The UnKnown (A Novel) (9 page)

“You ready to go?” She even sounded like my mother.

“Yes, I think so.” I grabbed my bag and followed her out to the garage. She flipped the switch and the door began to open to the view of a black Lexus RX. I wanted to ask her what Russ did for a living because she didn’t work, they had two kids, and they lived in an upper-class neighborhood.

“By the way, Russ called Maggie’s Diner and got you an interview for tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, the job is pretty much yours.” I was astonished at the connections Russ must have.

“May I ask what Russ does for a living,” I mumbled. I was embarrassed to ask a question like that.

“He is an investment banker for Merrill Lynch. He has made some sound investments for us. Our house and cars got paid off in less than ten years. If he stays on track he will be able to retire in five years.”

“That’s amazing,” I told her. We hopped in the car and were off. I didn’t get a good look at the town when we came in because it had been dark. It was really quite small and reminded me of the town Capeside from the TV show Dawson’s Creek. There was a huge lake that sat on the other side of Aunt Silvia’s house. There were houses all around it. As we made our way into town, I saw that the main street was lined with stores and shops. It looked so peaceful. I saw people with shopping bags chatting and laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world.

“There is Maggie’s Diner over to the left.” My eyes widened. The Diner looked identical to the one where Drake and I had met. It had the old fifties look and even had several caddies parked out front in all different colors.  The pink flashing neon sign that read Maggie’s Diner tied the whole look together. I wondered if they wore the cute little fifties uniforms.

“I’ll bring you in the morning for the interview. We have to go to the next town over for the shopping mall. We’ll get there in about twenty minutes,” she said. I was glad to have Aunt Silvia; without her I would be so lost right now. I still couldn’t get over the fact that she had abandoned me. I knew it would take time for me to fully forgive her, but I was on the right track.

“I promise to pay you back every penny. I don’t expect you to take care of me,” I said as softly as I could. I didn’t want to offend her.

“You will do no such thing. I should’ve been taking care of you all these years, Misty. I can’t begin to make up for what I did.”

“Can we try to put that behind us and move forward? I’m willing to try to forgive.” She smiled although she had tears in her eyes.

“Let’s change the subject to something lighter. Who is this guy that brought you to me? He’s very handsome and nice.” She would ask about him again.

“Like I said before, he is just a friend. I met him on the way here and he was kind enough to give me a lift. I know I shouldn’t be taking rides from strangers, but he seemed harmless. My senses about people are generally correct. I would like to get to know him better. We decided to take things slow, though, because I’m just not ready for a serious relationship. I need to get on my feet. I’d like to enroll in some college courses if possible. I made really good grades in high school, so getting in shouldn’t be a problem.”

“He seems like a nice young man. He was very respectful and I like that in a man. If I would’ve known sooner you needed a ride, I would’ve come to get you. Please don’t ever do that again. I was worried to death until you made it here then I see you and you’re hurt. How is your head, by the way?” I had almost forgotten about my head. It didn’t hurt one bit.

“My head is ok. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I just tripped and fell is all.” I felt terrible for lying, but I didn’t need her to worry about me. The conversation would have to come to a close because we were approaching the smallest mall I had ever seen. It was more like a strip mall, but it had some major department stores in it. Aunt Silvia pulled into the parking lot and parked the car.

“Listen, we are here for you. Don’t hold back on things you need. I have plenty of money and can afford to get you what you need.” I really wished she would stop saying that. If she could afford it, then she should have searched harder to find me.

“OK,” was all I said. We slipped out of the car and headed to the Gap store. I loved everything about Gap but never could afford anything in it. Lucy and I would spend hours in the mall trying on different outfits, but never once bought anything. This was going to be a real treat for me.

Aunt Silvia and I were in and out of shops for the next three hours. She bought me everything that I even hinted at liking. When we finally made it back to the car I had five pairs of jeans, ten t-shirts, five dresses, blouses, cardigans,  panties, bras, perfume by Beyonce, new makeup, and seven pairs of shoes that varied between sneakers, heels, and flats. I was so overwhelmed by her generosity.

“Let’s go get some lunch, then we can get our hair and nails done.”

“This is just too much. You have done enough really.”

“No I haven’t,” She said as she started the car and backed out of the parking lot.

“I know this cute little café next to my hair salon. We can have a quick bite and then walk over to the salon.” I nodded and pulled out my phone. I wanted to see if I had received any text messages from Drake. There appeared to be three.

Drake: I hope you’re having a wonderful day with your aunt. Text me and let me know you’re ok.

How sweet was he? About an hour later he had sent another.

Drake: Hey haven’t heard from you. Hope all is well.

And in the third one he seemed to be in panic.

Drake: Peaches, I’m getting worried. Please text me back.

I hit the reply button

Me: Sorry, I’ve been with my Aunt all day and just now saw your messages. We’re headed to lunch then to get our hair done. I’ll call you when I get home. Miss you.

Not even a minute later I got a reply back.

Drake: Ok, good. I was getting worried. Have fun baby, and I’ll be waiting for your call.

God, I loved when he called me baby and peaches. He made shivers go down my spine. I put the phone back into my purse and noticed Aunt Silvia had a dumb smile on her face.

“You’re in love with him.” What did she mean I was in love with him? I hardly knew him.

“I am not in love with him.” I shook my head to make her very aware I wasn’t in love with him.

“Yeah, you are. I had that same look on my face when I met Russ. Do you get butterflies every time he looks at you? Do you feel an electric current when he touches you? By the look on your face you do. You don’t have to know a person long to know they are the one. I knew Russ was it for me the moment I laid eyes on him. He saved me.” OMG was I in love with Drake? No, it wasn’t possible. I did feel all those things she said though.

“I’m not in love with him,” I repeated. Deep down I knew that wasn’t true. I knew I loved him from the moment I saw him. I just hoped he felt the same way.

The rest of the day went along like a blur. We had lunch. I had a turkey sandwich with chips and Aunt Silvia had a chef salad. At the salon I got my nails painted a very faint pink color. I was a daredevil and got my hair cut short in a pixie style.

“That is so cute on you,” Aunt Silvia stated. I thought so too. I looked at myself in the mirror again. This was all new for me. I was horrified for a moment when I saw all my strawberry blonde hair on the ground. The cut made my green eyes pop even more than they already did. My aunt stopped and paid as we headed out of the shop.

“Thank you for such a lovely day. This has been one of the best days of my life.” She looked so pleased when I said that.

“I’m glad. I’m going to pick up some Chinese food for dinner. I don’t feel like cooking.” I smiled at her as we proceeded to go home. Home, I was going home; a place full of love. I had a good feeling that Sunnydale would always be my home.

Chapter 12

Drake

I was hoping to spend the day with Misty, but she was having a girl’s day with her aunt. The day was long and boring without her. I ended up unpacking and getting my room reorganized. My heart sank when I hadn’t heard from her most of the day. When I finally did, I let out a sigh of relief. After what happened I was constantly worried about her. A knock on the door broke my thoughts.

“What’s up bro? Long time no see.” My brother Sean stood at the door. Sean was taller than I was and more built. He was very athletic in high school. I always thought he would go off to college on a football scholarship.

“Hey. Been busy, you know, with school and all.” He entered without being asked. I noticed a tattoo below his sleeve. It was a portrait of a mermaid surrounded by sea life. It was cool.

“I see. No time to give your big brother a call?” He grabbed me, put me in a head lock and rubbed the crap out of my head. He was too big for me to break loose from.

“Get off Sean!” He finally let me go and had a stupid smirk on his face. I wanted to punch it off of him. “Grow up; we’re not kids anymore.”

“You used to love when I did that to you. Now you’re Mr. College Graduate; too good for a little fun.” I hated when he tried to play a guilt trip on me.

“Whatever man, you had the same opportunities as I did. You chose to blow them off. Now look at you: a twenty five year old working at McD’s. ” Screw him and his sarcasm. I didn’t need his crap.

“Dad told you, huh? I bet he didn’t tell you I was Store Manager and that I am on my way to owning my own McDonald’s. He never listens to me. He was always up your ass and putting me down. I’ll be able to move out of here soon and buy a house debt-free. That is what I have been doing the past few years. So you can kiss my ass bro.” He turned and walked out of the room. I had no clue he was doing so well. I thought of him as a loser, not living up to his potential. How wrong I was. God, could this day get any worse?

I settled on playing some video games for the rest of the day. I was really getting into it when my mother called me down for dinner. I forgot that she had started cooking. I got up and headed down the stairs to the smell of fried chicken filling my nose. It smelled wonderful. When I reached the kitchen there was a spread that could feed an army. There was fried chicken, green beans, salad, mashed potatoes, corn, and a veggie tray. There was no freaking way that my mother, of all people, cooked this food. It had to have been one of the cooks.

“Mom, did you make all of this?” I hadn’t really talked to my mother since I had been home. She and my dad were gone when I got up. Since I was on the phone late with Misty I hadn’t gotten a chance to catch up with her.

“Yes, I did. I’ve been taking cooking classes all year. I wanted to cook you a proper welcome home dinner. Sean is washing up and your father is on his way. I wanted to see my baby boy before everyone joined us.” Baby boy? I was really losing my mind. This had to be an invasion of the body snatchers. She had never engaged me like this.

“Mom what is going on? You and Dad are completely different people from when I left here a year ago. What happened to change you guys so much?”

“You want the honest truth?”

“Yes. I feel like I entered Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” She slid her arms around me and hugged me tight.

“Your father has cancer. We wanted to tell you together, but you need to know. The doctors are very optimistic. They found it early. It changed him, I mean us. Life is short and we have to live it to its fullest.” My father had cancer. Although I had always said I hated them, I really didn’t mean it. I never imagined my life without my parents in it. I was feeling a little light-headed and pulled away from my mother’s embrace. I was no longer hungry; I was furious that they didn’t tell me.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Does Sean know? I could have come home sooner, Mom. I could have helped in some way. How could you not tell me?” I was so confused. I sat down on the bar stool in front of where the food sat. The smell was starting to make me want to vomit. I couldn’t believe my father had cancer. CANCER.

“We wanted to, we really did. We wanted you to concentrate on school, though. You were so close to finishing. Yes, Sean knows because he encountered a piece of mail from the hospital and demanded the truth. We wanted to tell you two together, but as you can see that didn’t work out.” I could see the pain in her eyes. The past year must have been hell for her.

“You should’ve told me, Mom. I know we were never a close family, but I would’ve been here. School could’ve waited. What if Dad is not ok?”

‘”He will be ok, honey. He has been going to his treatments and the doctors are running tests as we speak to see if he is cancer free.”

“I hate that word, cancer. I have no idea what to think. I feel so helpless.” Sighing, my mother came over to me and reassured me everything would be ok.

“Do you mind if I skip dinner? I’ve lost my appetite. Let me know when Dad gets home. I would like to talk to him.” She nodded in agreement and I made my way back to my room. I saw Sean in the hallway with a smug look on his face. I pulled my hand back and punched him in the face. My fist connected with the left side of his jaw. Sean fell back towards the wall, and for the second time in two days, I lost it. Once again, Sean put me into a headlock.

“Dude, I am not going to fight you. Calm down,” he said. I was still struggling, trying to get out of his embrace. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I could never take my brother down.

“Stop struggling. I’m not letting you go until you calm down.” Finally I stopped moving.

“I’m calm. Let me go,” I said. 

 “Are you sure? If I let you go and you come at me again, I won’t be so nice,” Sean mumbled.

“I am fine.” When he finally released me, my face felt flushed.

“I know she just told you about Dad, but don’t take it out on me,” he said, moving away with his hands up in the air as though he were backing down.  “He is doing really good Drake. He is going to be fine. I have been to some appointments with him.”