Spring Broke by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bloomberg Place, Kendall, Lelani, Anna, Megan, spring break
Publisher: David C. Cook
Published: 2012-02-09T05:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

Lelani

Lelani was tired of pretending she was happy to make this trip. When her coworker friends, like Margot, Abby, or Mr. Green said things like, “Are you counting the days until Maui?” or, “Sure wish I was going with you,” or, “Aren’t you lucky to be escaping this horrible rainy weather?” She’d just smile and feel like a hypocrite.

She longed to yell out, “I’m only going to Maui to decide whether the baby I abandoned needs her mother or not!” That would sure quiet everyone down. At least for a few minutes anyway. After her words sank in, the store would be abuzz with the latest hot tidbits of gossip. Like, “Have you heard that Lelani has a child?” and, “Did you know she abandoned her baby?” and, “What kind of a person would do something like that?” Who knew what else they might say? Some of the girls could get pretty catty.

Finally, it was time to go home. Lelani buttoned up her coat against the cold, damp wind. Would winter never end? She’d heard that it was unseasonably cold for March, but she felt like it had been cold ever since she came to Oregon last summer. She wondered what it would be like to go home and never come back here. But then there was Gil. Lelani sighed. How could she possibly give up Gil? Not that she knew where their relationship was headed. Most of the time she was trying to slow it down, to keep things calm and friendly. Lately, it seemed that Gil respected that. Or maybe he was simply losing interest.

If he was, who could blame him? She shook her head to remember what Abuela Castillo had said as Gil and Lelani told her good-bye last night.

“You’re a pretty girl,” she’d whispered in Lelani’s ear, “but looks are not everything. I question a woman who can give up a child so easily.”

Lelani had not responded. And when Gil asked what his grandmother had said, she had actually lied, or at least partially lied. “She told me I was pretty.”

“That’s all?”

“That and some sage words of wisdom.”

Gil had frowned then. But he had also let it go, something Lelani had been unable to do. And, really, wasn’t Abuela Castillo right? What kind of a woman gives up her child? What kind of a woman was Lelani?

“Hey,” called Megan as she ran to catch up with Lelani. They had both just started to walk down Bloomberg Place. “I have some really good news!”

“What’s that?” Lelani forced yet another smile.

“Cynthia called me into her office this morning,” Megan said breathlessly. “I thought she was mad, because she told me to close the door and sit down. I was almost ready to give her a piece of my mind for taking me for granted and for letting Vera walk all over me and everything. But I controlled myself.”

“And?”

“And that was a good thing, because she had called me in to tell me that she was giving me spring break off!”

Lelani turned to face Megan.

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