by Ted Evans
There was a little free space that Mom always said was for a girl if she ever had any, but after me, they didn’t have any other kids, so there was some free space in the house. She’d told me more than once that the reason they didn’t have a bigger house, even though they could have bought one once Dad’s company got off the ground, was because she wanted the family to be closer.
I didn’t care about that when I was younger. I just cared that, since the house only had two floors and I was on the second floor, sneaking out and back in through my window was doable.
It wasn’t long before I stopped outside the gates. They opened automatically for me, and I drove inside. I parked on the drive, a few feet away from the door, and got out of the car. The door was unlocked, and I walked right in. It was the home I grew up in so I was very familiar with it. I followed the amazing smell of food to the kitchen to find Mom in the middle of cooking.
“Hey, Mom. I’m home.”
She turned at my voice, surprised, but then she smiled widely at me. She had one hand holding a wooden spoon as she stirred, and raised the other arm to me. I went over to give her a quick, one-armed hug.
“You’re here faster than I thought. Or I’m slower. Your dad is upstairs in his office, but you can stay here and help your dear old mom set the table, right?”
Her smile turned to tease, and I chuckled as I moved to do as she said. We didn’t have a servant in the house; Mom refused the notion, so growing up, we shared the chores. Even Dad used to pitch in when we were younger, but then he got busy.
It was ten minutes before we served everything on the table, and I found myself smiling. Dad naturally drifted down because of the scent of food without needing to be called. Mom always was the best cook, and my stomach rumbled. Since I lived alone, I either cooked for myself, went out, or ordered take-out. My own cooking didn’t stand up to Mom’s, and if there was one thing I ever missed about home after I left, it was her cooking.
“Dad,” I said, nodding to him as he walked over to the table.
He made a sound of acknowledgement and nodded back, but didn’t say anything.
The three of us sat down. Without a word, we all avoided the seat that used to belong to my brother. The dining table had always had four seats. In the times when the extended family visited for the holidays, we took out meals in the living room, not at the small dining table in the kitchen.
None of us said it, but I knew that wound was still fairly fresh for all of us. Mom had us say grace before we began eating.
“So, Dad,” I started. “Did you need to talk to me about something?”
He hesitated a little, and I caught it. Mom sent a mock scowl at me.
“Can't your parents just miss you and want to see you home from time to time?”
I smiled. “I visit often enough. I’m here every other weekend for your wonderful cooking. If Dad called me home, it has to be something important, right?”
Was it something about my work? I knew he was still monitoring me to some extent. Since he's retired, he didn’t poke his nose into the business besides asking me a few things here and there, and he didn’t interfere, but it was his life’s work. It was impossible for him to lose interest in it completely.
“I did have something to talk to you about,” he said.
There was a downturn in his mouth that made me think he didn’t like that I made the assumption he would only call me for the sake of work.
“Go ahead.”
He stopped eating and set down his utensils, giving me his full attention.
“I…have been asked to speak at your brother’s old college,” he said, voice going only a little rough.
Suddenly, the entire table was silent.
Dad continued. “They’ve asked a couple times. I refused at first, but I thought it wouldn’t be a bad opportunity. I wanted to ask if you’d like to come along before I agree to anything.”
I felt a little like I was suffocating. It wasn’t like we never talked about him. He had died, but it wasn’t like he hadn't existed. Dad looked steady, but mom ducked her head and stared at the table. I even heard her sniffle a little.
“It’s a bit of a trip from California to New York,” I said, sounding a little strangled.
“I thought we could stay there for a while; we could book two suites at a hotel close to the school. You’ve never been to New York before, so if there was anything you wanted to take a look at, you could. I have a few friends there I was thinking of meeting myself.”
Still, I wasn’t sure about it. I could feel the rising guilt piercing my chest.
Mom was the one that made up my mind for me.
“You should do it,” she said after a few more sniffles, raising her head. Her eyes were red. “The both of you. You’re right, dear, it is a wonderful opportunity, and you’ve been feeling bored recently. And Jake, it might help if you took a trip with your dad to get you both out of depression.”
My lips twitched, but I couldn’t even smile.
Mom, aren’t you just as depressed, if not more, than the both of us? We bury ourselves in work, but don’t you do the same thing?
She was always one to put taking care of her family on top of everything, but things had changed. When we realized the wedding wasn’t going to happen immediately, I’d left home and continued my ways. Dad was disappointed, my brother was busy with his problems, and Mom only put up a token protest, but let me do as I pleased, as always.
Before, and after the funeral for a few months, I moved in back home because I lived too far away. I stayed there for months while I was taking my classes, and didn’t get my new place until mid-last year when I finally moved out of home a second time.
Mom had been the one to insist I find a new place close to home.
Growing up, Dad had always played bad cop, while Mom played good cop, but now, Dad was silent, and Mom was the one trying to keep me in line. She messaged me often, and though she only called after she knew I had the time to spare, she called every Sunday, when she used to wait for me to call her first.
I didn’t realize before, how much she missed having me around while I was off having the time of my life. It was pretty rare for me to think to call home, my brother would be the one to remind me. When I thought of my behavior toward my parents before, I felt even more guilt.
Still, I couldn’t just carelessly say what was on my mind. If Mom wanted to talk, she would talk, but she was trying to stay strong for both Dad and me. Mom had been the happiest about my brother’s wedding; she even helped the bride’s family prepare for everything.
Who would have known that only a few months later, it would turn into so much sadness and pain for our family? His plane crashed while he was going to see his fiancé and her family, and ever since, Mom hadn’t mentioned them or gotten in touch with them, even though she’d been such an enthusiastic in-law.
So, why not?
“When are we leaving?” I asked, decided.
“I already have the jet prepared. Sorry to bring this up last minute, but you were busy at the office when I called. We can head out this afternoon unless you have something important to see to next week?”
There wasn’t anything that I couldn’t delegate to someone else. I’d been looking forward to a more relaxed week compared to the past few.
“I wish you’d told me this before I came over, I’ll need to pack…”
“You have some of your stuff in your old room from when you stayed over, don’t you?” Mom chimed in helpfully. “If there’s anything else you’ll need, you can just buy. I already helped your dad pack a suitcase, should I help you, too?”
“It’s fine, Mom,” I said quickly. “I can pack by myself.”
I didn’t have any actual suits before, but after deciding to go into the company, I’d bought several and had a few made. I hadn't moved them all into my apartment yet, because I knew it made Mom feel easier to have some of my stuff lying around. So she wouldn’t think that I would just up and disappear
like I did when I left for college and didn’t come back or call home in a long time, even after I graduated.
Right after lunch, I went up to my room to pack my stuff. This meant when I got back, I’d be coming here and not going to my apartment, but I didn’t mind. Dad hadn't given me much detail, but there was time for that.
Mom gave me a long hug and a couple kisses on the cheek and gave Dad the same treatment. She was smiling, but I could see the unease in her eyes as we left.
“You can come back any time you want,” Dad said. “The talk is on Tuesday, so you can have tomorrow and the day after to yourself. I’ll be staying for about a week. Just let me know if you plan to leave early.”
I nodded along to his words, but didn’t know what to say. Dad and I weren’t close, not the way he was with my brother. I’d only recently gotten into the business, so we didn’t have that. Dad had played a sport in high school, and so did my brother, but I didn’t particularly like sports.
Neither of us spoke again, and we arrived at the airstrip a while later. There was a spot for permanent parking where Dad left the car. I waited for him to make his payment for the spot, then we walked to the private jet in silence as our luggage was handled by an attendant.
It wasn’t until we were settling in the plane that Dad spoke again.
“It’s not the same going from a hot climate to a cold one,” he said, looking out the window.
“Not the same at all,” I said in agreement.
I sat on the other side, also looking outside. The atmosphere between us was awkward, but it wasn’t like I could help it. I spent so long rebelling, even after I stopped, I didn’t know how to get close to my own dad.
There were times when I thought I should have been the one to go in my brother’s place. It would have been best for everyone. I knew my family always cared for me, but there was a part of me that couldn’t help thinking that, since the three of them had always been close, if it had been me, my parents wouldn’t have missed me as much as they did him.
I, of course, never voiced those thoughts. Not only were they foolish, I knew they would make Mom cry if she ever heard it.
Chapter Fourteen
Klara
I arrived at school early on Monday, and all over campus, there was a building excitement.
A guest speaker was coming to the school tomorrow. His name was Richard Black. I had been with the school for so long, so even though I liked to keep to myself, how could I not know who that was?
There were photos of him spread all over campus, and one couldn’t help but feel excited. After all, it was a success story so close to home that could give anyone hope. Though he’d been at the school a long time ago, longer than I had been alive, only a few people from the school had copied his feat, so he was still a pretty big name, though the school had alumni to boast about.
As I sat waiting for my morning lecture to start, I was practically vibrating with excitement. It was the first time since I’d been back to college that I was this excited about anything. I had my son to support now, after all. I had to succeed in life if I wanted to give my baby boy a good life.
“Hey, Klara!”
I looked up to see a girl wave at me as she made her way to me. We were in a few of the same lectures, and we were both quiet people who loved to read. We’d also been put together for a group project, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I was luckier this time around. I didn’t know about the others in the group, but Julia and I not only got along, but she also made sure to say hi to me when she saw me.
She was three years younger than me, but I was still happy that I made a friend, so campus was a little less boring.
“Hey, Julia. Did you just get here?”
She nodded as she took the seat beside me and started pulling her notebooks out of her bag. We were seated some rows back from the front, just the right position to not be in the first row, and not have too many people ahead of me that I would have a hard time paying attention and seeing the front.
“Yeah, I almost thought I’d be late so I was rushing, I didn’t even have breakfast! I can't believe the professor hasn’t arrived yet; he’s usually on time.”
I checked the time on my phone, and sure enough, it was already time for the lecture to start. There were already a lot of students present, but the room was only half-full.
“Hey,” Julia started, her voice dropping lower. “Do you think it has anything to do with that? The guest speaker that’s supposed to be coming.”
I shrugged. “It’s possible. I mean, the talk is set for tomorrow and they’re only putting the posters up today, so it was probably only arranged last minute, or we would have known something from last week, right?”
“I heard about it yesterday. It’s in the class’s group chat. Did you check it? A lot of people are excited about this! Not that I blame them. You hear and read a lot about success stories, but you rarely ever see the person in real life.”
I nodded absently, playing with my phone. “I’m kind of looking forward to this,” I admitted. “Plus, this should mean there won't be any classes for tomorrow, right?”
Julia laughed. “I wouldn’t doubt it! It’s the first time in ages since he came to the school, and they treat him like a celebrity.”
Richard Black went to NYU more than two decades ago. His son even attended the school, though it wasn’t publicized until he showed up and made a speech during his son’s graduation ceremony. This was information a lot of people knew since his own son’s achievements in the school rivaled his own, so he was another bright alumni.
“It’s sad, though,” Julia said, sighing. “I checked online after I heard about the visit from the chat. His eldest son, the one that attended NYU? He passed away some time ago, nearly two years.”
“Really?” I muttered, frowning in sympathy. “It couldn’t have been eight years since he finished his MBA, right?”
Julia nodded. “Yeah. It was a plane crash. He has a second son, though. He didn’t attend NYU, I couldn’t find which school he attended, but just this morning I heard there was the talk of his other son coming with him. He might even get to talk himself. Of course, none of this is confirmed, it’s just rumors I heard and I don’t know where they started from.”
I knew what it was like. Even though this was college, and the campus was a lot bigger than my high school was, gossip still had a way of getting around, across the different classes and departments. Especially over something so high profile as this.
“Ugh, I really can't wait for it to be tomorrow already,” Julia grumbled. “I mean, how am I supposed to concentrate in class when something this exciting is happening tomorrow? A really big name is going to be at our school tomorrow!”
I smiled. “Calm down. There’s nothing we can do but suffer through today, right? I do doubt there’d be classes tomorrow, so we’ll make it for the talk. They’re letting anyone who wants to attend, right?”
Julia nodded. “As far as I know, yes. Any class year, any department, as long as you want to be present, there’ll be room. Honestly, I don’t know where they’re going to take this whole thing if it’ll be inside or outside, but the school has to be running around to make the preparations perfect for tomorrow.”
We kept chatting through class, and in the end, the professor arrived half an hour late. It wasn’t entirely unusual. Each class had a three-hour allocation, but the lecturer usually wouldn’t take more than an hour and a half. Though there was the rare occasion that it went over the time limit, but that was rare. The professor didn’t say or clear up anything, just stated that he’d been doing something important and apologized for the delay before starting.
Everyone knew it had to have something to do with the guest tomorrow.
Even though it was class time, people were still excited. The professor continued with his lecture, even as the occasional murmur and passed note happened right in front of his eyes. He was usually strict, but he said nothing and acted like it wasn’t all happen
ing right in front of him.
The lecturers must also all be incredibly excited over this, not to mention the school’s higher-ups.
At the end of my lessons for the day, I wondered how I’d been able to keep up my concentration at all. I had notes written down for my two classes, but I couldn’t remember a thing of what we were taught by the time I got home.
I was in high spirits, though, and Mom noticed.
“Did something nice happen at school?” she asked, curious.
I took the baby from her arms and settled him in mine, then gave him a little tickle just to hear him laugh. Then, I turned to Mom with a large grin.
“You’d never guess who’s going to show up at school tomorrow,” I said.
She smiled indulgently. “Who?”
“We have a guest speaker tomorrow!” I gushed. “It’s so exciting! And he’s this really important guy! Ah, I almost wish you could go and see, but I’m not sure if they’ll be open to outsiders, or if it’s only for the school’s students and staff.”
“Who is this person that has such an influence to get even you excited to go to school?” Mom laughed.
We sat down on the couch, and Mom picked one of the baby’s toys on the table, handing it over to him before refocusing back on me.
“His name is Richard Black,” I said. “I don’t know if you know him, but he used to be at the school. Only, he didn’t start off as a student. He was the school’s janitor.”
“Oh?” her eyebrows shot up. “He must have worked hard if he’s such a big name now.”
I chuckled. “Oh, Mom, you have absolutely no idea. He didn’t just ‘work hard,’ he made it to the top. He started as a cleaner at the college, and he got a scholarship based on his dedication to learning. He used the opportunity well. It was more than two, but less than three decades ago, I can't remember the exact date, but in just that time he became one of the richest men in the country.”
That wasn’t a small achievement at all. America was a big country, and finding people that were well off wasn’t hard. But to climb so high as to be known as one of the richest men in America, it was no small feat. He built a company from scratch that had gone international years ago and had smaller branch companies all over the globe, all of which were doing extremely well.