I took one last look in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair for god knows how many times that morning. My short dirty blonde locks fell in loose curls down to my shoulders. It honestly made no sense that I was bothered about my hair at this moment what with a long flight ahead of me.
Sighing, I turned away from my mirror and leaned down to grab my pink duffel bag off the floor. My large suitcase and backpack were already down in the car waiting for me. With one last look around my room I pulled the door shut, knowing that I wouldn't see it for a while.
"You all set, Em?" my brother shouted from the landing, the sound echoing in the quiet house.
"Yeah, just a sec," I shouted back
However, I still felt myself hesitate outside my door. Everything would just be so much easier if I could stay here this summer. Who cares if my brother and his wife are going to Ireland to see her family? Let them go see family whilst I stay here. There was no need to ship me off, to make sure that I was "well taken care of in their absence". I was 1 month away from my 18th birthday, I'm pretty sure I could take care of myself.
"Come on Emilia," I then heard my sister-in-law calling, "you don't want to miss your flight!"
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled to myself. Actually, to me, missing my flight didn't sound like the worst thing in the world. I threw my duffel bag down the flight of stairs where it landed with a loud thump on the wooden floor. I walked loudly down the stairs behind it, hoping that my brother and his wife got the picture that I was upset.
From the time we locked the front door behind us, during the hour drive to the airport, and through all of the security and baggage lines, I could tell that my brother and his wife were trying to keep me happy.
"C'mon Em, it won't be that bad", my brother said softly punching my shoulder. We had reached the point where they would have to go one way for their flight and I would head in another.
"And just think, you haven't seen James and his family in at least five years, you will have an amazing time" My sister-in-law added in a last attempt to make me happy.
In response, I just glared over at her. We both knew that spending time with James's family was the last thing that I would be doing this summer holiday. Don't get me wrong, I would be spending more than enough quality time with James himself . . . stuck on a tour bus around America. I probably wouldn't even see my aunt Cathy, my uncle Mike and my cousins Ali and Philip at all. But my brother didn't bother about this, for the last half a year he has been too focused on planning his and his wife's trip to see her family, whilst focusing little attention on mine.
But as it turns out once again there was nothing I could say to change my brother and his wife's mind…. I mean they are my legal guardians right? So now they were leaving for their trip and I was leaving for mine…. oh the joys. Time to board this plane….LA here I come!
After a few minutes of my sister-in-law's tearful goodbye, and the awkward speech from my brother about behaving myself for my family, we than went our separate ways. All that was left that I could do was at least try to relax. That became my moto for the next few hours I was sadly stuck between a lady caked with make-up and a man who looked like he could take up two seats all on his own. SAVE ME!