Chapter 2

Lydia’s house





I was heading myself back to the Farm shop, I found Tobi there with Mr Leroy, and he told me that Tobi was screeching like there was something wrong, I guess the cat really did care about me.

Never minding the flattering matter, Mr Leroy was worried and concerned asking me what happened, I confessed that I met some one, but I begged Mr Leroy not to tell Grand-mère.

‘Well do you know his name?’ he asked,

I shook my head,

‘Do you remember how he looks like?’ he asked again

‘Yes, but I promise not to meet him again, and if I do, I wont ever talk to him, so pleeeaase Mr Leroy, please?’ I begged, with the sun flower in my hands, he huffed, and smiled,

‘Alright, but if you get caught, I’m not part of it okay?’ he ruffled my head messing up my hair, ‘I don’t want your grand-mère knowing I let you off with something like that’

‘Um thank you very much Mr Leroy, but-’ I took his big wrinkly hand of my head ‘Can you not do that? My hair will get messy’

He took his hand away and laughed, ‘your grand-mère had messy hair back then anyway as you do’ he cackled and laughed away,

‘Hahaha, very funny…’ I moaned, ‘at least lie that my hair is nice’



It was then the sun had set and I headed on my way back home along with the eggs and bread in my bag, thankfully they where saved by that boy I met, well above all, if he wasn’t there, I would be in a very bad situation with grand-mère, and she would never let me out again from the house until I die.

I love her very much, but most of the time she can’t let me take risks and just live a little.



I arrived to my house, and just as I was about to go in, I saw Lydia come back from the school bus, she ran up to me, a little worried,

‘Why are you arriving home this late?’ she ran to me, her face looking a little blemished and tired,

‘Um, but you just came home?’ I said confused myself,

‘I had sports club today, so I’m arrived later, what you are doing late at this time returning home’ she whispered really loudly, ‘it’s six in the afternoon, what do think your Grand-mère will be feeling?’

‘Oh no…’ I felt a little faint there; I placed my hand over my fore head ‘what am I going to do?’

‘Okay, okay.’ She calmed me down,

‘Um, she doesn’t know you arrived back right?’

‘no.’ I said,

‘I know!’ she had an idea, ‘tell her you where at my place, she doesn’t know I have sports club.’

She took my arm and rang the bell; we heard Grand-mère coming up to the door, and her face peeking through a curtain in the long thin window by the door.

She opened it and looked so relieved, and gave me a sudden hug, my eyes where bug eyed and surprised,

‘Where have you been? You made me so worried!’ she sounded as if she was crying and she felt like she was shaking,

‘Um, that’s my fault Ms Rosetta’ Lydia lied, ‘she was staying at my place and we realised we forgot to tell you she was there.’

‘But,’ she stopped hugging me, ‘please don’t do that to me again, I felt like my heart was sinking, and I had the thought to call the police to find her.’

‘I’m sorry it won’t happen again, can she still come to my house?’ she begged,

‘Please grand-mère?’ I joined,

She looked at me, and I looked eagerly back, soon she sighed and gave in,

‘Alright… since it’s only the first time it happened, but please let me know next time Lydia’ she reminded her, Lydia nodded happily, giving Grand-mère my plastic bag except the sunflower on my other hand, she then dragged me off to her house,

‘Thank you Ms Rosetta!’ she dragged me away,

‘See you grand-mère!’ I waved, Tobi ran with us,

‘I’ll be sure to call your mother from now on Lydia!’  Grand-mère called,

‘I’ll remember that!’ she assured her, still running off with me.

We where in her house, and all calmed down, thank goodness my grand-mère was in a giving mood, and she knew nothing about what happened in the field.

Lydia’s brothers where home earlier, watching TV where the youngest and the middle child was upstairs, all of them where very cute and good-looking children, Lydia’s dad was a male model, and her mother was an accountant, they’re always busy and not in the house, I’ve seen the wedding pictures when they where young, her mother looked very geeky but Lydia’s dad loved her very much anyway, I always thought that was such a sweet thing that her mother despite being ordinary looking, having to be with such a stunning looking man as her father.

Her father has the same colour hair as Lydia, as do the sons, Lydia’s mom is the only one with blonde hair, weird how they came out in the end, but I never bought that up in front of them.

‘Hi guys,’ said hello to her brothers,

‘Hi~’ they synced while watching,

‘Guys, don’t be rude, it’s Nani.’ Lydia told them off,

They both looked at me and simply said ‘hi Nina.’ and watched their program again,

‘Hey! Not like that!’ she shouted,

‘Um Lydia its okay leave it’ I laughed,

‘Not until they at least say how your doing!’ she shouted again,

‘Hey, we would, but where watching the slam dunk show,’ calmly said Bryan the youngest,

‘Lydia, its fine’ I giggled, I then took her upstairs, and she was still frowning,

‘I’m sorry, they’re so spoilt, they never show any respect to my friends.’ She stomped up the stairs

‘Not at all, they use to play football with me, when you weren’t around you know.’ I reminded her about that time.

‘True, their a pain and all, but they just kids after all’ she admitted,

‘Hm, if I where them, I’d spend time the most to do stuff I want to…’ I said in a low voice as we reached upstairs.

My head was down, and Lydia felt a little uncomfortable,

‘Um, well that aside, I’m just wondering, how come your home so late?’ she followed me to her room, the boy was pictured in my mind again,

‘Um, I’ll tell you in your room’ I whispered to her,

‘Ohh.’ She looked surprised and eager to know, we then sat down on her floor, and she gave me a big cushion to sit on,

‘So, what’s this big secret?’ she sat herself down,

‘Um, don’t tell anyone okay, promise me this,’ I persistently requested,

‘Okay, don’t worry about it.’ She nodded, and crossed her legs,

‘Um okay, in the farm, I was getting a sunflower like always and-’ I stopped, and gulped,

‘And?-’ she asked me to continue,

‘I had my dizzy strokes again’ I said quietly,

Her eyes where wide open and her mouth too,

‘Did anyone rush help you?’ she asked franticly,

‘Yeah, that’s the life saving part; I was helped by a person.’ I assured her,

‘Person? Oh gosh, if your Grand-mère knew she’d tear off your skin or something,’ she bit her fingers,

‘So do you know who this person was?’

‘Um, only his face not his name, but if I ever see him again I promised not to talk to him.’ I explained,

‘Him?’ she narrowed her eyes at me, oh no… my humongous big mouth again,

‘No no, no! It’s nothing like that!’ I panicked and blushed,

‘Oh my gosh! Nani met a boy outside!’ she cheered and teased,
I took a cushion and hit her with it,

‘It’s nothing like that!’ I got embarrassed hitting her while she laughed,

‘It’s too bad though’ she got up from where she fell on her wooden floor, ‘You can’t speak to him again,’

I stopped flinging the cushion at her and sat myself down, leaning my head on the cushion,

‘I know.’ I said in a low tone ‘He was really kind to me.’

‘Hmm.’ She got herself a cushion and leaned her head on her hand,

‘And annoying.’  I added,

She laughed ‘Hold on, I’ll listen I need to change from my track suit.’

‘Okay’ I agreed, she was wearing a blue track bottoms and a white polo shirt, her hair was tied up in a pony, she opened her closet which covered her from changing in front of me,

‘So how come he’s annoying?’ she asked,

‘So many ways,’ I sighed, doing the same thing Lydia did leaning her head on her hand,

‘Well most guys are like that, but it’s different for everyone, what’s it with you?’ she asked once more,

‘Well he’s really gorgeous that it brings me to the point that I want to puke.’ I said stubbornly, she laughed louder whilst changing,

‘That’s a funny way to put it,’ she laughed,

While she was changing, I noticed how much difference her room had to mine, her bed covers weren’t as plain as mine it had patches of pretty patterns, and a huge flower box was in front of her window sill with dozens of little lavenders, and she had a cute pale pink wall paper covered in flowers, and the only things that stood out in the room where the creamy wooden draws and cupboard, and lucky her, she had her own bathroom, with very cute decorations of sea creatures that I always envied her with, she told me she use to have bubble baths when she was three.

‘I’m done’ she came over and sat down, her wavy hair lose, and she was wearing a really pretty rose patterned knee high dress, it was black covered in red and pink roses, she sat herself down on the cushion, putting her socks on,

‘What?’ she noticed me gazing at her dress,

‘Oh,’ I snapped ‘sorry I was really admiring your dress.’

‘Oh my goodness, thanks, my dad came back a few days with some summer dresses, since it’s hot and all now,’ she cheered,

I nodded happily for her,

‘We can buy one when we go to the city you know’ she assured me, I looked at her,

‘Um I don’t think I have much money for that’ I told her,

‘Not a problem we’re going to buy one for you’ she smiled, where did “we’re?” come from? I gave a confused look at her,

‘Meaning when we go to the city; I’m combining my money with yours to buy a dress,’ she announced,

‘Have you been planning to do that this whole time?’ she nodded grimily, I just sighed and put up with it, I knew she was only making me happy,

‘But how am I going to pay you back?’ I asked,

‘No, no!’ she said, ‘don’t worry about that, it’s only a once in a while present I’m giving.’

It made me smile at least, and a bit flattered that some one like herself could be so nice to me,

‘It’s my way of saying “thanks for being there for me to talk to some one when I needed her most”,’ she said in her usual tone of happiness.

After a while, she brought us some orange juice drinks and talked about her new club she’s joining, which was basket ball for girls,

‘It’s really great, since it’s only girls around, I felt so comfortable being around them, even though most of them are older than us.’ She exclaimed,

‘There aren’t any guys around?’ I asked as I picked my glass of orange juice to sip,

‘Blah.’ She sounded like she threw up,

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked,

‘Funnily, we really came to talk about guys so comfortably,’ she laughed, I as well felt like spitting the juice out from my mouth,

‘I know it seems like yesterday we use to stay away from your cousins saying they had cooties’ I joked as we burst into laughter,

‘And, and; remember those games we use to play, that game when we tagged some one they had the cooties in the garden, and they only way to get rid of them was to tag on the tree as home?’ she joined, as we continued to laugh,

‘Yeah, it’s so weird, that we came to like guys, almost unexpected.’ I admitted while I sipped my juice,

‘Hm,’ she nodded, ‘gosh when we where kids, I always think we where so childish.’

‘Lydia’ I finished sipping my drink ‘we are still kids.’ I laughed again

‘I know’ she giggled as she changed her position on to her front and laying herself on the cushions, ‘I just always thought our minds are older that we think we are.’

‘That’s very childish of us then.’ I said,

‘That’s puberty for you.’ She concluded,

‘Nani!’ called what I think was her mom,

‘Si mama!’ Lydia called back in Italian like usual,

‘Her grand mother called, she has to go back home for her dinner now!’ she called,

‘Be right down!’ she replied,

‘Guess I have to go now,’ I got up, Lydia as well did, we both went down stairs, to see her mother with the phone on her hand,

‘Here you go Nani’ she smiled and handed me the phone

‘Thank you Mrs Marceau.’ I took the phone, she nodded,

‘Hello grand-mère? I said on the phone,

‘Nani, come home now, it’s time for dinner.’ She ordered,

‘Oh okay, I’m coming, give me five minutes.’ I requested,

‘Alright, come soon.’ She said,

‘Thank you.’ I turned off the phone and gave it back to Mrs Marceau,

‘How’s Anna doing?’ and by Anna, Mrs Marceau meant my grand-mère,

‘She’s well.’ I told her,

‘And you?’ she asked

‘Good as well’ I nodded ‘thank you.’

‘Good, good.’ She smiled ‘well be off, your grand mother is expecting you.’

I nodded again, and gave Lydia a hug as good bye,
‘Don’t forget the trip tomorrow,’ she whispered,

‘I won’t,’ I whispered and promised ‘see you tomorrow.’ I returned my tone,

‘Okay see you,’ she let go of me,

‘Bye thank you for letting me come over’ Mrs Marceau opened the door for me, ‘thank you, once again’ I stepped outside, and walked off with Tobi they where still at the door, and I waved to them as good bye once again, and walked off, I then heard their door shut, as I walked across the road to my house.

I came over to my home, and had dinner with my grand-mère, we talked about my time in Lydia’s house, and her time at the farm, and she also told me about the new recruits Mr Leroy had,

‘Their all young people, and they all have different jobs in part of the land, they make sure the crops are cared and watched.’ She explained,

It reminded me of the boy I met, I then urged myself to ask,

‘Um grand-mère?’ I started,

‘Hm?’ she took a bite of her lasagne, and looked to me,

‘Are they all my age?’ I asked,

She nodded, ‘yup, around it I suppose, but all lovely people.’

‘Their not boys are they?’ I asked again,

‘Not all, no’ she said after another bite, ‘why do you ask?’

‘No reason’ I replied quickly and sternly and got back to eating my lasagne, ‘Anyway, um, so this new recruit, they help now, so what do you do?’ I asked another question to forget it,

Afterwards we talked about her higher position on the farm; she told me more money will be coming in to support ourselves now, I was really happy and praised her for it, she then told me I had another appointment with the doctor again, in a way I didn’t hate him, he always helps us, but he wasn’t much help on the letting me live thing.

After dinner I told her I was heading to bed earlier, and wished her good night, I got myself ready for bed in my pyjamas and brushed my teeth like any old usual routine and slipped my self into my bed, Tobi jumped on, funny how he’s following me more often now, I was a little cold, maybe because it’s night time now the evening is a little chilly, my brain was filled with things going to happen tomorrow, and our trip going to the city, I wonder how Lydia can lie so easily? I know she’s only trying to help me and make me happy, but I can’t stand to wonder how she does it.

Well what ever the matter, she’d been always there to help me not make my grand-mère upset or angry since it’s allot for my grand-mère’s heart to take in.

After too many thoughts of this, soon I found myself drifting to sleep, readying myself for the visit we where going to give tomorrow.