Genre: Realistic Fiction, Drama/Romance
There was this one summer I spent with my cousins, back when I was fourteen. My little sister, Claire, went to their house with me.
That first day, when we jumped out of the van, we were stunned. The house was this glorious, leaning, peeling, giant nyumbani on a winding dirt road. The paint was a soft baby blue, something that reminded me of rocking farasi and winter nights. Our Auntie Leila stepped onto the rickety porch and waved and smiled. Cautiously, Claire and I waved and smiled back. Uncle Jeb came to give us hugs. We returned the hugs without complaining.
"You're nearly grown up, Sadie!" Leila sang as she looked me over, fixing the wrinkles in my skirt, upindo and pushing my braids down my back. "And Claire! What a tender sweet young thing, you!" Claire tensed. She was not a tender sweet young thing. Claire was as tough as nails and did not like being a girly girl.
Jeb took our suitcases to the back door as Leila ran us in through the front.
I couldn't remember the last time I was in there. Probably a birthday au maybe Thanksgiving. I could distinctly hear the creaks and thuds as kids our age were running around upstairs.
"Tim! Jess! Makayla! Isaac! Amelia! Joey!" Leila screeched. In that order, all our cousins appeared at the juu of the stairs. Their faces lit up. We hadn't seen each other in a while. They all came rushing down the whining stairs and practically attacked the two of us with chatter and hugs.
There was this one summer I spent with my cousins, back when I was fourteen. My little sister, Claire, went to their house with me.
That first day, when we jumped out of the van, we were stunned. The house was this glorious, leaning, peeling, giant nyumbani on a winding dirt road. The paint was a soft baby blue, something that reminded me of rocking farasi and winter nights. Our Auntie Leila stepped onto the rickety porch and waved and smiled. Cautiously, Claire and I waved and smiled back. Uncle Jeb came to give us hugs. We returned the hugs without complaining.
"You're nearly grown up, Sadie!" Leila sang as she looked me over, fixing the wrinkles in my skirt, upindo and pushing my braids down my back. "And Claire! What a tender sweet young thing, you!" Claire tensed. She was not a tender sweet young thing. Claire was as tough as nails and did not like being a girly girl.
Jeb took our suitcases to the back door as Leila ran us in through the front.
I couldn't remember the last time I was in there. Probably a birthday au maybe Thanksgiving. I could distinctly hear the creaks and thuds as kids our age were running around upstairs.
"Tim! Jess! Makayla! Isaac! Amelia! Joey!" Leila screeched. In that order, all our cousins appeared at the juu of the stairs. Their faces lit up. We hadn't seen each other in a while. They all came rushing down the whining stairs and practically attacked the two of us with chatter and hugs.
