You're Not Lost
Two.
"Elle!!"
The shy and timid girl slowly stepped out of the taxi cab, only to be wrapped in the arms of a girl about her age.
Already, she was overwhelmed. The last half hour of the drive had been filled with less trees and more and more buildings passing by. The neighborhood they were in felt strange. The yards were small, the houses were close together. Every house looked almost the same.
"Hi, Janie." She smiled politely at the nickname her cousin had graciously given her.
A few feet away, a tall, thin, middle aged woman emerged from the house with a wallet in her hand and a bright smile on her face.
"Elizabeth!" She cried, as she stepped around the two young girls and stuck a hand full of money through the cab window.
"Thank you!" She called out. The driver sped away, leaving the three girls on the front lawn.
"Let's go inside! It's so good to see you dear! Is that all you've brought, one bag? Well, you can borrow some of Janie's things 'till you get settled. C'mon, let's all go inside!"
The women spoke fast and excitedly, as she grabbed Elizabeth's only bag for her and led them into the small, grey, two-story house.
"Elle, I've missed you so much! I'm so glad your here!" The tiny blonde grinned up at her cousin. She looked as though she could hardly contain her emotions. Still in slight shock that this was all really happening, Elizabeth just smiled back.
--
Aunt Sandra and Janie were two of the nicest people Elizabeth had ever met. Granted, she hadn't met many people over the years, but she was sure that even if she had, her aunt and cousin would still be at the top of the list. She only got to see them a few times a year, when they would come out to Pennsylvania every now and then and spend the afternoons with her and her mother. They would walk around farmers markets or craft shows during the summer.
Elizabeth had always been slightly jealous of her cousin. She would admire her beautiful sundresses with the thin shoulder straps, or her jean shorts and bright colored t-shirts and flip flops. Her long golden hair always looked beautiful in the sunlight. Elizabeth would watch as Janie and her mother would laugh and hug and tell stories together, all while finishing each others sentences. They seemed so...happy.
For a long time, Elizabeth believed she was happy too. But the more Sandra and Janie would visit, the more confused she felt. She knew her mother, Rebecca, loved her, but there was hardly any laughter in their house. They seldom hugged, only on rare occasions.
Her long dresses that went down to her ankles and the bonnets she had to wear over her hair didn't feel beautiful. Her mother had tried to convince her that it was just a phase.
Teenage angst, and that it would soon pass. And for a long time she believed that too.
But the summer came around again, and one rainy day Aunt Sandra knocked on the front door. She was alone, and that was odd.
That afternoon Elizabeth scrubbed the kitchen floor and listened to the sisters talk in hushed tones. From what she could make out they talked about the future. Sandra tried to convince Rebecca to leave town and come live with her, but Rebecca refused, saying that this is where her heart was now. Sandra talked about Elizabeth, and how she knew she wasn't happy anymore. Rebecca began to deny those accusations when Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen.
"What if I'm not happy here, mother?"
After a long battle, Sandra had finally won, and Elizabeth would be spending a few weeks of the summer in Baltimore with her and Janie.
--
As strange as everything was, Elizabeth was already starting to feel at home. She had never stayed in a house with electricity before, but the kindness of her Aunt and cousin was making her feel more at ease.
"Now! What should we order for dinner? You must be starving!"
Elizabeth's eyes went wide. It was nearly 9pm, and they hadn't eaten yet. She was normally getting ready for bed at this time. She was almost in a daze as she took a seat at the kitchen table while Sandra and Janie went back and forth on what to eat.
This was going to be an interesting summer, to say the least.
The shy and timid girl slowly stepped out of the taxi cab, only to be wrapped in the arms of a girl about her age.
Already, she was overwhelmed. The last half hour of the drive had been filled with less trees and more and more buildings passing by. The neighborhood they were in felt strange. The yards were small, the houses were close together. Every house looked almost the same.
"Hi, Janie." She smiled politely at the nickname her cousin had graciously given her.
A few feet away, a tall, thin, middle aged woman emerged from the house with a wallet in her hand and a bright smile on her face.
"Elizabeth!" She cried, as she stepped around the two young girls and stuck a hand full of money through the cab window.
"Thank you!" She called out. The driver sped away, leaving the three girls on the front lawn.
"Let's go inside! It's so good to see you dear! Is that all you've brought, one bag? Well, you can borrow some of Janie's things 'till you get settled. C'mon, let's all go inside!"
The women spoke fast and excitedly, as she grabbed Elizabeth's only bag for her and led them into the small, grey, two-story house.
"Elle, I've missed you so much! I'm so glad your here!" The tiny blonde grinned up at her cousin. She looked as though she could hardly contain her emotions. Still in slight shock that this was all really happening, Elizabeth just smiled back.
--
Aunt Sandra and Janie were two of the nicest people Elizabeth had ever met. Granted, she hadn't met many people over the years, but she was sure that even if she had, her aunt and cousin would still be at the top of the list. She only got to see them a few times a year, when they would come out to Pennsylvania every now and then and spend the afternoons with her and her mother. They would walk around farmers markets or craft shows during the summer.
Elizabeth had always been slightly jealous of her cousin. She would admire her beautiful sundresses with the thin shoulder straps, or her jean shorts and bright colored t-shirts and flip flops. Her long golden hair always looked beautiful in the sunlight. Elizabeth would watch as Janie and her mother would laugh and hug and tell stories together, all while finishing each others sentences. They seemed so...happy.
For a long time, Elizabeth believed she was happy too. But the more Sandra and Janie would visit, the more confused she felt. She knew her mother, Rebecca, loved her, but there was hardly any laughter in their house. They seldom hugged, only on rare occasions.
Her long dresses that went down to her ankles and the bonnets she had to wear over her hair didn't feel beautiful. Her mother had tried to convince her that it was just a phase.
Teenage angst, and that it would soon pass. And for a long time she believed that too.
But the summer came around again, and one rainy day Aunt Sandra knocked on the front door. She was alone, and that was odd.
That afternoon Elizabeth scrubbed the kitchen floor and listened to the sisters talk in hushed tones. From what she could make out they talked about the future. Sandra tried to convince Rebecca to leave town and come live with her, but Rebecca refused, saying that this is where her heart was now. Sandra talked about Elizabeth, and how she knew she wasn't happy anymore. Rebecca began to deny those accusations when Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen.
"What if I'm not happy here, mother?"
After a long battle, Sandra had finally won, and Elizabeth would be spending a few weeks of the summer in Baltimore with her and Janie.
--
As strange as everything was, Elizabeth was already starting to feel at home. She had never stayed in a house with electricity before, but the kindness of her Aunt and cousin was making her feel more at ease.
"Now! What should we order for dinner? You must be starving!"
Elizabeth's eyes went wide. It was nearly 9pm, and they hadn't eaten yet. She was normally getting ready for bed at this time. She was almost in a daze as she took a seat at the kitchen table while Sandra and Janie went back and forth on what to eat.
This was going to be an interesting summer, to say the least.
♠ ♠ ♠
I feel like this is turning out more stupid than I imagined...