Something Like Normal. {Book I} EDITING

Something Like Normal. I

TWO AND HALF MONTHS LATER

The country part of America is so much different then the cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Jocelyn wasn’t lying when she said her tiny town Genesis was well—tiny! You could pass the town in easily five minutes and everyone knows everyone.

But today was the first day of high school for me. I wonder if the schools here in America are different from the ones back home or Italy. My host parents I’m staying with were rich couple who gave me a huge room with my own bathroom. Maybe it helped a little that my father did a little arranging to get me to stay in this kind of place.

While I was brushing my teeth, my phone had gone off and I picked it up, seeing it was a video call from my mother. I groaned, rolling my eyes before I spit out the tooth paste, rinsed my mouth, and putting a smile on my face for her as I answered it.

“Good Morning, Yuri,”, she said in Russian, giving me a smile.

“Hello, mama.”, I said, continuing my brushing, “I know we agreed to talk once a day, but don’t you think this is kind of early?”

“I know  but I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day of an American school.”, she said. She then gave me an annoyed look I knew to well and I knew who she was going to bring up, “You father sent me a message tell me to wish you good luck also.”

“Amazing he remembered this time.”, I said. “You didn’t give him my number still?”, I chuckled.

“I’ve been busy.”, she said, then sighed. “I’ll give it to him later but enough of him. I miss you so much Yuri.”.

“I miss you to, mama.”, I said. “But we talked about this, I need adventure before you force me into college.”.

“Which I’m sure you’ll stay to do over there.”, she said. “When am I going to see you again—in person I mean. I miss my child.”

“Demyan and Ivanna are enough for you company, I’m sure.”, I said, mentioning my little sibling to my step-father.

“I want all my children to be enough.”, she said. “Look Yuri, I know you don’t want to talk about this, so I’ll stop. I just wanted to see you before you go to school. I love you, Yuri.”.

“I love you to, mom.”, I said.

“Tell Joyce I said hello.”, she said.

“It’s Jocelyn.”, I reminded her.

“I know, but that’s just so hard to say. Westerns, I swear.” ,she said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s okay, she can’t say your name either, Nadezhda.”, I said, chuckling. “Goodbye mama, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”, I said before hanging up the call.

I got dressed in something and made my way town the steps of my host parents home. They were rich, so the house was pretty big and nice. I walked into the dinning room where Karen was making breakfast and her two children were laying their heads down on the table, looking like they rather be in bed instead of going to school.

“I wish my kids could be morning person like you, Yuri.”, she said, walking over to her kids and pinched their arms. They sprung up and rubbed their arms, making whining sounds. “Hey, I want none of that crying. Your going to school weather you like it.”.

I sat at the island table and twelve year old Daniel leaned across it, “Ready for high school, Yuri? Can I tell all my friends about you? I want them to know I actually know a guy from Russia. I would be so cool in school.”.