Destiny

Comparisons

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and noticed my mom wasn't home. She had mentioned she would be working half-day, but I didn't want to spend the day alone. After doing some household chores, I decided to head out and enjoy the outdoors. I grabbed my headphones and phone, heading to the park while listening to an audiobook.

The bus ride passed quickly, and soon I found myself at the park, surrounded by tranquility under a blue sky. As I walked along the trails, thoughts of Ariana and her extravagant theories distracted me from the audiobook. I couldn't shake thoughts of Matthew and his mysterious family.

Ariana's old newspaper came back to mind. If the couple in the photo were Matthew's parents, it didn't make sense for them to have three teenage children. My mom always spoke of Rayen as a young and beautiful woman, but if she was 65 years old, how did she maintain herself so well? None of it made sense.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a call from my mom. She surprised me with the idea of going to Boston and spending the rest of the day with Grandma Claire. I immediately agreed.

At some point on the way, my mom started talking about her fun outings with the Webers. I decided not to miss the chance to ask about them.

"What are they like?" I asked.

"They're a cheerful couple, but they're a bit secretive about their private lives, you know?" My mom replied. "Some at the publishing house say they don't socialize much."

"You must be special then," I said.

My mom smiled shyly. Despite being twice my age, she could still blush like a girl.

"Sometimes I envy them. They love each other," she said.

"You envy that they love each other?" I raised an eyebrow.

She smiled again.

"You know what I mean. I enjoy hanging out with them, but when I see them so happy, I start to imagine what it would have been like if your dad were here with us. Let's change the subject. Any cute boys at school?"

"I'm not interested in any boys at school, Mom," I replied.

For a moment, I hesitated, remembering Matthew. But no, I didn't like Matthew. We had only talked once.

"I've always wondered what kind of guy you like," my mom continued.

"I don't know. I guess I haven't met anyone who catches my attention, as you say," I said.

"You're such a liar, Bianca," I tried to ignore that voice in my head.

"Well, never mind. You're still young. The right guy will come at the right time. I wanted to talk to you about something important," my mom said, looking a bit nervous.

I looked at her, curious.

"Rayen and Ibrahim invited us to their house."

"Are we going to their house?"

She smiled with relief when she realized I was leaning towards accepting rather than rejecting the invitation. Immediately, I thought of Ariana and her old newspaper that wouldn't leave my mind for any reason. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for to understand Ariana, or perhaps the chance to prove her wrong.

"Yes, they want to meet you too," she replied. "Next weekend."

"Okay, I'll go with you."

We finally arrived at Grandma's house. It was a two-story brick and wood house, filled with memories of my childhood. Upon entering, the scent of her perfume and my father's filled the air, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. My relationship with Grandma Claire was special. Since I was born, she had been a constant and loving presence in my life. It had been two months since I last saw her, before we moved to Salem, so I was excited to reunite with her and enjoy a normal day without hearing theories about people who don't age.