It Started with a Kiss

Chapter 12

The next few days passed in a blur. If I wasn't trying to finish getting the house ready for Christmas, I was busy helping Toby with the band, or working the office for Dad. On Sunday, I decided that enough was enough and I'd earned the right to take a break and head over to my neighbor's house before she headed off to New York to visit her grandparents for Christmas. I threw on my hat and gloves, despite the fact that I'd be inside Grace's house in about five minutes. Before I left, I stuck my head into the basement where Toby and the boys were practicing away.

"Hey guys, I'm headed over to Grace's. I'll be back in an hour or so." I shouted down, receiving various grunts of affirmation in reply. Shrugging my shoulders, I grabbed Grace's Christmas present before taking my key and unlocking the door, locking it again once I stepped outside. Dad was always paranoid about being broken into, despite the fact that there hasn't been burglaries around here for years. At this side of town, people were more of the opinion that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' which meant that you didn't see any fancy - ass cars parked in the driveway, or any houses that were the height of skyscrapers and could house a small nation, which didn't really attract the burglars as much as the richer side of town where Matt and Sarah lived. We weren't poor, per se, but we were a community who worked together when we needed to.

Reaching the door of the Bellamy household, I hammered on the recently painted black door and waited for someone to answer me. Thankfully without too much delay Mrs. Bellamy opened the door, smiling broadly when she saw me.

"Tara, honey! We haven't seen you in so long!" She cried, as she put her arms out to give me a hug. I loved visiting Grace's house, her family were always so cheerful it just brightened up my day, no matter how bad things were.

"Hi, Mrs. Bellamy." I said, smiling as the air was almost squeezed out of my lungs.

"How many times have I told you to call me Miriam?" She said, feigning annoyance as she pulled away from me and put her hand on a rather plump hip. I resisted the urge to laugh as I answered her

"Countless times, Mrs. Bellamy." I said with a smirk, before she swatted me lightly on the arm with her hand.

"When will you ever learn?" She said as she turned and made her way back into the kitchen, where I could see she was busy chopping vegetables.

"Grace is upstairs packing Hun." She told me over her shoulder, before I walked into the kitchen and rummaged in my bag for her present.

"This is for you Miriam," I said, holding out the homeopathic gift set I'd picked up in the health store for her. She was all into those natural remedy things and I thought it'd looked nice on the shop window where I'd bought it.

"Oh sweetie, you shouldn't have!" She said with delight when she opened the box and the face that looked so much like Grace's lit up with delight. "I had just run out of eucalyptus oil yesterday when Henri burnt his hand on the stove. This is perfect!" She said, as she engulfed me in another hug. I just laughed at her enthusiasm. For a mother with a teenage daughter, she acted so much like a child anytime anyone brought her gifts it was hilarious.

"How are you anyway? No more problems with Angela?" She then asked me, her face turning a little more serious and her voice lowered as she mentioned my mother's name. I tensed up slightly at even the mention of her, feeling my stubby nails subconsciously dig into the palms of my hands. I shook my head slightly as I turned to look at the granite counter top before replying.

"No, no news from her really for the last month. Toby's pretty bummed about that." I told her, deciding not to mention the text from a couple of days before, as I took out the box of chocolates and the new phone cover I'd gotten for Grace's Dad and left it on the counter. "That's for Henri by the way," I told her as looked into her green eyes, eyes that mirrored my mother's in colour, yet had so much more love for me in them.