Both Leah and Chris are 18. The events occurred the summer before they begin their freshman year in college.
This chapter has been slightly edited from the original.
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The wildfires in California had been devastating for so many families. I always paid attention because we have relatives who live in California. It seemed otherworldly because, as usual, the bad always happened to strangers, not to anyone we knew. This year that changed. My aunt and uncle's house burned along with about 100 others.
Watching the fires build and spread on the news reports was surreal. We recognized the community since we had visited so often. Watching the fire spread and grow was frightening. I just knew they would contain it before it reached my relatives home. But they didn't. To our horror, we watched their lovely home become engulfed in flames with its towering plume of smoke adding to the dense cloud of smoke pouring from the raging inferno that was causing so much damage and heart ache.
Fortunately, my aunt, uncle and cousin were safe. They were able to get out with a few things such as important documents, pictures and a few changes of clothes. But, their house was a total loss.
College hadn't started yet so my aunt, uncle and my parents agreed my cousin should come and stay with us while my Aunt Kay and Uncle Jack began to put their lives and home back together. A daunting task to say the least. Everyone felt it would be less stressful for their family if Leah lived with us during the initial phases of getting things put in order.
Leah arrived and was installed in my brother's old bedroom. My older brother Jim was married and living with his wife just a few miles away. Leah and I would share the bathroom located at the end of the hallway. Our two bedrooms were mirror images of each other and actually connected by a large pocket door.
When the downstairs area had been remodeled, my brother and I were still little and my parents thought it would be fun for us to be able to have one big room, but still be able to close the door and have two separate rooms when needed. I needed that open door when we first moved downstairs because I was afraid of being alone. Having that door open and my big brother right there made all the difference.
My cousin and I are the same age and we actually get along quite well. I hadn't seen her in over a year. Leah was quite despondent. She really tried to be in a good mood, but the first few days were very hard for her. Thinking about all the things she had lost, being separated from her parents and friends and now having to stay with her relatives, well to say the least, she was under a lot of stress.
As the days passed, her parents assured her that things were going well. The finances were going to be fine, plans for rebuilding were in the works, but they were still trying to find a suitable apartment for the entire family to be comfortable in while the rebuilding of their home was accomplished.
The routine gradually adjusted and became more natural as Leah integrated into our family. We adjusted, she adjusted and without even noticing, it was almost like she had always been there. We became very relaxed and natural in our new routines and the sharing of our space. Both of us were being as considerate as possible especially with bathroom use and time.