Behind Every Smile

The Road Trip To Pennsylvania

It was now deep into December, skies grew darker, and rain came poring down almost every single day.

I agreed to be put in a charter-school program till I felt comfortable to go back to school. After we got back from Pennsylvania that is.

Supposedly, it was supposed to be record breaking cold where my grandpa lived, which means there was going to be loads of snow; -40 degrees fahrenheit to be exact.

Everyday for a week, all of us would get up early and drive for six to seven hours straight before finally stopping at a hotel. I'll admit, sitting in a car for several hours was a pain, but the view was unforgettable. If you ever drive from California to Pennsylvania, you'll know what I mean. You'll see some pretty amazing things;

By the time we reached my grandpa's house, we weren't surprised by what we saw, at all.

Jars of candy were in every corner of the house, boxes of lottery tickets were shoved in every closet, and the basement was filled with wood and useless junk of all sorts. My father and I both knew we were going to be busy cleaning out his house for the next two months.

Since both of my grandparents live in Pennsylvania, I spent a few of the weeks visiting them when I wasn't helping my parents with the house. The only problem was, I haven't seen them in years, so there was going to be lots of catching up to do, if they even recognized me.

"Tell your grandma we said hi!" My mother shouted before waving goodbye, driving away before I knew it.

"I will.." I mumbled while dragging my bag towards the front doorsteps to my grandma's cabin.

Keep in mind, there was no service at my grandma's house, so talking to my friends from back at home was impossible.

Basically my grandma's cabin is in the middle of forty archers of pure forest. The nearest grocery store was at least a half an hours away, and the nearest neighbor was ten.

I knocked on the door, hearing a dark bark and scratch the door in response. The door creaked open, revealing a short, older woman with light brown hair squinting at me, having to push her glasses closer to her face.

"B-Bella?" She tilted her head, pecking her lips in curiosity.

"Yeah, it's me grandma." I smiled, watching a smile grow on her wrinkly face as well.

"Well haven't you grown so fast! Come in!" She chuckled before pushing the door open even more, watching me drag my bags inside with great haste.

"Lois? Is someone here?" My grandpa  shouted from the kitchen. I felt the floor vibrate as my grandma walked towards me, widening his eyes.

"You must be Bella?" He asked, watching me set my bags down against the wall.

"Yeah, that's me." I grinned, turning around and glancing at him. I recognized him immediately, even though it's been years since I've seen the old guy.

"My you've grown!" He chuckled, gesturing me to follow him to the kitchen.

"That's what grandma said," I followed him, noticing a wrapped package on the table.

"Because it's true! Speaking of, grandma and I got you something." He sat down before watching me inspect the package then tear it open.

"No way!" I gasped, picking up the tray of watercolor paints in awe. "How did you know I was into art?"

My grandpa chuckled, watching my grandma walk in with a wide smile, seating herself beside me. "Your father told me."

"Makes sense, but thank you! I'll be sure to use this sometime while I'm here." I told her with an excited smile, setting the tray down gently.

"Oh you will missy, I'd love to see more of your art! Then we'll put it on the refrigerator where the rest is." My grandma explained with pointing at the drawings and paintings on the fridge I made years ago.

"Wow, I barley remember those.." I mumbled, gazing at my old drawings in awe.

"It's been way too long since we've seen you Isabella, but we're thankful we finally get to see you now!" My grandpa explained.

"Yeah, I am too," I grinned, trying to remember the last time I actually did see them. Course, I didn't remember.

"We heard about your grandpa, Ed. Do you know if he's doing better?" He continued, his smile fading.

"No, I don't actually." I shrugged, folding my hands onto my lap nervously.

"Aren't you seeing him tomorrow?" My grandma gazed at me with a curious expression.

"Yeah, he's being kept in a rehabilitation center, apparently. From what I hear, for the rest of his life." It was hard for me to explain, considering I was only told so much about him, I hardly knew a thing about what was going to happen to him.

"I see, I'm sure he'll get better though." My grandma reassured along with a gentle grin.

"Yeah, I hope so" I replied, trying to hide how nervous I really was. I didn't expect them to understand why I was so nervous, but in my own mind I kept asking myself the same question; could things get worse?