American library books ยป Other ยป The Tracks by Sally Royer-Derr (little readers TXT) ๐Ÿ“•

Read book online ยซThe Tracks by Sally Royer-Derr (little readers TXT) ๐Ÿ“•ยป.   Author   -   Sally Royer-Derr



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a couple of days.โ€

Relief spread through me like wildfire. She was going to be okay. Thank God. I wanted to run into that operating room and wrap my arms around her. Hold her tight and never let her go. But she was sleeping, and Iโ€™d see her soon. In a few days, everything would be back to normal. I wasnโ€™t going to lose my mom today.

Chapter Twenty-Three

โ€œIโ€™m going to take a couple days off work,โ€ Aunt Holly announced. She picked up the empty pizza box from the kitchen table.

Weโ€™d had pizza the last two days since Mom was rushed to the hospital. No complaint here. I could eat pizza every single day.

โ€œWhy? We can help Mom.โ€ I took the last sip of my cola. โ€œYou donโ€™t have to take any more days off work.โ€

Aunt Hollyโ€™s lips curved into a smile. โ€œBelieve me, I donโ€™t mind taking off work. I have a ton of time off stored up. I want to use it. And your mom can never have too much help.โ€

โ€œI guess.โ€ I got up and threw my paper plate into the trash can. โ€œBut you can go home now, Aunt Holly. Iโ€™m fine.โ€

I wanted her to leave. I hadnโ€™t seen Tommy since Mom passed out. I sensed he knew I couldnโ€™t deal with his problems right now. I had enough of my own. But now that things were settling down, I wanted to see him. I missed him. Plus, his dad was coming here this weekend. And I had no idea what I was going to tell him. How did someone tell another that their son, who theyโ€™d never met, had died and was now a ghost? Not exactly a typical conversation.

Sam left for work after heโ€™d gulped down his pizza. Now I just needed to convince Aunt Holly I didnโ€™t need any adult supervision and she could leave. I was glad she was around with everything going on with Mom. It scared me to death, and I needed reassurance everything would be okay, which she gave me. But I was fine now. And I had to get rid of her.

โ€œWell, I do have some things I need to get done.โ€ She looked at her watch. โ€œIf youโ€™re sure youโ€™re fine.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m fine! Go!โ€ I said.

โ€œOkay, Iโ€™ll be back later on and crash on the couch,โ€ she said, brushing her hair back away from her face. โ€œAnd tomorrow, we get your mom back.โ€

โ€œGreat.โ€ I bided my time, watching her walk out the door and into her red Ford Explorer. Tufts of dust from the stone driveway followed the vehicle as she sped off. Finally, I was alone.

I was out of the house in a flash. Down through the woods and onto the tracks. I knew he would be there. He was tied to this place. For eternity, without my help. Even I had a hard time believing this; it went against my whole belief system in God and Heaven. This in-between stuff made no sense to me. And I wouldnโ€™t believe it for one minute if I hadnโ€™t seen it with my own eyes.

I ran beside the empty tracks, calling his name. My voice echoed in the stagnant, early evening air. My heart raced, and sweat ran rivers down my face. I ducked into the woods, my feet pounding on the dirt path. Overgrown briars whipped my skin as I sprinted to the clubhouse. The clearing stood up ahead of me. I was certain he was there, waiting for me.

He wasnโ€™t. I looked inside the clubhouse, which was as quiet as a tomb. I walked along the creek bed, barely trickling due to the lack of adequate rain this summer. I called his name again, which was kind of ridiculous since he was a ghost. If he was here, heโ€™d sense me, Iโ€™d imagine. But what did I know? This ghost thing was all new to me.

Where was he? Itโ€™d been two days since Iโ€™d seen him that night in my bedroom. I slid down on the dry, crunchy grass and sprawled out, staring at the cloudless sky. My mind was blank. The first time in a long time. My body relaxed, and I breathed deeply. I didnโ€™t have the immediate need to find him anymore. For some reason, I felt I was exactly where I needed to be at this moment.

A bird sang sweetly in the distance. The intense heat of the day was broken by a soft-moving breeze over my skin. I stretched my arms and legs to their full length, the tension seeping out of my body.

A hand touched my arm. Before I could open my eyes, his voice filled the air.

โ€œEmily.โ€

My eyes flew open. He stood in front of me, dressed in the clothes I remembered last seeing him in. But it wasnโ€™t Tommy. It was my dad.

Chapter Twenty-Four

โ€œDad?โ€ My voice came out in a barely audible whisper.

He walked closer to me. The familiar scent of his favorite cologne filled the air. His arms were open. I jumped off the ground into his strong embrace.

โ€œIt is you,โ€ I cried. Tears welled and streamed down my face. I buried my head in his old khaki-colored sweater. His weekend sweater.

He held me tight. My body racked with sobs feeling him holding me again. The same arms that had loved and protected me my entire life. My head spun while I clung to him. I must be insane. None of this could be happening to me. But I didnโ€™t care. In this moment, Dad was here and alive. That was all I cared about in the world.

โ€œEmily,โ€ he said again. โ€œIโ€™ve missed you so much.โ€

โ€œI canโ€™t believe youโ€™re here.โ€ I gazed up at him.

His dark hair was cut short, like always. His eyes held the same loving twinkle Iโ€™d always loved.

โ€œI thought Iโ€™d never see you again.โ€

He smiled.

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