END OF THE BEGINNING

19: Dada, Mama!

'Dada, Mama!'

Song: Broken Arrows - Avicii

"This place is amazing!" Mom gushed as she looked around my
newly purchased house in awe. Tamara stood behind us also captured by the beauty of the house.

I had bought the house a few weeks ago after Tommy had taken me on a tour around it. It was a simple duplex overlooking a fairly large garden. Behind it were a few trees which I planned replacing with new ones because of how large they were. I hate large trees because they could harbor snakes and besides, they were scary. They looked exactly like the ones found in horror movies where a mysterious force would emerge from to grab the person standing there. Thinking about that was enough to freak me out but I maintained my composure.

We entered through the main door, a plain glass door which I also vowed to replace because it made the house susceptible to burglars. The ground floor contained a large space I planned on filling with some flowers to make it more welcoming. And then there were a few doors, one led to an empty room which looked sufficient to hold a laundry and the other, well, I planned on leaving it empty till I discovered what I could use it for.

In the middle of the doors on my right was a staircase with silver rails that formed a beautiful spiral to the first floor which was actually the last.

Tamara and I followed the steps up while mom remained  below looking through the rooms.

"I really envy you." Tamara spoke abruptly.

"I know you do." I looked through a door I opened.

"Get over yourself."

We entered the master bedroom. There were two large windows, the first one overlooked the garden while the other one faced the creepy trees.

"Why do I find myself hating these trees?" Tamara asked while eying the plants suspiciously.

"I plan on taking them down, very very soon." I gave one final glare at the trees before moving to the walk-in closet at the left corner of the room.

"So, tell me your plans." I called out to Tamara.

"What plans?" Tamara asked in a  disinterested voice.

I touched the bare wall of the closet and concluded that it needed major painting.

"The wedding plans."

"Oh, that? Sorry I didn't tell you, Mike and I restarted plans for the event a few days back."

I frowned. Why didn't she tell me?

"That's great news." I replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I made an appointment with my hairdresser yesterday. So, I can say everything's going smoothly." Tamara's voice sounded close to me. When I looked back, I found her standing at the entrance of the closet, watching me coolly.

"When is the wedding scheduled for?"

"25th of next month."

I moved away from the wall and turned to face my sister with a smile. She smiled back although she wasn't  sure of why I was smiling.

Have you ever had a nostalgic feeling? That feeling that makes you wish things were how they were a few years back. Well, that's the same feeling that descended on me.

"Hey Sis."

I looked up at my sister who was dressed in a simple black baggy shorts and a grey T-shirt that had the number ' 5 ' inscribed on it. She sat beside me on the grass and took my palm in hers.