We Could Make It Right

She took me to this real fancy seafood restaurant which was inside a major shopping complex in their area.

But I probably should’ve mentioned before we walked in the seafood made me extremely queasy.

But it was too late for that, I endured seafood’s uneasy taste on my mouth for the first time since I was 7 years old and truthfully it only made my yearn for something like salad grow..And if we’re being honest, salad wasn’t my choice-food.

“You must try the seafood platter they’ve got here” she paused as she took a bite out her appetizer.

“..Andy and Vi fight over it all the time”

“I’m fine with this , thanks anyway” I smiled politely looking down at a gram-cracker which had the smallest amount of smoked-salmon imaginable on it. Just the sight of it made me feel a bit under the weather.

“Katelynn that’s nothing!” she lightly squealed.

“Sorry it's just ..I’m ..not exactly a seafood person” I spoke up feeling slightly embarrassed for leaving until the last minute.

“Don’t be sorry love, it’s fine”

“Waiter!” she called out causing people at nearby tables to stop what they were doing and stare at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you out of here and off to somewhere where you’ll eat” she smirked.

After grabbing the waiter’s attention, she paid for her ‘English Style’ fish and chips (which I might add looked too high in cholesterol to even be called food) that looked nothing like the fish and chips you could get by the small corner shop where Evan worked for a few years back home…my old home anyway.

We walked out of the restaurant and started walking towards one of the food courts which had almost everything imaginable. For crying out loud it had a freakin’ Nando’s.

“I’m sorry I didn’t eat at the restaurant” I stated as we started walking.

“It’s fine darling; I just thought that because your mother loves seafood and that she grew up on the coast of Barcelona..”

“If it’s any consolation I loved it when ma’ used to make Spanish meals” I laughed softly.

We stopped walking for a few reasons. One because we finally reached this food court and secondly because I didn’t think she processed what she just heard.

“Used to?, what do you mean by used to ?”

“Do you mind if we get our food first then I’ll tell you ?” I asked trying my hardest to divert her attention for a short while.

I told her I wanted McDonalds, when I really didn’t. It was merely just an easy fix.

“Sure thing”

So I might’ve bent the truth a little bit when Aunt Madelynn asked about my mother. Okay, more than a little bit; sometimes a little lie can get you into a little rut like I’m in now.

We moved off to find a table; those five minutes we spent trying to find a spot were the most nerve-wracking five minutes of my life up to date. I had to try to find the right words to say without offending or defending.

~
It was just around the time I was born, according to Evan anyway. As far as I knew, my parents fought...fought a lot. My father, he had a mistress. After he found out my mum was pregnant with me, he wanted no part. He wanted a son; and only a son. He left my mum around the time she was 4 months pregnant.

The reason being because she found out about his sex buddy. He started anew – raised a new family with my now step-mum Karissa. They had two daughters, so you could only imagine how much this tears me. Not long after, I was born, unsurprisingly the two of them fought in the delivery room. The only thing that they agreed on was what to name me.

Not long after my 12th birthday, my mum was diagnosed with cancer of the lung. She wasn’t given long to live which only made her live every day she could doing the things she loved. She got remarried, witnessed Evan’s graduation from one of England’s finest schools , heck – even witnessed the fight I had with my father about moving all the way here which was months prior to this.

Her fight became a battle; her battle became a struggle , her struggle became hospitalisation.
Months later, hospitalisation became a funeral with white roses.

I repeated what I just thought to Aunt Madelynn. She had a sudden plain face take over. I don’t think she knew exactly how to feel. I mean, it’s not every day your best friend’s daughter tells you that she’s passed on.

**

Hours later, we finally came back home. Bag after bag after bag was brought into the home. She probably went a little bit retail-therapy crazy. Although I think some of the many bags were groceries.. somehow I don’t think you can wear onions even if you tried to.

As we walked into the main room, I straightened out the dress I changed into.

There they were in their daggy clothing all except for Vee.

“There you are!” Vee grabbed my arm forcefully as she ran towards me.

“So this is the English chick?” I heard faintly.

“She has a name you idiot”

The guy with the light green eyes and brunette hair stared me down.

“..And?”

I could see that the other guys that were there just laughed at this. I’m guessing them acting like this was a general occurrence.

“Shut the fuck up John” Vee said hitting him on the back of his head, while she was doing that he formed a smirky-smile.

“No way man! But seriously this the chick?”

“Katelynn” I spoke after getting tired of being called ‘the chick’. Although it was only twice, it was just a little strange.

“..M-My name’s Katelynn”

He let out his hand to start his gesture.

“John, Vee’s best friend”

“Katelynn sound’s so formal” a boy with a similar hair colour but shorter cut interrupted.

I turned around and faced him puzzled. Generally, there wasn’t a lot of comment about my name. This would have to be one of the first times.

“What do you suggest?” I chuckled.

“Katie..Katie’s what I suggest” he laughed softly. Meeting new people might not have been an area of expertise for this guy. As far as I could tell anyway. Then again, I could be wrong, I generally am anyway.

“I’m Jonathan by the way...please just call me Kennedy”.

I thought about questioning how he got Kennedy from Jonathan, but I decided not to just in case I was digging way into his comfort zone.

“Guy with the blonde-red hair, that’s Jared. You see the one with the 1964 Paul McCartney haircut?, he’s Eric but we like to call him Halvo—”

“It’s because my last name’s Halvorsen” he looked up from his phone for a second as he said so.

“..Anyway” Kennedy continued. “This one here..” he stated scruffing up his hair. “This is little Patrick”

“Pat” he acknowledged “You can just call me Pat..p-plus I’m the same age as you..Katie..not Kenny.” Pat finished stuttering.

This whole thing was a lot for me to grasp. The person who I learned to be Kennedy stopped for a second. “Wait where’s Garrett..”

“Garrett, hey” he spoke nervously.

“Sorry I’m late, Rachael just..” a boy with the darkest hair imaginable questioned as he walked in. It was more than obvious that it’s been dyed multiple if not many times.

He stared me down like I was some convicted criminal or something. His deep blue eyes tracing over my body frame. Me personally, I wouldn’t say I was much to look at. It could be worst, the last time someone stared at me this immensely was when I was still in England – and it was one of Evan’s paedophilic friends.

“Oh very funny guy’s” he distastefully brought up. A reign of confusion slowly took over, I didn’t even know what the hell was going on. “This supposed to be some kind of joke?”

“Joke? Are you on crack Nickelsen?” Vee spoke up.

In the back of my mind, I had a feeling that any second, one of the adults that lived in the home or better yet Andrew would walk in on the blaspheme-fest. Luckily they didn’t as it looked like they were all off in their own little world which I was more than surprised about. Parents not being worried about their only daughter in a room full of boys. God salute them.

“What’s going on?” I mouthed as my eyes started to shift in commotion. I looked over at John who couldn’t exactly help. He looked just as confused as me.

“Dude, leave your problems with Rachael somewhere else” Halvo mumbled.

At that moment, Pat signalled for me to sit near him so he could whisper something to me.

Because Pat had to speak softly, I didn’t exactly hear word-for-word. Something about girlfriend issues, something along those lines anyway.

“Gare, this is the Katelynn Vee was telling us about at lunch”

“W-What ?,”

“This is Katelynn?,”

“I heard you; Kate—this is Katelynn?”

“Nice to meet you too” I smirked.

“Fucking hell guy’s you could’ve told me that this was her...”

“Well we couldn’t ya douche”

“So uh..I’m just gonna go now..” I stated slowly walking backwards with my thumb pointing
towards the staircase.

“Katie where are you going?” Kennedy asked giving me a puppy dog stare.

“ Yeah Katie” everyone else there protested against my decision.

“Bed..jetlag, kinda tired from the flight”

Yes, I was tired. Not tired, exhausted; probably exhausted from the flight and that little fight over my existence and reasoning of me being there. Sure I could’ve handled that differently, but what’s done is done..right?

“Bye, nice meeting you guys” I smiled walking off and in return I got little waves.

“See ya” I said to the guy I assumed to be Garrett. But that smile was barely even a smile.
I don’t even know what it was.

I started to walk onto the first step of the lavish staircase. Vaguely hearing the conversations from the living space.

“Garrett what the fuck was that?” I heard John’s voice beam.

“What was what? How was I supposed to know I was gonna be late here because of –”

“She’s probably not gonna want to speak to us now”

“Well I’m sorry I didn’t know I was meeting her and my girlfriend breaking up with me would happen all in one day..”

And that was all I heard. I walked into the bedroom, firstly switched on the a.c and fell face first on my bed. At that moment, I didn’t exactly care that I was wearing a dress or that anyone at that moment could’ve walked inside the room. I just wanted sleep – even if it was only 4pm.

Sleep was what I wanted.

Sleep was what I got.