Balter

chapter 2

"So you're telling me that you broke grandma's lamp?" Mother said. Jamie and I both looked at each other before nodding slowly. Mother buried her face in her hands and sighed.

"Girls, you've got to be more careful." She said. "I hated that lamp, but it was the only thing we had of her."

"We're really sorry Mother. We tried to fix it, we really did." Jamie said. I nodded in agreement. Mother gave us a look of annoyance and sat down at the table.

"This is the 4th thing you've broke this week." Mother complained. I held back my laughter the best I could. We had actually broken way more, but some were easier to hide than others.

Mother's eyes then lit up and she smiled.

"Girls, how would you like to visit your Aunt Joan?"

I gasped and nodded before ever thinking. Aunt Joan traveled across the world, living in the most random places. She stayed in Paris now, learning the French language and painting numerous paintings of the Eiffel Tower. She sends post cards once a month from each place of her stay, and my jealously rises higher and higher each time.

"You are willing to send us to Paris?" Jamie asked. Mother smiled.

"You need time away from home, and she's your best option. I trust my sister with your lives. It will be fun for both of you."

"When will we leave? How long will we stay? Can we leave tomorrow? Can I live with her? Can I-"

"Roxanne chill out." Jamie said as she interrupted me. I giggled and placed my hand over my mouth.

"You can leave this weekend. That gives you tomorrow and Friday to go shopping and pack. Aunt Joan sent tickets awhile back just in case a time like this came up." Mother said. Jamie and I began jumping and squealing from excitement.

"We are going to Paris!" I cheered. Jamie laughed and grabbed my hands so we could spin around the kitchen in joy.

The mall was packed on Friday.

Jamie and I spent all of Thursday going through our closets to see what we lacked. It would be a little cooler in France, and we discovered that we would need a few for shirts with longer sleeves. We decided to wait until today to go shopping, though.

Such a bad idea.

"Forever 21?" Jamie asked. I nodded and pulled her into the store. Teenage girls overflowed the aisles as Jamie and I struggled through. We stayed most of our time here, though. My arms had began to hurt from the many clothes hanging off of them.

"I'll try them on at home. Can we please go?" Jamie asked. I nodded and headed to check out. The cashier happily scanned our items and we both walked out with 4 big bags each. I was exhausted from our day and had to get home fast. Jamie practically ran to the car after spotting it and I followed quickly.

"I could really use a nap." Jamie said as we rode home. I yawned and agreed. Shopping could really take the energy out of you. We sat in silence for most of the ride until Jamie asked a very good question.

"Why is Mother so keen on us going to Paris?"

I thought about her question for a while. It was odd for mother to just throw us away like this. Unless...

"She's got a new boyfriend." I said. Jamie turned to look at me with shock.

"What? No!" Jamie shrieked.

"It has to be! She wants us out of the house so she can bring him in."

"No, I can't believe this! Roxie, please tell me you are joking."

"Being dead serious, little sister."

Jamie groaned. "Ugh, I hate when this happens."

I nodded and sighed. Mother never wanted us around her new boyfriends. She says she wants to make sure he isn't a child molester or something, and I admire her precautions. But sometimes, she too precautions.

We arrived home shortly afterwards. I grabbed my bags and rushed to my room. I swiftly packed my things and plopped down on my bed.

The clock on my nightstand read 8:01 p.m. I was so tired, I didn't even realize my eyes were drooling until I fell asleep.

And I had the sweetest dreams of Paris.