1~ NEW BEGINNING

         I HATE MOVING! However, not as much as I hate cats! Good Lord, I despise cats! They're so snooty and furry... and just plain annoying! But I guess moving is second on my list of dreaded things. Everything about moving makes me sick... from packing up... to the long road or air trips... to offloading... it all makes me nauseous and unfortunately, moving has been a constant activity in my life since the day I was born till this very date.

         My name is Melva... just Melva, no last name... for the meantime, at least. My mom says I'm Melva Anderson, but it's hard to believe her because I'm sure even she doesn't know who my father is. She is probably just as clueless as I am. I live with my single mom and three younger siblings: Martell and Marcella, the chaotic twins, and Mira, the youngest of us, aged 8, 4 years younger than Martell and Marcella. Our mom, Mera, is in her late thirties, even though she doesn't look like it. She is very beautiful and young and I admire her a lot, not just because she is pretty, but because she is the strongest person I know. She's smart and never lets herself get weighed down by anything and for that, I love her. She's always making sure we're one big, happy family, united in love, peace and harmony. However, things just seem to be opposite and different these days.

        It all began with Paul's death. Paul was my mom's recent husband, Mira's dad, and from mom's perspective, he was her dream man. He was a perfect dad to Mira, a perfect husband to her, and a perfect step-father to the twins. However, he never loved me. He acted like I was invisible and wasn't part of the family. He didn't treat me the way he treated Mira or Marcella or Martell, not like I cared though. I was just happy that he was good to mom and my siblings. After a year of being together, they had Mira and got married. Mom was on cloud nine. It was surprising that she didn't leave him after two weeks or a year, and she spent a whole eight years with him which proved how much she really loved him. However, barely a few weeks ago, he died in a ghastly plane crash. His death was sudden, and unexpected, and it really threw my mom off balance. Like, I've never seen her so weighed down by anything, not even when Martell and Marcella's dad, Dexter left us. For weeks, she looked lost and hopeless, so... pitiable, and she just became a complete shadow of herself after his death. However, things got even crazier when we found out Paul left us a mansion in Michigan, and he had transferred his company and all his estates into mom's name. It was crazy AND infuriating! However, the deed had been done, and it couldn't be reversed, and so, we had to leave Philadelphia and move to Detroit, a move that I was totally against.

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        The moment mom unlocked the grand, glass French door, my jaw dropped open. I unknowingly took a few steps forward, stepping into the mansion, admiring its splendor while looking around and I have to say, it was utter beauty! The place was HUGE! And not only was it huge, it was gorgeous! The crystal chandeliers refracted rainbow colours on the clean marble floors, and a sweeping staircase led upstairs, curved like a ribbon. The mansion was painted in a vibrant blue color with a mixture of white. The blue hue was so vibrant, it felt as though the place was otherworldly, like the mansion was a fragment of cloud that dropped to the earth. The blue paint was complemented by white trim and accents, which added a touch of elegance and sophistication to the mansion's facade. The walls, windows and doors were adorned with intricate details and the delicate stone work, ornate wood carvings and white glass windows all added to the mansion's beauty and grandeur.

    "Wow mom! It feels like a million dollars threw up on this place!" Martell exclaimed. "Yes it's very pretty! I love it! Mom, is this really our new home?" Marcella asked, her big, blue eyes shimmering brightly while she tugged the hem of mom's dress and mom smiled at her. "Yes it is, my dear" She replied with an affectionate smile and I could see tears welling in her eyes. She was probably thinking about Paul. "What do you think, Mel?" My mom asked me.

    "Why do you care about what I think now? You didn't care before. You just did whatever you thought pleased you, didn't you? You didn't care that I didn't want to leave Philadelphia... you didn't care that I had my own life there, you just thought you were doing me a favor by pushing me here when I don't want to BE here!" I shot at her, my voice getting higher with each statement. Mom sighed deeply.

    "I know that I didn't make perfect choices as to regards to us moving, but I am deeply sorry, Melva. Believe me, all I want is to give us a better life, and I'm sure that's what Paul wants as well. I mean, look around you, this place... this entire place screams adventure and a new beginning. I'm sure that Paul wouldn't want us to... to... remain stuck in the past... "

    "I'm not stuck in any past mom, you're just describing how you might feel. Paul never treated me like his step-daughter not to talk of treating me like his biological daughter. I don't feel weighed down by his death, if anything, I feel rather relieved and unbothered. I just do not want to be here! Don't you get it? I don't want to be open for any new opportunities. I might not have a great life in Philadelphia, but I've worked so hard to build my life over there, I can't just leave all of it behind mom. All my friends, my school... everything I've achieved over time. Please, mom, you have to understand me" I pleaded with her.

   "I'm sorry, Melva, but you also have to understand me. I'm trying to give you a future here, I want you and your siblings to be comfortable and okay, that's all I think about every day and that's all I'm planning towards! You're not the only one who doesn't want to lazy around back at Philadelphia. I WANT TO TOO! I... I just can't because... I'm looking out for you guys, so I suggest to pick up your shit and begin to face reality!" Mom said, half yelling at me. "Come on kids, let's give the house a tour" She said, turning to my siblings and taking Mira's hand in hers. I stood there for some minutes, petrified and just... awestruck. As mom walked up the stairs, I knew she was adamant about staying here and that nothing would change her mind about this place. All hope was lost now, and I was stuck in a place I didn't want to be. How does that feel?... Do you want to know? Well, it feels horrible.

  I slowly pulled myself together and heaved a deep sigh. There was nothing that could change mom's mind now. I just have to learn to accept this place with arms wide open, whether I want to or not. I almost felt like crying.

    After a few minutes of deeply thinking, I went up the stairs and caught up with mom and the kids who were already giving themselves a tour. There was a total of nine bedrooms, a large living room, a kitchen, a library, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a private movie theater and a garden. The place was really huge!

  After the tour, we stopped at a gray door at the end of the hall which mom introduced as my bedroom. Stepping inside, I was smitten by the splendor of the room. The walls were painted with deep, rich gray, and the furnitures were gorgeous dark pink. A queen size bed stood at a corner in the room, covered in gray bedsheets, pink plush duvets, and adorned with a million pillows. There was the walk-in closet that could swallow my old bedroom whole and even a ready nook with an armchair by a corner in the bedroom. A bathroom gleamed through another door and I spotted a separate shower and tub. Lastly was the double glass door that led to the balcony. The place was very beautiful.

   "So... what do you think?" Mom asked. I rolled my eyes. "What's there to think?" I replied with sarcasm. Mom shook her head. "Get settled in and come down for dinner" She said and left, shutting the door behind her.

   I had a quick unpacking session and then made my way to the large dinning area in the living room. The living room was spacious and divided into the sitting room and dining area. The dining room was separated from the kitchen by a tiled island. There in the dining, a flurry of new faces awaited me. There was Gilly; the house keeper, Chef Francois; the chef, Gerald; the gardener, Jake and Kevin; the drivers and a few other servants who introduced themselves with smiles and a nod. Mom, the twins, Mira and I settled down on the table which could seat twelve people.

  Gilly served us dinner of Mac and Cheese made by Francois along with potato salad and casseroled green beans. The meal was okay, but I didn't have an appetite. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to leave my friends and my life in Philadelphia behind.

     Mom began an annoying speech about Paul. For God's sake! The man is dead, can't we just forget about him? He still wants to make me irritated in his graveyard. Typical.

    "... He always looked out for our best interests. He loved us, and he made sure we never lacked. Even in death, he made sure that he provided for us. He was a good man..." I had enough! I flared up and interrupted her sorry speech.

    "Speak for yourself mom and don't pretend. He never loved me. He never acknowledged me. He never even wanted me to be part of his family. I mean, for Christ's sake, the man's gone. Why can't we just forget about him already and peacefully move on with our lives?" Mom's eyes became red and bloodshot.

    "How can you say such a thing?! He provided for us Melva! Paul protected us! He had our back!..." I cut her off mid-sentence, yelling. "He had YOUR back! Never mine! And for the sake of that same man, you dragged me out of my comfort zone, against my wish! To this godforsaken place! Is that fair mom? Of course, it isn't! Do you know how hard I worked to have a life in Philadelphia?!... "

        "THEN WORK HARDER!" Mom yelled at me. "Look young lady, it's high time you begin to understand that life isn't a bed of roses or daisies or orchids or chocolate and all of that. Life is HARD, and life doesn't always give you what you want. Life doesn't always go the way we want it to! We just have to find our strengths in the midst of unpalatable circumstances and if we have no strengths, we turn our weaknesses into our strengths! You can't just sit and assume everything would find its way to you! You have to thrive! Young lady, my decision about us staying here is final and if you think it's not good enough, then you are free to leave! And, watch your tone when speaking to me next time!" she yelled on top of her voice.

   Anger swelled up inside me and I threw my napkin down. I had completely lost my appetite officially, and it was all because of a dead man! "This is unfair to me, mom. Paul never loved me. He never even liked me. Why must I uproot my life and leave everything and everyone I love behind for him? Why are we even here?!"

   "We are here because I want to give you a better life, because Paul left his company and his estates for me to handle. It is a fresh start for us" She said. "Fresh start?" I scoffed. "You call this a fresh start? You call this a home? A creepy mansion with more rooms than we know what to do with? This place doesn't even feel close to home, it just feels empty! And you know it! This is ridiculous!" I said and stood up from my seat, jogging up the stairs. I hate this place! I hate Paul for bringing me here! Not only that, but I hate my life! That was all I thought as I raced up the stairs and dashed into my bedroom.

    I buried my head into my pillow and cried my eyes out, wetting the pillows with salty tears. After crying, I felt so much better and relieved. I got out of my sticky clothes and without even bothering to take a bath, I just slid into my pajamas. After changing, a loud knock echoed through the room, coming from the other side of my door. I opened the door and was met with my mom's beautiful face. She sighed, looking at me and spread her arms wide open, pulling me into her warm embrace while patting my back.

   "We'll survive, I assure you my dear. Well get through this together" she encouraged and for some time, we just stayed like that. She apologized to me and tucked me in bed and even though it didn't take the pain away completely, I felt a lot more relieved. Maybe living in Detroit wouldn't be so bad. My life doesn't revolve around Philadelphia. Yeah, I should be open for new opportunities. Maybe mom is right.

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