Shane pulled up in front of a nice little house with picketed fences and a well taken care lawn. She had been here before, countless of times, whenever she dropped Carmen off, Carmen had always been so paranoid that she always requested to drop at least 4 houses away, and Shane was always glad to oblige.

This day though, she pulled up right in front of the house, it looked so peaceful and innocent, but at the same time, it smelt of menace. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans nervously, and when she stole a glance at Carmen she realized that Carmen was doing the same. Carmen had hid her head under a ski cap, hoping to god that her family didn’t notice that she didn’t have her long locks anymore. She had made Shane shave her head clean in the morning, and Shane had ingenuously glued some of the stubbles onto the bald parts, making the bald hairstyle more a fashion statement without the bald patches. “Special effects makeup,” Shane explained. But Carmen still wore the cap, wanting to delay the pity groans for as long as possible.

Carmen had waited for this day to come for a long time. She waited and waited, dreamt in her sleep, and even when she was awake, she could see images of Shane amongst her family members, laughing and smiling. But when it had finally arrived, she didn’t feel the joy she imagined to have. Where did the excitement, or the happy feelings go?

She glided her hands on her jeans as she stared at the house, the house that was home, but at the same time, such a strange place. Then, she caught sight of someone at the window. Before she could get a good look at who it was, the curtains came down abruptly. She reached out beside her, suddenly needing to hold on to Shane as tightly as possible. And Shane, sweet Shane answered with a tight squeeze, lacing their fingers together and ran her thumb reassuringly over the back of Carmen’s hand.

“Shall we do this?” Shane said as she looked lovingly at Carmen. Carmen, with her shoulders slumped and her head hanging low, nodded after a long pause. “Yes, I think we’ve to, don’t we?”