Will Stacey and Robert be together forever?

Robert and I walked out onto the long platform. Only a few other people were there. He put down my suitcase and I rested the flowers on them. "Have a good time," he said, taking my hands in his.

In the distance, a whistle blew. We turned and looked at the approaching train. "I'll miss you," I said.

"Me, too," Robert said, nodding.

I felt so close to him. Right then I wanted to ask him - straight out - who he'd had lunch with at Casa Grande the other day. But this moment was so perfect I couldn't stand to spoil it.

The train pulled into the station and we hugged. It was a long, emotional hug. Robert held me tight, as if I were going away forever. I pulled away and studied his troubled face. "It's just a week," I said.

"I know," he said in a voice thick with emotion.

"All aboard," the conductor shouted. "Express train to Grand Central Station. All aboard!"

"I'd better go," I said. Robert picked up my suitcase and got on the train long enough to throw it into an overhead rack for me. With a quick kiss on the lips, he hurried off the train just as the doors slid shut behind him.

Taking a window sear, I looked out and waved to Robert. He saw me and waved back. The train started moving. I kept waving until Robert was very small. He kept waving too.

Tears misted my eyes, though I didn't know why. It was just one week. What was the big deal? Robert and I were probably just being over dramatic. Still, this incredibly sad feeling came over me.

Sitting back in my seat, I shut my damp eyes. What was I sad about? Or was it that I was afraid I was losing him? It was so confusing.

Stacey's Broken Heart
Published by Scholastic Inc. 1996
ISBN: 0590692054