Prosperity
“When’s the last time you were home?” Sin asks as we approach the gates of the house.
I punch in the code. I don’t think of this place as home, but I don’t know what else to call it. My father bought it from the family that had owned it for nearly a hundred years.
The previous occupants include a vice president, an ambassador and several US senators. When my father bought it, it was called Meridian Ridge.
He changed the name to The Palms. He plucked out all the fir trees and planted palm trees. He demolished as much of the original colonial building as he could without violating the heritage protection laws and extended it with this modern behemoth of a house that he uses to cosplay his “to the manor born” fantasy.
He picked the perfect spot. The house sits on a rock cliff on the banks of the Potomac River.
Owning it is something he is deeply proud of. It’s a harbinger of the shift in what it means to be American that he owns this property that was stolen, worked by enslaved people at a time when a man like him wasn’t even a figment of the original settlers’ wildest imaginations.
“Finally! You’re here,” Alice calls from behind me, and I’m relievedshe’s the first member of my family Sin will meet.
“Alice, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special.”
Alice opens her arms and her smile lights up her pretty face. She says, “Come here. I’ve heard so much about you. It's been long overdue.”
Sin gives me a wide-eyed, thrilled grin over her shoulder as she embraces Alice with the same gusto that Alice has hugged her with. They pull apart and lean back and just smile at each other.
“He said you were pretty, but my goodness, I don't think he said enough.” Her eyes dance as she takes Sin in from head to toe.
“I don't know what to say ’cause I'm terrible at receiving compliments but thank you so much, and I'm glad that you approve,” Sin says with a smile that’s as demure as I’ve ever seen her.
Alice beams at her. “Of course I approve. I trust Kwame's judgment implicitly, and he has never introduced anyone to me before and so the fact that he's brought you tells me everything I need to know. Hope you'll enjoy yourself here.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Sin
Heaven
The view of the Potomac River from our bedroom is like an emerald-tinted dream. The hills seem to go on forever and the sky and the earth meet in the most glorious kiss with the sun trying it's best to come between them only to add to the glory of it all.
The Palms is the most beautiful place I’ve ever had the pleasure of waking up in. The house itself is grand, immaculate and staffed so that not a speck of dust has the chance to land on the gleaming mahogany floors.
Every meal is served on dishes edged in gold and red and green and black. There are cooks, a butler, an army of cleaners, and groundskeepers. I glance to my right at Kwame and smile at the way he’s positioned himself so he’s bathed in the rays of mid-morning sun that spills into our room. His chin is propped up on his bent wrist, and I’m mesmerized by the swell of his bicep and how soft that skin feels when I touch him.
How is this my life?
I never imagined I’d have so much. I didn’t even know so much existed.
I didn’t even know a life so beautiful existed.
I’ve always felt that Kwame and I align on the belief that hoarding more money than you can spend in three lifetimes isn’t something to be proud of.
After the last few days, I’m not sure that, in my case, it’s less of a value and more the acceptance of my reality.
I’m not sure I could walk away from all of this.
It’s not just the money. Although, I can’t pretend not to understand its appeal now that I’ve seen how the other half lives.
It’s about convenience, choice, safety, freedom, and comfort.
Things all humans are wired to crave. Sadly, most of us will never experience all five.
Much less at the very same time.
