The move

“Honey, hurry up, we have to leave if we want to get there on time.”

Dad shouted,

“I’m done daddy.”

“Got everything? It’s too far to come back if you forget anything, Leah bear.”

“I got everything daddy, I promise”

“Okay then let’s go.”

Dad looked around the house one more time, said something I could hardly hear and then we left. We were moving to a new town. Dad had gotten a new job, so we packed up and left all our memories of mom behind.

“Are you okay kid?”

Dad asked.

“Yes daddy, I’ll just miss mom even more now that we are not living there anymore. That house held so many memories of her.”

“It will be okay Leah bear, mom will always be with us no matter where we go.”

“Are you sure dad?”

“I’m sure honey, just because we are moving to a new house and a new town doesn’t mean we will forget about her.”

I just nodded my head, moving was scary. I’d have to make new friends all over again, not that I had much in the first place. 

“So are you excited to see the new house?”

Dad asked six-year-old me

“Yes I am.”

“And school?”

“I hope I’ll have many friends”

“I’m sure you will honey.”

We drove in silence after that, my little mind already worried about not making friends. This would be my first year in a big little school, as dad would say, and I was already feeling that longing for mom to be there for me on my first day.

My mother died when I was four. She had cancer. One minute mom was there with us and the next she was gone. I still couldn’t understand it then, and after mom died, dad stepped up and did everything for me.

I’ve seen dad at his lowest, but he never gave up not on life, his job or me. It was hard for him at first trying to juggle his job and raising a four-year-old on his own, but he made it work and he did a damn good job.

Dads a police officer. Well he was though. I am now the daughter of detective Mark Lockwood. My dad is a handsome man, very intimidating and serious but lovable at the same time.

He always said he was lucky. That mom felt sorry enough for him to give him a chance, and he grabbed that chance with both hands, but mom would say the same thing about him.

Love at first sight is what they said. Yes, I remember. See, I’m an intelligent girl. Dad said I got that from both himself and mom. It was hard for me to forget things. I could read a book once and know it by heart.

My mother was beautiful, she had the perfect figure even after giving birth to me. She didn’t even have to go to the gym to get back in shape. Mother had the most amazingly colored eyes and beautiful blonde hair. I miss her so much it hurts.

We have been driving for a while now. I was hungry and tired, but I knew dad had a schedule he wanted to follow. Dad started work tomorrow and I had school, so he didn’t want us arriving at our new home late at night.

Three half-an-hour stops were all he allowed us to have, and we had to arrive right on time to still unpack our essential things before heading to bed.

“Want to grab something to eat?”

Dad asked 

“I thought you would never ask dad!”

“Silly Leah, I get hungry too, you know!”

He said, laughing. 

“Can we have chicken please dad?”

“Sure, the navigator shows a diner is just up this road.”

“We don’t have to eat at the diner daddy. I know you want to get to our new home on time. Let’s just get a takeaway.”

“Man, how are your brains that big for someone at your age, huh?”

I giggled at dad’s comment. Dad pulled over in the parking lot, and we went inside to get us some takeaway so we could be back on the road again. Davy’s diner hung above the door.

Dad pushed the door open and a little bell rang, letting the owner know about a customer that had just entered.

“Hi, welcome to Davy’s diner. I’m David. What can I get for you two?”

“Hi David, I’m Mark and this is my daughter Leah. I would like something with steak and a strong coffee, two sugar no milk and, for Leah bear, something with chicken and a double think chocolate milkshake please.”

“Not from around here?”

Mr David asked Dad.

“No just passing through”

“Sit down or takeaway?”

“We will have a takeaway please”

“Okay then. Have a seat. Your order will be ready soon”

Mr David shouted the order out to someone in the back and gave dad his total. After dad paid for our food and drinks, Mr David went to work on our drinks. He seemed like a really nice guy.

“Hope you guys didn’t mind me ordering your something as sandwiches?”

“No not at all”

“Good, have a seat. Your order will be ready in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you”

Dad said 

Exactly twenty minutes later Mr David came to our table with a brown paper bag and a cup holder with our drinks and a huge smile on his face.

“Have a safe journey Mark and Leah. I hope to see you two again around here sometime when you’re in the mood for steak or chicken something again. Oh, and I left a little treat in there for you, Miss Leah. Please enjoy and do come again.”

Mr David said cheerfully. 

“Thank you, Mr David, and if this chicken something is good I’ll drag dad right back here.”

I said with a smile.

Laughing, we left the diner and got back on the road. We have already used up most of our scheduled time.

“This is so good daddy, we have to go back there again sometime.”

“Oh I’m sure we will this really is something, huh?”

“Sure is daddy and look Mr David gave me a huge chocolate chip cookie.”

“That’s really nice of him, sweetheart. Now finish up so you can get a nap please.”

“Okay daddy.”

When I was done, I hopped into the back seat of dad's truck, snuggled up with my favorite bear, Mr Cuddles, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up an hour later dad announced that we still had some time before we arrived, so to make the trip not so long and boring, I had to tell him what color I wanted for my room.

We made small talk about certain things concerning the house. I wanted a park like we had at our old house, but to my surprise, the house already had a park and a pool.

I hadn’t seen the house yet, but dad had the real estate agent video called dad to show him the house and all dad saw was the park and the pool. That was enough to make him buy it. He hasn’t seen the inside though.

So we joked about the house looking haunted or tiny. Mom always wanted a big house with a pool and a puppy. I wish she was here with us now. Her dream was coming true even though she wasn’t here.

I sent a silent prayer to the big guy ‘ I hope you let mom see this’.

I'm Leah Lockwood, by the way, and this is my story. I’m sixteen years old now, with long black hair, perfectly built, but I hide that under all the baggy clothes I wear.

I'm not your typical cheerleader girl. I’m a nerd, a very nerdy nerd, like falling over my own feet, sitting on my own, doing other people’s homework, buying lunch for the popular kids, bullied kind of nerd.

You are probably thinking ‘your dad is a detective, why not say something to him?’ I don’t want dad stressing about me, he has enough of that at work. 

So I try and keep my head down and walk the school’s corridor as fast as I can and without being seen. When we first moved here, I didn’t expect my life would turn out like this, a freaking nightmare, one I couldn’t wake up from.

Let alone fall victim to the most beautiful boy in my school.