Untold Truth

51| New Lives

It wasn't as hard as I thought to balance both an ice cream and wheel my large suitcase. It is tall enough that I can loop my arm through the handle to use my hands for the ice cream.

It doesn't take me long to eat it since it's so little, and the walk from Hamilton Melts to my house isn't too long. Before I know it, I'm standing in front of the two story cream building that I use to call home.

It's empty.

I remember the chaos of growing up in it, then having mom, George, and Liam all filling the house. It was worse when all of my friends had come over. But it was always filled with laughter and joy.

It forces a sad sigh out of me. Now, it's just me using the my keys to let myself in. Mom had worked her best and hardest to own this house, and right before I left for college she gave me the keys and said it was mine to come back to.

I drag my heavy suitcase up the few stairs and unlock the large door, letting it open to show me the dark house. Immediately, I recognise the sweet scent that rolls through my nose. The house has always smelt sweet, like someone had just opened a packet of candy.

I step in and kick the door close behind me, and find myself engulfed by the darkness. My suitcase is abandoned by the door so I can open all the closed blinds in the house. I can feel the dust tickling my nose, which makes my nose itch for a sneeze to burst out. I hold it back and unlock the windows in the living room so I can help ease the air quality.

Once they're open, I open all the doors downstairs and windows to let the breeze in. Already, the house feels different to me. It's so empty. No mom, no George, no Liam. Just me. Alone in the three bedroom house for the rest of my life.

I make my journey up the stairs, feeling the dread of seeing my old room. I haven't lived in that room for years. So when I open the door, I'm hit with waves of nostalgia from being a teenager.

My purple bedsheets are the same, the photos on my dresser haven't been changed, nothing has been moved. Everything I left is still here, including the memories. I can feel them soaked into the walls. I tried washing them away, but I realised that you can't force away your trauma. You have to live with it.

I walk further into the room so I can open the curtains and window, which highlights the teenage bedroom. If I have to live here, I definitely need to change this whole room first.

Knowing my old clothes are still here, I take off my jumpsuit and change into a pair of my running tights and a the matching sports bra. I don't want to dirty any of my other clothes, so for unpacking this will be the best option.

I stand in front of my dresser, noticing necklaces that I left lying here with some coins I had forgotten about. The one thing in the room that is burning into me is the photos.

Three chunky, white photo frames stick out like a sore thumb. They were my favourite photos I had. I smile at the image of mom, George, Liam and I at the wedding. We were grinning and having so much fun on our first night of being a family.

I all ever wanted was a brother, and that night I got one. I had never been more grateful for Liam to accept me as a sister. Not even once has he never called me his step sister, to him, I am his sister.

I was absolutely crushed when everyone but Liam got into and went to Georgia State University. He had been accepted there, but he had bigger dreams to chase. He attended Stanford to take on a career in becoming a doctor.

I hated not seeing him for so long, but we always found time to visit each other. I had spent the last five months of college living with him in California since I was able to finish my Diploma in accounting, and a few other degrees on journalism and economics- all online.