01 | Goodbye

 

"What do you mean, she’s not coming back… Y-you’re just going to let her stay there?!... By herself?... " Nichole paused for a moment, waiting for her mother's response. "Mom!” Nichole raised her voice in disbelief as she continued trying to comprehend what her mother had just told her.

 

Her older, and only, sister had been gifted a graduation trip to South Korea along with a friend by their parents. She’d been gone for a month and now that it was time to come back home to America, Mason, her sister, was deciding to stay in South Korea instead.

 

“Mom… She can’t just do that…” Nichole protested, shaking her head as she leaned forward on her bed, not allowing herself to really believe her sister would leave her so suddenly, and without warning.

 

“Nichole… Mason and I talked about this already… And, we’ve come to a decision....” Nichole's mom was patient and kind in her response. Understanding that her youngest daughter was still somewhat not emotionally mature enough to handle such an impulsive move. She was always the calming voice of reason for the family. And she made sure to keep a level head as she spoke, knowing her daughters had never been separated before.

 

“Well..." Nichole started, trying to find the perfect reason that would immediately put an end to her sister's move. "W-what does dad say about all of this? Huh?”

 

“Your dad and I..." her mother hesitating on the I before she continued, "... We're both okay with it... “

Nichole’s mouth dropped in disbelief but her mother continued before she could say anything. “She’s already there, she’s been there for weeks, Nichole... What’re a few more weeks... Yeah?"

 

"But it's not just a few more weeks... She said she wants to live there. That doesn't sound like a few more weeks," putting air quotes on the last part, mimicking her mother.

 

“Nichole... I know it's a bit hard for you right now, but, your sister really wants to try this... And... I know you two have never been apart like this before, but... it's something she really wants to do... We should all try to support that..."

 

Nichole didn't care though. It was her sister. Her only sister. And from the time she was born, Mason had always been right there by her side. Every city they stayed in, to every country they lived in. She always had her sister. They played together, ate together, studied together. Always, together. And, of course, they bickered as most sisters do. But... when you're a child of a military parent, and you have to move around, constantly, you learn to lean on each other even more. They were beyond sisters in Nichole's young eyes. They were like twins. They were like the same person. Interchangeable and inseparable. Until now.

 

Nichole's head fell in defeat. Finally coming to the realization that she would not win this battle. Thought after thought, she tried to come up with some great excuse to end it all. But all she could think of was how selfish she sounded. 

 

"Okay, so... here’s the deal… " Nichole's mom sat on the edge of the bed beside her, placing the palm of her hand on Nichole's knee before continuing. "I will be going over to Korea to visit your sister... I’m going to make sure she has a safe place to live and make sure she’s able to find work, and if she needs help with anything before it becomes official that she’s living abroad..." she paused giving Nichole some time to process before she began speaking slowly again. 

"Now… I know that you’re upset, but, I think that Mason would really love to see you. Especially before school starts…” she looked at Nichole expectantly with raised eyebrows as her sentence trailed off without an end.

 

She was hinting at Nichole coming with her to South Korea but didn't want to upset her daughter by blatantly asking outright. She cared too much for her feelings and wanted to make sure she was delicate around them. She knew Nichole didn't want her sister to move to South Korea, so Nichole would likely not want to go because of that. But Nichole understood what her mom was getting at and it came without saying as such.

 

Nichole had just turned fifteen and her dad was away on a training assignment. There's no way her mom would have left her home, alone, in America, while she was away in a completely different country on the opposite side of the world. Nichole didn't really have a choice honestly and knowing that frustrated her even more than knowing that her sister had just ghosted her in the most epic way possible.

 

“Okay, fine… Whatever… Who cares what I want anyways…” Nichole rolled her eyes, sighing back into her pillows on her bed.

 

Nichole's mom smiled in amusement with her daughter's dramatic response. “Good, I think your sister will be happy to hear it… " she began to get up off the bed, making her way to the door, "Besides, I already bought your ticket..."

 

Nichole's mouth fell agape hearing that her mother already had planned for her to go, whether she'd agreed or not. But, she already knew that.

 

"We leave Sunday afternoon," her mother continued as she reached the door.

 

“That’s in 2 days!" Nichole's eyes widened to match the shock on . "Mom!... How am I going to say goodbye to all my friends and pack and-”

 

“-Well," she cut Nichole off before she could go on a rant, "Your friends will be here when we get back."

 

"Mom~" Nichole groaned.

 

"We won’t be there long and besides, you can still talk with them if you want to. Have them download that little Kuh-koah thing that you use with Mason… "

 

"It's Kakao, mom", Nichole rolled her eyes.

 

"You know what I mean," she stated, as she began to leave the room. "... It’s not like you’re dropping off the face of the Earth…” she echoed while walking down the hallway.

 

“I might as well be." Nichole retorted, left in the silence of her room.

 

Silence. She thought. I might as well get used to this.

 

The house would be silent when she came back from South Korea without her sister. She couldn't imagine how it would feel. Nichole was born second and she had never lived a life without Mason there. It was going to be a weird feeling for her. And for how long? Of course, she knew at some point she and Mason would be separate. But she had just hoped that they would both be adults by then. Starting their own lives, separately, at the same time. But instead, Maeson was starting now. And Nichole, she would have to endure high school without her.

The thought of going back to high school without Mason was always understood, they were 3 years apart and she knew there would be a time where she'd be in high and Mason wouldn't. But, she was not prepared for her sister to not be there for her high school experience at all. And that was what was about to happen. Who would help her navigate, problem solve, and figure things out when she needed them most. She had her mom, and she was of course grateful for it. But, it wasn't like having Mason. There was nothing like having her sister look out for her.

 

• • • • •

 

Over the next day, Nichole's mom allowed her to hang out with her friends as one last get-together before she had to say goodbye and pack for South Korea. Nichole wasn't new to saying goodbye and then packing unexpectedly. Her father was in the military and that is what they did... when they were younger. But they were older now and their father felt the need to finally settle down in one location to give the girls stability. And, although they had been living in Georgia for a few years now, saying goodbye to her friends felt like moving around all over again. And that never got any easier.