It's Our Last Chance to Feel Again

People whizzed past me. One by one, couples, groups of friends; none of them stopped to take a second look. It wasn't as if I knew them, and it wasn't as if I wasn't used to it. After all, I was no one important. Just another girl who wanted more out of life.

"Katherine?" Someone called, and I turned to look in that direction. There, a man who was in his fifties stood, tugging on the collar of his shirt that was probably suffocating his thick neck. I stayed rooted to the spot, while the sweaty fat man made his way over.

"I'm your uncle. Uncle Jack? I trust your mother has mentioned me," He said, answering my questioning look.

So this was the man I was to be staying with for the next two months. I nodded and extended my hand to shake his outstretched hand, "Nice to finally put a face to the name."

He smiled and looking at the luggages I had surrounding me, offered to help me as he led the way to his car. It wasn't a huge conspicuous car that everyone would notice when driving along the road; but it was big enough to accommodate five oversized people, to say the least. The car had an initial overpowering smell that made me flinch, like wet dog, but after the first few breaths, the smell became one of a woody musky smell that made me feel so... Homely. It was cliched, but it was also true. Funny that I should find a home in a place I've never been to than in the place I grew up.

"So," Uncle Jack started, "How old are you exactly?"

That made me laugh. "Jessica didn't even tell you how old I was?"

"Jessica? Oh, you mean yo- Oh. Well, no. Your mom didn't tell me much about you. Just that your name was Katherine, and that you were coming to live with me for the next few months."

"Did she tell you why?" I asked, suspecting the answer would be a

"No," He shook his head, "Did she tell you?"

"I was actually hoping you'd tell me. She's never sent me to a relative, so I'm trying to figure out what she's thinking."

"You mean she's sent you to live with people you don't know?" He asked.

I shrugged, and nonchalantly said, "Yeah."

I'm not sure if he had been joking when he asked that question, or if he had been serious, but it seemed like the answer genuinely surprised him.

"That doesn't seem like Jess. Why on earth would she do that?"

"Ask Daniel."

"Who's Daniel?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"Her boyfriend. Well, husband now. They got married last year. Finally."

"Oh. Daniel. He sent you away?"

"No, they both did. Daniel suggests it, Jessica agrees with his idea, and off I go. It's usually with friends of Daniel's or Jessica's, but this time, she's involving a family member."

"Why on earth would they send you away?"

"I don't know. Privacy? So that they have less to worry about?"

"You seem fine with this whole arrangement," Uncle Jack noted as stopped at a traffic light, and turned to look at me.

"I'm used to it," I shrugged and looked him dead in the eye.

If there's one thing I learnt from living with different people all the time, it's that when you show that you aren't afraid of them, they don't try to mess with you. Nor do they try to act like an overprotective parent. Sometimes, I really don't understand adults. They treat their friends' children like as if they were their own baby, and their own children like some other kid they've never met before.

As the light turned green, he made a left, and then said, "Well, if you're tired, I suggest you get some rest because it's a long journey, and I don't think we have to know everything about each other on the first day we meet."

I gave a small smile and then closed my eyes, resting my head against the headrest, changing my position every once in a while to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in.