Daybreak

Chapter Two: It's the Little Things

Chapter 2: It's the Little Things

Aunt Winnie's apartment was larger than I thought it would be. It was in a nice residential area, on the 5th floor. It was large enought to store a small piano, which rested against the wall in the living room.

"Do you play?" I asked.

She gave me a small smile, "I do, and you play too, right?"

Alice was always better than me.

"No," I whispered. "Not anymore."

Aunt Winnie looked at me with a look so full of sympathy that I had to look away, and so I stared at the piano. Alice had always told me that I was foolish for not practicing as much as her because being able to play the piano was like having a symphonic orchestra at your fingertips. I ignored her and focused on my singing instead.

"Well, your room is down here," said Aunt Winnie, leading me to a small bedroom.

I gasped. She had already decorated it for me.

And it was beautiful. The walls were a warm dark purple kept light by the twinkling Christmas lights on the walls. The bed was big and inviting, covered with an elegant comforter and covered with fuzzy blankets.

Then I saw the pictures.

On little strings, Polaroids of my family and I together adorned the room. Tears filled my eyes and I fought to remain strong.

"Do you like it?" Asked Winnie, looking nervous. "One of my friends is an interior decorator, and she helped me set it up. I hope you like the pictures, I had to stalk your Facebook wall for them," she laughed. "I left a wall empty, you know, for the memories you'll make in New York."

I looked at her, my Aunt Winnie, a strong, successful woman who just lost her sister. The beautiful woman who took me in when no one else wanted to. The wounded woman whose only family now is me.

"Thank you," I whispered and went to hug her. "Thank you for everything."

And she smiled.

***

The uniform Aunt Winnie bought me was a little snug, and it was tight in all the wrong places. The old Clara would have spent an hour trying to make it look better, but I just shrugged and put my shoes on. Winnie was in the kitchen, eating her breakfast, when I passed her.

"Clara!" She called. "I would like to speak to you for a moment!"

I walked over and sat down next to her.

"As you might know, Saint Mary's is where both your mother and I went, and... and..." She struggles to say over the tears brimming her eyes.

"I'll make both of you proud, Aunt Winnie," I promised. She nodded. I smiled and pat her hand, and I left the table. As I was halfway out the door, Winnie stopped me.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you that Will's waiting for you in the lobby!"

I sighed. She didn't understand that I wasn't here to make friends or get a boyfriend. I didn't want anyone to be attached to me. She didn't understand that I was broken. More broken than she would ever think I was. Too broken to truly love again.

But, of course, I swallowed my grief, "Okay! Thanks, Aunt Winnie! I'll see you later!"

Sure enough, he was waiting for me in the lobby, his flobby brown hair tossed procariously away from his face, talking with the doorman and laughing. He saw me exit the elevator and smiled as he made his way over to me.

"Hey there, baggage girl!" Will called with a friendly smile. If I had been old Clara, I probably would have fainted. He was attractive and kind, what else could I have asked for? But I wasn't old Clara, I wasn't happy and free anymore. I was the new Clara, and so I gave him a terse, polite smile and continued walking out the door.