It All Started With A Smile

Flo-ating around

After arriving at the airport and saying a short goodbye to Rachael, who gave me her number so that we could chat when I got back to the UK. I met with my host family's driver, a short woman who looked to be in her early fifties. Her dark blonde hair was messily pulled back in a ponytail, as though she'd rushed to get ready, and her summer dress was creased to hell. But I didn't care about her somewhat dishevelled appearance, all I saw was the smile she gave me when I walked over to her. One filled with warmth and kindness.

" I saw you floating around a little unsure, you must be Violet. It is such a pleasure to meet you!" She exclaimed, her voice was soft and washed over me like a wave of comfort.
" Hi, it's lovely to meet you too Jill!" I replied sincerely, my anxieties about being given a bitchy host family evaporating into nonexistence.
" Oh honey, I'm not Jill, no, I wish though, I mean my boobs haven't been that perky for many years now, and that ass, let's not get started on that."
Woah, I wasn't expecting that.
" I'm Jill's sister, Flo. Well, my name is Florence, but I got teased mercilessly when I was younger, so everyone knows me as Flo," she continued easily, the words flowing out her mouth like melted butterscotch.
"Jill was supposed to pick you up, but there was a..." she stopped mid-sentence, as though unsure how to finish. An uneasy look crept over her face, as she struggled to grasp the right word. "... complication," she decided on, relief now washing over her face.

I didn't know how to respond. Something about her choice of word 'complication' made my anxieties flutter around in my stomach again, like crazed butterflies aching to escape. But I didn't want to read too deeply into it, after all, why should one little word impact me so significantly? So putting this all to the back of my mind, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and followed Flo to the car. The  journey wasn't long- an hour give or take- but talking to Flo was so easy, she made me feel like family. Not to mention, she told me everything I needed to know about my host family, The Ashers.

The Ashers were a family of five. Jill and Eric Asher were both corporate lawyers who worked long hours, but still tried to make time for the family. They had three children- two 11 year old girls, and their older brother, Kai.  Flo had looked after the girls, Alana and Rowan, for all of their lives, being employed by Jill when Kai was just a baby.
"So what are they like?" I asked curiously.
" They're good girls. You won't have any problems with them at home or at the camp." Flo reassured me confidently, a look of pure devotion came into her eyes whenever she mentioned the girls.
"But..." she mused.
" But?" I repeated, my voice steady, but secretly filled with concern.
"Kai is back from college for the summer, and he can be.... quite a handful at times."
I let that mull over my jet lagged brain, but I was so sleepy it didn't sink in that I'd have to spend my two weeks in the presence of this 'handful'.
" But summer is nearly over, and you're only staying with us for two weeks, so I'm sure he won't pose much of an issue." She concluded, a spring of positivity hopping into her tone.

Her words were starting to sound all the same now, so I just nodded my head and made some incomprehensible sound that resembled a hmmm. The landscape blurred past as we made our way to the house, trees merged into one longer river of moss green and burnt yellows. And when I say blurred, it wasn't an exaggeration, it seemed Flo fancied herself quite the daredevil, rarely going slower than 95mph.
I didn't have long to admire the beauty that surrounded me, not that I could clearly see any of it due to Flo's erratic driving, because she started pulling into a long driveway. Griffins flanked either side with menacing expressions on their faces; their stone eyes coming to life under the shine of the moon.

The house was majestic. Cream walls topped with a dominating black roof, but not overly extravagant. My first impression of the Asher family from their home exterior was that they had money, a lot of it in fact, but they didn't feel the need to flaunt it. After all, a lion doesn't need to roar to know that it is a lion. And with that in mind, I collected my case from the trunk, and proceeded to follow Flo into the lions den.