“Dear brother, what a lovely surprise!” Grace says opening the door and making a whole bow for me.

She’s not an actress, but for some reason she thinks it’s funny to be overly dramatic when I’m around because I’m an actor. My older sister is a speech therapist with a minor is psychology and she works with kids with Down’s syndrome. She’s part of Saint Clair's Down's Syndrome Association where she works with Bert, her boyfriend of seven years. I don’t know why they haven’t got married yet. I think it’s probably because my sister doesn’t believe in marriage as a proof of love. In fact, she lives with Bert already, she’s lived with him for the past two years so I guess she’s right, getting married would only make a legal difference.

“I told you I was coming,” I remind her and she snorts, rolling her eyes.

“I was just playing along. You always ruin my fun,” she replies closing the door behind her once I’m inside. I go directly to the kitchen where I know Bert is preparing dinner whilst Grace watches him with a glass of wine. That’s what normally happens.

“Reid, fancy seeing you here. How you doing, mate?” Bert greets me when I walk into the kitchen. I walk up to him and give him a handshake. “Beer?” I nod.

“I’m fine. You’re cooking, per usual,” I comment and he chuckles.

“If I let Grace cook I’ll end up with food poisoning, you know that,” the guy with the big knife replies as my sister joins us in the kitchen, reclaiming her seat on the stool and grabbing her glass.

I knew it.

“Oi! My cereal has never sent you to the hospital… other things have but that’s not the point!” Grace protests and I just laugh out loud. In the meantime I look at what Bert is doing and I smile when I realise he’s preparing tacos.

Sweet!

Bert shakes his head, leans in and kisses Grace’s lips ever so lightly before turning around to go for a beer for me. “Cheers,” I say when I have the bottle in my hands and look for the opener.

“And what brings you here, little brother? Did you know Bert was making tacos?” Grace asks once I open my bottle and go to sit next to her. I’m not a bad cooker like her, but Bert is amazing so it’s best to leave him alone to do his magic.

“No, I didn’t but I’m glad I decided to visit you and I’m grateful I took Archie home before coming. It wouldn’t have been enough,” I muse and Bert laughs.

Sometimes Archie and I visit these two because I have a very close relationship with my sister and once she met Archie she just adopted him. So yeah, she’s very aware of my best mate’s appetite. Plus, Archie loves coming here because Bert is also vegan so everything that’s in this house is edible for him. Grace eats meat, but not when Bert is around and they don’t have at home. If she wants a burger, she goes to McDonalds on her own—sometimes she calls me—and eats one, without even telling Bert.

“He hasn’t been around in a while, though,” Bert mentions and Grace nods in agreement. “Tell him he should come to have dinner too one of these days.”

“Will do, mate,” I reply and he smiles.

“Will you stay over?” Grace asks but I shake my head.

“No, I have to go back to my flat,” I reply thinking of all the letters I have to write. “I have many things to do.”

“Oh, such a busy man,” she mocks me and I just stick my tongue out at her. “And what’s all that so many you have to do, uh? I hope it’s not watching porn, Harold Reid, because if it is I’ll tell mum that—”

“Of course no, Grace! Jesus, why are you always like this?” I complain as Bert burst out laughing but I swear, it’s not funny. She always does this to me in front of anyone. I hope she doesn’t say something inappropriate in front of Maca. Which reminds me. “No, for your information I’ll write letters for Maca.”

“Your girlfriend? I thought you only exchanged post-its. When did you upgrade?” she asks and I blush furiously.

“I told you she’s not my girlfriend, Grace,” I insist and she rolls her eyes as she takes a sip of her wine.

“Yet.”

I just ignore her because I can’t deny the fact that the possibility of Maca being my girlfriend one day makes me quite happy. “I’m meeting with her this Sunday.”

“Finally!” Bert and Grace exclaims throwing their arms in the air and I groan. God, why are these two together? I can’t believe she’s the older sister.

“Yes, finally, so I’m doing a whole special event for her,” I continue but of course I can’t continue without her interrupting me. Are all siblings like this?

“You’re not planning to wait for her with a priest so you can get married, are you?” my sister questions out loud, making Bert laugh and me groan in frustration.

“Grace, for the nth time, no. Jesus, you’re annoying and you’re not even drunk,” I complain and now she sticks her tongue out at me. “In fact I won’t meet her until the end of this day. No, let me finish,” I say when I notice she’s about to ask something. “I’m doing something special just for her, okay? In a way to reassure her I’m not a psychopath and that I mean well.” She nods but doesn’t interrupt me. “It’s a scavenger hunt.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re making her collect the letters of your name,” she ventures, surprising me. Yes, she’s very aware I haven’t told Maca my name and she’s also aware why. She knows me since I was a foetus, literally—she went with mum to all the doctor appointments, determined to see me grow inside mum’s belly—, so it’s not like I can’t hide something from her. She laughs when I don’t say anything because that’s all the answer she needs. “You’re so sappy, Reid. I wonder if you take that after Dad.”

“Shut up,” I snap and she just laughs. “The point is that I’m leaving letters with different people in different places and I’d like her to visit Saint Clair before meeting me. I think playing with the kids will be great for her,” I continue and now she looks more serious because I’ve told her about my concerns regarding Maca and her possible depression. “And well, the dogs. She’s vegetarian, remember? She loves animals.”

“I remember and I think the kids would also love meeting her. You don’t usually work on Sundays, but I’ll see if some kids want to go that day and I’ll talk to their parents,” Grace offers and when she acts like this, so helpful and, well, adult-like is that I acknowledge her as my older sister.

“Thank you,” I reply and she smiles at me, no mockery this time.

“And what exactly do we have to do?” Bert asks because even if I didn’t directly ask him, he’s part of the package. “I mean, besides giving her the letter you’ll go home to write after this.”

“Well, just explain a bit what Saint Clair is, let her play with the kids and take a picture with her and everyone else, to remember the experience. I think it would be good to eat something because she’ll go around teatime. This will be the penultimate stop before she meets me,” I suggest and they look at each other, nodding. They communicate without uttering words.

“Sure, no problem about that. Something else?” Grace questions and I nod.

“Yes. I need you to give her a MP3 player and my headphones. I’ll make a playlist for her and the idea is that when she leaves she starts listening,” I tell them. As I walked Archie home we discussed more about the whole playlist idea. “The point is that we listen to it at the same time without being in the same place so the moment she leaves, you text me saying she did so I’ll press play to the same playlist on my mobile.”

“Chessball,” she mumbles and I ignore her.

“You also have to text my friend Raj to tell him how she’s dressed because she’ll go meet them next and they need to recognise her first.”

“Okay, I will do that. I’m just impressed at the lengths you get just to court a girl,” she says offhandedly, coming back to her mock tone.

“Well, I’m sure she’s worth all the trouble and work,” I reply defiantly and Grace watches me with an amused expression, her eyebrows arched and a smirk on her lips.

“So you are indeed courting her. Then I guess it’s my duty to have The Talk, Reid. Look, when two people love each other—”

“Stop, stop, stop!” I beg of her, which only makes her laugh. Bert is doing his best to focus on chopping vegetables instead of his own fingers. “Grace, please behave in front of her this Sunday. Don’t scare her. I want her to meet you because you’re my sister but if you’re gonna humiliate me you stay here and only Bert will go.”

“I’ll behave and just say nice things about my cute little brother.” She pinches my cheeks and I struggle to get her off of me. “Don’t worry, I’ll be nice. I just mock you, it’s not fun when you’re not around.” She lets go of my cheek and grabs her glass again. “Anyhow, what are you planning to do when you do meet her? I mean, you clearly have everything planned before that moment.”

“You know my building’s rooftop? The one I have access to?” Grace nods. “I was planning to meet her there. At night the view is amazing and we could have dinner together. More than anything I want to talk to her and I guess she’ll be tired, so it’s a good place to relax.”

“You’re not planning on seducing her so you can take advantage of her, are you? I forbid you from drinking alcohol, Harold Reid. You won’t have rooftop sex unless you get married first.”

I don’t know whether to cry, stab myself or kick her stool so she’ll fall to the floor. I can’t believe all the inappropriate things my sister can say in one night. And dinner is not even ready yet.

“No, Grace. I’m not planning that. I just wanna talk to her. Get to know her, ask her all the things I’m dying to know. I’ve wanted to see her for so long. I’ve been trying to make her smile all this time and I just want to see her like that, you know? Smiling. That’s all I want.”

She smiles kindly at me before her hand goes up and ruffles my hair in that way she always did when I was a kid and my hair was way curlier. “You’re so cute it makes me sick. Please, stop.”

I laugh because even if her words are meant to tease me, she still has that candid look in her eyes. I don’t need her to exactly say what’s in her mind, because I’ve known her all my life and she can’t lie to me. I can see what she wants to say in her eyes: I’m glad you found a girl that makes you want to do all these things.

So after that we just keep talking. They ask me about all the other stops in Maca’s Day until dinner is ready. By the time we’re eating tacos we’ve changed the topic but we continue teasing each other. I’m not the only victim, after all we’re siblings so I have the same right to mock her when I can. It’s late when I say goodbye to my sister after telling her that I’ll come to deliver the letter Sunday morning because I have many places to go tomorrow.

And then I’m walking back to my flat, where I’ll write all the letters for Maca, where I’ll make that playlist and just try to get some sleep although I doubt I will. I’m so nervous because this day is gone which means I’m even closer to finally meet her and see her smile. I still have loads of things to do but I’ve convinced everyone who’ll help me to make this day happen. I just have to deal with the details.

It’s been a long day, I’m exhausted but I’m also happy because it’s been fun. I hope Maca has even more fun when she goes to these places, when she meets my friends and family. I hope all what I’ve planned makes her happy because above all, above making a memorable day, above creating things in common so we can have something to talk about, above showing her my biggest passion, above all that I just want to make her smile because since her first reply that’s all what I’ve wanted to see.

I would’ve kept sending her post-its but it wasn’t enough like that anymore. I have to see that smile which I’m working for, I have to make her smile personally. I want to be a constant part of her life. I want to see her in the eyes when she says thank you.

As Archie draw us today, I want to break through the wall of post-its and make her smile with not just words, but also actions.

Maca, I’m almost there.

-:-:-

This was my favourite chapter to write xD It was really fun, especially because all what Grace told Reid is what I tell Maca and they react the sam way :p

So we're done with PART I. Thank you for being patient and still reading, even if it was a bit dragging. Now we'll get to what you were waiting for! So what if we get 600 votes this time for the next chapter?

Bel, xx

PS: Picture of how I imagine Grace to be like in the multimedia!