Fear, love... and betrayal; that's what I feel about my new life.
It's a life I never asked for, at least not like that.
I certainly dreamed of adventure, of escaping from my ordinary life, but nothing prepared me for what would happen when my norma...
"Not till we are lost, in other words not till we havelost the world, do we begin to find ourselves..." Henry David Thoreau
A racket on the main floor wakes me from my short night sleep. They're early birds this morning, seven o'clock! I would have liked to sleep in on my first morning of vacation. Two weeks! Two weeks alone at home. My parents are leaving for an Alaskan cruise. I know... why are they going in the middle of summer? But they're like that, always going counter-current and that's why I love them so much. I hurriedly put on my favorite worn jeans- what's better for feeling relaxed than a pair of worn jeans- and my "God's girl" sweatshirt. I had this shirt made to order on a mythological fan site; it's my geeky side
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To tame my rebellious locks I tie up my hair in a loose bun before going downstairs. When I was little, my father used to call it my lion's mane and I always shot back that lions have red manes, not blond. That always made him laugh and then he would say I was too clever for him. He would laugh and tap me on the head; his smile always made me feel better, no matter the situation...
I am ready to go down and join them, but it feels like I'm forgetting something. I turn around and see Nyx sitting on the window ledge, ready to head out on other adventures. I love to imagine that she goes far from here, into her own imaginary realm. Queen Nyx, that name suits her well. I certainly don't want my mother to find her, so I better open the window quickly. Nyx doesn't need to be asked twice and is down the tree in a flash, disappearing into the nearby forest. As I go down I can hear my parents fighting. They're not doing it out of malice; they just love to argue about everything and nothing. What could be the subject this morning?
"Sweetheart, how are you going to take a break from work if you bring your cellphone with you on vacation, not to mention it'll cost you a fortune in roaming charges," says my father while wrapping his arms around her.
"Marc, I'm all for putting my work aside, but what if Lou needs to reach us?" she answers, a cup of coffee in her hand.
"I'm here, mom, I can hear you...don't worry about me, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, I am an adult after all! You're going to have to cut the cord eventually!"
"You see, Lise, she can take care of herself. Leave your cellphone at home, it's non-negotiable," he orders, tickling my mother until she spills half her coffee on the parquet flooring.
"Fine, you both win, but Lou, promise me that you will keep your cellphone with you just in case I want to reach you, and Marc, let me go, I need to go and finish my packing. The taxi will be here in five minutes". She bends down to clean up the mess, and even that she manages to do gracefully. Honestly, who else can brag about being elegant wiping up coffee in the morning? Even in her bathrobe she manages to be completely chic...I love to watch her do her thing. She kisses me on the cheek and goes upstairs to finish getting ready.
My father sits down at the table in front of me and with a wicked grin, whispers: "You know she can't live without me. By the way, I left a debit card for you in the desk drawer of the front hallway. You can use it for emergencies, but don't even think about buying a new wardrobe."
