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Chapter 21

Always in my mind, always in my mind, mind

— Sza, Good Days

. . . .

As I step out of my dad's car, I feel a strong twinge of regret for coming here. I'm not ready to meet his new family, his new lifestyle, his new anything. I just want things to be the way they were with me, my mum, and my dad.

The house is a narrow two story town house. The exterior is made with brick in multiple shades. The building is connected by three identical houses side-by-side with white garage doors at the base of each house and white pavement. The house that Dad had pulled the car into was the house furthest to the right.

He nudges me forward by a hand to my back, gently guiding me to the door. He pushes it open to a very bright foyer that has a view of the living room that's decorated in family pictures, comfortable looking furniture, and brightly colourful toys. The walls are a rich cream colour and the flooring contrasts as a dark, laminate hardwood. A large black flatscreen stands blank on a large stand containing various genres of DVDs, Wii games, and CDs at the wall containing stairs to lead to the third level.

Clanks and tiny footsteps echo from the room through the small open doorway. Dad leads me into the kitchen, which, just like the living room, is very bright and homey. A glass table is set with red plates, shiny silverware, and cups with a pitcher of water sat at the center. Bonnie stands at the granite island with her hands busy with preparing a fresh garden salad. The bright sun from the balcony doors pours in and showers her in sunlight.

She looks up with a wide, toothy grin nailed and plastered to her face as she brushes her hands against the red apron hanging from her neck.

"Oh my gosh! Hi, Violet! You're so grown up from the last time I saw you. Your father has not stopped talking about you since the day you two saw one another back in New York."

Bonnie pushes a chunk of boob-length, shiny blonde hair behind her ear and removes her apron, hanging it up on a hook on the wall. Her soft blue eyes are drawn into tight slits from her wide smile.

I was about to reply back with something sarcastic, but then I remember my dad is standing behind me. Getting into a fight the night I meet my father's family is not on my bucket list, so I return a wide, but fake, smile and lean in for a hug. I wrap my arms around her, inhaling the strong scent of her sweet perfume.

"It's nice to see you, too. Dinner smells great."

"Thank you, Violet."

"Where are the twins?" My father shifts positions so now he's standing beside his wife, an arm wrapped loosely around her waist.

"I sent them to wash up for dinner."

As if on cue, two pairs of footsteps clammer down the hallway leading into the kitchen. Two kids—a girl and a boy—wrap their tiny arms around my father's legs. He bends down slightly, hugging each twin with one arm.

The little girl, Leia, has a French braid at the back of her head, the tail reaching halfway down her backside. I'm unable to identify her eye colour due to her wide smile, a deep dimple indenting her left cheek, just like mine.

Owen, Leia's twin brother, has short brown hair and chubby cheeks, and unlike me and Leia, he doesn't have any dimples. I catch a glimpse of his eyes when he releases his smile a bit, seeing them as a bright blue.

"Leia, Owen—this is your sister Violet." Dad bends down to their height and strokes their hair simultaneously.

They both look up at me with big, identical eyes. Leia takes tiny steps towards me, holding her tiny hand out to me, gently pulling me down. She reaches out towards my face but instead brushes her fingers through my hair. She stares at me like I'm a goldfish inside a tank.