Never Winter Again

Epilogue

27 May 2022

Score: Strawberries and Cigarettes - Troye Sivan

Mark

"Come on, Mark, you can't keep hiding in here all night! Everyone will be so happy to see you!"

"I'm not hiding. I just came to see you and to tell you that we're neighbours now," I fold my arms over my chest, leaning against the counter in Aunty Dee's greenhouse. My dad bought the neighbouring mansion. He's always wanted to get an estate home in Hertfordshire, and, once he got the money, he did it, I guess.

"But you have to come say hi to Lydia, at least," Gloria stomps her foot.

Gloria's eighteen-year-old self is just as sassy as her eight-year-old self had once been. Even more. She's even more grown-up now, and she looks a bit older for her age. She's wearing a ton of make-up, and absolutely reeks of Dior Sauvage, which is OK, I guess. She has a boyfriend now, a new kid. His dad's in Parliament. She looks ecstatic about it.

"No, Glo, I'm jet-lagged, and I don't really want to see anybody. I got off a ten-and-a-half-hour flight two hours ago. I just want to go to bed." I shake my head.

But Gloria won't give up without a fight.

"Just one drink, OK? One drink, and you leave. I'll even have someone drop you off at your place." She hooks her arm around my elbow and literally drags me toward the door of the greenhouse.

"OK, but just one, and I'm off."

I start walking towards the exit of the greenhouse, with Gloria by my side, thinking about the last time I had been in this place.

The past two years have been absolute hell for me.

First, the pandemic. I couldn't board a plane to London when I got to Amsterdam, and I got stuck in there for five weeks before my dad finally managed to get me out. He was so pissed off he nearly disowned me, right then and there.

Then, in the middle of covid, my little sister, Lilly, got diagnosed with leukemia.

Now that nearly broke me. But her resilience and bravery inspired me to move on, every single day.

It's incredible how much strength and courage can be contained within a tiny little body like hers. She's been an absolute champ, going through chemo and all the other treatments.

Then, my parents split up. I think it was partially because of Lilly's illness. My mum's entire focus shifted to taking care of her. My dad didn't quite know what to do about it at the time, and my mum got angry with him, saying that he didn't care enough. I know he did care, in his own way, but sometimes, I really think he could be doing a better job as a parent.

He found a clinical trial for some new treatment, running in America, and used his connections to secure a spot for Lilly. My mum and Lilly left for LA last summer, and I joined them soon after for uni.

Now, my dad's getting remarried. That's why I'm here, in England, for the summer. Though, I'm not staying in London. No fucking way. I don't want to stay around my dad's future wife and her daughter and play happy family, while my sister is laying in a hospital bed in California, plugged into all sorts of machines.

I'll take some time to travel. See my friends. Maybe even go back to Amsterdam, and I'll be off for university again, right after the wedding. I won't stay even a minute more than absolutely necessary.

I got into UCLA. I fulfilled my dad's dream. But, I chose a different major. I'm not going to Med or Pharm School.

I am a Psychology major. I picked it, because of Lydia. She's been gushing about how much she wanted to study Psychology since she turned twelve. And, because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to major in, I picked it up, as a reminder of her.