Yah Is A Painter

I feel my breath catching in my throat. This is it-the moment I'd been counting down to for 12 years. The love of my life had already made this walk only moments before and now it is my turn. I walk down the aisle and take my seat among my classmates and sit impatiently through all of the mandatory mumbo-jumbo. And finally, it's over. I have my diploma and I am facing the rest of my life. Seventeen years old and the world is at my fingertips!

Missouri. We plan to move to Missouri for our first trek away from home. Coyt and I have saved up enough money to get us there, get us into an apartment, to get us started. Mom has already begged me not to go and Dad has actually threatened to stop me. I don't care. I won't be 18 until February, but I know how to get what I want. They beg, they plead. I simply reassure. One week to go, and everything seems perfect.

Six more days...

Five more days...

Four more days...

"Hey Lexi, your dad doesn't look so well."
"Are you sure he's not just high?"
"No, really, Lexi, he's limping more than usual and complaining that his legs feel swollen."
Those words are like a death sentence for my father. He had open-heart surgery a while back and the doctor told him that he would be back in three years if he didn't make some lifestyle changes. That was ten years ago. I make my way to the living room, approach the fuzzy blue recliner, and examine my dad's extended legs. Coyt was right. He is really swollen.
"Hey dad, how long have your legs been swollen?"
"Oh, Lexi, I don't know. What does it matter?" And that's my cue.
"It might have something to do with your heart! Or your blood flow circulation. What if you're about to have a heart attack or a stroke or-"
"I'm not going to the Doctor."
"But dad, you've gotta go! I won't have time to take you after today because I'll be packing and then you're going to be home alone for a few days when mom moves us in! What if something bad happens to you? I will never forgive myself if you die because you didn't go to the hospital and I could have saved you because I knew you needed to go to the hospital!"
I know it seems like I am overreacting, but you don't know my dad. Five years ago, he was unstoppable. He was tan and fit with his dark black hair and his beautiful shallow blue eyes. I look upon my father's pale skin, his sunken face, his thin, frail frame. His hair is more gray than black. But I miss his eyes the most. He used to have the most breath-taking eyes imaginable. Now they are cloudy with dark shadows around them. I worry about my dad so much. And then I start to cry.
"Fine, I'll go. But I'm not going to Jarstown today."
"But dad! This hospital is a bandaid station! I wouldn't take my worst enemy there for a cold let alone my only father for a possible heart condition!"
"Deal or no deal." God, he's just as stubborn as I am. A doctor, although somewhat uneducated doctor, is better than no doctor. I agree.
Mom, Dad, Coyt and I all pile into the white explorer. I start the car, pull out of the driveway, and make a beeline straight for Jarstown. He can yell at me later.