Three years later
Drego
The flight attendant who was a brunette with long locks eye fucked me like I was some candy she wanted to have. All through the eight hours flight back from Paris she did not stop looking at me and acting flirtatious whenever I requested for something.
"Are you comfortable Mr. Ricardo? Do you need Something? Anything?" She said, her voice low even though the closest person to me was at least three seats behind me.
I politely smiled at her, and she made herself scarce when I looked away, ignoring her desperate attempts to be noticed.
She obviously knew who I was. The face cap and dorky glasses I was wearing had proven to be a stupid disguise.
It was quite obvious I didn't want to be disturbed. That's what it means when someone has a disguise on, and yet, the stewardess didn't care.
They were always like this. Women and sometimes men too. Always throwing themselves at me no matter how rude I was to them.
I used to believe that the Ricardo name was both a blessing and a curse, but recently, I'd forgotten why I ever considered it a blessing. Everybody that approached me had one goal in mind.
Money.
They wanted my money. They didn't give one fuck if I insulted them or disgraced them as long it ended in my money going out.
Money well spent if you asked me.
I was relieved when the airplane landed in New York. Not just because the eight hours flight had taken its toll on me, but also because I couldn't bear another second being looked at like I was some kind of new burger combo KFC just released.
"Nato."
"Drego. I thought you never wanted to come back, man. The honeys in Paris didn't want to see you go, no?"
Nato hugged me, smiling goofily like he always did. I smiled back, hugging him.
"Don't start. It had been a long four months, and a longer flight."
He took my bag and began to walk ahead of me.
"It's good to have you back, man."
"It's good to be back. Never thought I'd miss New York so much. What's been happening?"
"You'll never believe who got back together."
"No. Don't tell me. Cassie and Reid?"
"You guessed it. With you not around, we couldn't talk sense into him."
"He is love whipped. I guess there's no harm in that."
"No man. He's pussy whipped. Reid wouldn't know love if it knocked him over and pounded on him till he was out of breath."
I laughed. I had to admit, I'd missed his jokes.
Nato opened the door of his car for me. The disguise might have failed with the flight attendants, but it worked like magic in the air terminal.
Maybe Nato was on to something after all.
"You almost called it shit, didn't you?" He said the minute we were inside his car.
I let out a silent chuckle.
"Called what shit?" I feigned confusion
"My idea. I could see it in your eyes. You wanted to complain." Nato laughed.
"Things like that only work in the movies. I honestly thought it wouldn't work. I was wrong…"
Nato nodded, his eyes on the road, his smile growing. I could tell he was proud of himself.
"This time." I added. His smile was unshaken.
"I'll take it." He said, laughing out loud. "It's not everyday I get a compliment from you or my brother."
We continued to chit chat until we arrived at my house. Nato parked at the entrance, his expression a little sad.
"You're really not gonna let me in?" He asked, looking straight where my mansion resided.
"You know the rules."
"C'mon man. I grew up in this house. We're neighbors, and more than that we're best friends. Are you really gonna keep treating me like this?"
I ruffled Nato's hair. "I'm your boss. And we were neighbors. Past tense. Friends? arguable. Best friends? Seriously? And you didn't grow up in this house."
Nato squeezed. "I could have."
"The only reason you have this job is because of Reid." I smiled at him.
"But—"
"Goodbye Nato. Thanks for the idea and driving me." I said before stepping out of his car with my bag.
I walked into my gate. All the while Nato stayed, his headlights shining into my dark compound, giving it light.
The trees had been neatly trimmed. I scrutinized the environment as I walked the few distance before my door. Nanny had taken very good care of the house while I was away.
Finally, Nato turned his car around and once again, I was subsumed in darkness. But this was a familiar territory. I was used to everything being dark. And I would always choose this darkness over light.
Light had a way of disappearing no matter how hard you try to fan it's flames and make it stay. It wasn't created to last. Unfortunately, this was the way of light. Unsteady. Always fluctuating. Never there when it's needed. Darkness on the other hand never changes. Once you get used to it, that's all there is from there. It offered the stability I needed…
Nanny doted on me the second I walked through the door. It was only until deep into the night before she stopped with her inquisition. Her motherly care was at its pique, and usually, I would run away from her, but I had missed this so much I moved the line that said overbearing further away. At least for tonight.
Though I'd been busy with work even when I was in Paris, I still had a lot of work left to go over but they weren't urgent. I should have rested, left it all until the next day, but I didn't want to rest. For me, resting meant thinking. Slouching meant remembering. So I was always busy. Always on the move, like a criminal on the run. Except for my case, I could never outrun what I was running from…
"I brought you some biscuits and a glass of milk."
Nanny entered my room, a tray with cookies and milk in hand. She set the tray down on the wooden stool beside my bed, then she took a seat on my bed.
"I turn thirty in a few months nanny." I smiled at her.
She smiled back. "Can't work wait until you stubbornly go into the office tomorrow?"
"I was just about to sleep." My smile widened. Closing my laptop, I put it away.
Nanny scooted closer, her palm on my face. "You've grown thin."
I laughed.
I had great genes. Dad was a tall man; a six ft four, and mom was six ft. But mom wasn't just tall, she was also big. Combined together, I was a fucking giant of a man. Even if I lost a few pounds, it wouldn't be that obvious. And somehow, she knew.
"Nanny…"
"I know. I know. I'm being unreasonable. And I'm being overbearing. I know. But I've earned the right to. I have taken care of you since the first day you came into this world. Now you're thirty and I'm still taking care of you."
"Thank you, Nanny."
"My pleasure… Don't take this the wrong way but Drego, it's been three years. When will you move on? When will you finally let the past be in the past?"
"I'm suddenly feeling very sleepy." I forced a yawn. "We'll talk more tomorrow." I said, raising my bed cover over my body.
Nanny nodded her head, a sad smile on her face as she got up from my bed.
"Sweet dreams, Dre." She said and walked out.
Everytime she asked about my plans for the future, my response was the same, and so was her reaction. She never insisted. Never asked more than once at a particular time. The second I dismissed the topic… She leaves. It made me feel horrible. But I wasn't ready yet…
***
The sound of my door opening made me jolt up from my sleep.
"Who's there?" I asked.
Before I could understand what was happening, I felt a punch on my face. Immediately, I was alert. Whoever was here definitely did not expect anyone to be around because the second I put on the light, he tried to run out. I stretched my hand and grabbed his jacket, which cost me another punch on the face.
The guy was wearing a mask. And thankfully, he wasn't as big as me. I haven't met many people who were. I knew I could easily take him.
I jumped on him, falling on his body. He laid on the ground, struggling as I subdued him. He managed to strike my face again, so I started attacking his mouth with my fist. He struggled to push me off his body, but he was weak. And not nearly as skilled. Which meant he was not after my life. Probably just a random thief who'd thought the owner of the house was away.
"Nanny." I said, when I remembered that she was also in the house.
I punched the guy on the ground one more time and when I was sure he'd lost consciousness, I rushed towards my nanny's room.