Not So Normal
•Chapter Four•
Kaitlin’s Point Of View.
Three days later, I drove up to New York with Kaelyn. After a few nights of staying with my aunt, Lisa, I was going to go to Cole’s funeral. His whole family lived in New York, so it just seemed right to have the funeral there.
I arrived at my aunt’s home at about six in the evening. My aunt must have heard my car pull up, because she met me in the driveway. My aunt was like my second mother. She was a crazy forty-nine-year-old with the energy level of a ten-year-old.
“Hey!!” she smiled, running toward me.
“Hey Aunt Lisa!” I said as she reached to help me with my bags. I slung a large backpack over my shoulder and got Kaelyn out of the car.
Aunt Lisa gasped.
“Oh, she’s so adorable!” Aunt Lisa beamed as I passed Kaelyn into her free arm.
“Well aren’t you just a darling little baby,” Aunt Lisa smiled, gently rocking Kaelyn back and forth in her arms. Aunt Lisa had seen pictures, but she had never actually seen Kaelyn in person. After all, I had only had Kaelyn home for a few weeks.
“Well, I guess we should head inside,” Aunt Lisa said, and I followed her through the garage and into her house.
“Wow! You’ve done some serious redecorating in here!” I laughed, looking around the house. I hadn’t been to her house in about a eight months, and it seemed like she had used those eight months to completely renovate her house.
“Yeah… I had an interior decorator come,” Aunt Lisa smiled, leading me up the winding staircase to the second floor.
“You’ll probably want a shower before your dad gets here, I assume?” Aunt Lisa looked back over her shoulder as she walked me to a bathroom. I smiled and nodded, and Aunt Lisa returned the smile.
“Well, you know how to work the shower—oh! Let me go get you a towel!” Aunt Lisa walked out the door, and I followed her to her linen closet.
“Here you are, Aunt Lisa said, handing me a towel. “I’ll take Kaelyn for you while you shower,” Aunt Lisa said thoughtfully.
I put down my towel and handed Kaelyn over to Aunt Lisa.
“Oh! And here is… shampoo, conditioner, and... soap,” Aunt Lisa stated as she handed over the two bottles and the bar of soap.
“Thanks, Aunt Lisa!” I said, walking into the bathroom. I turned on the water and undressed as I waited for the shower to heat up. When I stepped in a few minutes later, the water was perfect. I cleaned myself and washed my hair, not letting my mind wander from the tune of the song I was humming.
Ten minutes later, I turned the shower water off and pulled open the shower curtains. Reaching for my towel, a thought occurred to me that made my heart leap into my throat. I had left my towel down the hallway.
My mind wandered the options. There really weren’t any.
“I can NOT call Aunt Lisa.”  I thought stubbornly. ”I am not having her come in here and hand me a towel.”
Minutes passed. Suddenly, a small blaze of emerald green caught my attention from the sink counter. I quickly realized that it was a small washcloth.
”You have no choice,” I told myself. And I knew what I was going to have to do, however embarrassing it may be.