Nova Scotia

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

                Finally, twenty minutes of embarrassing and tear-jerking stories of me as a toddler later, we reached Grandma Sheela’s house.  I got out of the car clumsily, clutching at Dallas’ arms to steady myself as I scrambled over the folded down shotgun seat to get out. He grinned at me, and then reached into the car for our luggage.

                Grandma Sheela’s house was a small cottage the last time I visited her, a year and a half ago. It had one bathroom, two bedrooms, and a very small kitchenette plus family room. My parents and I had shared the second bedroom, and we’d shared the tiny bathroom with Grandma Sheela. And trust me, there was next to no elbow room in her cottage.

                This time, though, a year and a half later, Grandma Sheela had a condo. The condo had a pair of large, French doors instead of a front door, and from what I could see, lots and lots of rooms upstairs. There was even a sun room around the right side of the house, something I'd always wanted to have.

                “How much money did you get from Grandpa’s aunt, exactly?” I asked her as we walked to the front door with Dallas.

                “Oh, just enough to make my way,” she replied airily. “Dallas, you can just leave those bags here, sweetheart. You're probably anxious to get home. Your mother’s been waiting for you all morning.”

                He grinned. “Alright, cool. See you around, Candice.” He smiled at me, and his eyes twinkled just like they had on the plane.

                “Hey, wait,” I said before I could stop myself. He stopped and turned back around to face me, raising his eyebrows.

                “Yeah?”

                “Uh…” I couldn’t think of anything to say. I really, honestly, could not think of anything to say. Shit. “Nothing. Just… Keep in touch, okay? Don’t write me off.”

                He laughed. “I won’t, Candice Li,” he promised. “Trust me, if I could, I'd end you with a cliffhanger, print you, and fax you to everyone in my contacts list. All twelve of them. And then I'd laminate you and hang you above my fireplace. But I'd never write you off.”

                I blinked. He grinned again (my heart very nearly stopped), and walked out the door.

                I wasn’t too sure what had just transpired as I picked up my duffel bag and walked into Grandma Sheela’s new condo, but I was pretty sure it was the nicest thing a guy had ever said to me.

“Do you like your new room?” Grandma Sheela asked me when I got downstairs after unpacking.

                My new room was great. It was wide, spacious, and had its own bathroom. Outside, there was a small balcony. The bed was huge, and the walk-in closet was even bigger. I had instantly regretted packing so light when I saw the size of the closet. I'd packed in anticipation for the tiny dresser Grandma Sheela’s cottage had had. Obviously, she’d upgraded everything by buying the condo she now lived in.

                “Yeah!” I said enthusiastically. “It’s great. Much bigger than my room back home, honestly.”

                She smiled. “I thought you might like it. I made some pie, but if you wanna freshen up first, you can go right ahead.”