The Great Pretender

36: You Don't Believe Me

Cherish had begun counting differences every time she traveled, whether it was the trip itself or the destination, something always changed. 

This time she traveled with Ari at her side, the both of them excited for a Christmas spent with their mother. They'd reminisced the whole way there about the meals they'd get to eat; proper Indian dishes they got once a year.  It was a nice change from traveling alone, like she usually did, like she'd done the last time.

The last time she'd returned to Montreal it had been with her head hung and tail tucked after running away. This time it was very different.

This time she took with her no apologies, no tears and no guilt. The greeting she got was no different than it would have been had she only been gone one week under very different circumstances; warm, loving, carefree. But that was the only thing that had stayed the same; Cherish's Montreal had drastically changed.

Saturdays were no longer morning workouts followed by breakfast with neighbor Etienne and his two girls. Saturdays were now morning workouts and breakfast with fiancée Etienne. Cherish knew that her mother and Etienne flirted and she'd always suspected it of being more than that.

Her suspicions had been confirmed not long after she'd arrived; Renata had not wanted to announce even that they'd been more than friends without Cherish and Ari being there. Though in her absence, it seemed that Renata had become more a part of Etienne's family and neither of his daughters were surprised by the news.

Cherish had visited Len's grave site to tell her of this news; the two of them had been rooting for the union since Etienne had moved into the house next door. It was a little strange to see Renata playing mother to Etienne's girls, but it was a welcome change to things.      

What wasn't such a nice change was Cash's avoidance. The boy had decided to stay away from her while she was visiting to appease the ever jealous Jacqueline. It worried her. She knew how it would work out. She'd seen it happen before to others.

First Cash would avoid her only when Jacqueline was around, and then he'd start avoiding her altogether and their friendship would dissolve into nothingness. Even Jeb was flustered by the new behaviour; Jacqueline was nothing if not bossy, clingy, and just plain stupid most of the time. In other words- not Cash's type of girl.

Why he was letting her keep him away from the best of his friends was beyond most of them. But Cash, very apologetic, had driven her to the station early morning with a promise that he'd come visit her soon. She supposed it would have to do.

After all the Christmas dinners, holiday dances and loud celebrations she found herself homesick for a place she never thought she'd call home. She was sad to kiss Cash goodbye at the station, but she gave him a quick squeeze and eagerly boarded the train.

The long ride home was equally as uncomfortable as the last time, and without Ari, who'd stayed back for some one on one time with their mother, by her side. There was an unspoken rule when traveling by train, Cherish had discovered. Sit beside the one person you will annoy the most, as evident by the smelly man, the snoring old lady and the hoodlum with the excessively loud music blaring from his headphones. How he managed to sleep like that Cherish would never understand. Needless to say, for the second time, Cherish was relieved to see that the train had pulled into the station at Toronto.

But again there was a difference. After struggling her bags up the stairs and out to the bus terminal, there was someone waiting for her. "Hey!" Cherish snapped her head around when someone grabbed the larger of her two bags.