The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha

I tell Eddie that I’m not going to Piney Point. His face darkens and he says I’m still a liar. And then he disappears back into the hedge. I do feel like a liar. If there was a way for me to ask my dad for permission to go to Piney Point, I’d do it. But there isn’t, and besides, he would probably say no. He’s pretty strict about how I spend my time with him. I think about the rules he set about the internet recently. No emailing, blogging, or posting online without his permission. He says the internet is a very public place. Apparently, the phone lines 100 years ago are, too.

Suddenly, I feel an ache of homesickness. I miss my dad, the funny way I did when my parents first got divorced. That feeling comes and goes. I need to tell Samantha that I can’t go with her to Piney Point. If I don’t, Eddie will. Besides, I’m almost ready to go home to see my dad. I invite Samantha to sit with me beneath the oak tree where I tell her and I can’t go to Piney Point with her. The truth is, I miss my family. I should probably catch the first train to Plattsburgh tomorrow. She looks away, but then smiles and says it’s all right. She knows what it’s like to miss her family.

Samantha heads inside to track down Grandmary again, and I lean against the tree, wishing I knew how to cheer her up. When I put my hands into my pocket, I discovered the friendship bracelet Stella made me. I tie the friendship bracelet around my wrist and suddenly, I have an idea.