I stared intently as beads of rain splattered onto the car window. Some kept their circular shape. Others slowly dribbled down, leaving behind wet trails.
My father peeped at me through the rear-view mirror. Our eyes met for the first time in ten long years, leaving me with an uneasy feeling. I knew shouldn't have been blaming him as much as I did. In my mind, however, my mom might've still been there if he hadn't left. I prodded around in my purse, reaching past the hodgepodge of make-up, and snacks. A heavy sigh escaped as the realization that my earbuds were not inside sunk in. They were more than likely stowed away in my suitcase locked in the trunk.
Whenever I had anxiety, music was the only real cure. It made things less troublesome for me. The lyrics were my friends, getting me what seemed to be a never-ending storm of emotions.
"Danielle can't wait to meet you," my dad started, snapping me away from my thoughts. His voice was gentler than I recalled. I could see he was much more stable than before.
Danielle. The name echoed inside my head, provoking my irritability. What makes him think I want anything to do with that woman? He had taken care of her all of those years, leaving my mother and I to struggle. I couldn't believe he was trying to deal the hope there's no hard feelings card.
"You will love it here, Loreign," he proceeded as he glanced back at me with a grin.
For a forty-three-year-old, he looked rather young. His head vacant of silver hairs threatening to age his features, his face well tended, his eyes a deep dark brown, and a healthy smile behind his lips.
I'd never seen him look so alive.
When he was with my mother, he always looked so drained and stressed. Puffy dark bags lying under his eyes, frown lines, and his rough stubble always appeared to be uneven. Now it looked as if he was aging backward.
I reached back into my bag, snagging my bottle of Prozac and tossing back two pills. The meds didn't always help with my anxiety but being in the situation that I was in; I suppose you could say I was desperate for relief.
"Rae?"
"Nobody calls me that anymore," I huffed.
An awkward pause followed as he struggled to find a response. "How are you doing?" he asked after a few moments, his eyes glued to the road ahead.
Wrong question. I sucked in a deep breath, pursing my lips in annoyance.
"How am I doing? Well... my mom is dead and I have to live with my deadbeat dad and his new plaything. Not to mention the part about having to switch schools in the middle of my senior year to go to a place where I don't know a single soul. I'm fantastic," I spat, keeping my eyes on the window.
He sighed, scratching his head and holding his eyes on the roadway.
"I know it's a big step but what was I supposed to do? Leave you alone in California to fend for yourself?"
"You did before," I scoffed. For a second he opened his mouth to speak but instead, turned his eyes to the road, leaving the car in silence.
The trip took hours. After our last discussion, my dad concentrated on getting there. Flying through the interstate, not once looking back at me. The quiet relieved me, talking about my feelings was the last thing I wanted to do... With him, anyway.
When we passed the town sign I felt an array of nerves in my stomach. I never expected I'd return to the place I was born and from the stories, my mom used to tell me about the day when she and my father ran away together after giving birth. She never explained why they had to run, but it made me fear if being there would doom me to the same fate as my them.
I leaned forward in my seat, glancing out of the window as we rode through the neighborhood. There were children playing, laughing, living. A small grin washed over my lips at the sheer happiness I had witnessed. When we pulled into the driveway, a small inkling of relief washed over me.
The house stood as a towering mass of bricks with the windows rimmed in gold paint. A beautiful garden and massive vases bordered the area. Vibrant blue, yellow, and violet flowers danced as the delicate breeze swayed them.
Outside the residence stood a slender woman, who I assumed to be Danielle. Her skin had a warm caramel glow to match her eyes, and she had long voluptuous curls that fell past her shoulder blades. She wore a form-fitting black dress accentuated by a sparkly pair of black pumps. She was obviously very youthful. But there was one problem...she looked kind of like....mom
My father popped open the trunk. Rolling my eyes, I clutched my purse and prepared for the worst. I exited, stepping into the freezing air that had burned my lungs.
"I'm so delighted to meet you Loreign, although I wish it was on better terms." Danielle approached, and I cringed as she pulled me into a warm embrace. Something I hadn't experienced since my mother's death and the fact I preferred to despise her, made it even worse.
"How's everything going?" she asked. The jubilant smile on her face shifting into a sympathetic frown.
"I'm fine," I lied, passing her by and heading to the trunk where my father had been standing. I grabbed ahold of my suitcase and heaved it out onto the cobblestone walkway.
"Laurant, take that up for her?" She spoke while pointing at my luggage, her gaze unwavering from mine. My father nodded, throwing my bags over his shoulders and retreating into the large house.
"I hope you don't mind but I went shopping for you," she began as she showed me inside, "I figured the things you have wouldn't fit the weather patterns here." The both of us removed our shoes, placing them on a rack just past the threshold. "I hope you like what I picked out. You don't have to wear them, but it's an option for school tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" I groaned.
"Your father didn't tell you? He was up all night getting everything ready for your arrival. I helped him finish all of the enrollment papers," she said as she rummaged through a fancy-looking handbag dangling on a nearby coat rack. Danielle plucked out a nicely folded piece of paper and handed it over, "That's your schedule." I unfolded the schedule and scrutinized it closely before cramming it into my pocket.
When we arrived upstairs, Danielle paused in front of the second door on the right. She looked back at me with an excited smile as she pushed open the pearly white doors to my new room. Awe washed over me as my eyes darted around every inch of the room. Hanging from the ceiling was an elegant chandelier, with blood red rubies embellishing it. The white walls were coated in golden flakes that shimmered in the light of chandelier.
I stepped inside and my feet greeted the soft carpet. "I hope this isn't too much," she said with a proud smile plastered across her soft features. I forced a reassuring smile and continued surveying the room. My eyes instinctively landed on the bed as exhaustion swept over me. The king-sized bed had silk blankets and a fluffy mountain of pillows the size of Everest.
"Loreign?"
"Huh?"
Danielle flashed a warm smile.
"I'll let you get settled in, don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything." she chuckled to herself as she walked out, gently shutting the door behind her.
Finally. I plopped onto the comfortable bed attempting to process the situation. Who is that woman?...She reminds me so much of my mother.