Agent Out of Time

The morning of the fourth day Deshavi emerged from her room. She looked like hell and she was carrying her suitcase. Her other suitcases rested packed on the floor behind her. I immediately started shaking my head no, as I stood up and move toward her.

I hugged her to me, "I don't want you going anywhere, not just yet."

"I have to grandpa! It's living torment to be here! I need to get away and figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."

I started to say something I had been dreading, but her hand closed over my lips as her eyes met mine earnestly. "I'm not going to live wild and start stealing stuff again grandpa I promise! If this whole ordeal has taught me anything it is that I want to at least have more self-respect for myself than I did before this summer. I also want your respect for me. I'm going back to the city. I'm going to sell my stuff and try to find a position of some kind somewhere and start being a contributing member of society, instead of a self spoiled brat. I need to do this and it will help to be busy so I don't think so much over what could have been."

It was the most mature statement of grown-up intent I had ever heard from her before. I hugged her again and whispered into her ear, "Please just one more day for my sake. Spend one more day with me."

"Okay." She responded squeezing me back in response to my plea.