* All ages

First this is the first story in my new series of stories. Originally sweet 16 and Brian and Honey’s story was to be but I have now completely different ideas on how I’m going to take the stories so this is a new beginning.

The main song for this story is Suzy Bogguss’ "Letting Go". Thanks to everyone for your help, especially Sandi W. for posting the lyrics.

This idea was started when I was listening to the Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey show Wednesday morning on WGN radio 720 and thought it would be a great story idea and very timely since it’s the beginning of the school year. Thanks, girlfriends. Have a good hair day! They did a show about sending kids off to college and played this song.

I’m admittedly doing a bit of revisionist history here making Trixie a great student but that actually happened with me. I wasn’t very good freshman year but did better progressively until I graduated in the top 20 of my high school class.

I send her to Northwestern because I have some story ideas and I know the campus and area well since I am an alum and also live in the area. Go CATS!

Also thanks to my brothers, Scott and Stephen Paul, current NU students who helped out with some current information. I love you guys!

Enjoy the story everyone!

Letting Go

By Steph

Letting Go by Suzy Bogguss

She’ll take the painting in the hallway
The one she did in junior high
And that old lamp up in the attic
She’ll need some light to study by
She’s had eighteen years
To get ready for this day
She should be past the tears
She cries them anyway

Trixie Belden, age 18, packed her last box for her trip to Evanston, Illinois, and Northwestern University where she was attending college.

Packing everything had been so difficult. Almost every single object she packed brought back wonderful memories. It was going to be very difficult to move so far away from home but Northwestern had a great criminal justice program where she would learn the necessary things to become a detective. She was eventually planning to attend law school.

As she packed the last few items, her mother walked in.

Mrs. Belden said, "I’m glad to see you’re all packed. I can’t believe we get on the plane to Chicago in less than twenty-four hours and you’re moving so far away. You’re the only one of the Bob-Whites that’s not attending NYU."

Trixie said, "I’ll miss everyone, but this is a wonderful opportunity. Northwestern is one of the best schools in the country. When is everyone arriving for my farewell party tonight?"

"Around six. I made all your favorite foods for your last night home. It was great that everyone could come tonight to say goodbye."

Trixie said, "Even Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, Regan, Tom, Celia, Mrs. Vanderpoel and Miss Trask are coming."

Mrs. Belden said, "We’re all so proud of the way you made it, fixing up your grades and doing so well, finally winding up graduating in the top 5 percent of your class."

Mrs. Belden sensed that Trixie wanted a little more time alone and started to head downstairs for more preparations for the party.

Oh letting go
There’s nothing in her way now
Oh letting go
There’s room enough t o fly
And even though
She’s spent her whole life waiting
It’s never easy
Letting go

Mrs. Belden paused at the door to Trixie’s room and felt an overwhelming sense of pride watching her only daughter. This was going to be hard to say goodbye but she was so proud.

Mother sits down at the table
So many things she’d like to do
Spend more time out in the garden
Now she can get those books read, too
She’s had eighteen years
To get ready for this day
She should be past the tears
But she cries them anyway

Once downstairs, Mrs. Belden prepared the food for the party and remembered some of the great times in Trixie’s life. She supposed she should be ready for this, she had already sent her two older boys off to college, but this was different. Trixie was her only daughter and while Brian and Mart were nearby, Trixie was going to be hundreds of miles away.

She knew that she’d have more time to do other things with Bobby being the only one living at home and more time with her husband of twenty-five years but, still, there was a small sense of emptiness that wouldn’t quite go away.

She had seriously been considering going back to college and now, with her three older children in college themselves, she would have the time. She thought about her husband who was so wonderful and so encouraging in her dreams.

Trixie finally came downstairs as her guests started arriving and she greeted them all at the door with hugs. Everyone already had tears in their eyes.

After everyone was settled in the living room, Mrs. Belden announced that the food was set up buffet style in the dining room and, while they had fun all together, everyone was free to go in and fill their plates anytime they wanted.

They began with Trixie opening her presents.

First, Brian and Mart presented her with a pin that played the Northwestern Fight song, which Trixie had loved since hearing it the first time, and she even started singing the lyrics as it played.

Then Honey gave her a new diary for her to keep her college memories in.

Bobby gave her a framed picture of himself and Reddy for her desk which Mrs. Belden had helped him pick out.

Di gave her a painting she had made of the clubhouse for her wall in her dorm room.

Dan and Regan gave her a picture of the Wheeler horses in a frame for her dorm room.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler gave her the biggest surprise. Mr. Wheeler announced "Trixie, while Susie belongs to Miss Trask, she really belongs to you, and Miss Trask never has a chance to ride her. I have arranged for her to be transported to stables in Evanston where you can go ride her anytime you want to. I heard you mention you were going to miss riding--everything is paid for."

Miss Trask gave her notepaper, envelopes and pens, and made her promise to write as often as possible.

Mr. and Mrs. Lynch gave her the bedding she had requested along with some other things for her dorm room.

Mrs. Vanderpoel gave her a clock she needed for her dorm room that was modeled after the old clocks in her home.

Tom and Celia gave her a framed picture of all the Bob-Whites.

Her parents, besides paying for her college education that ran up quite a bit despite a lot of financial aid, gave her clothes and also let her have their computer since they were getting a new one and made her promise to email them a lot besides regular old letters!

Jim’s present came last. He handed her a box and she opened it to find a scrapbook and it was filled with pictures and other mementos of the last five years since the Bob-Whites had formed, along with personal letters from each club member and from every other person at the party, with pictures of them. Trixie knew that she would treasure it always.

Trixie hugged him tight and the look that passed between them after the hug said a million words. Unfortunately in the five years they had been friends, they had never been able to put it into words.

The rest of the party was a lot of fun and ended with toasts and speeches that had everyone in tears and then Di led everyone in a sing-along of 'Til We Meet Again.

Jim was the last to leave. He asked Trixie to step out onto the back porch with him and she willingly did.

Jim took her hand in his and said, "Trixie, there are a million things I want to say right now, but I want to summarize it by saying: I’ll be here waiting for you when you return."

Trixie smiled at him. "And knowing that makes me want to finish up college as soon as possible!"

They hugged and Jim was about to kiss her when Mrs. Belden came out onto the porch and the moment was broken.

They hugged again. "See you at Christmas," said Jim. "Remember to write often! And e-mail me too!"

Trixie spent a fitful night of worries about the trip and nerves about college. Part of her couldn’t wait to go, but the other part was going to desperately miss everyone.

The next morning she hurried downstairs after showering and dressing and found her family waiting for her. Only her parents and brothers were going to the airport and only her parents were going with her to Chicago.

After breakfast they packed her suitcases into the car. Her other stuff was being sent ahead of her in boxes.

After that Trixie took one last walk around her house, letting her tears flow freely. This was the place she had grown up in and there were so many memories.

Finally she came downstairs and said, "I’m ready, let’s go!"

Oh letting go
There’s nothing in her way now
Letting go
There’s room enough to fly
And even though
She’s spent her whole life waiting
It’s never easy
Letting go

At Trixie’s request, Mr. Belden drove through the familiar streets of Sleepyside on their way to the airport so she could see everything one more time.

They talked the rest of the way to the airport about other plans. Trixie was going to go to Happy Valley Farm for Thanksgiving since Iowa was so much closer to Illinois, and her roommate lived there too.

Finally, they arrived at the airport and Trixie had to say goodbye to her brothers. She hugged them fiercely, trying not to cry and sensing that they, too, were trying hard not to cry.

Finally, she gathered them all in one fierce hug and then she and her parents boarded the plane.

The flight to Chicago was nice and uneventful and finally they landed and took the rented car to Evanston where all the freshman were moving in.

They quickly located her dorm, Sargent Hall and found it a bustle of activity and found her dorm room very quickly.

There Trixie found her roommate waiting for her. She had been delighted to find out that Barbara Hubbell was attending Northwestern’s music school and they had quickly agreed to be roommates.

She also had been happy to find out that Ned Schulz was there on a basketball scholarship, about to start his senior year. She already had two friends there off the bat and that helped.

Ned had lived in Evanston for a long part of his childhood and was very familiar with it and the Chicago area, and promised to show them the area.

After everything was packed, she, her parents, Barbara, and Mr. and Mrs. Hubbell went to dinner at the nearby Davis Street Fish Market which Ned, who was arriving in a week along with the other upperclassmen, had strongly recommended.

After dinner they took a walk around the beautiful lakefront campus and fell more in love with it than ever before during their many visits.

The next few days were full of orientations, signing up for classes, and some sightseeing for Trixie and her parents. Finally it was time for Mr. and Mrs. Belden to head home.

They decided that they would drive to the airport themselves. The time to say goodbye came just before Trixie went to a class.

Mr. Belden said, "Trixie, I want to make sure you know again how very proud we are of you and that we are always going to be here for you. We are only a call away always!"

Mrs. Belden said, "We love you so much and will miss you so much!"

"You are the best parents in the world," said Trixie. "I love you so much!"

"It's only three months until Christmas vacation," said Mr. Belden.

"I will be looking forward to bringing all my laundry home. Do you think someone can live for three months on one small wardrobe?"

They all laughed and then Mrs. Belden said, "I’ll miss you so much that I won’t even mind doing your laundry when you return."

Finally they knew that it was time to leave. Trixie said, "I love you so much. You gave me wings when I needed to fly, but also stopped me when I needed to be stopped. Nobody could ever ask for more wonderful parents!"

They all hugged and cried and Mr. and Mrs. Belden were off.

As they drove towards the city and the airport, they turned on WGN and heard the last lyrics of the song they had listened to so much over the last few weeks:

Oh letting go
There’s nothing in her way now
Letting go
There’s room enough to fly
And even though
She’s spent her whole life waiting
It’s never easy
Letting go
It’s never easy
Letting go

The End For Now.