[HW]Short story

Starting out from my last piece, here is my short story:

I LIKE LEMON TREES

Back home. As I already told you, I must be home for lunch. We all must. It is the only moment during the week that we share all together. Even Mario is coming since a few weeks. We have a big table in the dining room, and anyone could guess that we eat there. But we don’t. It’s just… big. Too big. We prefer to squeeze around the round friendly little table in the kitchen. Dad normally sits close to the fridge. Mom sits next to him, in front of the window, facing the view of the sunflowers in our garden. We four just sit wherever. I like to sit close to mom, I also enjoy the sunflowers. Today we have chicken and roasted potatoes. Mom, dad and Mario are having a glass of red wine. I think I’ll have some orange juice, and maybe I’ll take some for Candy and Laurence as well.

You already know Candy: she sleeps in the orange bed next to mine -which, as you know, is yellow-, and shares with me the smiley sun hanging on our bedroom wall. Laurence has his own room in front of ours. It is blue, not too big, and it has a big scalextric covering the floor from the door to his bed. But now it is lunch time and we are all in the kitchen, sitting around our friendly table. And Candy doesn’t really seem to be enjoying the juice, she can’t stop coughing. Maybe… Better not to think of that. She just choked on the juice, there’s no other reason. And the medical check-up this afternoon will be fine, as it has been for the last few months. I just hate it so much when she coughs… I can’t help thinking of those stupid days. The hospital manager should really think of getting a new catering for the cafeteria. Yes, those days were more than stupid, they were… I couldn’t stand seeing her that way, pale, weak, lying in bed; no eating, no sleeping. But those days are gone. And the check-up will be okay.

Everything will be fine. That’s what mom’s eyes are saying right now, while we clear the table. I can’t wait until we get to the doctor. I just want him to tell us it is okay, just a cold, maybe even to laugh at us for getting so concerned. Yes, that will be it. We’re worried because of nothing. And now we better go upstairs and start getting ready to go out. I think I’ll wear my yellow dress. And I know mom will pick the green one for Candy, she loves the way it matches with the reddish lights on her brown curly hair. It is so cold in my bedroom…

‘So, ladies, are we ready?’ Mom’s got a master in hiding her feelings within a smile. ‘Are we going to the zoo today?’ That was Candy. ‘To the zoo? Do you want to go to the zoo?’ ‘Yes mom, I always want to go to the zoo, how do I have to tell you?’ She rolled her eyes. Mom sat her on her knees and combed her hair ‘Okay, okay. I promise we will go.’ ‘Now?’ Candy stared at Mom with begging eyes ‘I’m afraid not… Dr. Ende wants to see you today. But we can go to the zoo any other day’ ‘What? Dr. Ende again? Mom, I really think we must get him a friend. He shouldn’t be hanging out with seven year olds all the time. I don’t know if I should really keep meeting him… I mean, it was okay for a couple of times, but what if he is falling in love?’ I let out a smile. ‘It’s okay, darling. It won’t take us more than ten minutes. And I’ll make him clear that I won’t let you marry until you’ve finished Primary School.’

We went downstairs and headed to the car. I sat on the front seat, fastened my seatbelt and started biting my nails. “It won’t take us more than ten minutes”, that’s what she had just said. I wish with all my might she’s right.

Mom had just left Candy on the left back seat when Dad finished locking the main door and came by her. He held her hand and kissed her forehead, and then they both smiled to each other. I could see Mario crawling towards the car through the rear-view mirror. He reached the left back door of the car (reminder: place where Candy was sitting) and jumped sticking his head in the open window hole with a loudly ‘BOO!’ Candy screamed and hit him with her little hands. ‘I’m happy that you don’t live with us anymore!’ She started laughing as Mario tickled her. She trapped his head with both arms. ‘Oh, you think so? You don’t want to see me, do you? Maybe I shouldn’t come for lunch anymore!’ He pretended to make a big effort to get rid of her arms. ‘Yes! You should definitely stop coming!’ She pushed his face out of the window. ‘All right, then. I won’t come anymore. It’s a pity; I already bought your birthday present for next week. I hope they let me bring it back.’ ‘Noo!’ She looked at him and pouted. ‘C’mon, Mario, you know I was just joking! I love it when you come for lunch, and I really think that you should find a closer university and come back home again!’ We all laughed. Mario got a lollipop out of his pocket and gave it to her.

‘Okay, we’re leaving. Hey, Laurence, come here!’ Dad saw him score one last basket before he left the ball and joined him and Mario. Then he turned back to Mom, who was still beside him. ‘I’ll drop the boys on the main station; Mario told me he can walk Laurence to the sports center before he takes the bus. Phone as soon as you have any news, right?’ He lowered his voice. ‘It’ll be fine.’ He smiled to her and stroked her cheek.

Mom got into the car and Laurence, Mario and Dad headed to the green Volkswagen parked down the road. Mom didn’t like to drive it, she always said it was too big. I took a last glance at the basket hanging from the wall in which Laurence had been playing a few minutes ago. It reminded me to my early childhood, when there was just Mario and me, and he always teased me because I wasn’t able to throw the ball high enough to score.

I remember running across the garden with the basketball, Mario chasing me, pretending not to be fast enough to catch me up. Maybe some of you don’t know my home yet. You really should. I used to think it was the nicest home ever. Now I just know it is. We have a beautiful grassy garden with a couple of lemon trees that impregnate the atmosphere with the smell of their blossoms every spring, and there are also a bunch of sunflowers on the right corner which, as you already know, form the landscape seen through the kitchen window. There is a swing hanging from one of the lemon tree’s branches; Dad made it for me when I started school. ‘When I grow up I will work in an office, and I will wear a tie every day like you do.’ That’s what I used to tell him. He laughed a lot, and sometimes he let me try on his ties. I didn’t know what his work was, and I still don’t really know today. But I liked to watch him arrive home with the dusk, holding his jacket in one hand, his elegant briefcase in the other; I liked to watch him leave the jacket in the hall coat stand, take off his shoes and loosen his tie.

‘Oh, no. We’re going to be late.’ Mom got me out of my thoughts. I followed her sight to face the huge traffic jam in which we were stuck. Sometimes I daydream so deeply that I lose conscience of reality. But now I was back among that mess of hoots and swearing yells… Traffic jams don’t really show the most glorious facet of the human being. But Mom was calmed, she always is. You could guess a tiny wrinkle of concern in her forehead anyway. ‘Mom…’ Candy’s soft voice came from the back. ‘Yes, darling?’ ‘If Dr. Ende makes me stay in hospital again... will you buy me those nice fluffy colorful slippers that we saw yesterday? The hospital ones are really big and boring.’ Mom swallowed hard. ‘You won’t need to stay, honey, trust me. But you can get the slippers for your birthday’. I hid my face behind my hair while I wiped away a few stupid tears.

‘And will I be able to bring my teddy?’

END

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EPILOGUE – Some time later.

Dear diary,

I… I don’t really know where to start! I think I’ll go for the beginning, it makes sense. I’m just so excited! Okay, calm down. I met Charlie today. Yes, I know that’s nothing exceptional, I’ve been doing it for so long that I can’t even remember when everything started. But today… today something great happened. We were sitting under the lemon tree, and I was explaining him… Oh wait, phone. Back. So I was explaining him something, I can’t really remember what. I can’t really remember anything, I’m still quite shocked! But of course I still remember the main part, I’ll never forget!

My dearest diary… I’m getting married!

Candy