The Spy's Inheritance

Chapter Nine: Happiness

I woke up the next morning before the sun could even decide to wake me. I silently get dressed my aunt and uncle still asleep. I gather up my earphones and mp3 player. I sneak into the cool morning air and slip my earphones into my ears. I listen to the music as I walk to my secret hideaway. I always hid here to think or to watch the birds play over the stream. My aunt's farm has a river that snakes through it creating a peaceful environment where we can have picnics, although that area is further downstream in a wooded area. When the weeping willow tree came into view I ran to it, climbing onto it and hiding away in the branches and leaves. 

The branches had grown so much since I was last here that the leaves were now touching the water. I felt serene for the first time in a long time. My music in my ears suddenly too loud. I pause the song and take my earphones out, listening to the song of nature. The birds singing as the sun starts to warm and wake everyone up, the river trickling ahead. It wasn't strong due to the dry winter. I sit in my comfortable spot. The one I had believed the tree created for me personally. It was at the beginning of the branch against the stump. The branch big enough for me to sit on comfortably without having to worry about falling off when I doze off. The sun still too lazy to light the green in the tree properly. 

I sat there for what felt like hours before deciding it was time to head back to see if everyone was awake. I took my time admiring the crops as I walked. I know it's weird but these are the images I want to lock away so that if I have to return to the void that I'll still be able to recall what feels like warmth, like home. 

As I reached the house I noticed a Ford van and my heart stopped. I stood there gaping my mind hitting overdrive. I walk towards the house in a trance but when I look around no one is around. I quickly change my clothes, so that I'm somewhat presentable for the guest. My heart beat to a rhythm that my brain didn't understand but one that I knew well. I'm scared that it's him. I don't want to see him so soon after what transpired the day before. I needed time away from him. 

Voices on the porch capture my attention and I take a deep breath before heading in that direction. I walk out the silhouette of a man greeting me. My heart sinks to my feet and my peace I found this morning slips away. He turns to face me noticing that my aunt's eyes have shifted. A bright smile falls on his lips. "CJ, is that really you?" He asks his country accent breaking through and I shriek. "HT! Look how you've grown." I pull him into a hug only to be pulled into an air hug. He hugs me tightly before placing me back on the ground, smiling. Tom Harris was my best friend when I came to visit. His family is my aunt's neighbours and we've all been like family except for us youngsters. We were close but we had crushes in our group that we hung out in. Anne lives three farms away from my aunt's and we were like sisters. Always arranging sleepovers and to both of our surprises we both had huge crushes on the Harris' brothers. 

My aunt smiles at us before telling Tom he can have the day off to catch up with me. "Thanks, Aunt Izzy. I bet Jared will be jealous to hear that." He says laughing and my aunt joins in. "He gets jealous when you are off?" I ask confused. Tom rolls his eyes at me and my aunt smiles. "You could say that." She says. "CJ wanna go for a walk?" I nod and follow his lead. 

As we walk we catch up on all the things that happened since I left. I was shocked to hear him and Anne finally started dating. She had a crush on him since we were ten. "So when did this happen?" "A few months after you left. She was so eager to tell you that we were together but we couldn't get a hold of you." "I tell you what I'll go and visit her while I'm here." He smiles brightly. "You'll make my girl extremely happy." I smile at his words and we sit down next to the stream. 

A silence falls between us but it is comfortable. "So, CJ do you have someone?" His question captures me off guard and I swallow hard before answering. "It's complicated. I really like him but we don't want a relationship right now. I mean it is our final year and to have a relationship now would distract us." He nods at my explanation and I remember why we had been best friends. He didn't pry into my life wanting every detail. He was always happy with my replies. A rustling in the grass catches our attention and we both turn around to see who the intruder is. A tanned man with pitch black hair and Greek, sea blue eyes looks down at us. He stares at me like he is trying to convince himself he is hallucinating. "It's noon and Aunt Izzy has prepared lunch." He says looking only at Tom. I get up and dust myself off. He looks at me again his eyes full of some emotion. "I don't know if you remember me but I'm Jared." He says softly as if not to scare me. How could I be so stupid? The hair had to be a dead give away. He is Tom's older brother. "I remember you it is a bit difficult to forget the Harris' brothers." I say smiling. Jared used to tease me but in an older brother kind of way. Tom, Anne and I are the same age and poor old Jared is three years older than us. Although he had friends the same age as him, he usually babysat the three of us making sure we didn't do anything too bad. He failed miserably the one summer holiday though. We begged him to have a water balloon fight but he knew something was up and stood his ground saying no, that only lasted until I asked him with puppy dog eyes. He gave in and the three of us ran into the house grabbing our water balloon stash. We knew he wouldn't be able to say no so we had already gotten the balloons set up. We had ten filled with paint though and the other twenty filled with water. Lets just say we spent that whole afternoon scrubbing my aunt's house clean and ever since Jared has been a lot stricter. 

The memory brings a smile to my face. This place was my happiness. The more I came to visit the more I knew what a true family was, what a home was supposed to be like. The more I wanted to stay here because here I knew what happiness was and back home all I knew there was sadness. 

When we arrived at my aunt's house, her and my uncle were already on the porch waiting for us. The smile that broke across their faces was enough to chase my sadness away.