'Frisco.

Chapter Twelve.

It was the next morning. Bonnie and I had stayed awake quite late messaging each other and organising today's activities. Bonnie asked if my parents wanted to come too considering they also haven't experienced San Fran. In return, my dad arranged for us to go to a really formal restaurant near the waterfront. I must admit, the idea of a formal restaurant terrifies me.

I dressed myself in casual clothes - blue and white shorts with a grey vest and white sunglasses - with intentions of coming home before going out to eat. Luckily my mother abstained from the "I <3 San Fran" shirt and instead wore a very gorgeous, very long and very flowery dress. Bonnie looked incredible; dressed in denim shorts and a loose white vest, her red hair was accentuated and highlighted to perfection. Her brown sandals were cute and practical.

Geez, I thought, talk about fashion icon.

All four of us set off to explore our new home town. We primarily used Jonah's list to navigate but eventually ended up using Bonnie as our own personal navigation system.

We reached a high end shopping mall and decided to pop in for an ice cream. On our way to the food court, a beautiful dress caught my eye and I was drawn to it.

"Mum! Bonnie! Lets play dress up" I teased.

My dad rolled his eyes playfully and said something about meeting us by the ice cream stand in an hour. He also may or may not have disclaimed that if his bank account is empty at the end of that time, that he will happily turn us 3 into Sundaes.

With that threat quickly fleeting out of our minds, we entered Atlas - a formalwear shop. Immediately, we females were drawn to the back of the store where a range of dresses were displayed above dim, golden lights. I instantly picked up a deep green cocktail dress of modest length with small jewels along the neckline. This dress was given to Bonnie with strict instructions to put it on straight away. Before she left, she handed me a gorgeous navy blue, sleeved dress with a knee high skirt. This dress had two layers - a very dark, normal dress underneath with a slightly longer, laced layer on top. It created the most beautiful aesthetic and I was told it would go really well with my blonde hair.

My mum was looking at a dress still hung on the wall. It was plain white and hung off both shoulders. The skirt was shin length and had a gorgeous shape to it. Whilst it was intended to be worn by a much younger consumer, I had complete faith in my mother's ability to pull it off. She caught my eye and I gave her an approving nod. And so, with these dresses and a few more in hand, we headed to the dressing room.

From then on it was like a montage in one of those regular chick flicks; three girls trying on unaffordable dresses, enjoying the feel of being a princess. We all left our dream dresses until the end, of course.

After a count of three we stepped outside of our cubicles and gasped in unison. Bonnie's vibrant red hair beautifully pulled together the dark green of the dress with the pale white of her skin. Meanwhile, my mum looked 20 years younger. She took her hair down and it lay just above her shoulders. She looked at me and the look of shock and pride on her face made me well up. I thought about how it must feel to see your only child looking so grown up and I felt and extreme pang of what I could only describe as love in my heart.

I hadn't looked at myself in the dressing room. I was waiting for the full length mirror. I caught a look at myself in the reflection and gasped. I looked... great. I'm not one to feel self-conscious nor am I one to boast about my appearance. But trust me, I can admit when I look good - this is one of those moments.

I turned to see mum and Bonnie busy looking at each other and complimenting the others' dress. I took my phone out of my bag, set it on camera mode, and balanced it on one of the chairs in the dressing room "lobby". Luckily, nobody else was in here or else we'd look absolutely ridiculous.

We took many pictures in our princess dresses and I sent a copy to my dad with a teasing caption of "whoops".

At the end of the hour, we reluctantly took the dresses off, returned them to their position on the wall and met with my dad. He had made a few friends whilst we were gone. 3 males of the same age were sitting with my dad in the food court. They were chatting as if they have known each other forever and I assume were bonding over the fact they've been abandoned by their wives and daughters for clothes.

Before we left the mall, my dad said he really needed to buy some new speakers for the office. He told us to go ahead since he needed to return home for a work call. We didn't argue - after all, we felt bad he had to sit through an hour whilst we fulfilled our dreams of regality.

So the three of us left the mall happy and full of ice cream.

We arrived home at 5 o'clock with our table at Maricino's booked for 8 o'clock. Bonnie, my mum and I entered through the front door laughing at the incredible quantity of San Francisco merchandise we had bought ironically. We each had a shirt, keyrings, post cards - we even found one of those foam fingers that my mum is always obnoxiously poking people with.

Walking through into the kitchen I notice my dad is there leaning against the counter tops. He looks at our silly, patriotic costumes and lets out a huge laugh.

The number of times my parents have laughed since moving here has made me really believe that the move was the right choice. I truly think that I've never seen my parents so happy. Whilst the house we used to live in held many memories of a happy Christmas and of countless birthdays, it also reminded my parents of the boy who never lived and the family who had to deal with it. Here, my parents wouldn't have to walk past the dismantled crib. They don't have to explain to locals where the baby is. Here, in San Francisco, my family doesn't have constant reminders that they are one short of what should have been.

Instead, my parents are allowed to thrive and begin again. Their contagious laughter is a sign of exactly this. My family can finally be happy.

I'm too busy bathing in my own thoughts to realise that there are 3 objects laid across the table. I cast my eye towards the dinner table and the first thing I see is white. Then green. And finally... Blue.