Forever Glamorous

Chapter 4

She hoped that what happened with Lacey Redd stayed under wraps, so she could continue doing what she loved.

"So you don't come here for years and can't bother to say hi?"

Aura turned to find the man, who had been cutting wood, making his way towards her. She frowned, taking him in. His brown eyes glistened under the sun as it started its descent. Sweat trailed down his face, no doubt from all the work he was doing in his front yard. His white tee was stuck to his body, so much so that it was transparent enough for his dark skin to peak through; and, to make matters worse, it was also stained with dirt. She wanted to grimace.

"Come on, Aura, you can't say you don't remember me," he said. "We spent too much time running around in our diapers for that."

"Tyson?" Aura asked, finally finding her voice. "Tyson Smith?"

"The one and only." Tyson grinned.

Aura remembered him clearly. They were born days apart, so their parents used to pair them up together all the time. They grew up together on that very street. Back when her parents lived a few houses away from Grandma Ruby. When she was a toddler, Aura loved going to Grandma Ruby's house, not just because she loved being with her grandmother, but because she would be able to play with Tyson, who lived next door. They were inseparable.

"Uh, wow, it's been ages, Tyson," she managed.

Tyson opened his arms for a hug in response. She stepped into them, immediately regretting ever getting close to him. The awful scent of sweat wafted over her nose. She had to swallow down her gag.

"I haven't seen you in so long. I thought I'd never see you again," he said. He gazed down at her with a sincerity she forgot existed in men. Or women for that matter.

She bit down on her lips, slowly stepping away from him. For a second, she preferred the wood smell to hit her full force than his sweat. "Yeah, I can say the same to you." She chuckled, feeling her cheeks warm.

"What have you been up to? Became a full Cali girl?" He asked.

"I guess," she chuckled again, "I've just been living my life and making ends meet. How about you? What has the great Tyson Smith been doing with his life?"

"Oh, I took up carpentry a while ago. It's enough to keep us afloat."

"Is that what you're doing now?" Aura pointed to the pieces of wood lying about his front yard.

He grinned, nodding his head. "Yep! I got my first big order. A couple wants some new cabinets for their kitchen. They're renovating, and since we go way back, they hired me. I'm hoping this could open doors for me."

Aura hummed in response, staring at the insignificant pieces of wood a couple of feet away. Right now, they had no shape nor any indication of what they could be. They were just pieces, but it seemed Tyson had it all figured out in his head. She sighed, wanting to be that excited about life and opportunities. Here he was creating wood cabinets for a living, and Aura was stumped when she could've had more than he could ever imagine.

"Aura, darling, dinner's ready... My! Is that little Tyson?" Her mother's voice traveled to the front yard, making her roll her eyes.

"Not so little anymore," Aura mumbled.

"Oh, Tyson! Come here! I heard about your parents a few years back. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you received our package back then." Her mother flipped her straight, brunette hair over her shoulder before speed-walking towards them. Her arms extended, receiving Tyson in a warm hug.

Aura stepped back, wrapping her own arms around herself. She wished to disappear from the heartwarming moment and continue on with life, but it seemed the universe still had other plans.

"Thank you, Mrs. Chandler. I believe I did receive it, but I barely remember stuff from that year. Everything was a blur, you know."

"Oh, I don't blame you. I'm glad you're alright and looking quite fine." Her mother turned to Aura. "Don't you think so, Aura? Doesn't he look like a fine young man? You must have a long line of girls waiting for you."

Tyson chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Aura held back a grimace and looked down at her nails, finding more peace in staring at the pastel color than at the conversation in front of her. The last thing she needed that day was to be embarrassed by her own mother in front of her old childhood best friend.

"Is dinner ready, Mom?" Aura asked, wanting to get out of there.

"Yes, that's why I came. Tyson, it was very nice to see you again. This better not be the last time I see you."

"It won't be, Mrs. Chandler. I hope to see you too, Aura," Tyson directed the last bit to her.

"Yeah, see you," Aura said weakly.

Tyson nodded and went back to his own front yard, where his wood and tools welcomed him back. Aura and her mother watched him leave, making their way back to the front door of Grandma Ruby's house.

"You could've been more respectful, Aura," her mother whispered.

"That's rich coming from you," she responded, and left her behind.

Aura rolled her eyes. Her mother needed to stop squeezing herself into her life. She had her spot in her life, she was her mother after all, but wanting to be more than that was proving to be disastrous. She wasn't a child anymore, she could be the way she wanted to. Her mother had no say in that anymore.

"Aura, honey! Hurry up, I made your favorite: mashed potatoes and chicken."

Her stomach grumbled at the thought.

"Coming, Grandma!" she replied.

Although she was mad at her parents, her elderly grandmother had no say in what had happened, so it would be unfair to give her the cold shoulder. Grandma Ruby would be about the only person she could stand in that house until she figured out what to do with her life. Otherwise, she was stuck in a web of tension until she went back to California.