It was now the middle of the holidays and Maria was heading to Cyprus with her two children to see her parents. Marcus was unable to get the time off work, so it was just the three of them. They had introduced Grace to Maria's parents, Dot and Eric who were ecstatic to meet the young girl. Grace didn't share the same feeling, it still hurt her that it was due to them that she had been placed for adoption.
They had a morning flight so Maria had ensured that they were all packed the night before and woke the children with enough time for them to throw their clothes on and brush their teeth. They could all shower when they arrived at her parents.
They clambered into the taxi which Maria had booked for 7 o'clock. Grace certainly wasn't a morning person and for some reason, she just seemed to be in a really weird mood. Maria knew that just now was not the correct time to speak to her as she was so tired and that made her even more grumpy.
Once in the taxi, Maria made sure that they were all buckled up and did one last check for their passports. They were all in her bag. It had been a bit of a panic getting Grace's passport as they had to get it through the social worker but luckily it arrived 3 days ago so they were all set to go.
The journey to the airport wasn't long but both Liam and Grace had fallen asleep. Maria nervously woke them up unsure of what mood the pair of them would be in. They got out of the car and into the check in area.
"What the fuck?" Grace complained when they got to queue that they had to wait in.
"Grace, watch your language" Maria snarled. She was just as annoyed about the length of the queue but knew to keep it to herself.
"This is going to take forever" Grace huffed.
"Grace, will you just be grateful for once in your life. You are going on holiday" Maria snapped. Grace pouted. She was annoyed at her mother, she hated when her mother used the phase once in your life because to her it reminded her that her mother hadn't been there her whole life. She didn't have the right to say that.
"Like you know about me my whole life" Grace muttered.
"What was that?" Maria asked noticing the girl muttering but not managing to pick up exactly what she said.
"Nothing" Grace huffed as she turned around to face away from her mother. Maria shook her head and decided to ignore her daughter.
To both of their surprise the queue went relatively quickly and it wasn't long before they were at the front of the line. They checked in their luggage and once they had less to carry, their moods improved immensely.
"Right, let's just get through security. Then we can have breakfast and relax" Maria stated both her children agreed and they quickly made their way to security.
"I've never been to an airport before" Grace admitted when they got to the security line which wasn't too big as they were able to go in the family and young children lane.
"Oh, its nothing to worry about. You just put your bag in the tray and then you walk through like that lady is doing there. They scan you for any metal. If you beep, don't worry. It's usually just jewellery or something" Maria said noticing that her daughter was nervous about the security. Grace nodded feeling a bit better now that her mother had given her some comfort.
Grace ended up going first and was very relieved that there had been no beeping when she went through the machine. It did make both her and Liam laugh when Maria had to get searched as she was beeping.
"It was my bloody necklace" The woman complained as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulders as her daughter laughed at her. They had been waiting patiently for their mother.
"God, I'm starving" Maria said as she led the way to the café.
"Have what you want because I don't know what the food on the plane will be like" Maria said. She knew what both of her children were like if they were hungry and she didn't want to have to deal with that in a small, confined space.
They quickly selected pancakes and then Maria went up to order them as well as a coffee for herself. She looked over and smiled when she saw that Grace had picked Liam up and had him on her knee. She was speaking to him and although Maria was too far away to hear what she was saying, it was making Liam smile and laugh. That was enough for her.
Sometimes, it was moments like that when Maria remember that Grace was a teenager. She was 15 and had hormones going crazy inside her body. She remembered back to how she felt at this age and how annoyed she was with her mother. They didn't have a good relationship then. Although her and Grace did bicker, Maria felt that it was a lot less than she and her mother. Grace was a good teenager, she had her moments but on the whole she was good. Maria knew that she needed to praise the girl more for this good behaviour and just sometimes over look at cheeky Grace.
After ordering the food, Maria returned to her seat and sat down with her children.
"Mum, can I quickly go to Boots and get a magazine?" Grace asked and Maria nodded.
"Sure, can you get two bottles of water and then a juice and sweet for both you and Liam?" Maria asked and the girl nodded. She waited for her mother to hand her, her purse before prancing off. Maria laughed at the girl but remembered how much she loved some freedom and independence when she was this age as well.
Grace returned just as the waitress brough over the food and was proud of her purchases. She had remembered everything her mother had asked her to get. They quickly started eating as Maria was starting to panic that they would be tight for time.
They finished just as their flight gate came on the screen. They quickly went to the toilet before heading to their gate. They must have selected the café wisely as it was actually relatively close to the gate they were going to which they were all relieved about.
Once at the gate, they were able to line up near the front as they had a young child with them. They got Liam out of her stroller and got all their belongings off of it before handing it to the crew. They had good seats and Maria placed herself in the middle of her children. She had ideally wanted Liam at the window so that she could confine him but then noticed a stern-faced woman in the seat in front. She quickly pushed Grace into that seat to avoid a scene during the flight.
Once they were settled, she noticed just how nervous her daughter seemed. It hadn't clicked when the girl had said that she hadn't been to an airport before that then she wouldn't have been on a plane before. Maria grabbed the girl's hand. She wished Marcus had been here so that she could have given the girl her full attention.
"Everything is going to be okay" She said as she squeezed Grace's hand tightly. The girl nodded to her mother trusting her mother's words.
It didn't take long for them to taxi and soon they were on the runway. This was when Grace's fear enhanced. Maria stroked the girl's head with her free hand and held onto her hand with the other. Luckily Liam was too busy flicking through the safety book to care and soon they were up in the air. Once they levelled out, Grace relaxed and Maria was ablet o let go of her hand.
"See it's not that bad" Maria said and Grace nodded as she leant her head on her mother's shoulder where she then drifted off into a gentle sleep. Grace slept for the rest of the flight and only awoke for some food and a drink. Maria left her and didn't wake her again until they were about to land. She knew that the girl would panic if she thought they were crashing.
Grace nodded and wiped her eyes before snuggling up to her mother for the landing.
"Don't you go falling asleep again" Maria said jokingly and Grace shook her head.
They landed and were able to quickly exit the plane. They waited for their luggage before quickly going to toilet. It was an hour drive to Maria's parents and Maria didn't want any of them complaining that they needed the toilet. While in the bathroom, Maria changed Liam into shorts and a t-shirt and Grace changed her top to a vest top.
"Right let's go and find my parents" Maria said as they walked to the exit. They quickly spotted her parents who had both come to welcome their daughter and grandchildren.
"Oh look at you" Dot said as she picked Liam up. Eric joined her wife in hugging their grandson. Grace hid behind Maria feeling very nervous and self-conscious.
"And this is Grace" Maria said encouraging her daughter infront of her. She was surprised when she felt her daughter grab a hold of her hand and even more surprised when she felt the tightness of her hold.
"Hello" Dot said stepping over to hug the girl, Grace put one hand around her grandmother but kept the other hand tightly in her mother's hand. Grace looked at Maria for reassurance. The mother gave her daughter a reassuring smile.
They then clambered into the car and drove to their house. It was a lovely house with a community pool for the apartments/houses in the area. It was very well kept and the children were so excited to jump in the pool as it was very warm.
"I've got both rooms ready but I wasn't sure how you all wanted to sleep. We also have the single bed in the big room if all three of you want to go together" Dot explained. She was unsure as to how close Maria and Grace were.
"I think we'll all go in one room. It will be easier. Thank you" Maria said and Dot nodded. They quickly went up to what was Maria's room and put their suitcases on the bed. It made sense for the three of them to be in one room with a double bed and single bed for the 3 of them to share.
"Can we go swimming?" Liam asked.
"Of course, but not until we have unpacked and had lunch. I'm going to unpack but you two can go and see Gran and Grandad if you want" Maria said and Liam nodded leaving the room.
"I'll stay and help you" Grace said just feeling a bit too nervous to see her grandparents alone just now.
It didn't take Grace and Maria long to unpack and then they went down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Perfect timing, I was just serving lunch" Dot said placing the salad on the table with the bread and cold meats.
"I thought we could go out for dinner tonight but this will be fine for lunch" Dot explained.
"Thank you, of course" Maria said giving her mother a kiss. They relaxed into a calm conversation and Maria could see Grace starting to relax.
"So the kids want to go swimming but I think we should relax first before going outside as they have just eaten" Maria said and the adults nodded. They moved to the living room where the adults spoke. Liam played with a toy and Grace grabbed a book. She sat on the balcony and read enjoying the peace and quiet.
"Come on let's change into our swimsuits. You need sun cream too" Maria said about an hour later. Grace agreed, she quickly followed her mother and went into the ensuite to change. Once out she saw that both her brother and mother were now ready as well.
Maria put plenty of sun cream on both Liam and Grace before allowing them to go to the swimming pool. Eric helped Liam with her floaties before they went in the pool.
"Are you going in?" Dot asked and Grace nodded.
"In a bit, I really like this book" Grace said holding up the book she was reading.
"Do you like to read?" Dot asked.
"I didn't think I did but Mum got me this book to take on holiday and I love it" Grace said and Dot smiled. The girl was so like Maria, yet so different. She looked forward to getting to know the girl over the next two weeks. Maria smiled at the girl as she lay back to read.
They stayed outside until after 6 o'clock and then it started to get colder.
"Shall we go out for dinner at 7?" Dot asked. Maria agreed. She was nervous as to how Liam would manage though. They went back to the house and it was a rush for everyone to get ready. Eric ended up taking Liam so that Maria and Grace were able to get ready quickly.
It was 6:59 when Maria came running down the stairs still trying to put her heels on.
"We made it" Maria said to her daughter who laughed at her mother. Maria smiled as she moved a piece of hair from Grace's face. The girl had really caught the sun today and her hair was lightening. She looked beautiful.
"Maybe if you weren't wearing heels, you'd be able to run quicker" Dot joked.
"I have to wear heels now, if I don't my daughter is the same height as me" Maria said, and Grace smiled. She loved the fact that there were less than an inch in height between her and her mother. She was going to be taller than her.
They went out for dinner but didn't stay for much longer, Liam was starting to get cranky. They returned home and Maria put her son to bed before going back down the stairs where she hung out with her daughter and parents for a couple more hours before going to bed.
"You were so good day baby" Maria said as she snuggled up with her daughter. Grace smiled. She loved making her mother proud.
Sorry it's been so long. I saw Maria with Faye on Coronation Street and it just made me want to get back into writing. I'll try and update more regularly. I keep thinking about how Grace would fit in with the current storylines etc.
