Grievances And Other Things

Arrivals and Baggage Claim

The plane's wheels touch the ground. I look around me and see Portview Airport. The long haul flight from Kangerlussuaq to here was somehow incredibly draining. People get up to get their luggage from the overhead compartments. My bag's underneath the seat in front of me. I get up and rush out of the plane. Signs labeled "Arrivals" and "Baggage Claim" flash past me as I run to get my suitcase. The moving thingamabob hasn't started. Damn, I want my bloody suitcase. I look around me. Portview Airport is a lot nicer than Nuuk Airport. A lot cleaner and a lot lighter. With a huge roar, the baggage claim gets going. No, not mine, not mine, not mine, mine! I get my suitcase and walk through customs, the passport check and finally, the doors to the Arrivals area. I look through the lump of people outside and find my aunt. I switch on my phone and walk over to her. "Hey Åle, welcome to America!" I greet her and we start walking to the car. "So how was your flight, Åle? Such a long flight, and all alone! You're really brave." I heave my suitcase into the car and we get in. "It was tiring, Aunt Lissa, but I got through it in the end." She starts the car and we drive through the streets of Portview, a few buses pass us by. Aunt Lissa lowers the volume of the radio. "Is something wrong, Åle?" I sigh and stare out of the windscreen. "Nah, just tired." I'm a prolific liar. I feel sad. A little empty. I did everything for my girlfriend. And then, how does she repay me? She leaves me. My day out on the town was just a small patch over a gaping hole. "If you're sure, Åle. Are you up for some lunch?" I nod. "Yep! That airline food was to die for. I literally would rather die than eat that. What are we having?" Aunt Lissa smirks. "Pop tarts and apples. Just kidding, we'll have burgers." I smile. "Is Uncle Theo home?" She shakes her head. "No, he has to work, he'll be home this evening. Oh, by the way, do you have a bus pass?" I shake my head. "Only for the buses in Nuuk." Aunt Lissa nods. "Well I'll see what I can do. For now you'll just have to get a ticket to and from your school every day." We drive on until we arrive at her house. "Here we are, 37 Oakville Drive. The bus stop is just over there." She points to a bus, waiting to get people. "I looked online, you need to take the 28 bus to school. So watch out that you don't accidentally hop on a 49 bus. That one passes Beacon High." I take my suitcase up to my aunt's guest room and plug my stuff in to charge. "Aunt Lissa, what's your WiFi password?" I walk downstairs and she shows me it on a piece of paper. Aunt Lissa switches on the TV. "Oh look, it's Total Drama Island." What on earth's that? "It's an animated parody of Reality TV." I sit down to watch it and Aunt Lissa goes to the kitchen. "Chicken or Beef on your burger?" I answer. "Chicken, please." My aunt asks more. "With bacon, lettuce and cheese?" I nod. "Yes please." She opens the fridge. "So Åle, how's it going with Aima?" Shit. I knew she'd mention my now ex-girlfriend. "She left me for another guy." The fridge door closes. "Oh no, that's horrible! Are you okay?" I sigh. "Do you want an honest answer or a lie?" She snorts. "The truth, of course!" I sigh again. "I feel sad. Empty. I did so much for her. Took her out, got her presents... And this is what I get in return. I'm just too nice to people..." I fight the tears. "Ten long months and how does it end? She leaves me like I'm poisonous and goes for that jock scumbag Daavi." A tear creeps onto my cheek. "There's no place for romantics..." My aunt rushes out of the kitchen to comfort me. "See it like this, Åle. You've trimmed some unnecessary fat. You've lost someone that didn't really love you." I stare at her. "How do you know that?" She smirks. "If she really loved you, she wouldn't have had eyes for someone else." I wipe the tear away. "I guess so." Aunt Lissa smiles. "On an unrelated note, your hair's nice. But maybe you should touch up the roots where you've dyed it blue." I chuckle. "Entirely unrelated indeed. I'll go look for my hair dye in my suitcase." I walk up the steps to get it. Shit. I forgot it at home. "Aunt Lissa?" She answers. "Yes? By the way, your burger's ready!" I smirk. "I left my hair dye at home, can we go to the shop to get some?" Her answer comes almost instantly. "Sure, I know a place where they can match the colour perfectly. Or you could dye the roots somewhat lighter. But first, we're eating lunch, whether your roots are touched up or not!"

~~~~

After an excellent lunch, we get in the car to go to the local mall. "Here, Åle, that's the shop." We walk in and my aunt goes to the counter. "Excuse me, my nephew needs some hair dye and forgot the brand, could you give me a colour that matches it?" The clerk sighs and looks at my hair. "I think I know what you need." I glance around the shop. English text everywhere, unsurprisingly. I spot a group of four teenagers, about my age, looking for soft drinks an aisle down. Reminds me that I need to make my English a lot better. The clerk hands my aunt a box of dye, she holds it next to the blue part of my black hair and nods. "Thanks, sir." She hands him a couple of notes and we leave. "Thanks, Aunt Lissa, thanks a lot. I would have been stumped!" She shakes her head. "A pleasure. I'd hate to not have dye when I needed it." We get back home and I touch up my roots. Just then, Uncle Theo gets home. "Hi honey, guess who's here?" I can hear my aunt talking about me. "No, tell me!" I hear some danish. Uncle Theo is American, but studied in Copenhagen for a while before studying in Paris and Berlin and returning to Portview. He's fluent in danish. "My nephew's here? Where?" I shout. "In the bathroom, Uncle Theo!" He walks up the stairs. "Hey Åle! I would give you a welcome hug but I don't want hair dye on my suit." I smile and say hi and get my attention back to touching up my roots. "Aaaaaaaaaand... There we go." My roots have successfully been touched up. Now it just has to dry. "How was work, Uncle Theo?" My uncle works in the legal department of Unilever, Inc. My aunt on the other hand works in Animation, she took the day off today and usually works until late afternoon. "It was fine, Åle. By the way, you'll need the spare key for the house. I'll go get it!" Theo dumps his stuff in his office and walks down the stairs.

~~~~

After supper, I retire to my bed to get the sleep I need for tomorrow. My eyes stare at the ceiling. My GameBoy's charging light switches off. One less coloured charging light in the room. I unplug it and stare at the ceiling again. I miss having someone to care for. I miss having someone that is there for me. But that's what life is. My mom sends me a text. "Good Night, Åle. Shall we phone tomorrow?" I smile and reply to her. I can't wait for tomorrow. I'll finally go to an american high school. Sure, I'll have to fumble my way through the English language, but I usually learn languages quickly. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.