Read Online The Skye in June by June Ahern - Free Book Online

turned slightly as it continued upward. Annie beat her sisters up the stairs and reached the top floor first. She looked over the banister and shouted down to her mother, “Mammy, there’s thirty steps! I counted!”
    The girls ran around the flat in excitement. Their feet banged loudly on the bare wood floors as they hastily explored the rooms. Cathy put her hand to her forehead and yelled at the girls to stop running.
    Sandy told them the room next to the kitchen, the pale pink room lined with wainscot, would be their bedroom. Their mother said the large double bed with a red and black tufted headboard was where the three youngest girls would sleep, while a single bed next to the window was for Annie. Both Maggie and Mary claimed their side of the bed and decided that June would sleep in the middle.
    The kitchen was s maller than the one in Scotland and didn’t have an alcove bed for their parents. The girls continued exploring and found some of their parents’ suitcases in a separate room down the hallway from theirs. It had a double bed with a light wood headboard and a long, low matching dressing table with a big mirror attached. The girls stood in front of it, striking poses and making faces.
    The sisters ran back down the hall to th eir bedroom to begin unpacking. June drifted out of the room. In the living room, she found Cathy standing still in the light of the sun shining through the tall bay windows. Slowly she crept into the room to stand with her mother. Leaning against her, June put her arms around her mother’s legs.
    “ So this is San Francisco,” Cathy whispered in awe at the view. She had heard that San Francisco was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Never had she dreamed that one day she would make it her home. Above the rooftops of the tall buildings were two rolling hills alongside each other. Just peeking over the top of them came a low fog moving towards her at a snail’s pace.
    “ They’re called Twin Peaks,” said Sandy, interrupting Cathy’s visual meditation. He came up behind Cathy and June and pointed to the two hills. “My house is beyond them, over by the ocean. It’s about three or so miles from here,” he explained. “It’s wonderful to be able to walk down to the beach. You know we Scots need to be by the sea. But funny thing is, I still think of Scotland as home. You know what I mean?”
    June glanced at Sandy and saw a faraway look in his eyes. Then she tho ught she heard her mother say, “Will I still think of Scotland as home in years to come?”, but when she looked up, her mother’s lips were closed in a small sad smile.
    Jimmy came in to join them. They stood silently watching the fog continue its slow roll down the peaks, spreading across rooftops like a plush carpet. Soon it would cover the entire Eureka Valley, the area the MacDonalds would now call home.
    * * * * *
    Chapter 9
    MAKING THE HOME SACRED
     
    THE MEN HUFFED and puffed as they maneuvered a large, deep green horsehair couch up the stairs to the flat. Cathy waited at the top listening to Jimmy wonder aloud how much she might have spent on the heavy furniture. Between grunts and groans, Sandy remarked, “Jesus, Jimmy, this is the heaviest couch I’ve ever moved.”
    Cathy had gotten right to business exploring the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul , Goodwill and every other thrift furniture store she could find. She made her selections after examining and debating over each piece. She chose durable furniture that was in decent shape and within her budget. By the end of each day, she and the girls would come back to the flat exhausted but excited about their finds. They carried all they could and left the rest for a later pick-up.
    The girls enjoyed unpacking the big trunk shipped from Scotland. In it was kitchenware, photos , and knickknacks. There were shouts of delight as the newspaper and cloth wrappings were removed, revealing the treasures underneath. The girls went from room to room,