Aarmau Short Stories ●A Purplla Publish●

|Story Three| Diary of a Runaway Teenager

This weekend, I got to spend time with my dad and his new family in their house for the first time since he got remarried. Here's how it went:

•○●A Purplla Publish●○•

Friday:

I open the car door and step out in front of Dad's house. It's a big light green two story house with a white wrap around porch. The yard was huge and there were a lot of bushes with pink and white impatiens around the house.

I close the door as Dad goes into his trunk and takes my duffel bag out. "It's nice." I speak as he walks up to me. "How long have you guys had it?"

"Two years," He answers, "I would've brought you over the day we bought it, but you know how stubborn your mother is." Mom was a little jealous when she found out Dad remarried. I went to the service to show support. She didn't want me to because "It'll surface feelings", but I didn't feel much different after. That was the day I met

"Elaine." Dad looks up at the door to see a woman holding it open. "You've met her before, but this is my daughter."

"Aphmau." She steps off of the porch and starts walking towards me with open arms. "Nice to see you again." She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. Elaine was tall with pale skin, green eyes, and brown hair. She was very lean for a woman who's had three children. She also smells like lemon. I like her for a stepmom.

"It's nice to see you too, Elaine." I hug her back. She laughs and lets me go. 

"Look at you!" She holds my hands in the air, "I remember when you were just thirteen. You've grown so much!" I've thinned out a little and my hair is longer, but that's really it. I give her a smile.

"Thank you." I respond. Two boys, a nine year old and a seven year old, come running out of the house, a large golden retriever following them. They all run around the yard and I watch. I never had siblings to play with like that. "Are those your sons?"

"Liam and Jake." Elaine says, "Did you meet them at the wedding by any chance?" I have. Except Jake was four and could barely speak while Liam was seven and all he did was speak. And speak. And speak some more. 

"Jake has definitely grown from his toddler days." He was chubbier now. His brown hair was now dirty blond and he's a little more darker than his mom. 

"Enough standing around here. Let's get you to your room and get you something to eat."

That day, I got in my room, unloaded a little, texted a few friends, then Elaine made dinner. It was really good. Liam is a lot more funnier than I thought, even if he talks more than he did when we were at the wedding.

Jake played with his mashed potatoes half of the time and he was quieter, but he began to speak more and more. Not as much as Liam, but it was a start. Later, Dad came into my room and told me he was happy I was there. I told him it was nice seeing him again.

~~~

Saturday:

We all drop the boys off at their boy scout's meeting. "You boys have fun." Elaine says as Liam and Jake jump out of the car. I move from where I was in the middle to behind where Dad was sitting. "Aphmau."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"How does lunch sound? We haven't all had a proper bonding time. Even at the wedding." Lunch sounds great. Dad looks back at me and smiles. I smile back, 

"Lunch sounds great." Elaine grins and starts the car back up. It takes us about twenty minutes to make it downtown and we drive around for five minutes until we find a restaurant. It's a local place called Fenice, which is Italian for "Phoenix". Cliche, huh?