Somewhere, Today

Epilogue

Song for the chapter: Grand Piano by Nicki Minaj

~~~

"Am I just a silly girl?

So young and naive to think you were

the one who came to take claim of this heart."

"You're finally here!" Dad walks down the front steps of his apartment building, which I can tell is an expensive one to live in just from the architecture on the outside. We all pretty much stumble out of the car, our legs like jello from sitting for the last twelve hours. The only movement we were allowed came from the spaced out bathroom breaks, and even then it was only a five minutes break in six hour increments.

"We made it." Dad comes over to us and grabs our bags, carrying them up the stairs and dragging them through the lobby. Thankfully, these bags only had a few changes of clothes in them and so they weren't that heavy.

The three of us take in the decor of the lobby, how the walls seem as though they're dripping in gold and the chandelier makes it seem as if it's raining crystals in here. It definitely is much fancier than where we used to live, and it absolutely screams city over country.

The people in the lobby even look fancy--high-end in a way. The women were dressed in pencil skirt and blouses, while any man to be seen in the building was wearing a very well tailored suit. Kristina, Harry, and I definitely feel inadequately dressed in the crowd, and part of me wishes I had known about the dress code.

"You live a very fancy life Mr. Montgomery." Kristina says once we're all in the oversized elevator. He just smiles at her, not really responding with anything. I am beginning to wonder how dad even manages to afford something like this on a teacher's salary, but then again he is a professor and maybe that just is in itself a high paying job.

The ding sounds through the elevator once we hit the floor we're supposed to be on, dad getting out first and leading us right into his apartment. I take in the space with wide eyes, realizing that dad lives at the top, the elevator coming right to his floor.

There's an amazing view of the city right in the living room, making it feel like the city belongs to all of us. Harry comes to stand beside me, the both of us looking down at a slightly smaller building across from this one.

"You'll both have your own room here, and everything that is mine is also yours." Kristina thanks my dad as we continue to look around, just taking in all of my father's wealthy belongings.

This apartment confuses me, makes me believe that dad had a lot more than I could've ever imagined. As a teen, mom and I didn't have a lot of money to throw around. I paid the bills with my paychecks and mom's disabilities. Now, I'm learning that I could've avoided the stress if dad had just offered to help, if he had just sent even one check.

Dad shows Kristina and I to our rooms, both of them equipped with a shared bathroom that connects the two rooms. The bedrooms are fairly larger, larger than the ones back in our old apartment. Our old apartment that we once loved for its abundance space now seems like a shoebox compared to dad's place.

"I guess I'll let you guys get settled in while I help the movers bring some stuff up." Dad excuses himself and leaves my supposed new bedroom. Harry plops down onto the bed, the mattress seeming soft as it sinks beneath him, but also hugs around his body.

"Is your father selling organs on the black market?" Kristina asks as she lowers herself to the ground, the soft carpet beneath her knees as she practically rolls around in it. I sit in a chair by the bed, the pillow cushioning my back perfectly.