The Unforgettable Secret

By Nicole Wilkerson

After living in Florida, Wendy Benton believes that
Sterling Heights, Michigan is the worst place to live. Until
she meets Craig Anderson.
There is something familiar about him. He captures Wendys
eye the first time she laid eyes on him at the grocery store,
and then on the first day of school at Sterling Heights
High. With Craigs flawless features, beautiful green eyes,
and a incredible personality, it wasnt hard for Wendy to
fall in love with him.
Many people had warned Wendy to stay away from
Craig. But she continued to grow closer to him. After
discovering his secret, she soon realizes that danger
is not far behind them

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 11, 2010
• ISBN: 9781462844791

Book preview

The Unforgettable Secret

Nicole Wilkerson

Copyright © 2010 by Nicole Wilkerson.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4535-9207-6

                   Ebook                                     9781462844791

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

87749

Contents

1     

2     

3     

4     

5     

6     

7     

8     

9     

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

This book is dedicated to;

My husband, my family, (especially my parents)

And my friends.

Thank you for all of your support and

Inspiration.

missing image file

My dad had always wanted to move some where that was cold. I however, wasn’t too fond of cold weather. I really enjoyed being outside in the sun. I loved the sun shinning down on my face, and feeling the warmth on my skin. For me, the sun was like air. Maybe it was possible because I had spent my whole life in Florida that I just got use to the heat and sun. I had never lived anywhere else. I always visited my grandparents every year in Indiana, but I never stayed for more than a few days. And I certainly didn’t go when it was winter. But now with my mom gone, my dad could finally do what he wanted.

My mom loved the sun too. She was born and raised outside in the heat. We could barely get her to come inside. After my parents got divorced she decided to travel. My dad knew she wouldn’t stay long away from home, but she surprised us and moved to California to work for a modeling agency. She’s been there for a while now, going on six months. My dad finally put the house up for sale and it sold within a few weeks. We are now going to live in Michigan, in a town called Sterling Heights. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but my dad was. He would be closer to his parents who lived a few hours away in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

So, Wendy, are you excited to move to Sterling Heights? my dad asked from the other side of the table. I just glanced up and stared at him for a few seconds.

You know how much I hate the cold. obviously, there was no getting through to him.

I just think you’d like it up there. When I was a kid, I loved it. Making snow men with my friends after school . . . he went on about how much fun he had when he was kid. I acted like I was listening with some nods here and there. I think he caught on to my game and he finally quit.

Even though I wasn’t happy about the move, I was for my dad. He always wanted to go back north, and now he finally is. I just kept thinking that this was going to be our last meal in this house.

Have you heard from Lydia? he asked, breaking the silence. He acted concerned, but I knew he was just trying to make conversation.

Not yet. It occurred to me that I haven’t heard from her in a few days. That was the most I had not talked to her in a year. I wasn’t worried though, I figured she was busy in New York with her mom’s side of the family.

Dad nodded.

You’ll make lots of new friends. Sterling Heights is a nice place to live. My aunt use to live there. I’m sure it’s changed a little, but I’m sure you’ll like it there. he said as he took a bite of his steak.

Yea dad. I’m sure I’ll make lots of friends. I sighed, looking at my dinner plate. I was still a little disappointed. I was a junior in high school, and I loved Spring Hill. Even though I didn’t like school too much, I didn’t want to go to another one. It just seemed pointless to move now. I only had one more year until I graduated and then I would be off to college. If he wanted to move, he could at least wait until I finished high school. I didn’t dare to mention this to him though. I knew he had his mind set and there was no use trying to change it.

Even though I didn’t like school, I always enjoyed going. I definitely was not considered popular, but I had a few good friends who kept me going. There was Ginger Leon, Ally Baker and Kelly Holland who I have known for six years. We were inseparable for about five years until recently when we just grew apart. Kelly and Ally got involved with cheerleading and Ginger was involved with school plays and chorus. We ate lunch together and walked to class together every once in a while, but even that seemed to be slowly dying off. Now I talk to them at least once a week, and sometimes we would get together and have a girls night out. I wasn’t involved with anything so my schedule was mostly open. In the summertime I mostly spent time at the beach playing volleyball. It was then when I had reunited with Lydia Stevens.

Lydia and I were best friends in kindergarten and all throughout middle school. When we got into eight grade we didn’t talk anymore. She ended up moving back to London the summer after eight grade and I lost touch with her. It wasn’t until the summer before sophomore year at the beach where she had played on my volleyball team. She had told me that her family had moved back to the United States and moved in a few houses down from me. From then on, we have spent every day together.

Just thinking about leaving Spring Hill made me too depressed to eat. I put my paper plate in the trash can and walked up to my empty room. Since all of our stuff was in the moving truck I had to sleep on the hard wooden floor. I looked up at the ceiling fan going round and round, my glow in the dark stars were bright green on the ceiling. I remembered when I first moved in this room. I was about six or seven, we had just moved from an apartment in Tampa. This was our first house as a family. It made my mom very happy.

I felt my cell phone vibrate beside me, which made me jump.

Hello?

Hey you. it was Lydia. The sound of her voice comforted me.

I smiled. Hey, how are you?

Fine. How are you?

I sighed. Just peachy. I think I sounded more angry than what I had planned.

Wendy, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll love it there.

I paused to try to imagine my life in Michigan. Yea, I don’t know.

Give it a few weeks and if you don’t like, you can always stay here with me. I could hear her smile. anyways, I just called to say have a good trip tomorrow.

You won’t be here before I leave?

She sighed. No, I’m really sorry, my parents and I are stuck in New York for now. Our plane got delayed a few hours.

Really? What happened?

The plane wouldn’t start. Imagine that. I could tell she was being sarcastic.

I hope you get home okay.

Yea, so do I. she paused. I’ll miss you, Wendy.

I’ll miss you too.

She paused for a moment, I could hear noise in the back ground. Well, I gotta go. My parents are freaking out about there cell phone bill. But give me a call as soon as you can. Okay?

Okay, I will.

Okay, bye sweetie.

Bye. I hung up the phone and laid my head down on my pillow.

Lydia and I had a strange friendship, it was almost as if we were sisters. Sometimes I had even forgot that we had known each other for so long. For the past year we had spent almost everyday together, it was almost as if we were still ten years old again. She would stay the night over here and we would stay up for hours talking about anything and everything. She was my best friend, and will always be. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind.

The steady noise of the fan eventually put me to sleep.

Wendy. Are you ready? We have to lock up the house in a few minutes. my dad yelled up the stairs.

I was sitting on the floor trying to roll up my blankets as neat as I could. I would miss this old two story house. The tiny yellow bathroom that was all mine. The big bay window in the living room that made the house feel warm and cozy when the sun shone through, even the kitchen with the bar stools. Most of all, I think I would miss the memories that we had in this house. Now that part of my life was gone. I walked down stairs and took one last look at my house before I closed the door on these memories forever.

1     

ROAD TRIP

So, where do you want to eat? my dad asked as I pulled my head phones off.

I don’t care. We were five hours into the trip and all I wanted to do was to go back home.

Alright, let’s stop at Edmond’s Dinning. he said as we passed a green sign on the interstate. We took the next exit on the right and headed down a little ways.

Don’t tell me that’s where we are going to eat. Over to the left was a log cabin that looked like a house. A sign that read Edmond’s Dinning in neon green letters hung above the door.

Looks like it. he said as we pulled into the parking lot.

It looks like a house.

Yea, it looks nice. We both got out of the car and headed towards the forest green door.

A waitress with brown curly hair and glasses stood waiting us to great us in.

Good Morning, folks. Table for two? she smiled happily.

Good Morning, and yes, please. my dad replied.

Follow me. she flashed a smile and lead us toward the back of the building. The restaurant had a warm and cozy feel to it. The furniture was made out of wood, and there were table cloths of red and white checkered that covered every table.

My name is June, and I’ll be your waitress today . . . Is this alright for you folks? she lead us to a table by the window.

It’s fine, thanks.

Alright, I’ll be with ya’ll in a minute. she placed the menus down on the table and left. I sat down and started looking through the menu. There was only one bad thing about being down her in the south: everything was fried.

I was never too fond of fried foods. Unfortunately, all this menu seemed to have was fried and greasy foods. Hamburger, bacon, fries, onion rings, fried mushrooms . . . the list went on.

Well, they certainly don’t have a variety of foods now, do they? my dad tried to be discreet. I noticed from the corner of my eye he was flipping through the menu too.

No, not really. I replied.

From the kitchen I could hear the clanging of the silverware the sizzling of bacon being cooked. It made me think back when my mom use to fix bacon and eggs on Saturday morning. I loved waking up to that smell when I was a kid. Now the smell of bacon makes me sick to my stomach.

Ya’ll don’t live around here, do ya? June asked. She startled me, I didn’t expect her to be back so soon.

I looked over at my dad, who gave her a peculiar look. Just passing through. he replied.

Oh, where ya headed to?

Again, my dad looked at her like he was going to kill her right then and there for asking questions. My dad was never the type of person that likes to tell a lot about himself. He mostly stayed by himself, and absolutely hated it when anyone that he didn’t know asked about him. I wasn’t quite sure why, but sometimes even a simple question would set him off. I never really thought of him being hot-headed, but I guess in this case, it fit perfectly.

Michigan. he finally said.

June bent her head down to look at us above her glasses. Oh yea, I hear lots of things going on up there. My sister lives there, she says some rumors have been going ’round ’bout how some guy can lift a truck. I mean, not just any ’old truck, . . . I mean like a eighteen wheeler! By God, that man must be on steroids . . . her voice was soft. She looked at me, then my dad waiting for us to say anything. Neither of us replied to her. I don’t know about my dad, but I really didn’t care at the moment. I was hungry, and I wanted to go back home.

Anyways, what can I get for ya’ll today? she pulled her pen from on top of her ear, and pulled out a note pad from her apron.

Can I have water? I flipped my menu over to try to see if they had any salads.

And for you, sir? she looked at my dad, chewing her gum hard.

Coke . . . diet, please. he smiled and then glanced back down at the menu.

Okay, and what will ya’ll have to eat today? she finished writing down and then looked at me.

Do you have any salads? I wondered. I couldn’t seem to find them on the menu.

Yes ma’am. We have a Garden salad, Creaser salad and Chicken salad. she still chewed her gum hard. It bothered me a bit.

Garden Salad will be fine.

Okay, and for you, sir?

I’ll have a t-bone steak with fries. he folded up his menu, along with mine and handed it to her.

She finished writing in her little notepad and grabbed the menus. Okay folks, it’ll be right out for you.

Man, I’m glad we don’t live here. They seem really nosey. I commented as soon as she was far enough away.

My dad looked at her from afar, then glanced back at me. Yea, no kidding. I was about ready to tell her to mind her own business.

I unrolled my napkin and placed the steak knife away from me. I always had a fear of knives. I never had a childhood incident that made me afraid of them, which was strange. From what I know, something causes fear, but I just have a bad feeling whenever knives are around me.

You should have. I finally said, after I had gotten my silverware placed the way I always had them. Spoon and Fork on my right, napkin in my lap, knife away from me. I was content.

Yea, . . . probably should have, but she seemed nice. my dad folded his arms across the table. I didn’t say anything to him. I wasn’t a people person to begin with, so when I was in situations that dealt with people, I sure didn’t handle it well. Let’s just say that little things really knock me over the edge. Especially when it has to do with people being nosey.

He stared at me for a few seconds. I guess your mom’s doing pretty good. his voice was quiet. I pulled out my cell phone from my jeans pocket. No service. I slide it gently back into my jean pocket.

I tried to interpret his facial expression. I couldn’t tell if he was concerned or just trying to make conversation, (when he spoke, that was mostly his intentions). It was no use, my dad was very good at showing no emotion.

I didn’t want to talk about my mom. I missed her very much. Deep down I knew she wasn’t going to come back.

I need to use to bathroom. I’ll be back. As I stood up, the chair slid across the wooden floor making a screeching noise. I walked to back of the restaurant following the big, black and white Restroom sign hanging on the ceiling. The funny thing was, I didn’t have to go to the restroom, I just wanted to find a pay phone so I could call Lydia. Back in Florida, there was always a pay phone next to the restroom. And I was right, there was one right in between the men and women’s restroom.

The phone looked like it had been there for a while, it was old and faded black. I was almost afraid to touch it, considering how many germs could be crawling over the buttons and receiver. I cringed at the thought of what I was going to put my hand on. I pulled down my jacket over my hands, grabbed the receiver and dialed Lydia’s number.

Hello?

Hey Lydia, it’s Wendy.

Hey, girl. How’s the trip going so far?

It’s fine, we are stuck at this restaurant, and just thought I would call you, it might be a while.

Oh really? You and your dad getting along?

Yea, he doesn’t bother me. I’m just a little homesick, I suppose.

Yea, that will happen. You kind of have to expect that. It’ll get better. What happened to your cell?

No service. I said blankly.

Figures. That’s what happens when you travel, it’s just a risk. You can’t guarantee service everywhere. Lydia chuckled.

yea, that’s true. I paused and looked over towards my dad, I could see the waitress bringing our food out. Hey, I gotta go, but I’ll give you a call when I get there sometime.

Okay, bye. she said and I hung up. I started walking back, but then I realized that I should wash my hands to get any germs off. I was paranoid about germs, especially in dirty places. As soon as I walked in the bathroom, I could smell the disgusting odor of urine and trash. I had to hold my breath. The bathrooms were absolutely filthy. It looked like an outhouse, with two stalls, no door on either ones, and I could hear the buzzing of flies. I wanted to vomit right here.

I looked for soap, but there was none. Just wonderful, I had touched all of the dirty, filthy handles and now I could not wash my hands before I ate. I was relieved to breathe fresh air as I opened the bathroom doors.

I sat back down at the table, got my germ-x out from my purse and rubbed my hands together frantically. I was hoping that all of the germs had disappeared.

Restrooms nice? I looked up my dad was trying to make conversation, but all I kept thinking about was my home in Florida. I was mad at him for dragging me with him to Michigan.

I cringed, again, at the thought of the filthiness. I guess he must’ve knew what my expression was, he didn’t care to ask anything more.

I took a bite of my salad.

Neither one of us spoke another word. We ate in silence.

The rest of the drive up to Sterling Heights, Michigan was the longest drive I had ever taken. We didn’t stop, unless it was to eat and we rarely stopped to do that even. I mostly slept the whole way there. However, I was awake as we traveled through Kentucky. I got to see the beautiful green trees and highways that were built with really high rock walls on either side. There was something about that scenery that made it very relaxing and feel like home, even though it looked absolutely nothing like Spring Hill. Once we got out of Kentucky, it was mostly flat corn fields, a few cattle ranches and farms. It was then when I fell back asleep.

2     

FIRST GLANCE

I was in the middle of the ocean. I felt the heat warming my skin as I tried to swim against the current. I tried to hold my mouth shut and breath through my nose, but the choppy waves made it impossible. I had become so weak that my muscles wanted to collapse right here in the middle of the ocean. I knew if I stopped moving that I would drown. Slowly, my muscles grew more tired and weak causing me to give into the ocean. I was slowly sinking to the bottom. Water had covered my mouth and was up to my nose. I felt the ocean water in my throat, it stung my all the way down. I felt my lungs grow heavy and my heart started pounding. I held my nose shut with my index and thumb, by then I was completely submerged in the water.

I quickly opened my eyes. I realized I was no longer in the water, I was sitting in a car wrapped up in blankets. I wasn’t drowning. I was complete intact. It had just been a bad dream.

I felt a light chilly breeze blow in my face from the open window. The night breeze made me think of Florida when I use to sit out on our patio with my mom. My eyes still felt heavy, so I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

Here we are. my dad exclaimed, waking me up from a deep sleep. I struggled to open my eyes. I felt like I hadn’t slept in days. I glanced up through the windshield to see our new house. It was beautiful.

It was a white two story house, with blue shudders and a beautiful white front door. There was a two car garage on the side of the house, with a gravel driveway that wasn’t too long or too short. There weren’t any neighbors that were right next to us like there was in Spring Hill.

I bet the truck won’t be here today, so I’m guessing that we’ll have to sleep on the floor tonight. like that wasn’t obvious because the truck was no where in sight and it was dark already.

Wonderful. I commented while opening the door and pulling my blankets out from the back. I looked up in the sky, there were millions of bright stars that filled the dark night. It was beautiful and made me feel like I was home, only it was different. There were different constellations, they weren’t the same as they were in Florida.

I started to miss home already.

I followed Dad inside the new house. It was as beautiful as it was on the outside. There were hard wood floors that made the rooms look spacious, and there was even a big window by the kitchen. After looking around at the rest of the house, I made my way upstairs to claim my bedroom. There was a bathroom on the left, and two rooms on the right about the same size. I walked in the first room. I gave a chuckle as I looked up. A ceiling fan. I gave the chain a click it even made a hum as it went around. I couldn’t help but smile. There was a bay window in the center wall of my room, it had a little bench in front of it, there was a view of the front lawn. It was a different scene from what I was use to. In Florida I had a room that faced the backyard. At night I could see the moon glisten on the water of our pool. It was beautiful. But there was nothing beautiful about this view.

I ruffled out my blankets and laid down, again watching