Sweet Pleasures (Appleshore #1)

C4: Welcome to Appleshore

Chapter Four || Welcome to Appleshore

“Your mother inherited this from her grandma, she grew up here but got out of town when she turned 18. I could remember she told me that she once hated it here,” Jamich shrugged, “But then I think she changed her mind about Appleshore.”

Kendall stopped at the rows of photos of random things in the hallway. A long cabinet lined the whole length of the hallway and atop the cabinet were the pictures her mother must have taken. There were random people, laughing, picnic set ups (just the foods), a dog and a cat sitting close to each other – her fingers trailing to each dusty frame.

She couldn't imagine Katty having any origin, like a mother. She couldn't imagine Katty in a long Sunday dress, attending mass with her mother, or Katty hitching her ransack at her back and going to school, did she even like school at all? Or did she like observing people better and getting lost to her own world?

Why did she hate Appleshore?

Jamich must have noticed that she stopped walking after her, “Those photos were taken by your mother, and she was good with pictures, capturing simple moments but making it extraordinary.” Extraordinary, all she could see were random things being taken into focus and developed into something that would last longer than the photographer’s life.

Kendall looked at one of the photo frames, took it and wiped the dust which has covered the entirety of the photo. There were two little girls in the photo that she recognized so well.

Because it was her and Mindy.

Mindy. She closed her eyes shut as waves of tears assaulted her lids, her traitor sister. How could your own blood lie to you and hurt you so bad that you lost your way in life? How could these people that were supposed to be her family could destroy her just like that, betray her?

She looked at the photo behind her blurry eyes - she was laughing while Mindy slept at her lap just like an angel. Mindy was pretty, she has such a wonderful hair it was so blonde, it was almost white or silver, depending on the light. Her eyes, Kendall could remember perfectly well, was so blue at times but most of the time it was the color of cool ice. She envied how Mindy looked so perfect and she hated how she looked so flawed when they stood side by side.

And what she hated the most was that Katty chose Mindy over her.

“Now look at that, is that you and your sister, Mindy?” Jamich looked from beside her, taking the photo frame from her shaking hands. She hated them, Mindy and her mother. Kendall hated how they hurt her. How they got her so lost.

“Kendall, sweet girl,” Jamich called and her eyes came to the older woman.

“There are things in life that human beings would understand only when they come to know what that thing is. Unless you know who yourself is no matter how hard you try, you can’t know what is it you want to know about others.”

Kendall smiled, “Jamich I hope it wouldn't upset you but I didn't understand a thing from what you said.”

Jamich just smiled at her.

“Sure you didn’t child.” Jamich cackled.

Kendall prepared sandwiches in the kitchen while Jamich went on about how the inn started and how it became her mother’s. It was almost lunch when Jamich stood from the island stool.

“Come, come, I need to give you something.” She followed Jamich to the second floor of the inn and they entered the last room from the farthest corner of the hallway, the opposite end from where she slept last night. Jamich took a key from her pocket and opened the door.