Hey There, Scarlett!
Chapter 1. Hey there, Scarlett! The sun was setting on the horizon and Scarlett’s bus pulled up to the bus stop. She stepped off, her backpack full of books, and she could feel the warmth of the day still lingering in the air. As she looked up, she saw her father walking towards her. He had a small smile on his face and waved as he caught sight of his daughter.
“Hey there, Scarlett!” he said with a cheery voice. Scarlett smiled back at him before walking over and giving him a hug. Every day when she got off the bus he was there waiting for her with a big smile on his face and that same phrase - “Hey there, Scarlett!” - greeting her as soon as she stepped down from the bus.
It had become a ritual between them since she started school and it always made her feel at ease to know that even on days when nothing seemed to go right, her dad would be there to greet her with that same phrase every afternoon. The two of them walked home together in their usual fashion - discussing their days, sharing stories about what happened at school or work, or simply just enjoying each other’s company without saying much at all. They had always been close; ever since she was little they had shared an easy connection that made it easy for them to talk even if they didn’t have much to say. As they arrived home they said their usual goodbye - “See you later alligator!” - before parting ways for the night; Scarlett off to do homework while her dad turned his attention towards dinner preparations.
The next morning when Scarlett stepped out of the house to wait for her bus again, she noticed something different this time around: Her dad was already at the bus stop waiting for her with an extra-large smile on his face. He waved as soon as he saw his daughter and said “Hey there, Scarlett! I thought I would come down early today so we can walk together again like we used to when you were little!” Scarlett smiled back at him and agreed before taking his hand in hers and beginning their walk home together like old times once again. This time around though instead of talking about their days or stories from school or work, they talked about anything else; from what was happening in the world today to what kinds of dreams they had last night - no topic was off limits!
By the time they reached home Scarlett felt like she was walking on air; somehow all those conversations had managed to make everything right in her world again despite all that had happened during that day or any other day before it. She hugged her dad tightly before saying goodbye one last time with their usual phrase before heading upstairs to do homework with a newfound sense of peace within herself. From then onwards whenever Scarlett stepped off that bus every afternoon regardless of what kind of day it had been for either one of them, without fail one could hear those same words echoing through the street: “Hey there, Scarlett! Let's go home together".
The END
