We'll Always Be Friends But Not 'Just Friends'

Mother: “You're excited about the party and want to ensure you have every chance to hang out with your friends and George.”

Sewing my granddaughter's birthday dress, I was fretting over the perfect fabrics, questioning the oversized silk bloom that was to be pinned to the front of the bodice, all the while thinking, surely no two-year-old is going to run around with this monstrosity hanging from the front of her but in the end, opting to keep it because it was, in fact, adorable. I made coffee, took my dog out, said hello to the neighbor, and then Paris...

“Go put on a sweatshirt, or at least some socks, if you’re so cold.” I responded tartly. Well, I tried to sound tart, though I ended up sounding more exasperated than anything else.

“Hey what's going on down here,” dad shouts in confusion.“You guys need to quiet down. It's 4AM and you need to get some sleep.”

“What mum?,” Shocked to hear her mum’s voice she calls out again. “ Mum! Is that you?”

“Ethan Wate! Wake up! I won’t have you bein’ late on the first day a school.” I could hear Amma’s voice calling from downstairs.

“Are you alr—hey!? What the…?” Someone is shaking my shoulder roughly. I snap back into consciousness blankly, then, I’m aware of the terrible cold around me. My wet clothes are clinging to my cold body.

"What the fuck?" I said again and pulled my hand away. I guess I was a bit too loud since the girl next to me stirred in her sleep and woke up with a yawn.

“ Just over an hour. I wouldn't have let you sleep for too long. We have together you the cure. I'm not that rude. “ Mya stood up

"Do you want to sleep in here tonight?" Anima nodded and tiptoed off to change. I laid a surplus amount of blankets and pillows on the floor.

My aunt Shazia comes out wearing a beige cashmere sweater, light-wash jeans, and bright-red flats. She welcomes us. “You guys have taken so much time to come here. All the food I made has become cold now. I wonder who the culprit here is,” she jokes.

I might have a seaside scene with a couple of mannequins dressed in sun suits and gingham dresses tucked into knickers. They would be backed up by a child’s 1930s deck chair, sun hats, rubber bathing caps, wooden spades, paper flags, a scattering of sea shells. The background brings the outfits to life by its evocative setting. Another atmospheric tableau is a children’s tea party. The frilliest of Princess Elizabeth party dresses and Fauntleroy satin suits grouped around a miniature table decked with a sprigged bone china children’s tea set, tiny vintage crackers and even old invitation cards and beautifully-made paper hats; to say nothing of fancy dress outfits for Norwich’s annual Lord Mayor’s Show. This treasure trove, this Aladdin’s Cave, lies and waits in the upper rooms of my home, twenty miles south of Norwich, to be appreciated and re-kindled by memories of the

As I sat there and went through all of these massive piles of clothing, it made me realize that I was very fortunate to be lucky enough to have so many different options of clothing to choose from when I was little, even though we were so rough on them.

dress that was too long and too tight on me. As I sat down at my table, I prepared myself for a

A couple of hours later, my room was finally packed. The light teal walls had been stripped of the posters of various boy bands, the aforementioned posters rolled up neatly and placed into a bag. My huge library consisting of several children's books and lighter novels, along with my newest task, reading Ender's Game, were all packed into one backpack that also contained my iPod and other electronics. In one cardboard box, I squeezed in my playthings, and my drawing materials. Another box contained my bedding, and finally a suitcase was filled with my clothes.