A Fork Stuck In The Road., chapter 7
In my first week in Oakland, I learnt a lot about the Armstrong's way of life. Adie worked from nine till four each day, and Billie was either jamming with Tre or Mike in the basement or in the studio all day.
Joey and Jakob attended a private school. I was enrolled to go to St. Josephs high, a private co-ed high school, but I didn't start until the following Monday, so I just spent my time milling around the large house, or exploring the neighbourhood. Adie took a couple of days off work to spend some time with me.
"This would really suit you," Adie said, holding up a black-laced top. We had spent the whole morning shopping, and Adie had insisted on buying me a lot of clothes.
"You think?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Yeah, try it on!"
I took it into the dressing room and tried it on.
"Wow, that looks awesome on you. You wanna buy it?" Adie said when I walked out of the stall.
"Yeah."
So Adie bought me the top, and I stuffed it into one of the many shopping bags I was carrying.
We decided to get an ice cream each and take a walk on the beach, after putting our bags and things in Adie's car.
"One strawberry and one peppermint chocolate please," she asked the ice cream man.
"That'll be four ninety, please."
Adrienne got out the money, paid the man, and handed me the ice cream.
We started to walk down the beach on the sand.
"So, what do you think of Oakland?" Adie turned to ask me, while still walking.
"I love it," I replied.
"Billie, Joey and Jakob really love you. Everyone does."
"I love them all too," I said. It was true; over the past week I had developed really close relationships with all of them; not just with the Armstrong family, but with Mike and Tre and their families. I got the feeling of one big family, not just three separate ones. We all spent allot of time together, whether it was barbeques on the weekend, going to the beach together, or just all hanging out.
We sat down on a nearby seat and looked out onto the beach. Adie pulled out a tattered notebook and handed it to me.
"This is my designs book. I draw all of my garment design ideas in here. Take a look," She said.
I opened it up, and started flicking through the pages. The drawings were done in pencil, and each design had a front view drawing and a back view drawing. They were very stylish; they were girly, with a hard rock edge to them.
"These are great," I said, scanning the page.
"Thanks."
"Do you have a pencil?" I asked her.
"Yeah, hold on," she said, rummaging through her handbag.
She handed me a pencil.
I took it and made a few changes on a couple of designs. I added in some black lace and a few extra lines.
I handed the book and the pencil back to Adie, who had been intently watching what I drawn.
She took the book back and looked at what I had changed.
"Wow . . ." she gasped, "These are good. No, screw that, VERY good."
I smiled and shrugged, "You did them, I just added a couple of things in."
I had to admit; I did have a natural flair for fashion designing.
"Do you design a lot?" asked Adie.
"No, not really. I have a book of all the design ideas I've had."
"Did you bring it here, or is it still in Australia?"
"I brought it here," I said.
"Would it be alright if I looked at it when we get home?"
"Yeah. . . I guess."
There was a comfortable silence between us, as we each got caught up in our own thoughts.
"Why didn't you ever try to meet me or know me before now?"
I asked sadly.
Adrienne turned to look at me. "I thought that your life would be completely messed up if I just turned up, even though I wanted to so much," I looked at her. Her eyes were brimmed with tears. "I would do anything in the world to turn back time so that I could have been with you when you grew up."
Joey and Jakob attended a private school. I was enrolled to go to St. Josephs high, a private co-ed high school, but I didn't start until the following Monday, so I just spent my time milling around the large house, or exploring the neighbourhood. Adie took a couple of days off work to spend some time with me.
"This would really suit you," Adie said, holding up a black-laced top. We had spent the whole morning shopping, and Adie had insisted on buying me a lot of clothes.
"You think?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Yeah, try it on!"
I took it into the dressing room and tried it on.
"Wow, that looks awesome on you. You wanna buy it?" Adie said when I walked out of the stall.
"Yeah."
So Adie bought me the top, and I stuffed it into one of the many shopping bags I was carrying.
We decided to get an ice cream each and take a walk on the beach, after putting our bags and things in Adie's car.
"One strawberry and one peppermint chocolate please," she asked the ice cream man.
"That'll be four ninety, please."
Adrienne got out the money, paid the man, and handed me the ice cream.
We started to walk down the beach on the sand.
"So, what do you think of Oakland?" Adie turned to ask me, while still walking.
"I love it," I replied.
"Billie, Joey and Jakob really love you. Everyone does."
"I love them all too," I said. It was true; over the past week I had developed really close relationships with all of them; not just with the Armstrong family, but with Mike and Tre and their families. I got the feeling of one big family, not just three separate ones. We all spent allot of time together, whether it was barbeques on the weekend, going to the beach together, or just all hanging out.
We sat down on a nearby seat and looked out onto the beach. Adie pulled out a tattered notebook and handed it to me.
"This is my designs book. I draw all of my garment design ideas in here. Take a look," She said.
I opened it up, and started flicking through the pages. The drawings were done in pencil, and each design had a front view drawing and a back view drawing. They were very stylish; they were girly, with a hard rock edge to them.
"These are great," I said, scanning the page.
"Thanks."
"Do you have a pencil?" I asked her.
"Yeah, hold on," she said, rummaging through her handbag.
She handed me a pencil.
I took it and made a few changes on a couple of designs. I added in some black lace and a few extra lines.
I handed the book and the pencil back to Adie, who had been intently watching what I drawn.
She took the book back and looked at what I had changed.
"Wow . . ." she gasped, "These are good. No, screw that, VERY good."
I smiled and shrugged, "You did them, I just added a couple of things in."
I had to admit; I did have a natural flair for fashion designing.
"Do you design a lot?" asked Adie.
"No, not really. I have a book of all the design ideas I've had."
"Did you bring it here, or is it still in Australia?"
"I brought it here," I said.
"Would it be alright if I looked at it when we get home?"
"Yeah. . . I guess."
There was a comfortable silence between us, as we each got caught up in our own thoughts.
"Why didn't you ever try to meet me or know me before now?"
I asked sadly.
Adrienne turned to look at me. "I thought that your life would be completely messed up if I just turned up, even though I wanted to so much," I looked at her. Her eyes were brimmed with tears. "I would do anything in the world to turn back time so that I could have been with you when you grew up."
