I'm New to This

So, this is our new home?

“Welcome home, Felix!” my dad said enthusiastically, patting me on the back in a heart-warming manner.

Yeah, sure. I didn’t say anything as I lugged my big suitcase into the moldy old house. It was a townhouse set between many others. I wondered if anyone was watching.

“Oh, Felix! Don’t sulk, I’m sure we won’t be here for long,”

“Sure, dad.” I said. My feet stopped at the entrance. I stared at the open house. I hadn’t even been shown pictures of the house, so this was my first time seeing it. We had uprooted and left so fast, we didn’t have time to do anything. The house was small; a kitchen and a dining room, plus a small couch and TV. In the corner was one room. My brow furrowed. “Where’s my room?”

“Right there,” my dad said, pointing at the ceiling. I gave him a skeptical look.

“In the attic?”

“Yeah.. But it’s been renovated,” I looked at my dad. “Don’t worry. It has a bathroom and everything!”

I left my suitcase at the entrance and took a few steps toward the little door in the ceiling. There was a string hanging down. I gently tugged on it. Nothing happened, so I pulled harder and the stairs popped down in a ruckus. My dad ran up and helped me catch them, then set them in place.

“Wow. I really lucked out, dad. Thanks.” I said sarcastically. He laughed, rubbing his nose with his thumb.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You might like it, though. I know you’re a hermit.” we both laughed at that. Then I sighed.

“It’s so hot here,” I sat on one of the steps. My dad nodded like he was digesting some bad news.

“I know…. I know it’s tough to move to a new place, let alone a new country, but… you just gotta take it in stride, okay? Felix?” my dad said, ending his speech by putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in to a side hug. I resisted a little and mumbled an ‘I know’. My dad never was one to be great at comforting.

“You have to help me get my bag up there, though.” I said. My dad smiled and nodded, as if to say ‘Of course!’ Then I lugged over to my bag and rolled it to the stairs. Without saying anything, I grabbed the front end and he went to the back. The stairs were really just a mix between stairs and a latter, so it was super tough to get up them when I was walking backwards and carrying a load. But, we got it up there.

My new room was kinda cool. Pretty cool. Like dad said, it had it’s own bathroom. Well, sort of. It had a bathtub and a sink and a toilet, but there weren’t any walls. Dad said that it was put in at the last minute, but it works fine. And he said it was convenient because he wouldn’t want me going into his room to use the toilet. Which I thought was pretty cool.

Like the rest of the house, there was all the furniture I needed. Except, the bed was very flimsy; it almost looked like a lumpy futon, but dad assured me that it was a mattress and that it had been cleaned.

“Why is there all this stuff here?” I asked dad, motioning to the bed and the desk I had just noticed.

“Hm?” dad looked at me, then at the stuff. “A coworker of mine used to own this place. He gave it to the company so we could have it.”

“So he just left all his stuff?”

“Well, yeah. He had his nephew or his sister or something living here.. But they’re all moved out, so don’t worry. It was easier on us if we didn’t have to worry about all the furniture.”

There was a moment of silence as I found something else to say.

“So is there an air conditioner?” I finally asked, just beginning to realize how sweaty I had become from the lugging.

“Hmm, not yet. We have a fan, though.”

“Shit, dad! I don’t know if that’s going to be enough!”

“Oh don’t worry, it won’t get much hotter until September.”

“…Oh.”

We stood a while longer, then we departed; him going to set up his own room, and me going to get the rest of my things. After I was all set up, I stood aimlessly in the midst of my room. I extended and retracted the stairs a few times, trying to get the hang of it.

After about a half hour of being there, I pulled out my laptop.

Day one;

It’s hot and humid and I’m sticky everywhere and I can’t breath.

Social life hasn’t improved. I’ve met no one here.

If I look outside, it’s cloudy. Odd, considering how blazing hot it is. But, dad said it was the Australian winter time.

My prediction: life isn’t going to get much better.

Just you and me, laptop.

I start a game of solitaire on my laptop when I’m interrupted. My dad’s calling my name.

“Yeah?” I yell down the stairs.

“You wanna get something to eat?” he yells back up. I quickly put my computer aside, standing up and yelling an affirmative in his direction.

My heart starts pumping as we head out to our rental car.

I’m not exactly the “Australian surfer”-type.

I hope I don’t stick out.

I gulp down the last of the anxieties as I get into the car.

It’s not like I can help it. I live here now.