When i wake up i am lying in my dads bed. One of his old sweatshirts on me while i cuddle with the Build-a-bear that he made for me when i was 7. The bed is unbearably cold, as if it knew that dad was gone. My mouth hurts really bad, and my head throbs. My eyes feel swollen shut and i feel dizzy.
"Hey cassie, how are you feeling?" Janie asks handing me a glass of water I hastily drink it down. Beads spill down my jaw and plop onto the already wet shirt.
"What happened, I don't remember anything," I ask as i tie my hair back. Janie looks down and for a second I see her lip start to quiver
"You scared me, really," she starts off. "You hadn't come back from the bathroom for 20 minutes. I started to wonder what on earth you could be doing in there. So I walked into the bathroom and you were standing there, blood dripping down your chin. You had brushed your teeth so hard that the gums were bleeding. I thought for a second you hit an artery." She finishes and I looked down. I hadn't realized that my actions could hurt others. Janie seemed so strong I didn't know this scared her.
"I'm sorry," I whisper bowing my head. Janie tentatively wraps her arms around me and hugs me.
"You're my neighbor. My little sister don't be sorry. Just don't do that again, yeah?" I rub my sleeve on my forehead and smile.
"Yeah"
W: Hey cassie! I have news for you.
C: Warren isn't it like 2 AM there? Why are you still up?
W: who are you to talk. Your up late every night. Don't think I don't know.
C: Moving on, what is the exciting news?
W: Your going to live with us, were working everything out right now.
C: Seriously?!? So quick?
W: Well the lawyer knew you were wanting to live with me and no one else had the space to do that so it really was an easy deal.
C: Thank you so much Warren!
C: When do I leave?
W: In Four Months. So i need you to study hard.
W: On korean. That is a must
W: on school studies
W: And you need to be strong. Janie texted me. You scared her. You have to be strong Cassie.
C: Check, Check, and will work on. Thank you so much!
W: alright Cassidy I need to go to sleep now so I will let you go.
W: remember what I told you.
C: Goodnight! I love you
W: Goodnight cassie I love you too.
I smell pancakes as I walk out of my room. Janie is sitting, patiently waiting for the right time to flip the pancake to see the beautiful golden side. She looks us and smile.
"Hey, whats the big smile for?" She tucks her hair behind her ear.
" Warren just texted me," I say as I seat myself down to the counter.
"And?" janie pushes
"It's a yes. I am going to live with him!" I can't help but release a big toothy grin. The pain isn't gone from my torture on the gums but I am too happy to let that stop me.
"Oh my goodness cassie that is amazing! When do you leave?"
"In four months. So I have a lot of work to do," I say before drinking some milk.
"No kidding. We need to get this place ready to go," She says pulling out a notebook. The thing with janie is she loves lists. If she could write her life down as a list it would already be done.
"Okay what is the main thing you need to start with?" I set down my fork and think.
"School, I have to get a tutor so I can get ahead of the american studies so I am ready for the korean classes."
School tutor.
"Okay, what else?"
"I need to learn korean, pack up the house, put stuff in storage, Get rid of items I don't want or need." I look up as she is hastily writing everything down.
Language study
Pack the house
Stuff in storage
Get rid of items not needed or wanted
"Is that all?" She asks. I look up at the ceiling and try to see if i need anything else.
"MMM no?"
"Okay I will send this to my mother and she will get all the legal stuff done. Hire the tutor and find a good way to learn korean. You and me are in charge of the fun stuff. However, we will probably have the tutor over at least every other day. The days you don't have that we will need to buckle down. Put things in sell, garbage, and storage. We don't have long so this will need to be our main focus." She looked at me with a big smile.
"Deal, I will do everything I can to get everything ready." Finishing up my pancakes I smile at janie "I am going to shower wash my hair then lets start. While I am showering you can get the boxes ready. Dad always kept cardboard boxes in the attic that we can use," I say setting my dish in the sink. I turn around hug janie and walk into the bathroom.
Dad used to make fun of me having the hottest shower. He'd say I would burn the pigment out of my skin with the scalding water. And leave little burns that dotted my skin. This was my way of gaining the freckles. I looked into the mirror. My red hair down to my waist, my skin fair and splotched with brown freckles. My eyes green with the color of emeralds. They were big and full of curiosity. My lips small but full in its own unique way. Little freckles dot my lips making it look like I ate a toasted marshmallow and the brown crumbs dusted my lips. I smile at the young girl in the mirror. A month ago I looked like a small child but now I look like the young woman I was supposed to be. I turn on the shower to the piping hot temperature and stand in it. As the water beads down I imagine my grief, fear, and other painful emotions fall down the drain with it. It feels relieving, and the imagination makes me feel confidant.
Okay cassie. You can't grieve anymore you are given the chance you want so you have to take it. Don't be a child and don't mess this up
Once I am out of the shower I put on a painting T-shirt and shorts that have seen better days. Pull my hair up into a ponytail, Tie my tennis shoes that were as well older. I open my creaky door and see boxes set out.
"Okay Cassie the boxes over there are for your clothes. Put the ones you want to keep, toss, and sell in the boxes. I have marked the sides so you know what one is what. Once your done stack them and put them in the family room. I nod and grab the boxes a few at a time. Most of my clothes are old so they end up mostly in the trash. I find some good dresses that I can sell and pack up the rest of the things. The trash box is overfull and the sell box is pretty full too. The keep bin is not so promising.
I then move to my dads room. He also did not have many clothes I want to keep but instead I put them in another box titled 'Quilt' I want some of my dads things with me and this way I can keep the shirts while having a use of it.
"Can i take this over to your house so that your mom can make these into a quilt?" I ask once I am done. She smiles and nods.
"Be quick about it," She says as she is putting plastic cups into the sell box. Once I am nextdoor i ring the doorbell with my elbow.
"Cassie, How are you my dear?" Janie's mom exclaims as she opens the door. I smile as mrs. Twell pulls me into a hug.
"I am doing well. I have a question for you," I say as Mrs. twell takes the box from my hands. She nods at me to keep going. "Those are my dads clothes that I don't want to get rid of, Could you possibly make them into a quilt that I can take with me to korea?" She opens the box and carefully searches through the box.
"Of course! This is all the fabric you want?" I nod as I chew on my lip. "Okay! If you find any other fabric just send them over." I smile as she closes the box up.
"I should get back but thank you so much," I say as I head towards the front entry way. I open up the door and walk out.
When I get back to my house i see Janie unscrewing the doors from their frames.
"Shesh what did you two do to these doors during the time you lived here?" I smile as she dusts her hands on her shirt.
"Hey I got my room and dad's room clean of clothes do you want to watch a movie?" I ask with a sly grin. Janie gives me a look.
"No, we have a lot of work to do and I don't want to waste a second. However, we do need to clean the doors so we can have a cleaning party in front of the TV. I can order take out." She winks at me as she waves her phone around in the air.
"Okay, I'll fill up buckets of soap and water while you order. What are we having?"
" It's a surprise, lucky for me you aren't picky," She says with a grin. I slingshot a hair tie at her and run into the next room.
When I return Janie already has the roku remote in hand. She has logged into a station I don't know.
"What are you logging into?" I ask setting down the bowl of soapy water and sponges.
"Isn't it obvious? We have to get you well cultured in the korean lifestyle. So we have to start with the big thing. Cassidy do you know what that is?" She lifts the tip of the remote up to her lips and taps lightly.
"Well K-pop has kind of blown up everywhere so I am guessing we are watching music videos and getting me well versed in groups," I venture as I sit on the floor.
"That's a good point its wrong but that'll be tomorrow's activity, yeah?" I nod at her as she nudges me with her foot. "We're going to watch Kdramas.I have heard that they are actually well done."
"Aren't they just like American movies?" Janie just laughs
"My dear padawan you have much to learn, no they are not like our movies. They have different styles and because of their culture the same storyline would turn out different."
"What? You lost me at padawan" I counter as she sits.
"Okay say we took the play write for like, Cinderella or literally any other movie and we gave it to a director in America and the same write to a korean director the movies would come out completely different not just because of artistic differences but instead because of the cultural differences and from what I understand korean movies especially the romantic ones are so pure and way better than american films. No offense to the directors here but many people say this"
"Janie," I interrupt "Your rambling again." she gives a nervous laugh and starts scrolling through the list. After a bit we settle onto a series instead of a movie. We scrub away as we read the subtitles and hoping we don't mix soap with our noodles and chicken.
"This was fun but cass we need to go to bed it's nearing one so we need to sleep." I nod rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah I agree," I say as I am still watching the screen. The screen goes black. "Hey! They were having a moment why would you stop it there" I grouch.
"I am seeing your eyes droop and besides this is better motivation for you to get stuff done tomorrow." I look up at her as she takes the bowls of food and washing remedies into the kitchen.
"Fine, but I am not happy you stopped it like that." She ruffles my hair as I walk into the kitchen.
"Oh, cassie you will fit right in. This is your first Kdrama and your already sucked in." She has a bittersweet smile that flickers onto her lips.
"No time for tears janie. Thats not on our checklist," I tease with a nudge and she lets out a weak laugh.
"Your right," she starts and we both simultaneously say her philosophy "If it's not on the list then it doesn't happen."