Fresh out of high school and ready to start college, her family takes a trip before sending Ella half way across the country. Ella was aware of their tactics, though.
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~"Oh, honey. This trip is just what you need before you start college. Cairo...
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"I know that you said it was beautiful at night but it's pretty stunning in the light, too." I said to Donnie as I walked down the path. After finishing with cleaning up Mr Antar's room, I decided that I needed to see the garden in daylight. Donnie whips around, nearly spraying me with the hose in the process. I jumped back just in time for the water to touch my toes.
"Ella, I wasn't expecting you until tonight."
"Yeah, well I'm on kitchen duty today so I cant help out tonight. I thought I'd swing by now to help. That okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Yes. Here," he handed me the good hose, "You can start by watering these while I pick the weeds down by the veranda. Try not to soak yourself this time,"
"I'd watch it Donnie. The hose is in my hands now," I sent him a playful glare and held the hose up, ready to fire.
"Alright, I surrender." He holds his hands up and backs away slowly.
"That's what I thought," I laugh and then turn around, getting started on the watering. I longed to go and tend the roses but denied myself the simple task and focused on what Donnie wanted me to do. I looked over and saw him on the south side, on his hands and knees, ripping the weeds from the small hibiscus patch. He sat back up, discarding the weeds into a pile before wiping the sweat from his forehead.
I can tell that he spends most of his time out here and he loves every second of it. What's not to love, it's absolutely beautiful. The perfect flowers and then the beautiful sand dunes in the background, all the way out there. I could sit out here all day and just stare out at the vast land before me. Alas, I still needed to finish watering the flowers and then get back to work inside, making dinner.
After I finished with watering, I sneak off to the roses. I think Donnie knows where I went but if he does, he gives nothing away and continues to work around me. I can't help but feel so calm around the flowers. I take in a deep breath and smell their scent. Perhaps Donnie wouldn't mind if I plucked just one and kept it for myself. I quickly checked around my area and then got the trimmers, cutting one flower off of the bunch and stick it in my dress pocket, careful not to prick myself on the thorns.
I sit down on the brick ground, surrounded my roses and just relax. I think about my parents and cant help but feel like they are having fun without me. They usually did when we went on vacation, only this time I left them. Giving them a taste of their own medicine made me feel guilty but part of me thought that they deserved it. But the other part, the bigger part thought about all the money they spent to bring me on these vacations.
Going back to my parents meant leaving behind all the people here that actually talk to me, like Gabby, Donnie and now Hajra. Even Mr Antar, sometimes. Though he isn't really speaking to me since the kiss. I haven't seen him since then actually but I'm sure that the topic of the kiss would mist definitely not come up in our conversation
