for you" She pulled out something else. It was a stack of about 5 CDs. "These are all burned CDs I made. They're songs I thought you'd like. They'll get you all the way to Orlando. Start from the top of the stack until you get to the bottom. And don't skip any songs. You'll probably like most of the songs, but I have a few of my 'guilty pleasures' on there. But it's fun; don't skip 'em. "
"Thanks" As I took them from her, rain drops began to fall. It started out as a light drizzle, but within a few seconds it turned to a hard downpour. I heard screeches behind me, turned, and saw everyone running for cover. But Elizabeth and I barely noticed.
"I need to go" She said after a moment and I nodded.
"Bye" I wanted to give her a kiss, but deciding it would make it easier on both of us if I didn't.
"Goodbye, Will" And once again, she drove away, leaving me in the rain. I didn't go in search of cover right away, I just watched as she drove away, only leaving until her car was out of sight.
--
Later that day, I said goodbye to my family and saw my mom and sister off to the airport before leaving on the road trip to Disney World, my dad's urn and ashes safely buckled into the seat next to me. I popped in the first CD from the stack, and 'You Give Love a Bad Name' blared through the speakers. I wasn't surprised that was on there, since it was the first song I played her the other night while we were talking. The next song that came on was, once again not surprisingly, 'Living On a Prayer'. I sang along with the songs as I drove. After abut half and hour, I was at my first stop; a nut farm.
It was a small area with wooden stands full of different nuts in bins. I got a bag and filled it with peanuts, almonds, and cashews. I didn't get very much, knowing I still had quite a few nut farms to stop at.
After making my purchase, I continued driving and singing along to the songs. About an hour later, I was on the 12th, track on the first CD, and it was one of my favorite songs; 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' by Elton John, and of course, I was singing along.
It's getting late, have you seen my mates?
Ma tell me when the boys get here
Its seven o'clock and I wanna rock
Want to get a belly full of beer.
My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
And my old lady, she don't care
My sister looks cute in her braces and boots
And a handful of grease in her hair
Don't give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night's alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
'Cause Saturday night's the night I like
Saturday night's alright, alright, alright
I continued singing the rest of the song, but soon I came to another one of my stops. On the map she had drawn a circle to indicate where I was and an arrow to a section of trees. She told me to go there and dance around and release all my troubles. So I did as she instructed.
I pulled over on the side of the road and went to that spot. I danced around like an idiot, but it didn't matter because nobody could see me. She was right; this did make me feel a little better, and it gave me a good laugh. So after that was done, I continued on my way. Although my good laugh continued as I listened to the next song she had put on the CD. This must be one of her 'guilty pleasures' as she had put it.
Yo, I'll tell you
what I want, what I really, really want,
So tell me what you want,
what you really, really want,
I'll tell you what I want, what I
really, really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really,
really want,
I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna ha,
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ha.
If you want my future, forget my past
If you wanna get with me, better make it fast
Don't go wasting my precious time
Get your act together we could be just fine
I'll tell you what I
want, what I really, really want,
So tell me what you want, what
you really, really want,
I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I
wanna ha,
I wanna really,
really, really wanna zigazig ha. If you wanna be my lover,
you gotta get with my friends,
Make it last forever friendship
never ends,
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give,
Taking
is too easy, but that's the way it is.
I couldn't believe she actually likes the Spice Girls! During our all night conversation, we talked on and on about music, but she never mentioned this. Probably hiding it, and for good reason. And as hard as I was laughing at the song before, I laughed about twice as hard when the rap started.
So here's the story from A to Z
You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face
We got G like MC who likes it on an
Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady
And as for me, ha, you'll see!
Slam your body down, wind it all around
Slam your body down, wind it all around
--
It was 8 hours and 30 minutes later that I drove up into the gigantic parking lot of Disney World. With the urn in hand, I made my way to the line for the shuttle that would take me to the park. When I got there, I bought my ticket, and was let into the park. When I got in, I looked around, thinking of where I could go to spread his ashes. There was a small pond a little ways ahead of me; I guess I could go there. So that's what I did. I took handfuls of the ashes and let the wind blow them out of my hands and onto the lake.
When I was finished, I was left with an empty urn, and not really wanting to go on any rides or do anything else there-although it seemed like a waste to buy a ticket and then not do anything else at the park- I was headed towards the entrance again. But I noticed a woman dressed as Sleeping Beauty looking at me as if I was familer, but wasn't sure if she knew me or not. A few kids came up to her and she greeted them happily and took a picture with them before turning her attention back to me. But this time she walked over to me.
"Hello. You wouldn't happen to be Will Turner, would you?" She asked in a cheery voice and smile.
"Um…yeah"
"I thought so. The urn tipped me off a bit. A woman asked me to keep an eye out for you; she wanted me to give you this" She handed me a brightly colored note. But before I could ask her about it, she had turned away and was talking to a young girl. The note read,
Did you enjoy you trip? I knew you would. But now that it's over, I thought I'd made a little game for you; a treasure hunt, if you will. Just follow the directions. First, go to the tea cup ride. Ride the orange teacup with the blue decorations on it and check under the wheel.
-Elizabeth
I couldn't help the wide smile that crept onto my face. A treasure hunt? A treasure hunt that likely leads me to Elizabeth? If it leads to her, I've no choice but to follow, now do I?
So I went to the tea cups. I waited in line for about 10 minutes. There were two orange and blue teacups. I had to take a chance so I chose the closest one. As soon as I got in, I checked, and I guess I got lucky, because there was a piece of paper taped underneath the wheel. But now, the ride already began, and it was spinning too much for me to read it so I had to wait until I got off and the moment I did, I read it.
Go to Mickey's Country House. Look on the table in the bedroom.
I ran to get there, pushing aside many people, who gave me scowls and called after me. But I paid them no mind. I walked into Mickey's Country House, which is a tour through Mickey's house. Everyone was taking their time looking through the house, but I rushed to the bedroom, almost knocking over small kids. I got to the bedroom and on the table was a neon pink piece of paper and I grabbed it.
Go to Cinderella's Castle. Look for a man sitting on a bench in front. He'll be wearing a top hat with Mickey ears on it.
So I rushed there next. When I got there I sighed; running around this place was quite exhausting. Never the less, I looked around for the man with the Mickey Mouse top hat.
I saw him sitting on a bench in front, just like Elizabeth said he would be and I walked over to him.
"Um, excuse me, I'm Will Turner. Did a woman named Elizabeth give you something for me?" The man looked at me and handed me a note.
Now, this is the point where you can choose to turn back. But if you want to keep going, the Disney Parade starts at 7:00. Go to the beginning, where the parade starts and look for a girl with a Minnie Mouse hat.
I checked my watch and it read 6:45. I had fifteen minutes, and by now it was dark, which would probably make it harder. I ran through the crowd to the parade's starting point and pushed my way up to the front. By now, the parade had started and a float with Cinderella, Ariel, and Sleeping Beauty was riding by. I didn't pay it any attention though; I was too busy looking for her. But everywhere I looked, people had Minnie Mouse hats. I walked around, looking on the other side of the parade. She wasn't there. I looked all around me, but I couldn't find her.
After about 15 minutes of this, I was about to give up, but as I turned around to walk away, Elizabeth was standing right in front of me.
A smile bigger than any other smile I've ever smiled grew across of my face and it mirrored on her face. I ran to her and when we met I took her in my arms and kissed her long and hard. We just stayed like that, oblivious to everyone else in the world. After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled away; and if it weren't for the need for air, I would've happily stayed like that forever. I looked at her with a look full of love, and she hugged me, clung on to me like there was no tomorrow.
I never believed the saying that where there is death, there is life; or something like that. It all sounded like a whole load of crap to me, invented by poets or probably even Hallmark to make death seem easier, though it never did. But in this case, I guess it is true. Because of death, I found love, and where there is love, there is life.
--
Done! Thank you to all that read, and especially to the few who commented. So thank you.
The two songs Will was listening to were 'Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting' by Elton John. And the second song was 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls. (And yes, I admit that the Spice Girls are one of my guilty pleasures. Hey! We're all aloud guilty pleasures and god knows I have my share of them…)
Next, I'll be writing another Willabeth fic, which takes place in the time of King Henry the 8th, and I'll also be writing my first Psych fic. I don't know which one is gonna be first. I guess I could write them at the same time, but I've tried that and it got confusing. Me and confusing don't mix. But I'll probably end up doing Psych first. So if you like that show, you might like it. But anyway, hope you'll read both of them.
If you want to know more about them, or have any questions about my other upcoming stories, or anything for that matter, feel free to send me a message.