Chapter Text
Ever since Tabitha was just a little girl, she had remembered about her father's life being grand and all. She had seen and heard him play her favorite tunes on his old wooden piano. Those days with him were the best days for her, until that changed when he and her mother, Lisa decides to broke up with her father and he left them. Since that they break up, she threw away all the memories that was implied with her father, including his old piano that she once heard. Those days were a blur to her ever since.
A record player was playing in the background with vinyl discs scattered over the entire cabinets with vinyl covers of jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Bill Evans and some of her favorite classical hits by as Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonio Vivaldi just to name a few.
Polaroid pictures of her friends dangled around above her bed as the fairy lights shone through with the math and science books stacked against each other beside the lamp in her white study desk.
A tan skinned girl sat down at the large cushion beside the open window as she scrolls down on her phone, feeling unpleasant about how her friends spent times with their families. She often pretended that she was happy for them but from the inside, she really felt hurt for seeing them with their fathers.
She rolled her eyes at the phone as she closed it and she immediately placed it on the dresser. She lifted the tone arm of the record player and she sat down at her tub chair as she opened her laptop to check in into some photos that she took with her mother.
Then suddenly, she heard a knock on her old beige door.
"Tabitha?" her mother called as she knocked once more. "Tabitha, hun."
She rolled her eyes and she raised her hand as she prompts her to come in.
"I brought some lunch for you." her mother said as she enters her room carrying a tray with her favorite chicken stew with a side of a fresh fruit salad and a glass of pineapple juice.
"Thanks." she thanked her as she looked back at the laptop and she exited the video as she quickly researched her assignments.
Her mother accidentally bumped into her record player as she continued to pick up her discs.
"Damn. If only I would get those to work out." she murmured as she raised her arms on the desk and she reached out for her math notebook.
She flipped right into a few pages of the notebook as she began to recite everything in it.
"By the next couple of weeks, sweetie, we're gonna be moving out of this place." her mother told her as she stacked the discs over by the cabinet.
"You mean for a vacation?" Tabitha raised her brow, uninterested on the conversation that they'll gonna be having. "Come on, mom. You seemed that you're in debt already."
"No, I mean we're gonna be moving out of this house. From California." her mother corrected her as she dusted off her cabinets. "Your uncle has been promoted for a new job at Queens, New York and they were expecting him to be there for a couple of weeks time."
Tabitha disappointedly sighed as she was bothered by the feeling of leaving her favorite country behind. She has spent memories living in California with her friends, her family, all bounds of sorts.
"I know you may sound disappointed, Tabby." her mother assured her as she approached her with a slight smile. "But we've had to go with him."
"What's the point even if we've already moved to New York? Can't he just go by himself? Why he was taking us there?" Tabitha groaned as she turned to her and she folded her arms.
She turned her chair back as her eyes focused back on the laptop.
"Look, I know you wouldn't expect this to happen." she said firmly as she silently opened the door and she looked at her daughter with disbelief. "But that's how it really goes."
Tabitha rolled her eyes at her as she was focused on her laptop and she types in her assignment.
"I'll just let you think through this." she sighed sadly before she had closed the door.
Tabitha looked back as she realized that her mother has left and she immediately shut the laptop off. She looked around at her room as she realized that everything is going to change real soon.
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"You're gonna be moving to New York?" her friend, Sarah gasped as she sat down on the porch right in front of her mid-century house. "That's amazing news, Tabitha! I never knew that you're gonna be moving on the other side of the country."
"Yes, exactly but..." Tabitha sighed heavily as she shooked her head and she fiddled around her fingers.
"What's the matter?" Sarah smirked as she raised her brow and she bumped her. "Don't you feel excited that you're going to New York?"
"Yes, I felt excited but...." Tabitha smiled as she looked beyond the silent streets and she puts her hands onto her brown jacket. "I'm going to miss being here."
"Being in California is the place that I grew up with." she explained as she looked at Sarah with a tilt of her head. "I had spent all my childhood being in this place where I supposed to finally conqure my dreams and my passions. I guess my goals ain't last long enough."
"At least in New York, you're gonna make new ones." Sarah grinned. "But just think, you're gonna be in a city that everyone has known of. And I heard that some of the jazz greats are born in New York."
Tabitha pouted as she bowed down her head and she sniffled as she scratched her stuffy nose.
"And I'm sure that you're gonna have a good time living in it as much as you love Cali." she winced playfully as she laid her hand onto hers.
"I guess." Tabitha slightly nodded as her smile faded. "But that really means that we won't be able to talk anymore."
"We're still gonna be connected though, we can text or call or Zoom or anything else." Sarah grimaced a smile as she hugged her legs. "It's not just because you're leaving does mean our friendship was over. But don't worry, though. We're still friends even you're far away from New York."
"I've guessed that you were right though." Tabitha nods as her smile grew then she sighed. "It was surely nice to spend time with you for one last time."
"It sure is." Sarah agrees as she raised her arms around her.
Tabitha smiled at her as she positively looking over to her new home in New York City.
As weeks pass on, her family started to pack up for the upcoming move to New York City. Tabitha had informed her other friends about the move and they give their well wishes. She packed up the last of her records into one giant moving box and she closed it as the mover guy taped the opening and he moved the boxes to the moving van.
She looked around the open room as she realizes how spacious it was when her things are out. She'll miss being here in her own comfort room.
"Alright, the big cabinet over there, lift it up." an old man muttered as he guided a younger man towards her cabinet as he lifted it up using a two-wheeled trolley.
Once he lifted it up, Tabitha quickly grabbed the broom as she began to sweep down the dusty floor and suddenly, she caught attention to a scattered letter that was regimented for several years in the dust.
She quickly picked up that letter as she dusted that off quickly as she quickly read the words right in front of it.
"To my darling daughter."
She inspected the writing as she observed who written this letter. Surely, it wasn't her mother or neither her adoptive father who had written it. Although, it doesn't said who was it from but she continue to inspect it.
"Tabitha!" her mother called her as she carried her luggage. "Are you almost done packing dear?"
"Uh, yes, mom!" she stuttered as she quickly hid the letter on the medium pocket on her large backpack which it was placed near the window. "I'm almost done with the packing."
"Our flight from the LAX is at 6:30p sharp." her mother informed her as she quickly approached her carrying a ticket and her own travel pass. "Do keep the ticket and don't loose it, alright?"
She kissed her on the forehead and she quickly raced back to the kitchen as she tidying the other things that she needs to pack before she packs them all up towards the moving van.
Tabitha stared at the open sky blue ceilings on her room as she imagines what life for her could be like once she arrives in her new home. She was seemly to be ecstatic for a moment until she realized that her world is going to be different.
She sat down on the floor as she reflects on her days being here on her room that she has grown fond of. She closed her eyes as she begins to remember the memories that she spent time during her stay in California.
"Tabitha!" her mother called moments later as she pulls her luggage. "Come on! We're gonna be late for our flight."
She snapped her eyes open as she quickly stood up and she dusted herself off as she quickly grabbed her backpack and her beige luggage before she has exited her room and into their rented van for a long drive towards the airport.
After a long and wistful flight towards her new home, Tabitha felt more ecstatic as she watches the plane land on the driveway and she immediately un-buckled her seatbelt as she jumped up and she quickly reached out for her luggage. And as she exited the airport, she looked around the airport as her parents begin to pack up their luggage behind the large van.
"Tabby honey, can you place this one in the car for me?" her uncle, Richard, told her as he gave her a box containing their picture frames that contains their precious memories.
Tabitha felt pissed as she saw the contents of the box and she gradually accepts it.
"Oh, sure." Tabitha nodded with a wide smile as she quickly hopped onto the van.
"Make sure all the luggage are safe enough, Richard!" her mother told him as she sat down beside Tabitha.
"Yeah, it's safe enough to assure yourself, dear." Richard replied as he hopped off on the front seat of the van and they sild/closed the doors as the van goes into a start.
Tabitha quickly fished out her phone from her small pocket in her backpack as she turned off the flight mode and soon, 18 text messages flew in by as her best friend kept texting her.
"Hey? Just makin' sure that you've had a safe flight." Sarah simply texted. But that was seven hours before she'd actually turned her phone to flight mode.
She shooked her head and she closed her phone as she placed it on her lap.
"Lisa, we should expect our stuff in the next couple of days." her uncle reminded her mom as he checked his phone for the text from the movers. "With our house finishing up from renovation."
"Does this mean that we're supposed to sleep in a hotel tonight?" Tabitha remarked with a mere groan, rasing her eyebrows at him as he nodded in response.
She sighed in amusement as she face-palmed herself. "It's only for the night, sweetie. Besides, we'll gonna be sleeping in our own house tomorrow before you know it." her mother informed her as she slipped her arms onto her loose fit jeans pocket and she leaned back towards the car seat.
"Yay! Hotels are freaky fun and I'm so not looking forward to this." Tabitha thought amusedly.
When they arrived at their hotel room, Tabitha immediately sat down on the black couch as she relieved herself from sitting from the uncomfortable car seat.
"It was so damn nice to finally sat down on this baby." she sighed gleefully as she raised her arms as if she was in paradise.
"It sure is." her uncle agreed as he sat down beside her and he placed his feet on the small coffee table.
"Come on, guys." Lisa shooked her head with her mouth set in a hard line as she put her hands on her hips. "We've still had many things to unpack before tomorrow. I don't want the two of you to just slack off after a long travel."
She slapped Richard's butt as her brother scoffs and he hugged the armrest of the sofa.
"We know, mom." Tabitha groaned playfully as she raised her arms in her back and she leaned back on her seat. "We've been jetlagged for so long, you didn't just realize how tired we were."
"Exactly, I think we shall settle down for a bit." her uncle grudgingly agrees as he laid his hand onto the couch and he slowly fell asleep.
"Hmm, maybe." Tabitha nods before she heard a vibrate from her jean pocket. She quickly took her phone out to only receive a link for her new school applications.
"Mom, did you send me this?" she immediately asked her as Lisa took out her phone and she checked for the school's confirmation.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that, I've transferring you to a new school, just near Queens." her mother informed her as Tabitha opened the link to check out her new school. "But don't worry about it though, I had already submitted your transfer files from your previous school and you don't need to worry about getting lost because in that form has your class schedules, student infos, a guide map and your list of advisers. And your classes start by the morning at 6:45."
"But what about you two?" Tabitha questioned her as she rose from her seat. "I really wanted to help you two on the move."
"We're gonna be alright without you here, Tabitha, we're gonna take the other things from there while you're at school." she replied with a slight nod as she approached her and she placed her phone at the empty counter. "And we're gonna pick you up exactly at the time when it was dismissal."
Her phone rang out all of a sudden as Richard gasped out like he has woken up from a shock.
"Hun!" he muffled as he blinked his eyes out and he yawned as he turned towards the cushion. "Your phone!"
"I'll get that." she grimaced a smile as she dramatically rolled her eyes out. "Just sleep early and we'll take things from here."
"Thanks, mom." Tabitha muttered as she grabbed her backpack as she went to her small but quite spacious bedroom.
She sat down her single-sized bed as she gently puts down her backpack and she unravels it to reveal all her things such as clothes, her hygiene stuff and some of her Polaroid pictures of her friends back from California.
She slightly smiled at the pictures as if she remembers being with them. Then suddenly, she saw the letter popping out from the medium pocket and she quickly lifted it up as she observed the writing again.
"To my darling daughter."
She read it in her mind again as she tries to trace the lines to who has written that letter.
Finally having enough to find no clues beyond the letter, she snuck it back into the backpack's pocket and she laid herself down as she looked upon the white ceilings.
"Tomorrow is a better day." Tabitha encouraged herself as she breathed tirelessly. "And tomorrow is a better start."