“How are you feeling today?”
I hope they say they are better because I miss them so much.Jayson starts coughing so Julien answers me.
“Mom said our fever broke but we have to stay home the rest of the week.”
He looks sad and then grabs a tissue to blow his nose. That just makes me feel even more miserable than I already am.
An idea forms in my head and I tell them to hold on a minute. I grab the card I made for them today at school. There is a large oak tree between our houses with branches that span across and reach close to both of our windows. I don’t know why the idea has never occurred to us since we climb trees all the time in the forest surrounding our backyards. Without thinking too much, or else I know I will lose my nerve, I climb out of my window onto the sloped roof below it and grab a hold of the tree branch in front of me. Placing the handmade card in my teeth, I carefully extend my left foot out toward another branch while holding on to a branch above my head with both hands. The branches shake as I start to shimmy across.
“Liz, what are you doing?” Jayson and Julien both yell at me.
I can't really answer back seeing as I have my teeth clenched tight on the card hanging from my mouth. So I ignore them and navigate my way around the trunk before climbing onto the branch that leads to their window but stops short about a foot. I wrap my legs tightly around the branch and sit down before I take the card out of my mouth.
Breathless I say “hi,” to two stunned faces.
Behind me, Hailey calls my name. I tell her I’m going to visit with Jay and Julien for a bit and will come back inside later and not to tell Mom I’m out here. She will definitely freak out if she sees where I am. Dad has been gone for a few weeks with his band and won’t be home until next month. We video chat with him several times a week and I think he said they were heading to Sacramento, California next.
Hailey’s head disappears from my bedroom window as she says she’s going to grab some cookies from the kitchen and wait for me downstairs. Hailey is the best sister. She always has my back just like I do hers. We plan to go out to our fort later and collect some fall leaves to put in a jar. It’s the beginning of November and the leaves on the trees have changed color, the forest a kaleidoscope of oranges, golds, and reds.
“I made you guys this today at school and got everyone in class to sign it.”
I proudly open the get-well card and show them the pictures I drew, including the one I drew of the three of us. I even got almost all of our classmates to sign the card as well. Samantha Winters refused to sign it which made me mad. We got into an argument at lunch over it today and Samantha poured her milk all over my clothes. Luckily, the teacher saw what she did and Samantha was sent to the principal’s office. Mom had to bring a spare change of clothes for me to school after the principal called her to let her know what happened. Mrs. Wright, our principal, then made Samantha apologize to me. Samantha was so not happy about that. I have a feeling that she’s going to try to get me back at some later time for it.
“I hate that you guys are still sick. Mom won’t let me come over,” I pout.
I lean forward as far as I can to hold out their card. Jayson leans out is window and is able to take it from me without dropping it. I want them to have it so they can see how much they are missed.
I hear Hailey urgently whisper-shouting my name again from my window. “Lizzie! Mom wants you. You better get back inside before she comes up and finds you out there.”
Julien blows his nose again. “Window tonight before bed?” he asks.
The twins share a room together and have the coolest bunk bed. It has a bookcase and desk under the top bunk next to the bottom bed. We usually drape a sheet over the top bunk’s railing to close the space off and then watch movies on my tablet while sitting on pillows piled along the floor.
Jayson, Julien, and I always say goodnight to each other every evening through our windows, just like that first night after we met two years ago. I’ve started to sing to them at night since I can play the guitar much better now, and they seem to like it. Maybe I can try and bring it with me the next time I climb out onto the tree. Daddy has me keeping up my guitar lessons and we practice together during our video chats. I like how we can still sing to each other over video even though we are hundreds of miles apart.
Hailey anxiously calls my name again.
“I got to go,” I tell the boys. “See you later tonight.”
With that, I swing across the tree limbs, back to my bedroom window where Hailey waits for me.
The next morning as I take my place on the reading rug in our classroom, I daydream about last night. When I went to my window to say goodnight to the twins, stars and a moon made out of construction paper were taped outside my window, and each star had a letter written on it that spelled out “princess”. I saw the branch outside of my window move and that was when I noticed two brown-headed boys smiling at me through the glass, both balancing on top of the sturdy oak branch. Startled, I jumped back before I regained my wits and opened the window for them. I held out my hands to help as Jayson climbed through first, then Julien.
“What in the world?”
I stepped back so they could both stand up. “How were you able to put those stars up on the window? They’re beautiful.”
“We got bored being stuck inside so thought that if our parents wouldn’t let you come over, we would come to you.”
Jayson helped me pull Julien over the windowsill, but Julien accidentally knocked over my small ladybug nightlight lamp from my bedside table. Jayson picked it up and placed it back where it belonged. Julien made anumphsound when his legs landed on the floor.
Hailey must have heard the noise because she came through the bathroom and her jaw dropped open. “Mom is going to be so mad at you if she comes in here.”
I really doubted it. Mom usually left us alone to settle down and sleep once she kissed us goodnight.
“Love you Hales, but scram,” I said to her.
“Your funeral,” she said and retreated back to her room.
