Close to Heaven

Chapter Three

Chapter 3

Once I’ve stopped outside my house it dawns on me that he actually saw me. He actually knows that I was staring at him. No wonder he wants to stay away from me. I mean, who does that? He’s just a person. A beautiful, sexy, mysterious person - but still a person.

I park opposite the garage, as I’m always the first out and the last one in, and head inside. It’s a nice house here, I do like it. But it’s not mine, it’s not my home. I live with my aunt and uncle, Helena had been great to me, always looked out for me, when her sister, my mother, was off doing something or other that would never involve me. And as much as I love her for it, the suburban house we live in has never quite fitted. I used to live in town with Sarah and Nick, my biological parents. But when I was eight Sarah had an affair with another guy, she and my father split because of it, and I haven’t spoken to him ever since. They were on bad terms, argued all the time, so it was almost a relief when they broke it off. They’d never married. Nick had had plenty of other women over when mom was away, which was more often than not with someone else anyway. I think they stayed together because I was there. But I’m still one of the many ‘stupid things they did in college’ and have never really been anything other than that to them.

I have zero contact with my father, and all I got from my mom was an address of where she was moving to. Nothing since she left. I think she may have spoken to Helena a few times, but I never get anything from her. I feel nothing towards her. She abandoned me almost without a second thought, and I never really knew her when she was around. She isn’t and was never my mom. When they were around, I either looked after myself, or Helena came round to do it. They did nothing but argue, and yet, Helena always stuck by me and tried to talk her sister out of the stupid ideas she came up with.

My aunt is nice and is motherly towards me in a weird way. I am still very much her failed sisters failed attempt at children, but she overlooks that to make sure I can have a life. And I really appreciate all she does for me, but god to I hate her choice in men. Adam has been with her since I moved in. She took me in when my mum went off, prepared almost to leave me in the abandoned house it seemed. Adam had money, so they bought this house together and now, almost ten years down the line, she’s pregnant with her first child, a bit of a long wait, but they are both young, and already had me around.  She’s only a few months in, but as soon as she found out, she stopped working and became a house wife. She doesn’t quite get just how much Adam enjoys this. He loves her doing everything for him.

It’s not like he has any big shot job that keeps him working for all hours, he is almost home as much as she is. The money came from inheritance from some great uncle I think. I don’t really speak to him, as a result of having absolutely nothing in common.

I can picture the scene now. As soon as I enter the house there will be an over enthusiastic hello from the kitchen and a grunt from the living room, just audible over the computerised explosions coming from the surround sound speakers he’s so precious about.

I open the door and shout a ‘hey’ to them, and there is a grunt, but no hello from the kitchen. I step in to the tiled white foyer and dump my bag and keys on the side table. I walk through the arch that forms part of the open plan living area, and find Adam on the sofa, in jeans and a tattered t-shirt, the usual attire.

He ignores me, even though I stand just feet from him. ‘Adam.’ I say.  

No recognition.

‘Adam,’ I say again a little louder.

‘Shoes. Ada, take those fucking shoes off!’

His usual charming self, spoken without even a glance away from the screen. Eye contact with him is something close to impossible. Even though it’s him asking me, I remove my shoes, as Helena doesn’t like it either. I don’t necessarily get it - all the floors on this level are tile anyway.