A Fresh Start

My New Home

As we exited the plane terminal I could feel the chill in the air. Ever since leaving the house Gloria had been trying to engage me in conversation. In retrospect I could have been more polite to the woman taking me in, but at the time I was to caught up in my own thoughts to hold an intelligent conversation. I followed Gloria's bouncing mane of curls through the crowded airport until we reached the exit. It was raining. In Florida it was humid sure, but the sun was nearly always shining. It looked like another planet here, the sky was grey and unleashed unrelenting torrents of rain. Holy shit, I was living Bella Swan's life. Now all I needed was a hot vampire to save me from my desolate situation. I chuckled at my own attempt at making light of such a horrible plight, earning myself a bemused glance from Gloria. "Sorry, I'm just not used to this amount of rain." Gloria gave me a smile and said: "oh hun, after living here a few weeks you'll get used to it." My heart sank at the reminder that this was not a vacation, but instead, a prison wrapped up nicely as a home. Gloria must have seen my change in expression because she quickly tried to reassure me, "the rain really isn't so bad, it makes the spring glorious. Your mom used to love the spring here." Confusion immediately came over me, "wait, my mom came here?" My mom had never mentioned Portland or spring, she always said that the summer was her favorite. "Oh yeah, we were both going to go to college here, but after she met your dad her plans changed. She always said she wanted to visit, but I guess time got away from us both." Gloria's usual smile faded for a moment before she turned and began to arrange a taxi for us. I guess there was a lot I never knew about my mom. I didn't know how the woman I told everything to had managed to stay so secretive. Tears sprung to my eyes as I thought of all the late nights spent with her, talking about everything and nothing, with bowls of ice cream as our constant companion.  How was my own mother such a mystery to me?  I was determined to find out, after all, who better to ask than her best friend?

After we clambered into the taxi our conversation halted. Even Gloria refrained from her previous attempts at small talk. I busied myself with looking out the window, engrossed in my new home. As we traveled further from the airport the houses seemed to get older. We drove through plenty of little neighborhoods and streets bustling with shops. I was awestruck by the number of people braving the weather. In Florida rain was a cue to board up the windows and stock up on food. "Marie, there's something you should know" Gloria blurted out. I turned to look at her and she continued, "I told you about my husband, but I didn't mention my children." I wondered if she thought that I was the jealous type, why would I have an issue with her kids? "I have two boys, Ben and Sebastion. Both are around your age, and um, well the social worker told me that I was to make it clear that any activities of, well, a sexual nature are not allowed." I held back my laugh when I saw the bright red blush make it's way up her neck.  "Trust me that's the last thing I'm interested in Gloria," I said with a laugh.  "Oh I know honey, I just-'' "It's fine Gloria, I understand." After that awkward moment, we rode in silence, but unlike before it was a comfortable silence.  Soon the taxi pulled up in front of a cute yellow house.  It was bungalow style, like many of the neighboring houses.  There was a large yard filled with a variety of plants, and a giant evergreen tree looked over the house.  My first impression was that I had been transported into a fairytale, I wouldn't have been surprised to see a group of dwarves come out the front door.   "Well... this is home." I turned and looked at Gloria who was looking at me intensely. "I know it's nothing like you were used to in Florida-" Gloria started, but I cut her off, "It's amazing Gloria." And it truly was,  at least I could rest assured that people weren't ruining their lives to buy this house.  

We lugged our suitcases up the entryway, and just as Gloria reaches for her keys the door flew open to reveal two boys arguing intently.  "I'm telling you Ben that was past the line." The taller of the two angrily stated as they walked down the steps. "Are you bli- oh, mom your back." Both boys halted in their tracks when they saw us.  "Yes boys I'm back" she said with a roll of her eyes, "Marie meet Ben and Sebastian, boys, meet Marie."  Gloria gestured to me and I suddenly felt very self-conscious under their inquisitive stares.  I'm not one to get flustered around the opposite sex, but this was a special case.  These boys were both gorgeous, the one who must have been Ben according to his mother's previous description had sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes, and the boy on the left had Jet black hair with grey eyes.  I was jolted out of my stupor when Ben spoke, "Hello Marie, I'm Ben." He looked friendly enough and I made to respond, but he wasn't finished yet. "Marie I have two extremely pressing questions.  First, do you enjoy soccer?  Second, can you cook, because mom here can't cook for her life, and Seb and I are lazy bums."  I stared at him in shock, not sure how to respond, especially with Gloria glaring daggers at him from beside me.  Thankfully for me, the other boy who I supposed was Sebastion broke the pregnant pause with a loud chuckle which soon spread to his brother.  Before I knew it they were both doubled over with laughter.  They both had quite nice laughs, and I couldn't help but notice that glint of mischief in Sebastion's emerald green eyes- no Marie, I scolded myself, you can not crush on your soon to be brothers.  Still flustered I tried desperately to compose myself and answer.  When the laughter died down I answered the question with what I hoped appeared to be nonchalance.  "Soccer, yes.  Cooking, no, unless you're fond of food poisoning" I said with a slightly forced laugh.  "Well, I guess we can resign ourselves to microwave meals for a while more, right Seb?" Ben said after looking at me with an approving gaze.  "Yup, I suppose we can." Sebastion replied shooting me a devilish grin.  I should have known there and then after hearing the sound of Sebastion's voice, and the grin he sent me, that I was in trouble.