Books never stop revealing their secrets to us. We overlook a lot, and we carry a heavy burden. Sometimes we cry, and sometimes we're happy, and we discover secrets! And this is what I took upon myself.
(From the novel Kwikol)
I looked at my acceptance letter for (Style University) with eyes sparkling with happiness. Finally, I was accepted into the university that all hardworking students dream of getting into, but most didn't get the chance.
I studied a lot during my last year of high school. I made sure to get high grades. I closed off all doors of fun and laziness during that period for the sake of my goal: studying Architectural Engineering at the best university in the country.
I'm totally convinced that whoever wants something will strive for it, and whoever wants success, specifically, will give up procrastination, laziness, excessive sleep, chatter, and people.
Today I'm moving from my city to the city that's home to the (Style University) building. But I won't be living in my own place, because my family is the type that worries a lot. So I'll be living in (Mr. Gordon's) house. He's a friend of my dad and the family. I'm kind of a less social person, so I don't know much about them. All I know is that they're a family of a dad, mom, a daughter, and two sons. They used to visit us when I was little, or we'd visit them, but that was a long time ago, so much so that I can barely remember what they look like. One of the sons is named (Christian). He's very close to my brother Julian, who used to visit them a lot before he got married.
I packed my bags and gathered everything I might need. I took one last look at my room before dragging my suitcase along with my body, heading downstairs where my brother Julian was waiting for me so we could go to Mr. Gordon's house.
I took slow steps down the stairs, saying goodbye to every detail of my room and house with my eyes. I reached the living room when I finished coming down the stairs leading directly to it, so I announced I was ready: "I'm finished."
My brother Julian came forward to take the bags from my hands: "Give me your bags so I can put 'em in the car."
Now it's time to part ways. I really hate goodbye moments, and here I am doing it, with my family!
I turned towards my mother, sadness clouding her kind face. I stretched out my hands and wrapped them around her neck to hug her, and she returned the hug with a strong embrace. I stiffened my body so I wouldn't tremble in front of her, and I didn't want to cry so she wouldn't cry too, but she couldn't hold back, and she cried. I hugged her tighter and whispered comfortingly: "Don't cry, Mom. I'm not going to the farthest south pole. It's just a few months in a city that takes four hours to get to!"
My father stepped in and pulled her away from me, then he wiped the tears running down her cheeks: "My dear Juliet, let the girl go. Don't make her cry, and what's going to make her stop if she cries?! And I promise you I'll take you to see her."
I smiled at my father's kindness. I approached him and hugged him. When I pulled away from him, he kissed my forehead and stroked my hair, saying with a smile that adorned his face: "I'm confident in your success, my daughter. Work hard, and remember that your father will be your support at all times and with every decision." Tears welled up in my eyes despite myself, ruining all my attempts to stay strong. My father stroked my head and said: "Don't cry, I'll visit you often. Just focus on your studies and don't think about anything else. And your uncle Gordon and everyone will be nice to you."
My mother added: "And be careful at the university, both boys and even girls."
I nodded to them with a reassuring smile: "Okay, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just take good care of your health."
I was about to go out where Julian was standing and waiting for me to head towards Mr. Gordon's house, but I ran into two figures who rushed towards me to hug me like crazy. And who else could it be?! My sister Yolande and Julian's wife Liza, who needs to stop this behavior because she's early in her pregnancy now!
With their slender fingers, each one held a side of my cheeks, and they grumbled angrily: "Were you planning to leave without saying goodbye?!"
I wrinkled my face in annoyance and tried to free my face from their hands: "Get off me. Where were you? And did you want me to wait for you, ladies?"
My sister let out a deep sigh and said: "I have a lot of work these days because many girls are getting married, so we're getting a large number ready every day. That's why you should have waited for me to say goodbye before you left!"
I don't doubt the truth of what she's saying. She's working a lot these days. Yolande and Liza work at a beauty center, but I think Julian has stopped Liza from going to work after she got pregnant! Chatter and arguing now are pointless. The best option is to go along with it. I gave her a quick hug and told her before pulling away: "Be well, and take care of Mom and Dad. And don't let Liza go to work, she might get tired because of the pregnancy."
"(She won't be going anymore)" Julian said, leaning against the car and pulling Liza towards him with his hand.
I approached them, knocked his hand away to hug her. It's strange for a girl to be loved by her husband's sisters, but our relationship with Liza isn't an obligatory one or just a friendship. I can say she's like the third daughter, along with me and Yolande.
I slid into the car and sat in the front seat next to Julian. Yolande leaned her head through the open car window next to my seat and pulled my ear to whisper to me: "Be careful not to lose your first kiss in that house..."
I stared at her face, feeling strange and wondering: "What do you mean?" It was as if she heard my question that I'd asked myself, so she gave me a warning look and pulled away, smiling. I raised my hand to wave goodbye to them before Julian's car sped off.
After four hours, we entered the big city where I'll be living with Mr. Gordon's family. The landmarks of this city are different from our city, which has small or medium-sized houses, and where small shops and stores are spread out. But this city is home to large, tall houses, and has only shopping centers and wide public parks.
Julian stopped his car in front of a large house covered in a milky white paint. Julian got out, then I did. There was a large gate situated on either side of the high fence that enclosed the house. My brother pushed the gate open with his hands, and it opened, revealing a large garden. It seemed they hadn't closed it.
Irregularly shaped circular stones were laid out among the garden grass, leading to the house door. We walked on them until we reached the dark wooden door. Julian pressed the doorbell, and we didn't wait long at all, until the door opened and behind it appeared a tall and slender girl with blonde hair tending towards honey-colored, and sky-blue eyes, and incredibly white skin. I think she's their only daughter. She gasped lightly when she saw us: "Oh... Julian!"
Julian replied sarcastically: "No, his ghost!" And he added, asking: "Are we going to stand at the door, Miss Della?!"
She stepped away from the door and opened it wider to make way for us to enter: "Come in..."
She welcomed me happily, then we walked, following her steps, or rather, I followed her steps, because Julian seemed to be walking around in his own house.
We entered a spacious room with light brown walls, and on the marble floor were sofas in shades of brown. All the colors were calm, not jarring to the eyes, but rather gave a feeling of comfort. She motioned for us to sit down: "Please have a seat, and I'll go call my mother. Please wait for me a moment."
I sat next to Julian, rubbing my hands nervously. So Julian placed his hand over mine and said to reassure me: "Don't worry, you'll be fine." I pushed the tension away with a forced smile so Julian wouldn't worry.
Della returned after a few minutes with a woman who resembled her closely... The same eyes and hair, but some light wrinkles covered her features. She was definitely her mother. She also welcomed us in a kind way, then started exchanging conversation with Julian, who seemed to be enjoying himself.
"(So, Auntie, where's Christian?)" Julian asked.
And she replied: "He's at work, he didn't know you were coming today."
Della stepped in to say: "No, I called him and told him Julian was here, and he said he'd come in a little while."
He nodded calmly, then silence fell over the atmosphere, which Mr. Gordon's wife broke when she said, addressing me: "Carmen, consider this your home and we are your family. Even though we can't replace them, we'll try our best."
I replied gratefully: "Thank you, Mrs. Henry*. That's very kind of you. And I'm truly grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to complete my studies at the university I dreamed of."
[* Note: (Henry) is the family name. In European, foreign, and even Asian countries, after a girl marries a man, she must take her husband's family name instead of her own.]
A smile formed on her face as she heard my words of gratitude, and she said in a voice filled with tenderness: "There's no need to thank us, it's our duty. Since you, Julian, and Yolande were young, I've treated you like my own children. And your mother was just as caring towards my children. And don't call me Mrs. Henry, you can call me Auntie Taleen."
I nodded to her: "Okay, Auntie Taleen."
She added to her daughter Della: "Della, take Carmen to the room we prepared for her."
Della invited me to go, eager to see my new room. I followed her and felt relieved when she went up the stairs leading to the upper floor. That's good for me because I prefer rooms on the upper floor. We passed by many rooms because their house is very large, but despite its size, they knew how to make its decor simple and beautiful. Della's voice interrupted my thoughts when she said: "We're here, Carmen, this is your room. Let's go in and put your bags."
I nodded to her and stepped into the room that would be my room from today. I fell in love with its decor. There was a study desk in white and pink next to the door, and a bed that could fit two people, and a dresser in white. I think the furniture was Italian design. And what I liked most was a large window overlooking the back garden of the house, covered by a sheer white satin curtain. And next to the window was a large tree with many branches stretching out, rustling with green leaves. I stretched out my hand and touched its tips with my palm.
Della came closer to me and asked, gesturing to the room: "What do you think?"
I blurted out with happiness and excitement I couldn't hide: "It's really beautiful, especially the window, it's the best spot!"
"- I'm happy you liked it."
She added: "The room next to yours on the right is my room. If you need anything, don't hesitate."
"- Okay, thanks, Della, but who's the room to my left for?"
"- That's for my older brother Arseland, and the room next to mine is for my brother who's two years older than me, Christian."
I just hummed without replying. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise. I furrowed my brow in surprise, unlike Della, who didn't seem surprised, so I asked her: "What's that noise?!"
She answered indifferently, as if she was used to the sound: "That's my brother Christian. He arrived, and this happens when he and Julian meet."
Della excused herself and left me to arrange my clothes and things. I opened the dresser to put my clothes in, but I found some girls' clothes in it. I wondered to myself: Whose clothes are these? Are they Della's? It doesn't matter, I'll ask her later... I decided to put them in my suitcase instead of my own clothes. I finished arranging my bags, threw myself onto the bed, and my mind wandered to the ceiling as I thought about a new life and a new world! New relationships!
Suddenly, I remembered Yolande's warning sentence! (Be careful not to lose your first kiss in that house). What did she mean, I wonder? I guess she was just kidding anyway.
I went downstairs to the first floor. There was a young man who looked like he was in his early twenties, with blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. His skin was fair with a slight yellowish tint. He resembled Della and her mother, but he was attractive with his slender body and cheerful demeanor; the smile certainly never left his face. This must be (Christian). I had met him when I was in eighth grade. He had come with his father to visit Julian, but I didn't talk to him back then. He was sticking close to Julian, and it seemed they were absorbed in looking at something on a phone.
I calmly walked towards them and tried to get their attention, so I said: "Hi."
They looked at me, then Christian stood up and extended his hand to shake mine: "Hey, I'm Christian, and you can call me Chris for short."
"- And I'm Carmen. Nice to meet you, Chris."
"(Come on, Chris, get away from my sister)" Julian said impatiently.
The other guy grumbled impatiently too: "Jules, I don't eat people."
"- But my sister isn't human."
I opened my mouth in surprise because of Julian's sentence. What did he mean?! Chris tried to stifle his laugh, so Julian added: "My sister is a rose, and you're a goat, that's why I'm afraid you'll eat her."
An involuntary laugh escaped my mouth, but Chris couldn't reply, so he just rolled his eyes. I sat next to Julian and asked him: "When are you coming back?"
"- Tomorrow."
"- Really?!"
"- Yeah, I haven't seen Chris in months, and I'll be staying here tonight. Plus, I can't leave you on your first day."
A feeling of alienation and loneliness gripped my soul when I remembered that he would leave sooner or later. I hummed and lowered my head so my discomfort wouldn't show on my face. I felt his hand stroke my head with brotherly tenderness: "You'll be fine."
Chris spoke after his silence while we were talking: "Don't worry, Jules, she's in my care."
"- Yeah, Carmen, Chris, Della, and everyone will take care of you. Just be careful of Chris's words and don't listen to him, he's just a morally corrupt person."
I laughed at his words, which provoked Chris, making him defend himself as if he were a knight defending his honor: "That's a false and lying accusation from someone who has no conscience or soul connected to humanity!"
"(By the way, Chris, where's your bear brother?)" Julian directed his question to Chris.
"- He's busy. He has a match this month and spends most of his time training."
Julian stretched out on the couch and said indifferently: "He's boring anyway. It's good he's not here."
Della entered, carrying glasses full of orange juice, and placed them in front of us. She looked at Julian and Christian, narrowing her eyes: "Did you two mention Arseland badly?"
So, the name of the third son is (Arseland), and he's a soccer player. Julian smiled a forced smile: "No, not at all. I was saying he's cheerful and fun. If he were here, we'd have more fun, but luckily... I mean, unluckily, he's not here."
Della pouted: "He just doesn't care about what you two do, but he doesn't interfere in your affairs."
Julian furrowed his brows and spat out his words as if he was angry: "Seriously, Della, he despises even the sound of us laughing!"
Chris sipped from his glass of juice and said: "I agree with Jules."
Julian looked at him out of the corner of his eye: "And you too, don't call me Jules, or I'll cut you off for life."
I took the glass of juice in front of him and sipped a little from it. I wondered if he was really that bad? But I haven't met him yet to judge him.
I tossed and turned in my bed several times. I couldn't sleep. First, because of the change of place, which was the lesser reason. The bigger reason was Julian and Christian's voices. Even though they were over twenty years old, they sounded fourteen, like teenagers. They were playing video games and yelling whether they lost or won; they had no middle ground. Their laughter and shouting pierced my eardrums until I heard a sound that echoed throughout the entire upper floor, as if a door had been slammed hard, mixed with a loud voice filled with anger muttering warning words: "I swear if you two keep acting like children, I'll kick you out into the street! And you, Julian, haven't you grown up?! You're going to be a father soon. And you, Chris, is your craziness increasing with this idiot like you?!"
It became clear to me that this was (Arseland). That's why Julian was annoyed by him. But I burst out laughing at his scolding of them... I think they're looking at him now with a mocking face. But thanks to him, peace returned, and the sound of Julian and Christian's shouting disappeared. I'm really thankful to him. Now I can sleep. I closed my eyes and didn't know how sleep overtook me until I woke up in the morning... Today Julian will return to our city.
I opened my phone to see the time. It was eight in the morning, and there was a message from Yolande, its content: (How are you?) So I wrote back to her (I'm fine, don't worry, I think I'll get used to it).
I tidied myself after washing my face, then I left my room heading downstairs. I stepped into the dining room when I heard their voices coming from it. I forced a smile and said: "Good morning."
They replied in varying voices: "Good morning."
Mrs. Taleen said in a voice with a touch of motherly tenderness: "We didn't want to wake you because you were tired."
"- It's okay, I got enough sleep."
I took the chair next to my brother, who quickly formed a small smile on his lips when he saw me... But in the end, he would leave! The feeling of loneliness and alienation came back to wrap around me tightly.
And indeed, as soon as we finished eating our breakfast, it was time for him to return to our city, quickly! My heart tightened with an annoying and uncomfortable feeling, but when he said goodbye to everyone, he approached me to hug my short body compared to his tall height. He gently kissed my forehead, a sweet brotherly kiss, and said in a tender tone that didn't lack encouragement: "Okay, Carmen, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself and don't worry too much. Everyone here will take care of you, and remember that your dream comes first. Be brave!"
He whispered his last words next to my ear, so I gave him a look that showed confidence, contrary to the hesitation and fear swirling inside me: "Don't worry, brother, I'll be fine. Just take care of everyone there."
"- Of course, but I haven't given you your success gift yet! Follow me."
I followed him with quick steps that showed how excited I was, under the watchful eyes of Mr. Gordon's family, who were observing us silently with smiles. When he stopped, my eyes fell on a motorcycle, a (Honda Rebel) – the motorcycle I had wanted so badly! He looked at my face, on which signs of astonishment and happiness were drawn, and threw me the key: "Enjoy it, my wild sister."
Julian left, and Mr. Gordon and Chris went to the company, while Mrs. Taleen's friend came over, and they sat talking in the front garden of the house. I stayed with Della to help her wash the dishes. She refused at first, but I insisted, as it wasn't reasonable for me to just sit there while they did everything! I had to get used to helping out with them.
I didn't feel bored. I kept chatting with Della about the university and what studying at this level is like, in addition to the rules that (Style University) imposes, since Della is a student there and this is her last year until she graduates. This meant she knew a lot about it...
Our conversation, which was interesting to me, was interrupted by Arseland's sleepy voice: "Della, I want breakfast."
I turned to him. He was leaning his body against the door, his hair messy as he ran his long fingers through his scalp, and his eyes, which were slightly swollen, indicated that he had just woken up. I quickly turned back towards the dishes so he wouldn't notice me looking at him.
Della asked him to sit at the small table in the middle of the kitchen: "Okay, sit down, I'll make you something to eat."
With slow and quiet steps whose sound couldn't be heard, he sat at the table, and the sound of rhythmic tapping coming from above the table reached my ears.
She added to me: "My dear Carmen, can you put the dishes away while I make breakfast for Arseland?"
"- Yeah, that's fine."
I took the dishes and put them away in their places. I don't know how, but I felt the gaze from his eyes piercing my back, but I didn't have the nerve or courage to turn around. I quickly finished what I was doing to go back to my room: "Della, I'm done. I'll go back to my room."
"- Thank you, Carmen."
--------------
Hello friends, this is my first novel and the first chapter. It might seem a little boring, but I'm really sure that the coming chapters will appeal to you 💕. Support me with a vote or a comment. And please be gentle with your criticism, even though I accept all kinds of criticism, but not the hurtful kind or the kind whose goal is to put down! What do you think of the characters?
Carmen?
Julian?
Christian?
Della?
Arseland?
And Mr. and Mrs. Henry?
I wish you a good day 💛.
تعليقات
إرسال تعليق