Growing Pains

Everything was easy when we were little, you were only a year or two older. We would dance and play all day, I never forgot how close we were, how much we dress like a Princess and a Prince. How mother would berate you for using Ethan’s old clothes.

“You’re a girl!” She would say exasperated dragging you away to our room.

“but Ethan won’t play princess and Princes with us so one of us has to step up,” would be your excuse but we both knew you felt more comfortable that way.

Mother would always argue with Dad about us, saying we were too strange to be hers. That we should act like girls, that he should help her in correcting our wrong ways.

They’d argue about it constantly. Until one day you and dad were gone.

Mother had pretended you never existed. That I was a miracle child from God, the new Jesus. Everyone knew better. She was ill. But she wouldn’t accept that. She burned anything that belonged to you, to dad. She burned away the memories.

I’ve longed for the day to find you, to hug you to talk to you but I never knew where to start and if I’d mention your names I’d be beaten and silenced. Ethan left to live with dads’ parents. I was stuck. All alone.

Years went by I grew up alone. When I finally left home, I searched everywhere. I subscribed to many the ancestry websites but to no avail so why? Suddenly have I seen you in Spain.

I cannot believe my eyes and surely you are the same. You don't look like you've aged one bit and yet you're taller and older.

"Michelle?" My mouth moved without thinking, your eyes widen.

"Vivienne? it can’t be, I was sure you were dead." she says almost quiet as a mouse. She is wearing the Hotels staff uniform and the desk manager does not look please that she is not moving.

"I have many questions for you however your manager looks displeased. my room number is 278, come knock once your shift is over, please?" I plead; I don't want to let her leave, but I also do not wish for her to get into trouble. I am not that selfish.

Michelle nods gives me a customer smile and briskly walks away. I grab my bags and walk to the lift. The angry looking desk manager approaches me while I wait for the lift doors to open.

"Was there an issue with that woman ma'am you looked upset," her voice was higher than I expected. She had one bushy eyebrow raised and a mole under her left eye.

"No, I just recognised her as a childhood friend I hadn’t seen in years," I said with a clam smile, Even though this woman hadn't really said anything or even done anything, she made me feel uneasy as if I was lying to her, luckily before she questioned me further the lift dinged open.

"Well, I must me off"

She smiled as I got into the lift and walked away, as the lift door closed, I tried to shove the feeling of unease away.

Once I get to my room, I place my bags next to my bed and flop down on my bed with a sigh.

Along plane ride and then bumping into Michelle the shock really takes it out of you. I assumed it would be a while until Michelle finished. Looking around the hotel room I find where the remote is and get up with effort to grab it. eventually finding suitable challenge I start to unpack my notebooks and pens. I cannot forget the main purpose of my trip to Spain, 'A tourists guide to the most gorgeous spots in Spain' a plain article.

A few hours passed by, I'd meandered over the writing, had a shower and had given up on being any more productive and resigned myself to mindlessly staring at the TV while lying on the bed when a knock finally came from the door. I leapt up in a fluster and practically sprinted to open the door.

"Viv-" Michelle began but was cut off by me dragging her into the room.

"Michelle! You look the same as I remember, how are you in Spain? Is dad here too? oh I've missed you so much!" I bombarded her with questions.

"Viv, you don't know what happened? Didn't you ever ask mother?" Michelle's voice was calm, but tears appeared in her eyes,

"She forbade me from asking, of course that never stopped me but then whenever I'd start to talk about it she'd throw things at me," I said looking her in the eyes, her hair was in a cute pixie cut, she had dark bags under her eyes and she was holding her tears back I could tell.

"You, you'll want to sit down for this."

"What? what happened? I tried looking everywhere for you, I spent so much money on ancestry sights trying to find you,"

"Sit Viv,"

I sat on the bed and she followed.

"Do you remember when those men came up to us one day in the park asking about mother?"

I nodded unsure of what was going to follow. Michelle proceeded to tell me those men had been after mother for a while as she had done something bad in her youth which was still unknown. The day dad walked out with Michelle it was only to get groceries however, on the walk to the shop a small grey hatchback pulled up along side them and two men dragged them into the car. They kept asking dad where mother was but he refused to answer and he was killed. Michelle was taken as collateral to be a slave and shipped form country to country until she managed to get free and was found by a Spanish cop who took her to the orphanage at age 14.

“Michelle, I-“

“Don’t go blaming yourself,”

“Why did mother keep this from me? Why didn’t she just lie and tell me bad men were out for her as a kid.”

“Shockingly that probably saved you.”