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“Good,” I say, not wanting to get into it. Now is probably not the best time to bring up the offer I received. Dad will go berserk and Mom will start crying. Maybe no time will ever be good to bring it up.
“Good,” Mom says, and I watch her force another smile while trying to fight off a grimace. “That’s good.”
Mom doesn’t say anything more and Dad continues to ignore his Eggs Benedict, as well as myself, and brunch ends on this terribly awkward note I hope to God will fade from my memory. In minutes, everything is paid for, thanks to Mom and Dad, and we walk out of the restaurant as if we don’t even know each other.
“Well,” Mom says, stopping in front of me while Dad continues walking towards the black car. A chauffeur opens the door for him and I watch Dad disappear inside.
Goodbye, Dad,I think with an eye roll. Why did he even agree to come?
“I hope you enjoy your New Year’s with your friends,” Mom says sadly while cupping the side of my face. “You’ll call me when you land back in Colorado, right?”
I nod. “Sure.”
Mom gives me a brief hug which I try to return. As we part ways, I wonder if we will ever have one of these nice family brunches I hear about: where family gets together every Sunday morning with smiles on their faces, no jealousy or anger at others for going down different paths in their lives, no drinking heavily in order to get through the ordeal of being in each other’s presence, just normal, family fun.
As I walk towards my next appointment, I realize that will never be us. We’ve never had a single moment anywhere close to what I constitute as a normal family, but I suppose that is all a stupid, little dream. Normal families don’t exist. No family is always happy and gets along together. And mine never will.
“There you are,” I hear the moment I enter a quaint little cafe several blocks down from the place I brunched with my parents.
The cafe is made of greens and browns with wallpaper displaying coffee cups dancing together. The smell of coffee and people sitting with books and laptops surround me. I find Lori in the back corner, twiddling her fingers at me, her blonde hair cropped shorter than when I last saw her.
“Hey,” I murmur, forcing a smile while I close the distance between us. I’m still not sure if this is the right thing. I don’t even know why I agreed to this. Everything about this is ethically wrong, but I can’t stop listening to the curious little voice in my head, telling me:How much money will they offer you? Do you really want to have a relationship with your parents after everything they did to you?
I plop myself down in the seat across from her while Lori takes out a large folder from her purse. “I have the contracts on me as well as the amount my publishing firm is will offer for the story.”
“I’m sorry, this might be a complete waste of your time,” I rush out. “I’m still unsure if I really want to do this.”
Lori smiles brightly, yet I’m getting that vibe I usually get when my mom is trying to pressure me into something I don’t want to do. It’s the kind of smile that reminds me of a snake about to strike, the kind that makes my skin threaten to crawl off my body.
“No worries,” she says sweetly while edging the folder towards me. “You still have time. And we can offer you more money if you don’t like the price.”
“It’s not about money.” I drop my gaze to the folder, my curiosity growing even more.How much are they offering me? Is it enough to leave my job at The Cafe? Is it enough to get a car? A house?
“Just have a look at the contract,” I hear Lori say while I take the folder, “and if you’re still unsure, feel free to video chat or call me.”
“What if I decide not to do this at all?”
Lori raises an eyebrow. “Trust me, the money is good, Lucas. You’ll want to do this. Hell, you and I both know you’re keen, or else you wouldn’t have met me today.”
She has me there. I am keen, very keen. The only thing I am worried about is the little angel on my shoulder that has been yelling at me not to do it ever since Lori met me at The Cafe. “I just don’t want to screw anyone over.”
Lori chuckles. “Sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do to get ahead. Besides, you know your family, their colleagues better than anyone. You know they screw people over every day to get ahead.”
Once again, she’s right. But, am I like my family? I always thought I wasn’t, but now, I’m not so sure.
“Think on it, Lucas,” Lori says while standing. “Have a look at the offer, and the contract. Ask for more money if you think it’s not enough. You and I both know this will be good for your career. This is a story that will interest the world.”
I nod and watch her leave, knowing she’s right. This will be good for my career. I won’t have to struggle pouring coffee for grumpy students. I won’t have to live in a tiny apartment anymore. I can provide for Rachel and live the life I always wanted to, but do I really want to sell out my family?
Chapter 2
RACHEL
Well,hereamI,New York! Back again for another drama-filled New Year’s. Hopefully this time will be a bit different since Lucas is on better terms with his parents. Not to mention, his father won’t have any parties to crash, given we will be spending all of New Year’s Eve outside in the freezing cold, waiting for the ball to drop. Thankfully, we’ve talked Alex out of another fancy New Year’s party with his parents, which was definitely a difficult fete to endure. Apparently, Alex isn’t a fan of the cold. It’s all thanks to Lucas. I don’t know what he said or did to win Alex to our cause, however, I doubt he’s going to let it go until we are actually leaving his house tomorrow. I can already see him dragging his feet. It’s my family tradition, and I’ve done it every year with my parents. Except for last year.
And this year, Dad won’t be joining us.
I pull my carry-on behind me, and focus on getting to the escalators rather than the tears stinging my eyes. If my parents insist on fighting throughout the holidays, that’s their problem. I don’t even understand why they are being so persnickety with each other, especially since the divorce papers finally went through. They shouldn’t care about each other anymore, but somehow they are constantly thinking about the other person. I would find it adorable, if it wasn’t for the fact their concern for the other was mostly due to jealous rather than care.
