You Want Me, Just Say It

15 short evening

My mother arrives with dinner. She moves a chair aside. She sits down opposite me. She looks at me a little questioningly.

"Why do you have your pyjamas on so early dear?" I think she has forgotten that I have to get out of my bed tomorrow at 4.30 in the morning. We have a flight at 8 and we have to be there from school perwe 2 hours in advance. Vanessa already has a driver's licence and a car. She picks up Kailey, Megan and me early tomorrow. I explain it all to my mother.

She comes out of the blue as usual, forgetting these things quickly. When I finish my pasta, I watch some Netflix on the sofa. Not long after, I give my mother a kiss on the cheek and tell her goodnight. Gives me a hug and a kiss on my forehead. "Goodnight dear, I will make you breakfast tomorrow and see you off afterwards. How I am going to miss my little girl!" she says very dramatically as I turn 16. I will be 17 soon.

And by soon, I mean next week. My birthday is in Italy. My mother has promised to send me a card and we will call that evening. I must miss her extra hard because it's my birthday. On the other hand, I also think it's kind of special to celebrate my birthday there.

I crawl into bed, it's barely 9am but I want to be rested tomorrow. I lie down as comfortably as possible. And after a few minutes I am gone.

It is 4.30am on Monday it is still pitch black outside. I shower quickly and change my clothes. I am so looking forward to it! With 1 big suitcase and a backpack, I walk down the stairs. Downstairs there is already a sweet smell. I smell the scent of pancakes and syrup, and yes, mum is behind the cooker. When she sees me arrive with all my luggage, she has to laugh. "You are going to Italy for 2 weeks, right? By the looks of it, you have stuff with you for a year." Says she sarcastically. She opens the big suitcase and puts a present inside. "This has your birthday present in it, you can open it there then and a card I'll still send."

I quickly eat a pancake and get my things. I will be picked up by Vanessa in a few minutes. I get a weird gut feeling. It's been a long time since I haven't seen mum for so long. I am going to miss her tremendously. When I stand at the front door with all my things in hand, my mother gives me a kiss on my forehead and gives me a long firm hug. The door is ajar and while I can hardly breathe because she is holding me so steeply I see Vanessa approaching. I say hello to my mother and take a step outside. It is chilly outside. I see Megan sitting in the car too. Only Kailey remains to be picked up.

I put my suitcase and backpack in the boot. I put my phone in my waist bag. I put on comfortable clothes. That's okay for a long flight. A long teddy coat with a grey jogging top. I probably won't wear that teddy coat in Italy, as it is 30 degrees there every day at this time of year.

But since it was still chilly and early now, my mother gave me quite a lecture about putting on a warm coat. I push the boot closed and open the car door. Megan is sitting up front. She looks at me like I'm a piece of rubbish. What has she got against me lately. I sit in the back of the car and greet them. "Good morning Mel! Sleep well? Today's the big day! Italy here we come!" shouts Vanessa enthusiastically. She is as cheerful and upbeat as ever. That's what I like about her. If you ever have a down day, she always cheers you up. Megan turns around to the back. If she wants to say something, I'm ahead of her.

***

690 words

Like and vote