Sunsets and storms ✓

Chapter 26

MATTHEW

I cannot believe Megan has a brother. If I hadn't seen their birth certificates and how much they look alike, I would have thought this was some bad joke. Megan doesn't want to talk to her dad to ask if he knew about another child. She suspects he knew but didn't tell her. She says he barely spoke to her anyway.

To be completely sure and to make the legal stuff easier, they are having a DNA test done. We're on our way back from a local doctor's office. She said the faster she can be sure, the faster she can get used to the idea of her actually having a brother.

"Can I show you something?"

"Sure, lead the way."

She walks us through a few small streets I recognise a few places but I don't think I've ever headed into the direction we're going now. We end up in front of a large house. It's larger than Adele's, there's much more greenery around the house. Megan opens the front gate with a key and leads us up the path to the front door, a large olive tree next to the path creating some shadow in the yard.

"This is the house of my grandparents."

"This is amazing Megan! It's so beautiful here."

"The house itself is old and will need some remodelling within a few years, but it's pretty amazing. There's a large garden at the back as well, even a small pool. God, I have so many good memories here."

"I can imagine. And soon it will be yours hopefully."

"Well, at least partly."

She gives me a tour through the house and back yard. It's even better on the inside than I imagined. Sure, the kitchen and bathroom are probably as old as my grandparents. And the walls and floors could use some touch ups. But the structure, it's great.

"So, what do you think? Is it worth to remodel it?"

"Definitely. The way the house is built, the rooms... it's all amazing."

"I think I'd want to add a garage at the side of the house with maybe a rooftop terrace to watch the sunsets."

"And you could connect the terrace with this balcony."

We continue to fantasise about what she could do with the house. Walking around the garden and looking at once must have been feel with beautiful flowers. There are still some flowers, but it's clear that it hasn't been taken care of in a while. I can picture what everything would look like when it's all remodelled taken care off. It would literally be a dream house.

On the way back to Adele's house we pass an ice cream place. I order a huge bowl for the two of us. I know Megan can eat a lot, especially when it's full of sugar. We sit down at a small table outside of the building while we eat the ice cream. I'm definitely going to get an extreme sugar spike from this much ice cream, but it'll be worth it.

"Mango is the best flavour."

"Hell no, cookie dough all the way."

"Cookie dough is good, but mango is better. No way you'll change my mind."

I scoop some cookie dough on my spoon and put it in her mouth.

"Thanks, but I still think mango is better."

This girl. She will drive me crazy one day.

"So, I know you've been to Greece a lot, have you been to any other places?"

"I've been to quite some places in England, Scotland and Ireland, but that's it really. Kind of difficult to go on vacation without a parent."

"Understandable."

"What about you?"

"Same as you. We went to Spain once when I was little, but I cannot really remember much of it. I hope I can travel a lot in the future."

"I really want to go road tripping through Europe. Just take some trains, stay in some hostels and see as many countries as I can."

"That sound amazing. You can take a train form London to Paris, and there are trains from Paris to Brussels and Amsterdam. And to Berlin and Milan. And Barcelona."

"I also definitely want to go to Verona, it's a city pretty close to Milan. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is said to have taken place there."

"Ah, the most dramatic teen love story known to human existence."

"Maybe, but he wrote some really good things."

The rest of the afternoon we spend discussing future travel ideas. I get the amazing idea to make a travel bucking list. On the back of the receipt from our ice cream we write places we want to visit. Megan just wrote down New York, so it's my turn. I only need to think for a second. Australia. I've always wanted to go there. We continue taking turns until the receipt is covered in destinations.

I cannot wait to travel the world with her.