Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) by Sarah Anderson Page B

mother’s excitement for us as she
talked with Bev and gazed around the campus. Our fathers made small
talk, mostly about sports and weather, as they carried the majority
of our things.
    “There’s Myers Hall.” CeCe said, pointing
excitedly.
    “We are on the second floor.” I said as I
led the way to the elevator.
    We had to take two trips in the elevator
with all the stuff we had. Once upstairs, we found our way to the
help desk and gathered our keys. CeCe’s parents, with CeCe’s
prompting, ensured we had our own private bath en suite because
CeCe didn’t want to have to share a bathroom with anyone else,
other than me, and even that was tough for an only child like
herself.
    “I found it.” CeCe said, rushing to open the
door amidst all the other college kids in the hall, eager to get
settled in.
    As she opened the door it smelled a little
stuffy—like it had been closed up for many months. CeCe dropped her
things on the floor and hurried over to the window to bring in the
fresh late summer breeze. Once in, I saw two twin beds smaller than
the queen-size beds we were use to. The room had a desk for us
each, two dressers, and a closet that would be a tight fit for both
of us to share. My mother had set down my suitcases next to my bed
and took a seat at my desk. Our fathers let out a little sigh as
they dropped the mega load they had been toting around the campus.
Bev placed CeCe’s things on her bed with a bit of a scowl on her
face.
    “This is much smaller than I remember
James.” Bev said, scratching her head.
    “It’s fine mother.” CeCe said, with her face
still peering out the window.
    “How about we get you girls settled in
quickly and then take you for an early dinner before we leave?” My
mother suggested.
    “That’s a great idea mom.” I said as I
turned to squeeze-hug her.
    We were settled in a short time later with
our fathers doing the majority of the work—pulling out our things
from suitcases and hanging up clothes in the closet while us women
talked and put up nick-knacks and picture frames. Of course, we
could move things around to our liking later. For now we were just
trying to get rid of all the bags and things that took up most of
the floor space.
    We found a nice little neighborhood
family-style restaurant within a 10-minute walk from the dorms.
CeCe had spied a poster hanging up outside the restaurant about
some Delta Delta Delta party going on later and that they were
recruiting for new sorority sisters. She had whispered in my ear
before sitting down that she wanted to go to the sorority party and
to rush at dinner. Her mother had been a Triple D . Though
she did not want to be like her mother, CeCe had heard good things
through the years about their social activism and especially good
parties. I figured it would be nice to get out and meet some new
people and finally have some peace to call Skylar later—without
family lingering around.
    I kissed my parents goodbye and hugged my
mother about three more times before they left. I hugged Bev and
James goodbye too and thanked them for allowing CeCe to keep their
SUV for us to use. The Crawford’s were riding home with my parents
so that CeCe could keep their vehicle to get back and forth to home
and school. CeCe hugged her mom and dad and thanked them also. I
could see Bev’s eyes start to well up bit before she quickly
blotted them with her silk handkerchief. Richard Crawford kissed
his daughter’s forehead and told her with a warm smile on his face,
“be good and call if you need anything”. He quickly slipped her a
credit card and told her to keep it for emergencies.
    Suddenly they were off and we were free.
Free to be who we wanted to be. We ran, quickly, back to the dorm
room and primped in our new bathroom. CeCe turned on some Prince
while I looked for clothes to wear to the party. We knew just about
every word to every Prince song. CeCe always had a mad crush on
him. I loved the way he could dance and how quixotic