DOLLHOUSE [on Hiatus]

Gia: Nesting Dolls

    I walked down the street, humming one of my favorite ukulele tunes that I had learnt during my stay in Cali.

     Summer was approaching fast and you could see it on the faces of the excited kids as they raced across the street to get to the gelato truck first. The festive mood, that generally came during the summers was pretty evident, with wooden Tonga lanterns adorning the shops and an abundance of coconut stalls quenching the heat at every bend and curb you could lay your eyes on.

      I walked past the wildflowers that had just begun blooming on either side of the path, breathing in the cool air peppered with the salty sea breeze. My feet pattered on the sidewalk as I walked up to my favourite souvenir shop.

     I guess little additional tokens of love for my loved ones from "Cali Palm Souvenirs" wouldn't hurt.

    Walking up the wooden steps, I was greeted by a musical bell chime as I pushed the glass door.

    "Ah! Good evening Gia sweety! What brings you here today?" The middle aged lady standing behind the counter, with blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and lips caked with red lipstick, smiled.

     Mrs. Harwood.

    She was one of the sweetest person that I had met here. She would always be there for you, smiling and providing you with valuable advice. Her two young daughters, Sydney and Kelly, were the absolute epitomes of cuteness overloaded with mischief, and God, did I love this amazing family!
   Even after losing their father in an accident, they had remained strong and brave, with Mrs. Harwood deciding to open this shop with a little help from her brother apart from working as a teacher to support her family.

     I smiled, "Nothing much, I was just strolling around and decided that some more gifts for my friends and family wouldn't be a bad idea."

    She nodded and walked up to a counter near her desk. After pondering for some time, she fished out an assortment of items and displayed them before me.

    "I hope you will like some of these, they are some of our very best collections, feel free to look around though!" Saying so, she left me to attend to another customer.

     I began looking around when suddenly a ding on my phone reminded me that I hadn't informed Aaron about this sudden visit. He would be worried about me.

     

      
   Quickly typing away a reply, I mentally did a victory dance and smiled. For all of you wondering why, let me tell you, Aaron was a wonderful cook and I was simply a sucker for his delicacies.

There, you got it.

     I picked out a beautiful wooden comb embedded with jewels for my mother, a toy ukulele for my brother and a palm shaped clock for dad, apart from a few other choices that I had already set apart.