CH A P T E R
O N E
She slaps him so hard that his face goes bright red. This is the sixth fight I have witnessed on this train, and it is so intense that it has gone violent. It is freezing outside, and I am just 15 minutes from my grandmother's house. I am just hoping nothing has changed. I have not been here in four years. My phone flashes with my grandmother's text message. I realize it is the 26th of December, and I remember how excited I was four years ago to look forward to this day. Norway seems different, and it is Christmas, so of course there are lights, carols, Christmas trees, and gifts, but there is a part of me that does not want to be happy.
*****
Standing in front of our home, I can see how much it has changed. The new, white gate replaces the old, rusted, black gate. They renovated the house completely. The elm tree in the yard is still there; I can clearly picture myself playing there with my friends. When I used to visit here every Christmas, Aurora, Leo, and Isabella were my only friends, and they were the only thing that excited me about coming. I have no idea where they are right now, but if they are still in town, I must meet them.
"Are you going to look at the house or come inside?" Lola calls to me through the window. Even if she is my grandmother, but I refer to her as Lola.
"I'll only come inside if you make me corn soup!" I yell from the front yard.
"I'll make you a full pot of corn soup if you just get your ass in here, you little cupcake!" She chuckles, and it makes me so happy to hear her call me "cupcake" like she used to.
I enter the house, and Lola instantly hugs me. I hugged her back. "Jesus Christ Nova, you have gotten so tall; how old are you?" I haven't seen you in what feels like decades. "Are you married or something?"
"Oh no, I am eighteen, and it has only been four years since we met." Of course, I am not married. I try to relieve her doubts.
Look at yourself. You appear to have not eaten in days and may be starving. "I'll be right back with the corn soup, and you can unpack whenever you want." "She speaks so quickly that I must concentrate on what she says."
When I look inside the house, everything has been entirely modified and no longer appears as vintage as it did four years ago. The design and furniture are completely futuristic. The furniture is composed of dark wood and looks royal. Nobody could claim that a sweet old lady lives alone here. Lola was a professor; she is rich; she pays her own bills and lives in her own house without the assistance of a man. I unpack my bag and change into my regular, warm clothing.
"Here you go, my cupcake." "Your soup is ready."
"Thank you so much, Lola!" "Uh, do you know about my friends?" "The friends I had here, do you know where they are?" I interrogated her.
"Isabella arrived three days ago; Diego is still here, and..." she pauses.
"And?" I ask, intrigued.
"Aurora has been in the hospital for a month," she says. But why was Lola hesitant to say it?
"Is it serious?" I ask.
"I'm not sure; she seems to be getting better, but then she gets sick again." "Lola replies, but this time she leaves the conversation. I wonder what happened to Aurora. I should visit her.
"Come on, NOVA, just leave the damn house!" someone yells from outside.
It's not someone.
It is Diego.
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