Feathers

  Feathers

  One

  They say your life can change in and instant, and I believe that whoever came up with that was certainly right.

  For me, that big instant came on, of all dates, Christmas Eve. I’d been out for the day in order to escape the cold household that I’d know for most of my life. Back then, I lived down in Florida with my mother and Grandmother. I’d spent the last fourteen years of my life there, and I’d dare say that things had always been rather unsavory. But I never imagined what I was coming home to that late afternoon.

  As I walked up to the house, I was surprised to see my grandmother standing by the door on the porch with a suitcase beside her, and an envelope in her hand. I stopped for a moment and stared at her. Something in my gut was telling me that this really wasn’t good. It was a sinking feeling really. Not only for the fact that she seemed to be waiting for me, but because the suitcase was mine.

  Finally, I was able to find my voice. “Grand mom?” I said softly as I walked up there to her.

  “Take your suitcase. You’re leaving.” she said quietly.

  “What?” I said in disbelief. She was kicking me out? I couldn’t believe it. It was Christmas Eve, for crying out loud! I knew the woman had never liked me, but this was a little much.

  “You heard me.” she said, shoving the envelope into my hand. “Take this. It’s your plane ticket. You’re going back to that father of yours!”

  By then, I was finding a bit more of my bearings. “What’s going on? Why am I going there now?” I asked. I really had no clue where this one had come from. My dad lived up in Maryland, and my grandmother and mother had never even liked me being around him before. And as far as I knew, he hadn’t called about maybe having me up there for the holidays. They never let him anyways.

  “I don’t want you here. Not after what your mother told me today. So you’re going to Maryland, and you’d better not even think of trying to come back here!” Grand mom said.

  I’ll admit that I was a bit flabbergasted at that point. I always knew that my grandmother never really cared for me, but at least my mother seemed to. At least, in her more stable moments. My mother herself had never been that mentally stable from as far back as I could remember. In fact, I would venture to say that she probably should’ve been in a mental hospital due to her breakdowns and hysterics half the time. But she’d always had this closeness to me anyways before. She’d always found some way to defend me before whenever my grandmother decided to unleash her wraith against me. I honestly couldn’t understand what would’ve made her say something and allow my grandmother to send me away. And especially to where the man she feared most was.

  “Let me talk to Mom.” I said, moving forward to go into the house.

  But Grand mom stopped me. “No. You’re not going anywhere near her. Now get out of here. Your taxi is coming.” she told me.

  I looked over my shoulder to see a cab pulling up. This was no joke. I really couldn’t believe it. I was literally being kicked out. “Grand mom, please.” I begged.

  “Go. Get out of here right now.” Grand mom ordered, tossing my suitcase over to me.

  I quickly grabbed it up and hurried down the stairs to the car. I was close to tears, but I wasn’t about to let her see it. I said a long time ago that I would never allow her to see me cry for what she did to me. Instead, I got into the cab and slammed the door. The driver seemed to know just where I was going, because he didn’t say a word to me. Instead, he just drove away. I looked over my shoulder to see what was my home disappearing behind me. At that point, I found that I was shaking pretty hard. What was I going to do?

  After coming into the airport, things really weren’t any better. Taking the ticket from the envelope, I looked at the flight number. I’d flown many times before, so I knew what to do. But I realized as I did that that I didn’t have very long to board this plane. So I ended up running to the terminal. I made it right as they were almost done boarding, so at least I’d been in luck there. But sitting down in that plane seat, the reality finally began to set in on me. I had no idea what I was supposed to do when I got up to Maryland. Coming from Florida, it wasn’t going to take that long. And I didn’t even know if anyone would be there when I arrived. I doubted that my grandmother had informed my father of this, beings she did basically just kick me out. I dug in my purse for my cell phone. Once I found it, I sighed and pulled off my glasses, putting my head in my hands and taking a few deep breaths to pull myself together. I needed to think logically now. I needed to figure out my next move.

  My father himself lived in Eastern Maryland, in a small town called Madison. His name was Michael Renaldi. Sitting back in my seat, I played through my cell phone contacts for his numbers. I had his home, work, and cell, and was trying to think of which would be best to call him at once I got off this plane. In all honesty, this was my best way to keep contact numbers for him. My mother had never been very good about things when it came to my father, and my grandmother absolutely had despised him. I didn’t know why. The Michael I knew was a very good and kind person. I had been spending my summers with him since I was eight years old. That was when he was able to find my mother and me again. From what I knew, my mom had just taken off on him while he was at work one day. He hadn’t known where she’d gone for five years, and had spent that time searching for us. From the little bit I’d been able to know him in the last eight years, I had come to dearly loved my father. I had wished that I could just stay with him before. Too bad it looked like that wish was coming true in the worst possible way.

  Sitting back in my seat, I tried to make myself relax as the plane got ready to take off. I needed to just relax until I got there. Then I could try to call Michael. I had my cell phone, and his numbers. I was sure I’d be able to get a hold of him somehow. And, if anything, I could always call Raziel. He’d be out on winter break from school, and probably home by the time I landed if he’d been out. I had his cell number in there too.

  Raziel Renaldi was my cousin, and practically like my twin. We were born on the same day, only an hour apart actually. His father was Michael’s older brother and my uncle, Raphael. I had gotten to know him just as well as I knew my father. The two were also business partners, and pretty close as siblings. After Michael had found me and I got to see him and the family again, Raziel and I became very close. There was a natural bond there for us, and we’d remained in contact even when I was down in Florida for the majority of the year. So of course I knew his numbers by heart as well. I talked to him a lot. I just had to be able to reach him now.

  The plane finally did land, though it was now dark. Standing near the terminal after I got off, I took my phone out again and began going through the numbers. First off, I decided that I was going to try to call Michael. If that failed, then I would try Raziel. I was also trying hard to think of how to explain what had just happened to me, and why I was now in BWI at eight o’ clock on Christmas Eve. I was only sixteen years old, and all alone now. I’ll admit that it was making me very nervous. I hoped I could talk straight when I got a hold of someone.

  I decided that my best course of action right now was to try his cell first. Whether he was at home or wherever, he always had that on him. I doubted he’d be working, though he owned several businesses. I just hoped he was somewhere where he’d hear it. After dialing the number, I listened as it rang and rang. I started to feel myself shaking again. I backed up and leaned myself against the wall to keep steady. “Please, please, please.” I whispered.

  Finally, I heard it get picked up. Mentally, I was jumping for joy now. My nightmare might be over. “Hello?” I heard my dad say.

  “Hey Dad. It’s Mia.” I said. I was almost whispering, but I couldn’t help it. I was still shaking so hard. I was hoping he w
ouldn’t hear that in my voice. I hated worrying him, though I probably should’ve been.

  “Mia? What’s going on? I wasn’t quite expecting to hear from you this late on Christmas Eve.” Michael said. I could hear a bit of concern in his voice. But this was unusual. I did usually speak to him on Christmas, but never the night before.

  “Uh, it’s kind of a funny thing really. I need some help. I’m at BWI right now. Can you maybe come and pick me up?” I asked. I practically whimpered the last part.

  “BWI?” Michael said, clearly surprised. “How on earth did you get there?”

  I took a deep breath. Time to try and explain this weird turn of events. “I guess Grand mom finally had enough of me. She kind of kicked me out. Big surprise, huh? Anyways, I’m here now, so can you please come get me?” I begged.

  I heard him sigh. “Okay Mia, just calm down. I’m on my way now. Just stay put and I’ll see you very soon. And don’t worry. Everything will be okay.” he reassured me.

  I sat down on the floor and nodded. “Okay. I’m at gate 7B. Please hurry. I’m scared Dad.” I whispered.

  “It’s all right. I’m coming sweetheart. Just stay there and relax.” Michael promised.

  I have to say, hanging up the phone, I was now pretty upset. The whole reality of the situation was finally settling in, and I just didn’t understand it. I eventually made myself move to a rest area near the terminal, and laid down across some of the seats. The crowds were thinning even more as I shoved my backpack up under my head. Using it as a pillow, I looked over at the Christmas tree in the far corner and sighed. I wasn’t tired, but I knew I needed to rest. I held my cell phone close, making sure I’d hear it if it rang. And I prayed for my dad to be there soon.

  I really couldn’t say what had caused all of this at that time. As far as I’d known before, things had been okay with my mother. She wasn’t exactly a great mom, but she did at least try to acknowledge me here and there now. And like I said, sometimes she even tried to defend me. I didn’t know what she’d said to my grandmother to make her kick me out like this, but it bothered me. How could my mother have turned on me like this, and right at Christmas? I knew I wasn’t the ideal daughter, but did I really deserve this?

  It was no secret that I didn’t have much in the way of self esteem. But part of that came from what I was living with. My mother was probably one of the most antisocial creatures God ever created at this point. And my grandmother didn’t help matters. I’d grown up with her telling me how I’d better look like my mom or I’d be so ugly. The truth was, I knew I didn’t look like her at all. I looked like my dad. I had the same blond hair and fair complexion. But also, I had a very strange trait. I had two different colored eyes. One was blue like his, the other was brown. And adding to that odd trait was the fact that I also had to wear glasses. So whenever I looked in the mirror now, I thought I was ugly because of my grandmother’s harsh words. However, I didn’t think my father was ugly at all. I just took it that I’d inherited all the wrong features from my parents. If my father even had a wrong feature, that was. Michael was one of the beautiful people. I’d often wondered how someone like him could’ve fathered someone like me.

  As I laid there though, I became aware of a shadow coming over me. Looking back up, I was a little surprised to see a man standing near me. He looked like he was maybe in his late teens or early twenties, and pretty good looking. But the thing that caught me the most were his eyes. He had stunning blue eyes. He smiled back at me. “I’m sorry, but do you mind if I sit by you? My ride seems to be running late.” He said. His voice seemed lighter then I would’ve imagined, and there was an airy quality to it somehow.

  I felt myself nod. “It’s okay. I’m sorry if I’m taking up too much space.” I apologized.

  “Don’t worry about it. It is pretty late though. Are you here by yourself? You seem awful young for that.” The man said, taking a seat near me, but allowing me room to lay down again.

  For some odd reason, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all with him being there. In fact, there was something pretty comforting about his presence. So I didn’t hesitate on talking to him. “Not really. I’m just waiting for my dad to get here to pick me up. He’s got a long drive though. He didn’t even know I was coming.” I admitted softly.

  I saw the man nod. “I see. It sounds like you’ve had a rough day.” He commented.

  “Kind of. It isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend it. But it never really is. I don’t really like this time of year.” I admitted.

  “Is that so?” the man said.

  “Don’t get me wrong. Christmas is great and all, but I haven’t really had the family to have it with before. My parents separated when I was a baby, and my mom and grandmother aren’t exactly the nicest people.” I explained.

  The man was quiet for a moment. But when he spoke, it surprised me a little. “I wouldn’t exactly say that about your grandmother. I believe she’s just more fearful then anything about what happened before.” He said.

  Could this guy have come from my town? I didn’t remember ever seeing him before, and I definitely didn’t see him on the plane. Maybe he knew my family before. At least, that’s what I could reason. But then again, he hadn’t asked me my name or anything either. Suddenly, this felt a little weird. “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  “I’m sorry. I guess I did confuse you. I just happened to know your grandmother a long time ago. She is Penny Murphy, correct?” the man said.

  “Yeah.” I said. That had to be it. He’d probably known us living down in Florida somehow. Maybe a neighbor I just hadn’t seen or noticed before. It was all I could reason.

  The man nodded, giving me a slight smile. “Don’t worry too much about it. The best place for you is up here now with your father.” He assured me.

  I honestly didn’t remember much after those words. Instead, I found myself somehow asleep. I ended up waking up though to someone gently shaking my shoulder. “Mia. Come on, wake up now darling.” I heard a familiar voice say.

  I opened my eyes and blinked as I came to see my dad kneeling beside me. Those same sky blue eyes that had always been so gentle towards me were now filled with concern. I probably did look like I’d been thru the wringer with this though. “Dad?” I whispered.

  Michael smiled, helping me sit up. “Hey sweetie. Are you okay?” he said gently.

  “I’m fine now. Thanks for coming.” I said, hugging him. I don’t think I’d ever been so glad to see my father in my entire life. I felt safe now. And in a funny way, it felt like I’d really come home.

  “Now, now. Everything’s okay.” Michael said. He helped me up and took my suitcase, which I couldn’t even remember grabbing before. “Let’s go home now.” he said, giving me a gentle smile.

  I felt myself smile back. “Sounds good.” I sighed happily.

  I’ll admit that even though Michael is my father, I’d always found him to be a very striking man. He was very attractive, with those sky blue eyes and that mane of white blond hair that fell into almost curls at his shoulders. Standing at six two, he was lean and dare I say it, graceful. Most people tended to do double takes when they first saw him. And the thing was, he was typically as gentle by nature as he was handsome. I can honestly say that he was an incredible person to me. Practically the blueprint for the perfect human being.

  I tried to shake all those thoughts to the back of my mind though as we talked out to his car. After all, I was sure he’d made the over two hour trip up there worrying the entire way about me. “I’m sorry about this Dad. It’s Christmas Eve, and it’s really late, and I dragged you out here.” I apologized. Really, I kind of did it for lack of a better thing to say as well. Thanking him at that moment just didn’t sit well with me. Apologizing felt much more appropriate.

  “Mia, you know there’s nothing to be sorry over. Besides, I’m feeling a bit guilty myself for not knowing about this.” Michael admitted as he hit the key to unlock the car.

  I had to stare a
s we came up to it. The car he’d unlocked was a sleek Infiniti sedan. I knew that I probably should have expected this, but it still got me every time when he bought a new car. Money was the last of Michael’s worries. It had always been that way.

  Michael’s family, the Renaldis, had always been rather prominent. They tended to be shrewd business people, with keen senses for the stocks and industries. Michael himself was a self made millionaire. He had learned the tricks of the trade for business well. In fact, as I said before, he owned several very successful companies now. But his real start with all of this had actually been from a bit of luck from what I understood. You see, Michael and Raphael had started as investors. They hit the right stocks at the right time, and the returns were more then most people could ever have imagined. And ever since, it seemed like everything they touched turned to gold. I was almost sure that my mother would be kicking herself for leaving if she understood the wealth he now possessed. Perhaps even my grandmother might have been humbled as well. I’d never been able to tell them though because of their reactions to anything about him, which was very unpleasant most of the time.

  “You bought another new car?” I asked as we got in.

  “Well, it’s somewhat new. I got it about three months ago when I just couldn’t find the BMW practical.” Michael said as he started the engine.

  “Really? Did you trade that one in? I thought it was pretty new too.” I said. I had to admit, I felt like this car was probably nicer then that BMW. But then again, I had the feeling it was a bit more expensive too.

  Michael smiled and shrugged. “I gave it to Raphael.”

  I couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment. “Dad, don’t tell me you seriously just gave that car away.” I said.

  “Not exactly. He did take care of a few things for me. And he paid for the little things like new tags and transferring the title.” Michael answered.

  I sat back and looked ahead. Of course he’d see it as no big deal. I had been trying to mentally prepare myself for all of this once again, as I always did right before I came there for the summer every year. Money as no object is a life that most dream of. This was vastly different then the world I’d been living in down in Florida. And, if I was completely honest, the Renaldi family was money, with Michael as their biggest breadwinner.