“You weren’t ‘shipped’, you were given a really god education. Count your blessings”, Michael replied, the smile disappearing from his face.
Luna remained silent, walking beside her brother as they made their way to where Michael had parked. A cherry red pickup truck stood gleaming in the sunshine, obviously recently washed. Luna watched Michael sling the two heavy suitcases into the truck before he went around and opened the passenger door for her. “Quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”
Michael laughed softly. “No woman has ever complained that I’ve opened the door for her before. Actually, I find things like that helps in scoring”.
“Pfft”, Luna snorted. Wriggling in her seat, she started pulling on her hair, an annoying trait she had picked up during her early years at boarding school. Aware that he was watching her, Luna turned her head towards her brother. “What?”
“Are you ready for this?” he asked in all seriousness.
Sighing again, Luna asked the question she didn’t really want to ask. “What do the police think?”
It was Michael’s turn to sigh. “The toxicology reports went in yesterday. They won’t know anything until the results come through. It’s just a waiting game now”.
“What do they think, that dad was drunk or something?”
Shrugging, Michael replied, “Who knows? One cop suggested that dad might have been high on something but no one really believes that.”
Pulling a face Luna asked, “They can’t really believe that. Dad hardly drank let alone did drugs. It’s absurd”.
“Hey, no need to tell me, baby sis, I already know that. I do know that his car is wrecked. Whatever happened, it happened fast, it happened quick and I don’t think either he or mom felt a damn thing”.
It was only when Luna felt the taste of salt on her bottom lip that she realized tears were falling silently down her face. Three days ago, Luna had been getting ready to go to work when the phone rang. It was Michael. In a dead voice, he explained that there had been a car accident, that their parents had died. Nothing could have been done to save them. At first Luna didn’t believe Michael, thinking it was just another of his foolish little pranks but no, it turned out that he was telling the truth.
She didn’t remember much about the rest of the day. The next twenty-four hours were spent in a haze of chaos and turbulent emotions. All she remembered was answering the door to her apartment and finding her boyfriend, Pierre, standing there impatiently to find out why she hadn’t turned up for work that day. Flinging herself into his arms, she had sobbed into his neck, great heaving sobs that threatened to make her sick. Eventually Pierre had calmed her down and discovered that her parents had been killed in a freak car crash.
It was Pierre who had purchased her flights from Paris to Virginia and even packed her suitcases for her. She didn’t know what was in them but knowing Pierre there would be the right assortment of outfits. He was far too practical not to know what to pack for any kind of trip. Pierre was reliable, dependable. Someone you could always count on.
The journey across Virginia was long, or at least it felt long. The landscapes in this part of the States seemed a world away from Paris and its picturesque surrounding countryside, where lavender covered meadows in a heavy fragrant blanket and the leaves of the trees gleamed in the sunlight. Nothing seemed familiar to Luna until they reached the turning onto a smaller road flanked by thick, tall trees on both sides.
Slivers of light filtered through the canopy, the tops of the trees reaching out to those on the other side. It was much bumpier here than the main road and although she couldn’t see it, Luna suddenly recalled that the trees went on for miles in all directions. Wasn’t there a creek or a pond somewhere near here? Not too far from the main house?
Things were starting to come back to her, little nuggets of memories knocking around inside her head. If she remembered right, there was the main house where her family lived, a guesthouse and another building, but Luna couldn’t recall what it was used for.
Michael’s voice called her out of her daydream. “Remember anything yet, sis?”
Luna’s brow furrowed. “I think I’m starting to. You’ve got the family house, a guesthouse and a pond somewhere near here. Am I right?”
Nodding, Michael replied, “Yep. The main house has seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, a massive kitchen and every high-tech gadget you could ever want. Mom and dad kept your bedroom exactly the way it was since you left. Hope you still like pink”. Luna pulled a face and Michael laughed. “The guesthouse is just to the right of the main house. But it’s not really the guesthouse; it’s been my place for years now. Mom just hated me being too far away from the family”.
Pursing her lips at that remark, Luna tried her best to swallow down the retort that was sitting on the tip of her tongue. Whilst she had been sent away to a prestigious boarding school in Paris when she was six years old and enjoyed the best education they could provide, their parents had still sent her away and kept her older brother at home. Michael was three years older than her, although he acted more like a stupid teenager at times, but he was still the golden boy of the family. Her parents had never really explained why they had let Michael stay at home and opted to send her away but even after all these years, it still hurt.
After three miles driving along the bumpy road, the main house finally came into view. The trees surrounded them on all sides except for the road that led them to the clearing. Despite it being summer, the woods kept it cool and slightly dark.
Luna stepped out of the car and looked around. “This is beautiful. Truly magnificent”. It really was. The house stood in front of them, standing tall, proud and a testament to its age. The porch was wider than her office, whilst the building itself was an eclectic mixture of architectural styles. Beams of sunlight struck the house, mesmerising Luna as she stepped towards her childhood home.
The steps up to the house creaked under her feet, sending the birds flying abruptly out of the trees. With each step, Luna’s heart increased in speed until she reached the front door and paused.
For eleven years Luna had been aching to be here, standing at the front door waiting for her parents to open it and welcome her back. She may twenty-seven years old, but inside she was still six years old, yearning to come back home.
Trying to ignore the shaking of her hands, Luna pushed the door open.
Hazy memories fluttered around inside her head. Nothing specific was coming to mind but each step seemed familiar. A living room was off to the left of the hallway, her father’s study to the right with her mother’s music room next door, the formal dining room next to it. The kitchen was at the back of the house if she recalled. Her mother was always in the kitchen. Luna hardly stepped foot in hers back home in Paris unless she was making tea.
A cough from behind startled Luna out of her reverie abruptly.
“Well, well, well”, came a deep reverberating voice from behind. “The prodigal daughter has finally returned home”.
Intoxication Page 16
