The pine trees swayed either side of the road, the cold building up mist as I leaned against the window of my mom’s Volvo as we drove towards our new home in virginia.
But what was worse was the growing tension between us, I did not share with her that I had no friends and just kept getting bullied constantly because of always being the new girl sucks. But it was like after my dad disappeared it was like a part of her died with him. I like to think of him as if he is dead but in reality I really never knew him, hell, I can’t even remember what he looks like. There were times I wished he was here , then life wouldn’t be this messed up, however reality hurts and I hated him at first, but the pain slowly died off. Because to me he would always be a stranger who I don’t know and don’t care about. Mom might be over protective but she is the best when it comes to us. She always tries to keep me happy, working hard, excellent resume , money and time. The week days usually passed as if we were two strangers not knowing what the other does, but in the afternoon it would be our time together. She loves painting and I love writing.
So we would spend the afternoons together, me writing while mom draws , we are both very silent characters but we have other methods of telling each other we were okay. A small smile, or wink , sometimes squeezing the other person’s hand was a silent code between us, telling each other that we were fine and we were there for each other. When we decided to move , mom thought it was good to start anew. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault that my dad disappeared with no trace when I was small, but mom never looks at me like that, instead she cares for me as if I was her most valued possession. Sometimes I wonder why she’s alone, why she would not find another person to love. When I was small I used to ask her about it, but she would simply smile and say , “I have you and that’s enough.” But as I got older, I started to realise that what my parents shared was special and that even if my dad was not here with us, mom knows that wherever he is , he is safe and that is enough for her and no one else would replace his place in her heart. Sometimes when I ask her about it she smiles and tells me , “don’t worry love, there will be a special person who will come to your life and will love you forever, you should just give them more time.” The first time she said it , it made me laugh but seeing the pain in her eyes every time my father is mentioned , I started to realise that it was no joke. Later I found her crying herself to sleep. That’s when I decided never to bring the subject of my father up because there was a reason that there was not even a picture of my father to be found and I don’t want to push my mother into revealing what she doesn’t want to.
A few hours passed , and we turned into a dirt road that was cutting through the forest of thick pine trees , which were lined up either side of the road like tall giants who were glaring down at them. Despite the cold temperature and the dark appearance the house gave welcoming vibes , she felt unnaturally safe. Parking the car mom gave me an encouraging smile and got out.
She looked like a typical American woman with blonde hair that was cut off just enough to put a ponytail and blue eyes that twinkle when she smiled, on the other hand I have dark locks of ebony hair that tumble down my back and dark eyes that bring out my pale skin. She looked very young to have a seventeen year old daughter , but compared to others her age she looked like she was still a young woman, sometimes we get mistaken for sisters or close friends. Like me I know that she is different from normal people and I also think that her secret is what made her move so much and my dad’s disappearance was also because our family was never normal. However, I still don’t know how much.
After helping her get all our bags out , I finally took my time to explore our new home. The house is huge, it is an old bungalow that needs re-decoration , the house was surrounded by a huge garden that include a few water fountains and statues of different animals were scattered around the walls and the walls were covered in ivy and rose bushes, “it looks like a place that came out of a fairy tale.” I exclaimed making mom smile, “we will start getting the things out, tomorrow is saturday , I will enrol you in the local high school and get some things for my new job, okay?” I smiled enthusiastically and taking my bag I went in to explore the house. The double doors opened up to a large hall which had chandeliers and curtains coated with dust and soot. To the left was the kitchen and dining room and the right of the stairs was an office. I carried my suitcases upstairs where I found two bedrooms with adjoined bathrooms and another door , according to the house plans I checked before it was a library but the door was locked. I sighed from the looks of the house screamed ancient but it looked fine.
I took the bedroom that was smaller , the walls were covered in light peach colour, and when I came inside I realised that it was much larger than it looked. There was a four poster bed with thick curtains and a soft carpet was laid on the floor. This was good because I could almost feel the temperature going down as night fell. I cleaned the room and put new covers to the bed and new cushions to the window seat. After arranging everything in order and the room was cleaned, I decided to explore the house more since it was too late to go out. Mom was cleaning her room and office so I did not disturb her. The kitchen was surprisingly clean and after hovering the hallways and stairs the large house was finally cleaned. I was too tired to do anything more , after saying goodnight to mom I went to my room.
After all the work I did my muscles were sore, I undressed and got into the large tub filled with hot water. The bathroom was big , with a shower and all the other stuff. Time passed and the water grew cold , so I finally got out. And I changed into a soft pair of shorts and a soft sleeveless sleep shirt and slid under the covers and fell deep asleep.