Tied Together With a Smile

Saturday the 12th of March, 2005. Today is the day my life changes completely. I look to my left and see my dad half asleep, I look out of the window to my right and I see beautiful hills, canyons, large grassy plains. It is so beautiful, I feel like I am on top of the world. Like no one can touch me, no one can hurt me. I lean back into my seat and close my eyes. I can’t believe I will be starting a new life. I can’t believe I will be leaving little ol’ New Zealand behind, and the beautiful lands below me will be my new home. Where am I moving to? Oh, well I am moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. A new start, a new life, and hopefully a kick start to my music career.

xXx

Everything is so different, so new! I watch the cars drive past, the people around me. This city is completely different to home. I follow my dad, dragging my heavy luggage behind me. He calls of a taxi and the next thing I know, we are being driven through the streets. I see all the people around us, we drive past the school I am hoping to be enrolled into. It is beautiful, is it perfect. I close my eyes and lean back as we continue the journey to my new home.

It wasn’t long before the car stops. My dad pays the driver and we grab our stuff. My aunty and uncle come running out, giving us both hugs and showing us in. “Was the flight alright? Not too long I hope!” My Aunty Eliza says. I grin and look at the pictures covering the walls, this house is beautiful.

“It was a pretty smooth flight, better than previous flights” Dad comments and looks over to me. “You probably don’t remember the last time we were over here,” he adds. I look up a little confused.

“No, I must have been young,” I say and take a seat on one of the comfy blue couches.

“Oh yes she was. Her and the boy next door would play around in the yard,” Eliza says with a big smile on her face and she thinks back to my early childhood.

“Yeah,” Uncle Richard agrees. “You stayed with 5 or 6 times, can’t believe how time has flown by though, look at you,” He says and walks over and gives me a huge hug.

“Every summer in January you would come over her for 4 weeks and in the autumn and winter breaks” Dad says, trying to see if it will uncover any memories.

I just smiled and looked around the house. It was very familiar, but it was all a blur to me. The last time I was over here was when I was 6, hell; it’s been 6 years since then! “Oh you and the next door used to be so close. I was so sure you two would grow up and get married!” Eliza says with a huge smile on her face. I blush and look to the ground, I wonder if he remembers me? I don’t really remember him. Like I remember his beautiful blue eyes, his smile, and how one day I dared him to kiss me, and ran when he tried. I wonder what he is like now.

“Eliza, don’t give her any ideas. She doesn’t remember the boy,” Dad warns in a protective way. I am his little angel; he has every right to feel the need to be protective over me. I am the good girl out of the family. The ballerina, pianist and choir singer with high grades, where my other siblings started to slip through the cracks, I kept growing and growing.

“Its okay dad, time has passed and we are probably two very different people now,” I say and smile up at my dad. I feel weird though, I have this weird feeling in my chest. Like, a sort of weight, darkness, something? I tell myself that we have changed, which is probably true, but I feel... I feel sad? Maybe it’s because I had so much fun in the past, and knowing that he probably won’t talk to me now, maybe that hurts me? It shouldn’t. Or at least, I don’t think it should.

xXx

A week after arriving here in Ohio, I am finally off for my first day of school. I am in grade 6 at The School for Creative and Performing Arts. I am kind of scared, like everyone has friends, everyone knows each other. I am starting out of the blue, near the end of the school year too. I look through my wardrobe trying to find something nice. But nice isn’t something I really own. My clothes mainly consist of plaid shirts, blue jeans, a couple of cute dresses but I am not a dress kind of girl.

I finally pull out my favourite plaid shirt and jeans and then grab my messenger bag. I put all my school books in it and other bits and pieces. I grab the guitar that I have been learning to play on and put it in its case and next to my bag. I rush into the bathroom and brush my hair, then pulling it up into a pony tail. “Don’t forget to open your curtains and make your bed!” Aunt Eliza shouts out to me.

I groan and make my bed, and then I pull open the curtains and smiled. I see him, I see the boy from next door. He looks over and I blush, my cheeks felt like they are on fire. He kind of smiles at me, waves before pulling a shirt over his head and grabbing his stuff and leaving. I grab the window pane, my knees going weak. That smile, those eyes, they are everything I remember. He had changed. He wasn’t the same boy I knew six years ago; he had short black hair now and was wearing eyeliner. He looked bad, he looked reckless, but I liked it.