CHAPTER TWO

Life in Chicago was definitely not what I expected. Aunt Cheryl lived in the suburbs, which was unfamiliar to me. I had seen many movies about living with relatives, and they rarely ended well. I worried that I would be mistreated, even though Aunt Cheryl had always been kind to me whenever she visited. Leaving behind my friends, neighbors, and the people I grew up with was daunting.

I barely had a chance to say goodbye to Cassidy before leaving. I made him promise he wouldn't forget me despite the distance. He had laughed, saying we weren't in the 19th century and could still communicate daily. While I knew that was true, virtual communication couldn't replace physical presence, and I feared our friendship might not survive the distance.

The first few days at Aunt Cheryl's weren't terrible. Her husband, Uncle Mark, was rarely home, which was a relief. Not that he was bad, but he wasn't my father, and I was always a bit wary of him. My cousins, Dixie and Tricia, were initially nice to me, probably because Aunt Cheryl had explained my situation and instructed them to treat me well. There were four rooms in the house: Aunt Cheryl's room, the girls' room, my room, and a spare room used for storage.

After a week, the initial kindness wore off. Dixie and Tricia began to make my life miserable, bullying me both at school and at home. I wondered if their behavior was because they shared a room while I had one to myself.

Aunt Cheryl who was a nurse, was often absent so I was Made to do the dishes, clean the house, and did everyone's laundry. Dixie and Tricia threatened me, saying that if I ever told on them, they would make my life even worse. Life became bleak and slow. The only comfort I had was my late-night calls with Cassidy, who always promised he would come visit during the summer. I appreciated his support, but I felt that it was just a statement he made to console me.

School was challenging too. I had to repeat my junior year because I had dropped out of my school in New York midterm. I felt isolated and dejected, missing my parents and life in New York.

It had been three months since I moved in with Aunt Cheryl, and the only highlight of my days was us having dinner together and discussing everything that happened in our lives during the week.

One evening, as we sat at the dining table eating the pasta and meatballs made by my aunt, she suddenly broke the silence. "So, tell me how your week went," she said to me, wiping her mouth with a napkin. I looked up, offering a blank smile. "It was okay, I guess. School is fine, and I made a friend," I lied. Tricia snickered, "Clinging on to someone because you have no one else to talk to isn't exactly friendship." I stayed silent, and Aunt Cheryl sighed. "Come on, girls, don't be mean to your cousin," she said. "Anyway, I have something to tell you. Next week, your grandmother will be coming to live with us."

"What's this?" Dixie shouted. "It's bad enough that this scum has to live here. Why does Grandma have to come too? Has this house become a homeless shelter?"

I bit the inside of my cheek as I had lost my appetite, i set my cutlery down and put my head down, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall down my face. I wasn't sure if Aunt Cheryl noticed the change in my demeanor but she didn't make a comment as she continued. "Watch your mouth Dixie, or you won't get an allowance for the next three months. Your grandma is coming to stay until further notice, and that's final! I need three of you to clean the spare room, move everything valuable to the garage, and prepare the room for her." There was a note of finality in her voice.

I often wondered why Uncle Mark was always so quiet, it made me even more wary of him. He continued to chew slowly and seemed unaffected by everyone's rambling. I sighed, knowing I would likely end up doing all the work. Tricia huffed, stood up and left, mumbling that she had lost her appetite. I was curious about Aunt Cheryl's mother and hoped she might offer some companionship and support to me within the house.

After dinner, I cleared the table, did the dishes, and went up to my room to talk to Cassidy, wondering if this new arrival would be a positive or negative change for me.