Photographs (Luke Hemmings)

Chapter 31

I stepped outside after opening the front door. The cold air was nipping at my cheeks and my exposed arms. The snow had stopped falling and now there was a fresh thin sheet of white frost covering my front yard.

I watched as my aunts, uncles, and cousins walked up my driveway holding containers full of food for our family lunch. I hugged them each as they all wished me a Merry Christmas.

It was the day before Christmas Eve, but we always had an early family gathering with my dad's relatives; that way Christmas day could be spent with the other side of our family.

I ushered them all inside leading them into the kitchen where they could put the food on the counter. After I exchanged the normal small talk such as, "How are you?" and "How's school?" with my aunts, they pushed me out of the kitchen saying they needed to prepare the last of our big meal.

I walked into the living room where my uncles and cousins were gathered. I laughed to myself because of course the girls were in the kitchen and the males were talking amongst themselves.

I made the same small talk I did with them as I did with my aunts before excusing myself to my front door, peering out the window for Luke. He was running late, he was suppose to be at my house 15 minutes ago. I stepped outside and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I looked up when I heard the sound of a car driving towards my house.

Luke got out of his car, and made his way up my driveway after he parked.

"You made it," I said as he pulled me in for a quick hug.

"Did you think I wasn't going to come?" he asked with a light chuckle.

"I don't know, you were late and you know I worry about everything," I said laughing at myself for worrying so much, Luke would never stand me up.

I scanned over his body; his hair was slightly damp, he wore a red flannel with the sleeves rolled up, and his normal black skinny jeans. Of course he was wearing his black vans, he always wore those if not his black converse. But he knew I liked the vans better.

"Come on, everyone is inside." I said leading him through the front door of my house.

"Luke you made it," my dad said walking over to him and patting him on the back.

I briefly introduced Luke to each of my uncles and cousins before we made our way into the kitchen to face my aunts.

Each of my aunts pulled him in for a hug, before asking how he was doing. I probably should have warned him that they all liked to hug.

After a moment my aunts ushered us to the dining room claiming the food was ready.

"So Luke, Bailey mentioned you moved here a few years ago?" my uncle Derek questioned after we were all well into our meal.

"Yeah, I moved here with my parents from Australia a few years ago," he said stuttering slightly, but maintaining eye contact. I could tell he was nervous.

"That would explain the accent," my uncle said chuckling.

"It's fading slowly," I said chiming in. Which it was, I had been noticing lately that Luke's accent was starting to disappear. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it.

Luke explained why his family had moved here, and answered some questions from my family as dinner continued.

We moved the subject to my condition; my dad explaining all I had been through in the past few weeks. I swallowed the lump in my throat, I didn't like talking about it. I also remembered I had just had an MRI done recently at my check up. My dad went on to explain how my last MRI was clean and was showing a slow brain tumor growth which made a relief wash over me. We all finished our meal and my aunt Maria told us it was time for dessert in a cheerful voice.