Say It Just Once

chapter 1

I stopped at the door and looked back at my room one last time, memories filling up my head. Since my childhood till now, I’ve spent most my time in this room. From saying my first words, to getting ready for the first day of school, to when I had my sad breakdowns because of guys.

“I’m going to miss my room” I thought and started my way down the stairs where my mom was waiting for me at the end. We both left the house and handed over the key to the new owners and got into our car, which was packed with boxes and bags.
My mom got a new job as a chef at a hotel where she would be paid more than what she got paid as a nurse. It’s has been my mom’s dream to be a chef, but ever since my dad left us 10 years ago she has been a nurse. She had no choice; she had to find a way to raise me as a single mom.

Since the hotel she is going to work for is located a lot far from home we had to move. Of course I didn’t want to go, I loved my home town that I grew up in. But I want to see my mom happy. I saw how exhausted she was as a nurse with sleepless nights.
As much as she loved helping people, she also despised the smell of hospitals and blood. Therefore I’m willing to let go of my old friends and memories just to see her happy. With everything she has gone through and done for me, this is the least I could do for her.

After a whole 6 hour drive, there was a big sign in the side of the road, ‘WELCOME TO KINGSWOOD’. After about another half an hour more of driving straight, we reached a drive way.

The drive way was about 100 meters in length till it reached an old house at the end. There were no other buildings or houses as neighbors to be seen. I started to wonder how we will manage in case of an emergency, since there is no one around to help us.

Back of the house was very dark and gloomy with tall trees, seemed like a forest. “God knows what is in there and what sort of creatures or animals lives there” I thought, feeling goosebumps crawl through my limbs at the thought that anyone could be hiding in those woods and no one would see them. Which was highly dangerous, especially with only mom and I living all alone in the middle of nowhere with no other human insight.

The house was in the middle of an enormous garden with ample of space. The grass was over grown making the garden look very chaotic. I wished I had my dog ‘Brown’; he would’ve loved it here with all this space for him. He would run around chasing birds and squirrels.

But he passed away few months back. He was my best friend and brother.
All the memories and emotions of losing him came gushing into my head. I took a deep breath trying not to have an emotional breakdown and scanned the surrounding some more.

About 50 meters to the left of the house was a beautiful white fountain with a statue of a woman carrying a pot on her shoulder. But it was dirty and one of her legs was missing. It started to give me a negative impression of the previous owners. It proved that the house was very neglected and abandoned.

“I do not want to imagine what the inside of the house must look like” I thought with a sigh. And all sorts of images of the house started to play inside my head. Like an old, dark wooden house with broken windows and doors. Mice and cockroaches running around. A dirty looking toilet and holes in the roof with water pouring down every time it rains, and as I open my room door a full-grown deer runs out, like in the movies.
Yup! I watch too much of movies, allowing my imagination to run wild.

The car stopped in front of the house and my mom suddenly screamed in excitement making me jump on the spot and skip a few heart beats. I just giggled at her childishness and got out of the car. Mom walked herself inside the house, but I stayed out and looked at the surroundings a few more times and sighed.

“This is where I’ll be living from now on”.

I told myself and turned to the direction of the fountain and I saw someone standing, staring right at me. He was tan, wearing a black v neck body fit top and black jeans looking like a Calvin Klein model that walked out from one of my magazines in the trunk.

He had short black hair but the front of the hair was long and pointing up. My silly mind always thought that there may be no gravity underneath the boys whose hair grows upwards. His jawline looking sharper than a knife, and his Adams apple bobbing up and down. He looked about 6 feet in height, looking fine as hell.
We both stood there staring at each other.

“Kylie!” Called my mom and I turned my attention at her, and turned back at the direction the guy was, to see that he was gone.

“What the…?”

“What are you looking at honey? You look as if you saw a ghost”

“Mom did you not see the guy who was standing there?” I asked surprised pointing at where he was.

“What guy?” she asked. She probably thinks I’m crazy.

“No never mind”. I brushed it off my head and helped mom with unloading our stuff inside the house.

As I walked inside the house, my jaw hung open in shock. All the thoughts I had about the house just shattered into tiny pieces. The house looked totally opposite from what I imagined. And very contrasting from its outer look.

“Do not judge a book from its cover” I thought and toured around the house. The house was very modern looking. It was themed back and white. The walls painted white, with white sofas and black pillows. A zebra print rug in the middle of the living room. Black and white lamp shades. White curtains. The pantry cupboards where black wood with black bar lights handing from above. A newly bought white oven and fridge. White plates neatly seated on the cupboard. All our furniture and equipment from our previous house already brought and in place.

I went up the stairs and into my room and was in more shocked. My bed and cupboard, my table and chair, and my night stand were already standing in their assigned places.

In addition to my old furniture, there was a new bookshelf with all my books neatly placed inside. And a single seated sofa by the window. The window was cover by a grey curtain. My inside child who was impatiently waiting to come out took over my body and I started jumping on the spot, running around the room and jumping on the bed. The room was a lot more bigger and better compared to my previous room.

“Are you ok honey? I heard you scream” mom came running to my room.

“I love this room. I love the house. Thank you mom” I replied hugging her, totally excited.

All my negative thoughts and first impressions of the house, faded away.

After hours of cleaning and unpacking we went to bed. I couldn’t sleep well because I’m used to my old room. Being in a new place makes me feel a lot uncomfortable. It would take me a while to get used to this.

“Tomorrow is the first days of school. I wonder how it’ll be” I thought with a sigh and closed my eyes trying to sleep. Not wanting to be late for the first day of school.