1.1 | daunting medleys

thirty-three | being frazzled

Sometimes, Tabitha hated dealing with her hair.

She ran the brush through her hair, and pulled, giving up when she met a tangle. Her curls were too strung together for her to care anymore. Tabitha started looking for a hairband to tie her hair with. She scattered the items on her vanity, and gave up again, when she didn't see it.

Her grandmother hobbled through the open door, with lavender oil, a brush and many hair ties.

"Grace mentioned that you hated brushing your hair, and since we have the same hair type, I decided to come help you with it." She smiled, elderly lines with happiness set in them. Tabitha nodded, giggling when the elderly woman frowned at the mess that was on her vanity.

The older woman smiled dotingly. "Your sister has curly hair yet she can brush hers. I just don't know what I'll do with you." Tabitha leaned back into her hand, as she massaged the oil into her hair. Her scalp rippled with pain as her withered hands tried to untangle a curl.

Tabitha flicked open the oil, and the smell of lavender wafted up her nostrils. "Talia's hair is much more softer than mine. Mine just tangles." She complained. The sun had just risen, and she'd eaten a small breakfast in her room. Tabitha took a long bath in her room, deciding to wash her hair and facing the conundrum of brushing her hair.

"Your hair is just like mine. My hair was always tangled, and it was so hard to take care of it when I was younger. I remember when you girls had just been born, your dad called because you both had been born with a head full of wide curls. I was so happy because I really needed someone I could talk about hair with." She said, brushing Tabitha's hair into a high ponytail. "Talia likes sharing her Pinterest boards with me about possible hair styles, but you ended up with no drive for hair beauty whatsoever."

Nostalgia was something that Tabitha didn't have many ideas of, she didn't know many stories of her childhood so when she had the opportunity to hear about something she didn't know about, she took it, and listened with rapt attention.

Tabitha watched, and blushed when her grandmother kissed her made hair, before leaving. She gelled her edges, and did her makeup quickly. When she'd just dropped her lipgloss, her phone rang. Tabitha picked it up, and when she saw Oliver's name on her screen, her phone almost fell out of her hands. Yesterday's kiss played back in her head, and she looked down. The feel of his lips against her cheek was something she dreamed about. It was meant to be friendly, and had no meaning but she ended up being frazzled.

The phone rang, and rang, and as it was about to end, she picked it up.

His tone was urgent, and even though his voice still caused butterflies, it was hard and filled with panic. "Tabitha? Are you busy? Something's happened at the orphanage."

Tabitha stood up abruptly, and reached for her bag. "I'm not busy. Is everyone okay?" She pulled on her shoes, and almost tripped as she tried to look a suitable sweater, so the cold wouldn't bother her.

"They are fine, but they got robbed, luckily no one's hurt." Tabitha's heart dropped in panic, but before she could say anything, he continued. "I plan on going there now, I wanted to know if you would want to go with me?"

"Yeah."

"Great, I'll be there in five minutes."

Tabitha changed her shirt, and ran downstairs. No one was in the living room when she got down, and she went to the fridge to pick a soda so she wouldn't be a bother while she was there. The rumble of the engine of a motorcycle entered her ears and she rushed outside. The sky was grey, and Tabitha almost tripped as she ran outside. Oliver's face held worry, and heartbreak. She ran over as he'd barely gotten down from the motorcycle when she barrelled into him.

He put on the helmet for her, buckled it in, and she was too worried about everyone to register how much her heart was moving so fast as his knuckle brushed her chin.

"They'll be fine." He said reassuringly.

Oliver got off the motorcycle, and helped her on it before getting on it and speeding down the road. The trip took no time at all, as Oliver was driving faster than usual. She felt nauseous as her hands wrapped around his torso, he went fast and she didn't have the heart to tell him to slow down, he was nervous for the people in the orphanage, people he really cared about. Tabitha's eyes were closed and she knew that if she got down, she would have no feelings in her legs.

The orphanage seemed chaotic as they got down. Police cars and police officers littered the premises. Tabitha's heart went out to all of them, the robbery must have been so traumatic for all of them.

Evelyn was talking to a police officer, her hair a mess, and a bathrobe wrapped around her. She seemed to be crying, and the officer patted her shoulder in comfort. Tabitha rushed over to her and gave her a big hug. The police officer excused himself, and Evelyn looked up at her with reddened eyes.

"Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt? How's Erica?"

Evelyn wiped her tears. "I'm fine, but Eliza saw one of the thieves and tried to do something but they hit her over the head and ran off with everything. The instruments in the music room, the money in my mum's office. That was all the money we have. I don't know what to do." Then she continued crying. Tabitha walked in, one hand on her shoulder, as they trudged up the stairs. Her heart broke for all of them, they didn't deserve any of this setbacks.

"Are any of the kids awake?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No, they've been sleeping soundly. The older kids are awake though, they are with my mum in the office."

Tabitha walked in into the house, the house looked the same, but it lacked the innocence as happiness the house carried the last time she was here.

************

"Did you talk to Erica?" Oliver asked, as soon as she walked out of the aforementioned woman's room.

Tabitha shook her head. "She is still asleep. Evie had the doctor sedate her because she was crying and it isn't good for her health. Erica said that they might have to close down and relocate the kids to St George. I don't want them to move, they were so nice to me and I feel useless. I don't know what to do." She slid down the wall, her eyes stinging. Ollie sat beside her, and the close proximity reminded her yesterday, when he had almost kissed her.

Oliver's voice was low. "We will figure it out. I promise." He said, the empty hallway echoing his voice. Tabitha leaned on his shoulder. The hallway was cold and she shivered, her fingertips were like dry ice.

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

She shook her head. "Can we go back to your house? I don't want to go back to mine, there's no one there." Oliver nodded, his body heat comforting to Tabitha.