Chapter Twenty-One: Transylvania:

We have two more stops before we leave Europe. First, we are going to Romania. We check in on Emerald and her family. What’s this? There seems to be a party going on. Let’s what’s going on, shall we?

Emerald turned on the iPod in the dock. Christmas music filled the air. She smiled to herself.

“What is that?” an old woman’s voice asked behind her. The woman turned around. An old woman leaned on her cane as she adjusted her glasses. Emerald smiled and shook her head.

“It’s an iPod, grandma,” she said. “It plays music.” The grandma narrowed her eyes.

“An iPod, huh?” she asked.

“Yes,” Emerald said.

“Who wants more vodka?” another woman’s voice asked.

“Ooo! Me!” Emerald shouted. She jogged over to the middle of the living room. It wasn’t a big party. Just a little get-together with the family. Emerald, her parents, grandparents, three aunts, five uncles, and many cousins. It felt good to be home.

Emerald sat on the couch with her glass of vodka in her hand. This was her mother’s idea. Daughter tried to wave her off.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” she said. Her mother put her hands on her hips.

“No!” she said. “We are going to do this! You’ve been gone for months. You barely call or write to us!” Emerald put up her hands in the air.

“Okay, okay,” she said. “Nothing big, okay?” Her mother waved her off.

“Yes, yes,” she said. Her mother managed to pull it off. Emerald looked up when someone sat down next to her on the couch. Her mother breathed as she blew up her blonde bangs from her forehead.

“Good party, yeah?” she asked. Emerald made herself smile and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. She took another sip of her vodka.

“There are still some snacks on the table over there,” her mother said, pointing toward the kitchen.

“Sure,” Emerald said. She held up her glass.

“Oh,” her mother said. They shared a toast before drinking. Now Emerald was really smiling.

“Oh yeah! I’ve got to go and check on the cake!” her mother said. She leaped to her feet and hurried to the kitchen. Emerald gave her a little wave with her glass.

“You do that,” she said to herself. The woman took another drink of her vodka.