The mall was still there. The population was the same. Business in town was still in progress, but something still felt odd. Something felt misplaced.
"Could this drastic change be a factor of the technological era?" I asked myself.
A thought worth considering. Maybe the modern development in the town and the new generation are the causes of this. Since the modern era as began, people, things and times have changed both positively and negatively. On the positive side,.Theres wifi, gadgets and smart inventions that made life much easier. On the negative side, most people have been abondoning nature and spending most of their days behind screens locked up in their homes, while theres some who are'nt like that, some have been polluting the environment.
We were even more shocked when it came to our knowledge that our local family business had been closed for years, ever since the day we left.
I walked around the bakery in total shock. Spectating both the inside and the outside
The paint on the walls was peeling off; there were a few broken windows; and grass grew as tall as a steeple, some nearly covering the entire building. What used to be the flower patch is now a dried, withered garth of weed.
Opening the doors was quite challenging because they had been locked for years. My father had to use a sledge hammer to break the lock in order to get inside. On the inside, it was dusty. I started to sneeze and my eyes were running with water, almost as if I was crying.
Because of my terrible allergy, I could not bare being in such an atmosphere, and so my mother and I had to stay outside, sitting on a bench, waiting till my father, with the help of two others, did some deep cleaning. And once more, my sister Lucy was inside, skipping along in the dust. She was passing dust cloths to the cleaners, and she was helping them wipe down the counters. I loved my sister dearly. After all, she is my twin. We had our ups and downs, but I always felt left out, as if I wasn't included in anything or as if I was a shadow. She was not allergic to anything and she had no major illnesses like I did. I knew she also loved me dearly just the same, but I would appreciate it if she did'nt rub it all over my face.
My thoughts clouded over my head and the thunder balls of envy burst me into tears. It would have been wiped away if it hadn't been for my God-gifted rainbow. She tightly caressed me on the old wooden bench. With my head lying on her bosom, with her tender hands rubbing my head. I felt more relaxed and at ease.
Just then, Lucy-Ann came outside. She came with a glare of happiness, boasting about how much fun she had while cleaning. I rolled my eyes shut, trying not to listen to her annoying blabbering.
"You know Lucy, instead of laughing at a monkey for his silly acts, it's better you stop and repeat to yourself, what if I was that monkey?" said my mother.
" Would you have like it if lacey was to show off on you?" asked my mother.
Hearing my mother gently putting lucy in her place made me feel even more relieved.
At that very same moment, Lucy had stopped speaking. She was as silent as a lonely night. The only word she uttered was "what do you mean?" My mother said that she would know one day. Just right after, my father walked up to us.
My father said that, he had legally signed this business over to my sister and I. He also told us that for the time being, our aunt May-Ann and him have the full rights to the bakery until they sign it over. My just needs to get some paper work sorted out and fix this place up. Then we can bring business back into town and perhaps it will bring back a ray of happiness into town.
My father:"What do you say we give it a shot?"
My Father: "After some time, we won't be able to handle business anymore, and since you are the only grandchildren of my parents, this place legally belongs to the both of you,"
"Daddy, don't worry, the business will be left in good hands." "My sister and I will run it equally" , said Lucy-Ann
At first, I was lost for words. For the first time, my sister actually felt like including me into something, or at least those were just sayings. After all, the words of one are victory.
Just about a week later, the bakery had its first grand opening in forty-eight years! I have never seen so many people in the streets before. Surprisingly, we got a lot of support from lots of people in town. My sister and I together cut the ribbon with a huge set of scissors. As the doors burst open, the crowd barged in, and right away they started placing orders for the scrumptious pastries that both my father and mother made.
Some of these were donuts, slices of cakes, cupcakes, pies, breads, and buns. Since Saint Krex was a nation mixed with different cultures, these pastries originated from all over the world. The pastries were derived from many different ethnic groups and continents. Countries from the north, south, east and west. By the time the day was almost done, my parents allotted bags on top of bags filled with cash. My parents, together spent their entire night, calculating, the money the bakery made. The total came up to about over thirty-two thousand Krex dollars. That night, we slept in the back of the bakery. We planned to use the krex dollars to purchase a house the following day, but things did'nt work as we desire.
The very next day, as early as seven-thirty a.m., an everlasting line of customers was waiting behind the door for us to open. After twenty minutes of opening, a strange-looking old man barged into the shop with rage and anger. At first, I could not recognize who he was or why he was behaving in such a disturbing manner. It wasn't until my father addressed him as "Dad" that I realized who he was.It was Grandpa Maxwell.
Right after, he started arguing with my father, without even introducing himself. After all, my dad was his only son, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years. I thought if it were me, I would be happy to see my child.
"How dear you! "Did you reopen my bakery without my knowledge?" asked grandpa.
"After your lying, such a human mother!, stole from me and secretly left!" said grandpa.
"Why did you come back? huh? "Couldn't you just stay where you were?" said grandpa Maxwell..
"Dad, I thought this bakery legally belonged to us, your children, and that we could take its ownership whenever", said my father.
"And when I was trying to reach out to you, so I could get the signing done, I was not capable of doing so and I-", said my father.
"Oh, will you shut up and come here? "Don't you miss your father?" says Grandpa Maxwell.
"HA HA HA HA, give me a hug." You really thought I would have been angry about that?" asked grandpa Maxwell.
For a moment there, my heart skipped a beat. Until I saw him reach down to my sister and I.
"Ouuu!" "Twins, and what's your name?" asked grandpa Maxwell.
"Umm, our names are Lacey-Ann and Lucy-Ann Maxwell", I said.
"OMG, my little grand babies, come here!", said grandpa.
As he kneeled down, he grabbed both of us and hugged us tightly. At first it was weird; we were not used to him, but in a minute, we got comfortable, and we eased our tension in the hug between us. Maybe Grandpa Maxwell was not so bad after all.
That evening, Grandpa invited us to the home our father and aunt spent a few years living in. It was huge. It was not modern like the other houses in town, but it was well polished. On the inside, it was even more exotic and beautiful, with color schemes of brown, yellow, and beige. The furniture was antique and wooden. The floor had a repeated pattern of squares and triangles. While the ceiling had a magnificent chandelier. The chandelier was filled with diamonds. They were brighter and prettier than glowing lights.
"Well, son, welcome back home", said grandpa Maxwell.
"Well, I can say I am truly honored to be back. I have had so many memories here", said my father.
"Well, don't get too nostalgic! HA HA HA HA! ", said grandpa Maxwell.
"Make yourselves at home! Do you want to stay in your aunt May-Ann's room?" said grandpa Maxwell.
"I am sure she won't have a problem with it!", said grandpa Maxwell.
Hearing this made me even more excited. I mean, who would turn down such an offer?
"Of course we would love to"! said Lucy and I.
The way to our room was quite long and adventurous. Though it looked as if we were walking for miles, we didn't realize how much we were exhausted. The statues, the pictures on the walls, and some old artifacts caught our attention. After ages of walking, we finally stumbled upon my aunt's room.
On the inside, the walls were covered in picks and white polka dots. There was a doll house, a make-up set for children, a tricycle, and a toy chest filled with toys galore.
"Yay!" We screamed.
Has this been the dream life?
As the night drew nearer, my father and mother tucked us into bed while singing a lullaby. For the first time, my father smiled as he sang to us. My eyes were forced shut as the shadow of sleep grew all around me. I could no longer resist it, as it was weekening me. A wrestle that was not hard for the wave of sleep to win. I felt weeker and strengthless. It felt like a powerful magnetic force was pulling stuck to the bed. I gave up on the fight and gave in. I felt much more relieved and relaxed. The temperature around me was not hot nor cold but it was indeed the best atmosphere to drag me into deep sleep.
My sleeping condition did put me into deep sleep. I had a strange dream, most otterly terrifying and heartracking. I had a dream where i was walking in a dark tunnel when i suddenly heard owls screeching. I ran as fast as I could from the tunnel until I could see nothing but the stars, the moon and the sky. I signed in relief until I felt the presence of harm around me. I turned around to see what it was whilst my heart was pounding. Suddenly, the ground started to shake and the where I was standing seemed to be the edge of the cliff, which broke with me standing on it then, I started to fall into mid air. I screamed until I came to the realisation that it was just a dream. I sighed and got up to use the restroom.
I was still new to this house and I was trying to get around and find the restroom. I stumbled up in many hall ways and before many different doors but, not of which was the bathroom. It was quiet wierd because, I was given a tour of the house and I was sure that grandpa Maxwell showed me where it was. I was pondering and thinking hard until, I remembered that there was a bathroom two doors from my grandfather's room. I was just about right. As I passed my grandpa's bedroom, I overheard my grandpa and my father having a conversation. I tried to listen but the words appeared more like mumbling but, I was determined to hear what they were saying. I crept up behind the bedroom door and pressed my ears on the wooden door then, I could now hear every word uttered clearly.
"There's still affection for her, somewhere deep down in my heart", said grandpa.