Twin Sized Mattress

January 12th 2005,

Clara's grandmother didn't look sick. The only thing revealing the lung cancer was the oxygen tubes in her nose and down her throat. She looked different than in the photographs, still smiling and happy but the tanned skin mother said she had for her entire life was gone. Her hair was the same too, wild and curly. Her eyes were the darkest of brown, so inviting to Clara. As she embraced her grandmother, she smelled like cinnamon.

Her grandmother reminded her of home. Clara herself had the same eyes, but her long brown hair was not curly. She made a mental note to ask her mom if she looked like her Nana.
They spend their second day in America in a hospital with her Nana, watching re-runs of an older show called M*A*S*H* that she had never seen before. Her Nana said America was crying when it's last episode aired.

***

January 18th,
Clara's new house was in the middle of Towson, Maryland. It was snowing here, which was so odd for someone living in hot, humid Australia to see. Of-course she had seen snow before, but she just hadn't remembered it.

Two shirts, leggings and jeans, and two pairs of socks kept her warm. She sat on her back porch watching the snow fall. There was a sound system set up in the entire house; someone had put The Beatles record in.
Inside you could hear her parents singing obnoxiously along, "Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day."
Giggling at the thought of them trying to sing up together, she stayed outside even longer than she planned; her parents deserved a moment mirroring their teenage years together.

Deciding to take a walk, Clara slipped her shoes on. She grabs her jacket that was hanging up in doorway. Pushing her phone in her pocket, she lets her dogs inside and makes her way to the gate.
She hadn't had anytime to explore this town.

Pulling a new cigarette box out of her pocket, she takes one out and lights it. She opens the gate begins walking.

In houses she sees many things happening before her. A family takes down their Christmas tree, another family says grace before dinner. At another house, everything was silent besides a boy sitting on the roof leading out from his bedroom window playing guitar.

Clara wishes she had her camera, just to take a quick picture of how calm he seemed. His fingers moved up and down the fret board. He sang along to the song he was playing. He looked so happy considering he could fall off the roof at any moment.
Deciding she needed to go home now, she lit up another cigarette for the walk home.

***

The music was off when she got home, and her parents were about to pull the lasagna out of the oven. The dogs were playing in the living room, and Baz slept on top of her fathers chair. She pulls her shoes off, and sets them in-front of the fireplace to dry. She takes her jacket off, and hangs it up.
"Bunny, go wash your hands. We will set the table, you're on dish duty okay?" She nods and walks to the bathroom to wash her hands.

At dinner, her parents talk about their new jobs they would be starting next Monday. Her father would be working at the hospital her Nana was in, her mom would work in the field of workers compensation at home. Clara would start high-school on the same Monday. A girl that was in her year lived down the street offered to take her to school every morning if she helped pay for gas. She had accepted the offer right away, she didn't like being in small spaces with people she didn't know.
American school buses were sweaty, and packed according to the girl.
Clara didn't know how she would ever be able to stand that.

"Mom, do you think the kids here will like me?" Her voice broke the silence of forks and knives scraping against plates.
Her mom set down her fork, chewed for a moment and answered "Bunny I don't see a reason for them not to!"

Loading dishes into the dishwasher wasn't Clara's favorite job, but she knew if she didn't do it her mother would be disappointed in her. She hummed as she put them, the job becoming too repetitive to think.