The Hideaway

2 ~ Neighbors

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." ~Voltaire

- 6 Years Old -

The very first time I saw Beth was through a window.

The houses in my neighborhood could only be described as the smell of pine needles. It was quiet and secluded, so peaceful that most of our neighbors were retired couples waiting out their final years. It was a secret haven secluded between the trees, and it certainly wasn't the place you would find trouble. It welcomed you into its warm embrace, daring never to let go.

Except for when it rained.

I was sitting at the window, huffing mist onto the cool glass of my canvas. Dad was bustling around the kitchen as he prepared lunch, and mom was having an intense staring contest with her laptop.

"Mommy, I'm bored," I whined.

"Count the raindrops," she said, refusing to let her laptop win.

I turned to the window, watching each droplet melt into the windowsill. It felt like the sky was crying.

"One, two... Three four five..."

"In your head, Harper."

One of the raindrops fell directly through my very legible drawing of a princess riding a horse. Holding back tears, I mopped it away with my sleeve to start again.

Red.

"Mom why is there red outside?"

Sighing in frustration, my mom yelled for my dad, who abandoned whatever abomination he was creating in the kitchen to pick me up. His apron smelled like freshly baked bread.

"The new neighbors are moving in today. That's their car, darling."

Ahh yes the neighbors. Whatever that is.

"Why don't we let mommy do her work while we go say hi?"

Without giving me too much time to respond, he untied his apron and grabbed an umbrella from the rack on the wall. The water outside soaked the cuffs of his pants.

The red still stood out against the rain, refusing to be submerged like everything else. A man got out of the car, struggling to find his keys with the rain crashing onto him. A woman in a white raincoat with small sunflower patterns stoof up shortly after, and my dad thought that now of all times was the perfect moment to introduce himself.

While the adults attempted to make small talk, I noticed a small blue blob making its way to the backseat window, mopping up the condensation.

It was a little girl. Her raincoat was so big that I could barely see her face. I still wonder why her parents made her wear her raincoat in the car that day.

She huffed on the glass, tracing the word 'HI' with her finger and looking back at me, revealing a pair of blue-gray eyes. They were the same colour as my favourite pair of socks, so I quite liked them. I waved back and she gave me a smile. Her front two teeth were missing.

My dad had apparently ended his conversation with the woman, because the bright blue blob was suddenly out of sight and I was sitting on the carpeted floor of our house again. 

But at least my day was special now.