Page 68 of Certified Pressure 3
I helped her brush her teeth and wash her face, then got her dressed in a pink outfit that matched her shoes. While she watched cartoons on her iPad, I went to make her some breakfast. She sat at the table, swinging her legs while she ate pancakes and fruit.
My phone buzzed again. It was Pressure.
Pressure:Driver on the way. He’ll be there in twenty.
I stared at the message for a second, feeling my heartbeat pick up. This was really happening.
By the time I got Zurie’s breakfast cleaned up, I heard a horn outside. I looked out the window and saw a sleek black car parked at the curb.
Aunt Deanne came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “That’s him?”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “That’s him.”
She sighed, a soft kind of sigh that carried love and worry all in one. “Alright then, let’s get these bags out.”
Uncle Lionel came out too, helping me carry the luggage to the door. He walked them outside to the car and placed them neatly in the trunk. When I turned back toward the porch, Aunt Deanne had tears in her eyes again.
“You sure you ready for this?” she asked quietly.
I smiled. “I don’t know if anybody’s ever really ready, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
She nodded and hugged me again. “We love you, Pluto.”
“I love y’all too,” I said, my voice shaking.
Zurie hugged both of them tight before running to the car with her iPad clutched in her hand. She climbed inside, excited and full of energy, already talkin’ about how she couldn’t wait to see what Trill-Land looked like.
I turned back one last time before getting in. “I’ll text y’all when we land,” I promised.
Uncle Lionel nodded. “You better.”
When I got in the car, I glanced out the window as we pulled off. My aunt and uncle were still standing on the porch, waving until we turned the corner.
The drive to the airstrip was quiet. Zurie had her headphones in, playing a game on her iPad, while I stared out the window,lost in thought. I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in just a few months. From fighting for custody, to being pregnant, to now flying across the ocean to start over. It was overwhelming, but it was beautiful too.
When we got there, the driver parked and came around to open our doors. I helped Zurie out and grabbed our bags. The jet was already waiting, its steps lowered and ready for us to board.
Pressure wasn’t here, but I didn’t expect him to be. I figured he was handling business behind the scenes while making sure everything around me was taken care of.
Zurie’s eyes went wide as she looked up at the plane. “We’re really flying on that?”
I laughed softly. “Yep. You ready?”
She nodded fast. “I’m not scared.”
“I know you’re not,” I said, holding her hand as we walked up the steps.
Once we got inside, I helped her buckle up. She looked out the window, her little face glowing with excitement. I sat beside her, my hands resting on my stomach as I looked out too.
This was it… the beginning of something new.
I was on my way to Trill-Land, and this time, I wasn’t just surviving. I was starting over.
Trill-Land…
After spending hours in the air, the jet finally landed. My nerves kicked in the second the wheels touched down. This was it. I looked out the window, trying to take in everything around me. Trill Land looked just like I remembered it with bright skies, palm trees swaying, and that sunlight that made everything look expensive. It didn’t feel real that I was back, but I was.
When the door opened, I helped Zurie unbuckle her seatbelt and grabbed our bags. The second I stepped off the jet, the heat hit me, soft but warm enough to remind me where I was. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the sun, and then my eyes found Pressure.
