Behind The Church

XIV

Christina

Kate has not picked up the phone in a week. I have called and texted. I even called Kat, who just said it's not a good time. I want to be there for them. I don't know what's happened but Kate is usually very good when it comes to picking up the phone. So the fact that she hasn't done it in a week is worrying.

"Why the sad face, Christina Bach?" Tadgu asks, resting his arm across my shoulders.

"Kate is not answering me, Tadgu. She usually does but now she's not." I pout.

"I'm sure there's a reason. But unfortunately, I'm gonna have to ask you to put the phone down and come and help me with the rest of our cabin."

Tadgu and I are building a cabin for us to spend time together in for when I visit. He'll use when I'm not here too, as will Tita, but it's just something we can do together.

I like building with Tadgu. It's fun and I get to bond with him over. It's the same kind of bond when Tita and I paint and draw together in the study, and then cook and bake hours later. She has made sure to feed me well. I may have gained a couple of pounds.

As I follow my Tadgu out of the back door and down the garden, I take in the lavender Tita has growing in the back garden. The glorious Welsh sun has blessed my skin with its kiss and darkened me a few shades.

Adrianna went on a camping trip with one of my cousins and should be back today. Hopefully the cabin will be done by then. We started it as soon as I arrived since Tadgu and I had agreed to do this about a month back.

"If I go up on the ladder, you can pass me the boards from your ladder and hold them in place while I drill one side, then you'll do the other, okay?" Tadgu explains.

"Okay."

We carry out just that, myself lifting the board and holding it against the ceiling while Tadgu drills the one side. Once he finished that, he hands the drill to me so I can secure the other side. We do this until we have the whole ceiling in place, and then all we have to do is decorate and move furniture in.

I know that Tita would really like us to put some of our paintings in there. We have some furniture in the garage. Bookshelves, a couch, some drawers, shelves and lighting. I chose some lovely fairy lights that will give the small cabin a cozy feel.

Tita also requested that we paint the walls together. I thought it was a great idea, so we tarp the carpet that we had put down two days ago, I know, we did it in a wacky order but whatever, before going back to the house to retrieve Tita and the paints. She has drawn three designs that she'd like on each wall, as there are only three because the final wall is a sliding glass door.

"Tita! Are you ready to paint?" I call into the house.

"¡Sí, amor! I cannot wait. ¡Hagamos esto!" she says excitedly, slipping her shoes on and retrieving the paints from a cupboard by the back door. "Can you take these for me, Christina?" she asks, handing me all the heavy paints, which I can carry with ease.

"Wow! So strong, Christina!" my cousin, Cait, says.

"Cait! How was your camping trip?" I ask.

"It was good. But oh my god, you are so tall. You grew that much, in a week?"

"I'm not that tall!"

"We'll see what Adrianna says when she sees you."

I hear the front door open and I leave Cait to get smothered in love by my Tita to go and greet Adrianna, leaving the paint by the back door.

"Tina! I got you something!" my sister called into the house, hauling a suitcase in backwards for some reason, unware that I was already there.

"You need some help?" I chuckle after I see that she had basically given up when she dropped the luggage and sighed.