Memories

Chapter 11

"Hi, Kate. Did you sleep over?" I joke as I approach Savannah's room.

The girl's sitting by Savannah's bedside, and it's just before nine: that's some serious commitment.

"Nah, I just stopped by to say hi and eat breakfast," she gestures towards the empty food trolley waiting by the door, "But I'm just going now, one has classes for the rest of the day. Savannah's all yours." At that, she stands up and pulls down her skirt. "Can't look too slutty in a hospital, some cute doctor might see me. See you later guys." I wave her off then move to sit in the chair she'd just vacated. Kate isn't hot, as such, but she has the ability to turn a few heads.

"You two seem to be getting along alright," I say as she disappears through the double doors at the end of the corridor. Savannah shrugs her shoulders. "I'm guessing that she's still as chatty as ever." She nods at this. "I had a thought whilst I was driving here." An intrigued look appears on her face. "do you know what Halloween is?" She shakes her head. "Well, Halloween is this big celebration on the thirty-first of October where kids dress up and knock on people's door asking for sweets, essentially. It's really big in America, like most things really, and they have huge parties and sometimes the costume-wearing advances into adulthood." I look up at Savannah to find her watching me intently. "Well, the first time that we celebrated it together, Maisie insisted on going trick-or-treating, that's where you collect the sweets, but we'd already made plans to meet my parents that weekend, you see. I really didn't want to go, but you'd insisted."

***

"But I'm all dressed up mummy, why can't I go?"

"You are going, put your shoes on, come on, hurry up. Alex! Where are you?" I stepped out of Maisie's room. "So this is your doing?"

"What?"

"You put Maisie in that? We told your parents that we'd meet them tonight."

"I don't see what's wrong with that. Maisie asked me to help her put it on, so I did. Come on Savannah, calm down. My parents won't mind."

The little girl was wearing a pink fairy outfit with wings and Savannah was trying to put on her trainers whilst Maisie was distracted with the wand. It looked hilarious. When Savannah was finished she stood up and slid her arms into her coat. "I expected more from you, Alex. Come over here and put your shoes on or we'll be late."

"We already are, mum," I murmured.

"What as that?"

"Nothing darling. Here, you can start putting her in the car," I said as I tossed Savannah the car keys before picking up the apartment key. As the door closed behind them, I put on my trainers and coat before following them out to the car.

We drove in silence as I headed up the motorway towards my parents' house. It was a little further than to Savannah's and most of the way, Maisie was complaining about not being able to go out trick-or-treating. Savannah wasn't in the best of moods either as she'd wants us to look 'suitable' for a party.

To lighten the mood, I turned the radio on (bad move); Savannah started singing at the top of her voice like she was drunk to the song they were playing.

"Mummy, you can't sing," Maisie spoke up. It was the first thing that she'd said since we'd gotten back in the car and if a child tells you something, it's true.

Luckily for our ears, she stopped singing and we just listened to the radio as the song faded and the traffic updates came on. They finished as we drove through the gates to my parents' house.

Savannah marvelled at the building as it came into view; to me, it was normal, but I could understand that it looked huge compared to her parents' house. It wasn't a mansion, as such, but it was bigger than most homes with a gravel driveway that stretched around most of the front gardens. I pulled my car off the driveway and parked it in front of the garage that sat to the left of the house. We climbed out of the car and Maisie ran ahead of us, around to the front of the house. I took Savannah's hand in mine and we followed the girl. When we caught up to her, Maisie was standing in front of the large stone doorway, ogling it curiously. I stepped up onto the veranda and knocked on the red door using the brass door knocker that was the shape of a horse's arse (My parents ran a large livery stable and are obsessed with anything equestrian related). After a few moments, the old door creaked open and my mother stood behind it.