Pat’s Story

My watch alarm woke me to go running around six in the morning. Beside me, I saw Walter turning off his own watch. As I sat up, I could see Dad and my uncles were stirring as well.

Walter voiced my question. “What are you guys doing awake? I figured you’d sleep till noon.”

Uncle Colin glared across the plane. “I never slept. Someone snored all night.”

Uncle Eddie held up his hands. “I told you. I left my CPAP on the bus.”

Frowning, I glanced around the cabin. “I never heard any snoring.” Beside me, Walter shook his head in agreement.

The opening of the galley partition interrupted the conversation. Melinda peeked out with a smile.

She looked adorable. I would have never guessed she had slept in her clothes. Even her hair was kempt. Mine was probably a mess.

As she sat on the edge of the divan, I longed to kiss her good morning, but I didn’t want to do so in front of an audience.

We had just enough time to unmake the beds, storing the pillows and blankets while setting aside the sheets. Dad would have them laundered while the plane was in Boston.

When we landed, my uncles went to use the bathrooms in the hangar while Dad helped Walter, Melinda, and me to the car. He gave us all hugs before returning to the plane.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I turned to Melinda. “Do you want to come back to our place, or do you want me to drop you off at home?”

She sent me a hesitant look. “I want to go home. Take a shower, start my laundry. I need some of these clothes for school.”

Walter swore. “I hadn’t thought of that. Me too.”

Melinda turned to face him. “I’m sure you can wash your stuff at my place. My mom won’t mind.”

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see my brother turning red. “Um, I don’t actually know how to do laundry.”

I didn’t either, though I would never admit that to my girlfriend.

She giggled. “It’s easy. I can show you.”

---

After bringing Melinda to her house, Walter and I stopped at a diner for a quick breakfast before heading home. I was glad we had. It took longer than I expected to pack for school. Every time I thought I had everything, I would remember one more thing to bring.

Fiona still wasn’t home, so we stopped for some fast-food burgers for lunch. It was late afternoon when we finally arrived at Melinda’s.

After she showed us how to wash our clothes, Walter went to play video games with Melinda’s brother. She and I went to watch a movie in the living room. I raised my eyebrows as she closed the door behind her.

“Uh, I thought you weren’t supposed to do that.”

She sat beside me with a smirk. “My mother said we could. And that she would check up on us when we were least expecting it.”

First Mom, then Dad, and now Miss Christina. I couldn’t believe what a difference two weeks had made. They finally trusted us.

Shaking my head, I drew Melinda close to me, kissing the top of her head. “I know you had a difficult time with the paparazzi this week. Did you enjoy yourself at all?”

Turning, she sent me an adorable smile. “Are you kidding? I feel like I finally know you. Walter, too. I saw your McGregor personalities.”

“And we didn’t scare you away?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I feel like I finally understand you. You’re a little Pat Evans, a little Patrick McGregor. All together, you’re P-E-P McG.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Pep McG?” It made me sound like a cartoon. I made a face. “Yeah. Still not in love with it.”

She closed the space between us. “Well, then. What if I just call you Pepe?”

“That I could live with.” My lips brushed against hers. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Pepe. All of you.”

Melinda’s Journal

Saturday, March 17

I was extremely disoriented when I woke up this morning. I have fallen asleep with Pat almost every night for the past two weeks. Waking up alone felt strange.

Being in the small room in the airplane was even stranger.

It’s barely dawn, but we’re going to land soon. Hollywood is already beginning to feel like a dream.

Melinda’s Story

When I finally got my bearings on Saturday morning, I checked my phone. It was a little before six in the morning, Connecticut time. I wasn’t exactly sure where we were, but I had a feeling we would land soon.

Even though it was supposed to be for the pilots, I used the bathroom closer to me before returning to the cabin. I was a little surprised to see everyone was awake. Although, other than Walter and Pat, no one really looked alert.

Waving at everyone, I sat on the edge of the couch.

Mr. Adam smiled at me. “How’d you sleep?”

I smiled. “Really well.” I turned to Walter. “Thanks for letting me have your room.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I had a choice?”

I hit him before turning back to his father. “What time do we land?”

“About half an hour. There’s some cereal in the galley if you want breakfast.”

I made a face. “Thanks. But I don’t really do breakfast.”

After I helped return all the beds into their chair positions, we were landing. I barely had time to strap into the chair across from Pat. While Walter and Pat retrieved our bags from the cargo area, I said goodbye to their uncles. They all insisted on hugging me, which was a little weird. But I enjoyed being part of the family.

Mr. Adam escorted us to the car. It was less awkward hugging him. As Pat started the engine, I saw his father returning to the hangar.

The ride to my house was subdued. It was early on a Saturday morning and the roads were pretty empty. We made it to my house in record time. I had Pat drop me off, since the boys were going home to pack for school.

I tried not to make too much noise entering the kitchen, but my mother was waiting for me. Well, she was making coffee. When she saw me, she quickly rushed over to hug me.

“Oh, Baby Girl! I missed you. How was it?”

I smiled as she released me. “It was so much fun. I got to go to the movie studio where Miss Kara is filming and oh!” I pulled out my phone. “Pat took me on a hike and look!” I showed her my picture of the Hollywood sign. “It’s real!”

My mother smiled, glancing behind me. “Where are the boys?”

I shrugged. “They wanted to go home to pack. Oh. I hope you don’t mind. They were hoping they could do some laundry here tonight.”

My mother smiled. “Of course. Those boys are practically family.”

I was glad to hear her say that. I felt the same way.

---

After a relaxing shower, I unpacked my bags. Near the top was a box containing Walter’s birthday present—a NeoGenesis puzzle Pat had helped me build and glue. I wanted to wrap it and store it in my backpack before Walter returned to my house.

I didn’t need to worry. It was mid-afternoon before the boys arrived. Walter immediately went to Joey’s room to play video games with my brother. Pat, meanwhile, joined me in the family room to watch a movie. My mother even gave us permission to close the door, although with the warning that she would check up on us when we weren’t watching.

I didn’t care. My mother was finally trusting us! I had a feeling she had talked to Miss Kara a lot during my trip.

As I scrolled through the on-demand menu, Pat pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. “I know you had a difficult time with the paparazzi this week. Did you enjoy yourself at all?”

I turned so I could smile at him. “Are you kidding? I feel like I finally know you. Walter, too. I saw your McGregor personalities.”

He smirked. “And we didn’t scare you away?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. I feel like I finally understand you. You’re a little Pat Evans, a little Patrick McGregor. All together, you’re P-E-P McG.”.

Pat raised his eyebrows. “Pep McG? Yeah. Still not in love with it.”

I leaned a little closer. “Well then, what if I just call you Pepe?”

He smiled as his lips brushed against mine. “That I could live with. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Pepe. All of you.”

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.