Lost Memories

i. the move

Everything I could have ever thought of or imagined crumbled. First of my year, highest grades, loads of friends– all thrown away because my father was selfish. (He wasn't really selfish, it just felt like he was). But whether I liked it or not, I'd have to leave. He wanted me to leave.

"Boarding School?"

Scoffing at the idea, I ran to my room making sure the hinges on the doors rattled at the sound. My father was shipping me off like some... animal! To the other side of the world at that.

"Charlie, please," he called through the door. "It's what's best. It's for my job, or else I'd never do it. I can't have you be here alone while I'm off travelling!"

It's for my job, I mocked him.

"And you couldn't have chosen a sleep-away school here? In New York? You're sending me off to- to wherever I'm going to a grandmother I've never met?" I shouted. "Did you not think of how I'd feel?"

Standing up, I walked over to the wooden door and pulled it opened to reveal my dad. His face dropped with sadness and he screamed sleep deprived. I did feel bad being so upset, but he was going to be off travelling the United States while I was in the middle of nowhere in England.

"Charlotte, I wouldn't make you do this if it wasn't necessary," Dad sighed. "And it's not like you'd leave in the middle of your school year. I'd let you graduate ninth grade with your friends and then right after, you'd go! My work starts—"

"But I just started high school. I have the highest grades and loads of older friends," I pleaded. "Please. . . And without you too?"

My dad opened his arms and embraced me in a hug. I knew I had no choice but to go to this new school next semester. Although my life was here, I guess I'd have to make a new one over there.

"On the bright side, you'll get to finally meet your grandmother," he smiled.

I pulled back to look at him, "I thought you didn't like her."

"You better not tell her I'd ever said that, I'll never hear the end of it!" We both laughed. He patted my shoulder, "I'm sure she'll love you as much as I do. Anyways, time for you to go to bed. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. Goodnight, Charlie."

"Night, Dad," I sighed and threw myself onto my bed.

Off to new adventures, I guess.

—:—

The worst part of this entire ordeal was most definitely having to go on a ten-hour plane ride to a country I've never been to before. I had to have an escort and everything, but the weirdest bit was the ride from the airport to my dad's childhood home. Not only did people in England drive on the wrong side, but not everyone had the same accent. My dad's accent was very quite light compared to my new grandmother and everyone with who we came into contact.

Based on all of the stories I'd read and the movies I'd seen, I had expected England to be rainy and cold– it was barely gloomy. I paid my taxi fare with the money I had to exchange and stepped out of the vehicle. My grandmother, a stout old woman, stood at the door, dressed in a knee-length paisley blue dress and a lime green cooking dress around her waist.

"You must be Charlotte! Ah, how lovely to meet you," she gushed. A small smile grew on my face as she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Come, come," she motioned grabbing one of my four luggage bags.

Stepping carefully into her home, I was afraid I'd fall through the floors as the entire building creaked with every breath and groaned under the weight of my feet. She had led me up to a room on the second floor (or first floor as she called it) near the bathroom. It was nice, small and empty, but nice. Barely letting me settle into my room, Granny, as she preferred to be called, called me down for a late dinner with a surprise.