We Could Make It Right

Usually in weeks prior to your birthday, you’d feel some sense of belonging. Knowing that, this is the day your parents happily brought you into the world. The day your only sibling becomes a ‘big brother’. Weeks prior, having only one parent due to lack of interest – yep one big happy family if you ask me.

The only person in the group that I thought really knew about my birthday being in this month was Vee. But I slowly learnt that sometimes telling one person about a certain event in your life can lead to many people knowing; which is why I’m kind of worrying if Garrett will say anything to anyone about my mum.

Aside from Garrett, Aunt Madelynn is really the only person that knows about my mother’s death, she hasn’t and thankfully won’t tell anyone in her family about such a tragic event – but this isn’t about her death. It shouldn’t be anyway.

“Katie, it’s for you!” Vee yelled as she got the yellow envelope in the mail pile. I never got mail, even in England. I took the envelope out of Vee’s hands, and I instantly recognised the writing as Evan’s.It was quite thick for a single letter, then I realised that there was obviously more than one piece of paper.

If this got to you Katelynn, I’m glad that Aunt Madelynn still lives in the same home she had told Mum about ages ago. Anyway, Hello! You still remember me right? Your older brother? Named after the prick in the family? Yep, it’s Evan! I’m sorry I haven’t been communicating with you lately, really, I truly am. So how are you? I know that it’s that time of year again and that other letter in here? It’s from someone really important to us, and all I can say is I hope you have tissues handy.
I miss you so much, love you and take care.
Evan.

Dearest Katelynn,
If you’re reading this now, you’ve reached sixteen and I truly could not have asked for a better daughter. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and I just wanted you to know that. As you know, by the time you’ll get this letter, I’ll no longer be with you and Evan physically – but I’ll always be with you mentally and in your hearts forever. Despite your father’s actions in life, inside he loves you as well – after all you are his blood and there is no way of changing it. I understand that reading that alone is hard to believe but he does. It’s hard to believe you’re now 16, I still think it was yesterday I was helping you take your first steps and now, there’s just no words to describe how proud I am. I’ll finish this letter now, but I just wanted to give you that last chance of seeing my writing.
I love you forever and ever baby girl.
- Mum

My heart suddenly felt like it was sinking, a million miles a second. It wasn’t a nice feeling, that I will admit. I’ve been crying too much lately, I couldn’t possibly shed anymore tears. I just couldn’t.

“Katie is everything okay?” Vee asked, looking straight into my eyes.

I didn’t say a thing. I just looked at her and she instantly knew the answer to the question she just asked. She walked straight up to me and took me under her arms, gave me one of most needed hugs of my life up to date.

She walked with me up the staircase. We got to her room and she just sat on her bed while I went through the suitcase that I brought with me. My box, a little square shaped box with a little purple flower on the top. That little box held all of my most prized possessions, and there for the first time in ages, I went through the box. Pictures after pictures and stuff written down on pieces of paper ,receipts of just about anything.

“Can I see?” She asked, I couldn’t say no.

“Yeah; of course” I then joined her on her bed sitting cross-legged.

We just went through the same pictures, for what felt like hours. In reality 10 minutes.

“Who’s that boy?,”

“That’s Evan”

And that’s all she said at that moment, she didn’t go any further. She excused herself from the room for a while, taking with her, her cell phone.

I took a deep breath and placed all the pictures and memories back into the box. I put it back into the suitcase and pushed it straight under the bed.

Enough reminiscing for now.

“Katie?” a faded voice murmured. “Katie – time to get up”

“What?” I looked around for a few seconds and then eventually my eyes found the alarm clock and a blurry figure kneeling on the floor next to it.

2:21pm.

“It seems like I’m always the one that’s waking you up!” he continued after a few seconds.

“Be privileged,” I said smiling, but still sleepily. “Ho-Why are you even up here?”

“The Stephenson’s are out, including Vee. They didn’t want to wake you up so Vee called Kenny over to ‘baby-sit’ and well I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to come over here again. Plus Craig loves me and Kenny” he said with a joyous tone to it.

“I’m not a baby” I said putting on a childish attitude.

“Of course you’re not,”

“I’m not a baby I’m turning 16 in a few weeks”

“Still, you’re a baby compared to me,”

“And you’re how much older than me?”

“About nine months older.”

“Still. Baby”

“Where are we going with this Garrett?”

“Nowhere..”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea!” I finally said.

“Oh yeah, what is it?,”

“You let Katelynn sleep and you and Kenny can do whatever you guys like doing downstairs,”

“Sleeping overboard isn’t good for baby’s, I’ve got a better idea – but only if you’re up to it,”

“As long as you don’t call me ‘baby’ again, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

He stood up from his spot on the floor. And let one hand out, “Time to get up little girl”

When we went downstairs, I was the first one to lead, followed by Garrett.

“Hey kiddo” Kenny tilted his head from the couch and looked straight at me. He was watching some music documentary that we consequently had a copy of on DVD . “Correction, Kiddo’s”
Garrett lifted his hand in the form of saying hello. “Hey Kenny..”

“So where are we going?” Kenny continued speaking, but his face not leaving the screen.

“Out” Garrett motioned pointing straight to the door.

“Be back in a few hours, can’t have the Stephenson’s worrying about this little girl over here, alright Gare?,”

“Sure thing Ken”

“Great, you kids have fun now,”

“We will Kenny, don’t you worry,” Garrett finished speaking and then we walked straight out of the door. “What was that about?” I finally asked him once we reached the boardwalk.

“The what?,”

“The we will, don’t you worry ?” I asked curiously.

“Nothing, it was just to shut him up, ”

We started walking further down the street which lead to a bus stop. The bus stop was surrounded by little shops. Shops like newsagents, a mini-mart and some type of odds-and-ends shop. We walked into the mini-mart and got a bags worth Sour Patch Kids, Sour Worms and Chocolate. Just a massive sugar rush.

About 5 minutes later, we got on the first bus that arrived. I didn’t ask the most required question of the moment on where we were going, I didn’t feel the need in asking him. We stayed on the bus for another three stops. I held the bag of lollies as we walked another 2 metres until we reached our destination. It was a park, but not just any type of park. It was a big park, filled with happy children playing in the playground, Families having picnics. And a lake, this giant lake that ran through the entire park.

“What are we doing here?,” I asked as we walked alongside the lake. Little pieces of dirt falling into the water as we walked on that little path.

“I dunno, I just thought that maybe we should get out of the house for a while.”

“So we go to a park?,”

“Not just any park, Katie.”

“Oh?,”

“Yeah.. I used to come here a lot with Trey when we were younger,” he then took in a deep breath.

“We used to play catch here, but then this one time the ball actually fell inside that lake there.” We soon enough sat on this patch of grass, secluded from the people; but still close enough to the lake.

“Me being that little hero, went to go and get the ball. I wasn’t really listening to Trey when he said that I might drown.”

He looked me straight in the eye to see if I was still listening to him, oddly enough my eyes never left his. Just really intrigued by what he had to say.

“Long story short, I’m actually quite fortunate to be alive right now.”

“So, that’s why he’s really protective over you?,”

“Yea—I mean, I guess, he almost lost me once so he probably doesn’t want to lose me again. Which I guess is fair enough”

“Gare?,”

“Yeah?” He muttered with a mouth full of sour-worms, leaving me laughing. “What ?” he said straight after he swallowed his food.

“Nothing, it’s just that, not that I wasn’t interested in hearing that but..”

“Why did I tell you?” he finished off for me. I nodded my head and he began speaking again.

“Well, it’s just that, I know that I’m in no comparison to your mom or something. But , I dunno, it’s just that you trusted me enough to tell me about something in your past that I can only imagine must’ve been hard for you to say. So I just wanted to tell you my story of.. yeah”

“Wow, it’s just –”

“Hard to believe?,”

“Yeah” I said softly. “So.." I said, vaguely chaning the subject. " I bet Rachael loved it here, it’s so serene”

“Rachael’s never been here” he said quietly, “She’s also never heard that story I just told you...”

I felt something I've never felt before in my life. I couldn't describe it, even if I tried.

“I got a letter from Evan today..” I began to speak after a few minutes of silence. I told Garrett about the receiving of the letter’s from both my mum and Evan. Just as I stayed in tune to what he was telling me, and just like a few days ago, he listened so attentively.

Alright, here’s my sense of belonging.
And his name is Garrett Nickelsen.