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I woke to the sunlight burning my eyes open. I rolled over and tried burying my face under my pillow to try to get more sleep. I wasn't successful. I peeked out of my comforter to see what time it was. 7:04am. Nice. I'd have to remember to buy some thicker curtains. I pulled myself out of bed and stuffed my feet into my slippers so I could go into the kitchen and grab some breakfast or some juice in the least. I opened and closed my bedroom door softly so I wouldn't wake Shawnie up if she were still sleeping. Chances were good seeing as how my room was the one with the direct morning light. Ugh. Never trust eeny-meeny-miney-moe.
As I emerged into the living room from the hallway, I smiled as I saw Shawnie and Jacob entwined on the couch. I turned around and headed back towards the linen closet and grabbed a blanket that I gently spread across them. I decided then that I'd go see if my Aunt was up. I could just eat breakfast there so I let myself quietly back into my room and slipped on a pair of faded black, rolled capris and the "Soothsayer" tank top I had bought for the trip on ModCloth . com. I sat at the vanity for a moment and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail. I grabbed my cell and a pair of flip flips. I felt pretty good til I got outside. Wow, it was cold. The sun had seemed so bright in my room yet it looked pretty much overcast. I didn't want to sneak back into the house and risk waking Shawnie and Jake up, so I just ran to my Aunts. I suddenly remembered I wanted to take pictures today, I needed to remember that.
I wondered if my Aunt would even be awake? I could have just made this trip for nothing, I realized upon opening the screen door. I knocked lightly so I wouldn't wake her if she were still sleeping. The place was pretty huge so even if she was awake, chances of her hearing me were slim. I tried the door and it popped open. "Not smart Aunt Judy", I thought to myself.
I crept in and looked around. I made my way around and finally found the kitchen. I was in full stealth mode which I realized was unnecessary when I entered the kitchen to see my Aunt at her laptop, in her robe and reading glasses, nursing a cup of steaming coffee. "Aunt Judy?", I whispered, trying not to scare her. She peeked up from her cup of coffee, looking a little surprised, in a good way. "Mandah! Good morning!" she smiled. "Come on in, are you hungry?" she asked while setting her cup down. "Starving Aunt Jude.", I admitted while I chuckled a little. Right then I hoped she wouldn't ask why I wasn't eating at the guest house. I didn't want to explain the situation happening on the couch. "Come on in, have a seat. What do you want?", she offered. "Oh, I can get it. Just point me in the right direction....Cheerios maybe? Do you keep fruit in the house?" I asked, hopeful. "Of course, she said, pointing behind me to the giant fruit bowl on the counter. "Awesome!", I smiled and headed in the directions she was giving me to hunt down a bowl, plate, spoon, knife and Cheerios. "Splenda's in the cupboard just to your right." she informed me. After my bowl was full, I grabbed an apple which I sliced on the plate after I sat down. There's something so healing about breakfast. It's probably my favorite meal of the day.
"So, where's Shawnie?" my Aunt finally asked, noting her absence. I searched my mind quickly for an answer that wouldn't alarm my Aunt but also wouldn't be a lie. "She fell asleep on the couch watching a movie last night. She's still there. I covered her up before I left though.", I hoped that would suffice. It seemed to. "I have to go into the shop today, so I'm not going to be around. Do you ladies have everything you need?", she asked? It touched me how much my Aunt cared. We never really got the chance to be close when I was growing up and I was amazed at how motherly she was towards me. "We're good Aunt Jude. My dad gave me a good chunk of change and a credit card so if we need anything, we can head out and find it." I told her. She laughed. "Honey, if you think you're going to find anything around here? You're mistaken.", she continued to laugh as she got up to grab a pen and a piece of paper. "I'm going to write down directions to Port Angeles, if you girls need anything, it should be there. If it's not, there's always Seattle. I'd try Port Angeles first though, it's closer." she said as she started writing.
A minute later she slid the paper across the table towards me. I folded it and put it in my pocket as I got up to put my dishes in dishwasher. I spotted the clock as my Aunt said she needed to head out. It was 7:30am. I decided to head back to the cottage to grab my camera, car keys and purse. I was going to explore Forks a little bit today while Shawnie explored Jacob.
When I got in my truck, I had goosebumps all over. It was awfully cold for June. I was wishing for the sun to come out so my arms could at least get a little color. I was out of luck it seemed. I gave up the thought of sun and drove into town. I found a drug store and pulled over. Ok, so instead of exploring exactly, I was under florescent lights, shopping for makeup. I filled the basket with probably too much stuff and headed to the counter to pay. The woman behind the counter introduced herself to me, recognizing me from photos my Aunt Judy had shown her. I hoped this wasn't going to become a trend. If it was, I'd skip Forks all together and head to Port Angeles.
I got back out to my truck and hopped in. It had started to rain. It was still only about 8:15am so I decided just to drive around. Maybe I could at least become familiar with the area. After driving for 23 minutes, I was completely lost. The rain had picked up, too. I didn't really mind either, I had all the time in the world and a full tank of gas. I did mind, however, when I heard a loud pop and heard my drivers side back tire flopping around. I just blew a tire. In the middle of nowhere.
I sat for a moment and listened to the rain. I was completely capable of changing a tire but I didn't want to go out into the cold and rain as I was still wearing a tank top. I decided to try to wait to rain out. I put in a Green Day CD and closed my eyes. The rain was so relaxing that I would have fallen asleep if there hadn't been a sharp tapping on my window. I jumped and turned the music down as I rolled down the window. "Edward?", I gasped. "Car trouble?" , he asked, smoldering as he flashed me a crooked smile. I thought my heart would rip out of my chest.
"My tire blew," I found myself confessing, "I was going to fix it when the rain died down." A confused look crossed his face. "Mandah, this rain could go on for days...", he trailed off. Now I was the one looking confused. "Huh? I don't understand?" I was feeling a little vulnerable and I didn't like it. "This is Forks, Wa Mandah, one of the rainiest places in the country." Oh no. Big miscalculation on my part. "It doesn't usually get over 70 here in the summer..", he continued. Shoot. I spent so much money on summer clothes. I wouldn't be able to wear any of them. I hadn't realized I'd said the last 2 things out loud. "Guess I'm going to have to go to Port Angeles and buy some new clothes. Shawnie will love that.", I thought out loud. "I could take you, if you'd like..." he offered.
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