Rachel slid her two bags under her bed as she finished laying out all of their contents.  Standing back up, she looked at everything laid out on the bed and proceeded to put it away in their respective ‘home’ that she would find for them on her side of the room.  First, she put the rest of the clothes away, then all of her technology on the desk, and then she got to the decorations she’d brought with her.

Although Rachel didn’t bring all that much with her, there were a few things she’d brought, as sentimental value.  She remembered the items and the memories behind them as she picked up and looked at a picture in a small 5x8 frame.  Holding it in her hands, she sat down and stared into it.  She took a deep breath and her eyes started to water as she stared into the picture and the people in it.

The picture depicted three people in front of a small trailer-like home.  There were two adults and a small child.  The two adults, one male and one female, were holding the child and pushing their cheeks against her face.  The girl blushed in the picture and had her eyes shut, a big smile on her face.  They all smiled into the picture.  They seemed to be very happy people.  Rachel put a hand up to the photo and gently rubbed her finger over the adult male in it.

“D-daddy…” she whispered, looking deeper into the picture.  As she looked at it, she heard footsteps nearby.  Quickly jerking her head up and wiping the tears from her eyes, Rachel saw Samantha walking into the room.  Samantha, seeing the dried tears in Rachel’s face, calmly walked towards her and sat down on the bed next to her.  Rachel didn’t say anything to her about her actions, just watched her, silent. 

As Samantha brought herself onto the bed, she looked over at Rachel and reached her hand up to her face.  Gentle running her fingers across her cheek, Rachel wiped away some of the girl’s tears.  Rachel, finally getting enough control to do something, twitched her face back and blinked a few times.  “S-Samantha!  What are you doing?”

Smiling a little, Samantha simply told Rachel that she was getting a feel for her new roommate.  She apologized for touching her, and promised not to do so again were it too uncomfortable for her.  Rachel took her answer and apologized to her as well, claiming to have freaked out over it.  Trying to get away from the awkward subject they were bound to get into at this rate, Rachel looked back down at the photo again, staring into the face of the man in it.

Samantha peered down at the photo.  At the angle she was at, there was some glare over the frame, but she could see a small girl and an adult woman, pushing against her cheek.  She smiled as she looked at it from her position on the bed.  “Is that your family, Rachel?” she asked, curiously.  Rachel took a couple breaths before replying to her, but soon answered that it was, indeed, her family.

“Yes, Samantha, it’s me and my parents, from years ago.  They were both holding me up and the three of us were a happy family in that picture.  You want to take a look?”

Samantha let out a smile and nodded towards Rachel.  “Sure!” she said, almost excited about it.  She reached her hand out as Rachel handed her the picture, along with its frame.  Samantha slowly brought it in front of her face and stared into the photo.  She looked at the tiny Rachel in the picture, and started laughing.   Rachel was immediately surprised by this and questioned Samantha’s laughter.  She looked over at her and replied between laughs.

“Oh, come on, Rachel.  You don’t see it?  The little Rachel looks so cuuute!”  The two looked at each other for a moment and, before long, Rachel looked back down at the picture and at her younger self.  Although she didn’t laugh, she did crack a smile as she thought about what Samantha had said.  “Well…if you say so, Sam.  I don’t really think I was that cute.  I just keep this picture around for the memory of my father…”

“Your father?” Samantha asked, as she looked at Rachel.  She inched a little closer as she saw Rachel’s eyes begin to water again.  Setting the picture down, she put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder.  “Rachel?  Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, seeing tears running down Rachel’s face at this point.  Looking over at Samantha, Rachel blinked and sniffled, simply replying that she didn’t want to bother her with it.

Samantha didn’t take that as an acceptable answer.  She got off the bed, got on her knees in front of her, and looked up at her.  Samantha’s head came up to Rachel’s chest from this position, and she grabbed both of Rachel’s hands.  Holding them tightly, she looked up at Rachel, tearing up herself. 

“Please, Rachel.  You are living out in the world now.  You are living with me now.  I’m your roommate.  It’s my job to make sure you’re happy.  We may have just met, but please, don’t bottle up your feelings.  You can tell me anything.  So, please…Tell me.  Let me help you.”  As she finished the last statement, she softly kissed one of Rachel’s hands and looked back up at her with an innocent look on her face. 

Rachel was astounded by Samantha’s behavior.  Getting on her knees, kissing her hand, and wanting to help her so badly?  Hearing everything she was saying touched her.  She didn’t know how Samantha could help her, but they’d be living together for quite a long time from now on.  She wouldn’t be able to keep everything secret from the girl.  Slowly, she nodded and agreed to talk about it.

Rachel began to weave a tale of her own childhood.  She talked about spending nearly all of her childhood with her father.  They would spend endless hours outside, playing tag, going grocery shopping, and just walking around the area where they lived.  She loved her father very much, and had a very happy childhood around him.

“But…one day, he said he had to leave for a little bit.  It was the same time we used to go on our walks together, so I was already set to go outside, wearing my big, pink coat.  I was so excited about going on the walk, but he told me he couldn’t take me with him this time.  I asked him why, and he just said he had to ‘take care of something’.  He promised he’d be back within an hour to see me again.  I was sad that I couldn’t take my walk, but I had to be a strong girl, for him.  I told him I’d be waiting for him with Mom when he got back.  He walked out the door, but…he never came back.”

“I spent the entire night, staring out my window, waiting for him to come home.  Mom had to put me to bed over and over again, but I kept getting up, hoping to see his bright face walking down the street, ready to be home and see me.  After the first night, Mom got worried.  She watched the window with me the next day, hoping we’d see him coming home.  Soon, hours turned into days, and days into weeks.  I stood by the window nearly my entire life, waiting for him.  Mom kept trying to get me to do something else, but I just kept waiting.  He said he’d be back, and I couldn’t leave the window.  I had to wait until he came back to us.”

“After many weeks of waiting, we got a visitor to the house.  Mom and I ran to see this visitor, hoping Dad had come home…only to found out it was a policeman.  He came in and Mom told me to go to another room while he talked to her.  Although I left the room, I stayed nearby.  I wanted to know what this police person wanted with us, so I stayed against the wall outside the room they’d gone to.  I didn’t quite understand everything at the time, but he started talking to Mom and mentioned Dad a few times.  After a little while, the policeman left the house.  After he drove off, I went back into the room to see Mom.”

“I came in and she was…crying.  I ran up to her and asked her what was wrong and she told me that Daddy…was gone.  The policeman had told her that someone had reported that he’d…been killed!  He was just…just…”

Rachel fell into her own hands, crying her eyes out.  “I…I miss him so much!” she cried.  Samantha, tears running down her own face, slowly let go of Rachel’s hands.  As she stood up, Rachel fell to her side, on the bed, crying into the sheets.  Samantha slowly got into the bed and wrapped her arms around her, holding Rachel’s head into her chest. 

“I’m sorry, Rachel.  I’m sorry all of that happened to you.  But I’m here now…and I’m not going anywhere, okay?  I can be a friend, just like he was.  I can spend time with you and be around you.”  As she held Rachel, the girl slightly nodded at her offer.  “T-thank you, Sam…” Rachel cried. 

Samantha held onto Rachel for the better part of an hour before the girl had finally fallen asleep.  She gently played with and chewed on some of Rachel’s hair.  Smiling, she laid her own head against the sheets.  She kissed the top of Rachel’s head and began to doze off herself…