"Miley? You...kind of...zoned out..." Lilly began uncertainly.
I shook my head, feeling foolish. "Right. Sorry. Where was I?"
"You said your mom was a great cook," Oliver pointed out.
"Yeah. And..." I scrunched up my eyebrows, thinking. "What else do you want to know about her?"
Lilly shrugged. "I don't know…you tell us..."
A fond smile erupted on my lips. "She had this...this way of telling us…when we're sad…that everything will turn out fine…"
An eight year old me sat huddled up in an alien bed in an alien room in an alien house, tears dripping helplessly down my cheeks. I was gazing down at photos of my old house, the one I had just left, in Tennessee. The one where I had grown up in. The one from which I was reluctantly parted, and taken to the foreign land of Malibu.
A soft knock came on the door, and my mother gently tiptoed inside. "Why so dull, baby?"
I loved the way she called me her 'baby'. It reassured me that I was forever loved.
I shook my head morosely. "It's not fair," I sobbed. "Why did we have to move here? I miss Tennessee!"
Mommy sat down on my bed beside me and stroked my hair consolingly. "Sometimes, things have to change. Changes are good, baby. Whatever happens happens for good."
I shook my head frantically again. "No they don't! What about my friends? What about Carrie and Sean? I miss them!"
Mommy smiled. I looked up in wonder, admiring the effortlessness of her smile. A smile which was not forced, which came straight from the heart. A pure smile.
"Who said you won't find any friends here? You'll find better ones here!"
"How do you know?" I sniffed.
"I just know, baby."
"What if I never find any friends here?"
Mommy shook her head lightly. "Don't say that, baby. You will. You'll find even better friends here."
A reluctant smile played on my lips. "I don't think Jackson will find any friends here. He's very mean."
Mommy laughed her tinkling laugh again. "Oh he will, baby! My kids are capable of finding friends."
I screwed my nose up. "What's capable, Mommy?"
"It means you can do something."
After a thoughtful pause, I said, "So am I ca…capable of making friends?" I fumbled with the word 'capable',
Mommy nodded fondly. "You certainly are, baby."
"Mommy?" I asked in a small voice, climbing on her lap. "I'm capable of loving you."
The frothy laugh sounded again. "Oh, baby!"
"Are you capable of loving me too, Mommy?"
"You know I am, baby," she murmured, gently tickling my sides.
I squealed with laughter. "Mommy!" She smiled and continued tickling me harder till tears splashed out of my eyes due to too much laughter.
"Mommy, stop!" I squealed, enjoying it.
Mommy stopped after a while, a huge grin on her face. "Happy?"
I nodded eagerly. Then, my face fell as the harsh reality of the move struck me. "But I still hate Malibu."
"Shh…" Mommy swept me in her arms and I melted in the ease and warmth of her cuddle. I nuzzled up comfortingly, with Mommy coaxing my eyes close, softly humming a tune from one of Daddy's songs. Before I knew it, Mommy had left me to dissolve in the arms of Morpheus, my head floating with beautiful dreams of a better tomorrow.
A/N: Sorry for the looong wait, but I was hoping for more reviews (which I sadly did not get!!!).And in case you're wondering if Miley was over-reacting to the move, trust me, I know how dejected and lonely we feel after moving from a place. It's a horrible, but hopeful experience, at the same time. So...what say? Review!!! And you'll get an update tomorrow itself!!