Journey of Life.

Chapter 74.

I frame Merlyn being busy moving some boxes. I don't hesitate to help her. "Iris, I hope your parents like these, let's say gifts from us. Thomas has kept them especially for you guys."

I can't help but smile. "Thank you very much, even if you didn't have to! It is a pleasure for us to have Nancy and Daniel."

At that point, she opens her arms ready to hug me. "You have no idea how happy I am."

She cuddles my arm, looking at me with her usual shiny eyes. "I recommend, if they behave badly, do not hesitate to call me. They can really be brats, especially when they fight."

I laugh as the sentence ends. I immediately change behavior when she asks, "Is that girl a friend of yours by the way? I had seen her the last time we left for California-"

She pauses, touching her chin in search of remembering something. "I don't know, but her face is very familiar to me."

I don't like it. The heart does nothing but tighten, my stomach is closing. "She is Nikki. I've known her since middle school, let's say we are best friends."

"Nikki...Nikki...Stewarts? A friend of my husband has a daughter by that name." She gazes at me puzzled.

"She came to us a few times, she was a great friend of Iris Hamilton." She makes the gesture of the shoulders up. "I don't remember her face well. I wasn't very present in the house, but I probably saw her once or twice."

I watch her carefully when she repeats, "Something tells me that girl is very familiar."

After a great silence, she glances at me smiling. "Sorry, I was just thinking...and I don't want to be rude, but how are things going with James?"

Seeing myself silent, and cold she confesses, "Don't worry, I just wanted to know-"

"We are still in the process of understanding each other, and to do this we decided to take a break. So it's a way to freshen up our minds." She looks sad, expecting another version, unfortunately that's the truth.

After that, curious she remarks "I saw that necklace somewhere! I cannot admit it but it does suit on you."

Those words are a mixture of positivity and negativity. Not understanding the first sentence, I slowly inform "It is the same thing that Nancy told me. Was this necklace owned by someone else?"

My tone was rather cold. I'm tired of lies, and secrets- especially if it's about James'. She froze at my sudden expression, as if she was talking to a stranger. "Actually I'm not sure, but there must be a photo."

And looking around, to confirm that there is no one else, she warns "Follow me."

I stay a while where I am. I have a feeling that what I'm about to find out isn't going to change my mood. So I show my cold face as I follow Merlyn. And it's clearly that she would like to converse, but seeing me that way, she has no courage. So we just walk, and wander each in own thoughts. More than anything, I don't have much to talk to. Like as if every time I try to be happy, and positive there is always something that prevents me. Despite this, I try to resist. So I keep myself mentally ready, as soon as I see her opening a very familiar door. In fact, for the whole corridor, I looked around confused. I've been on this side of the house once before. In fact I understand when I frame the Van Gogh painting with his Sunflowers.

Now I remember. It was that day when the rest of the Harrison family left for California, I happened to hear someone playing the piano. So curious who it was, I followed that melody. I admired every detail of this corridor with such joy, including that painting I mentioned earlier. Especially when I entered this door. It led me to observe with wonder an instrument, that allowed me to travel back in the memories of my grandfather. In particular, it was the first time that James taught me, how to play one of his compositions called rainy love in which he was working on...