You got this, you can do this. You already know what your gonna say. you practiced.. mom, dad, i'm not going to college. It cant be that hard right? There just parents.. and plus ..i'm 23 i can do what i want.
She continued to drive to her parents vacation home in Houston, Texas, for the "family reunion". Quotations around family reunion because it wasn't like the big classic reunions, it was just Her, Her parents and Her brother Marcus. Once every two months, they all drive down to the vacation home to spend a weekend together. Her Brother was in Med school, on his way to great things. Her parents were all over the country all of the time, being the best of the best in Surgery, helping save lives everyday. They expected to hear about how life in college was going. But they had a big storm coming because
1. she wasn't in med school
2. She wasn't planning on going anytime soon
She started to pull into the long drive way that seemed more like a road then anything. It was long and filled with twists and turns, the vacation home was very secluded behind a thick forest but the house sat right on top of a hill and backed right up to a beautiful view of the Houston city. As she pulled up to the front gates she heard a deep, scratchy voice come through the intercom.
"How May i help you"
"Hi Rexy, Its sweet pea."
He chuckled and opened the front gates, after three beeps the gold gates opened up swiftly letting her in. Rex was part of the security team here at the vacation home. The security team was made up of three men, Rex, Davis and Lonny. Rex and Sunny had been very close during her high school years, He was sort of like her father while her parents were out doing there jobs. Once upon a long time ago, the vacation home had been the actual home, But the more her parents became known, the more they went away, visited them maybe 3 or 4 days out of the week, but never stayed there. She smiled at the site of the big yellow and white house that had been her childhood. There was a large wrap around porch that went all the way around the house. Out front there was a nice large garden and freshly cut grass thanks to the landscape team ordered by her father. She parked the car behind her brothers and sat for a minute just thinking, Visions ran through her mind of her as a child, running through the grass with the security team and her brother playing a simple game of freeze tag. She shook the vision from her mind as she climbed out of the car, she shut the driver side door and went to the trunk to get her luggage but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see her brother Marcus, she smiled big as they embraced each other in a hug. He rubbed her upper back and hugged a little tighter then intended.
"how you been sis?"
"eh, im hangin in there, how about yourself?"
"im good, Just a heads up, Dads grilling steaks"
He grabbed her pink and black polka dotted suitcase as She sighed and rolled her eyes. Sunny was a vegetarian for the simple reason that she loved animals. Rex had put her on to it. He was a vegetarian himself, and growing up with him made her want to do the same. She hadn't eaten meat in about 9 years and she wasn't changing that now.
"at least its dad cooking, usually its the chefs he pays to do it"
She laughed a little and nodded her head in agreement, She grabbed her laptop case and followed her brother up the path that led to the big house. Once on the big wrap around porch she opened the door and took a big sniff of air. It smelled like home, like home made cookies and a faint smell of lilac. she had an ear to ear grin as she set her bag down on the ground just abandoning it, she hurried through the house and out to the back. She walked out of the large glass french doors and stepped outside feeling a gush of wind. she leaned against the rail and looked over, seeing the city. She looked down into the back yard to see the large in ground pool, trampoline and play set from when they were littler. Lounging by the pool was her mother, a fair skinned woman with thick red hair and long legs, she was sipping on wine and reading some type of book which wasn't a surprise, her father wasn't to far away from her. He was tall, with fair skin and black hair, a few grey ones every now and then. His facial hair was groomed to perfection with not a hair in sight. Her parents were both white, unlike her and her brother, who's skin was the color of rich caramel, Soft, tan skin stuck out in her all white family but she was grateful that her parents adopted her and her brother so that they were placed in the same family. She smiled down at her parents happily.
"Hi mommy, Hi daddy"
they both looked up simultaneously and smiled
"hi honey"
"hey sweetheart, how have you been?"
"im good, how are you old man?"
she beamed down at her father with love. He chuckled as he flipped one of the steaks.
"im doing just fine, go ahead and scrub up for dinner"
"scrub up...?"
"sorry, im used to the surgeon talk. but go wash up for dinner, cause these cows are about done."
He smiled up at her as she smiled back before walking away. On her way up to her old bedroom she grabbed her laptop and suitcase and went up the stairs. Her bedroom was large and a light pink color, There was a flat screen TV plastered to the wall across from her bed and a dresser carved from the finest wood. She set her bags down on the large king sized bed and went into her walk in closet. Nothing had changed. All of her clothes were still there and all of her shoes. everything was in order. she left the closet and the motion censored lights went off. she walked into her bathroom which was atrocious, numerous hair straighteners and blow dryers all over the place, make up and hair care products all around. clearly no one had been in here. she threw away all the brightly colored makeup and put the hair care products under the sink in the cabinet. she walked out of the bathroom and went back to her bed, opening up her suitcase. she pulled out more comfortable clothing since it was just her family. She threw on a pair of grey sweats and a pair of pink uggs. She threw her long black hair back into a sleek ponytail and sighed out in comfort.
she then took out her grey Iphone 6, She checked her twitter, Instagram, snapchat and lastly her SoundCloud. She smiled big as she read a nice comment on one of her beats by some account. It made her happy that not only did people listen to her music but they also liked it. she exited out and locked her phone. she slid it into her pocket as she left the room and made her way back downstairs, As she hit the bottom step she heard a familiar voice say "theirs my girl", she looked up to see Rex, a huge smile was automatically placed onto her face as she ran into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed enjoying his embrace, Rex was like a father to her and she had missed him dearly. She squealed in excitement as she pulled away.
"how have you been sweet pea?"
"I've been great, how have you been Rexy?"
"same old same old, guard dog is keeping up well"
"Hes still alive?!"
Rex tilted his head back and laughed out at her remark.
"well of course hes still alive! Jeez, Old dog aint that Old"
"well let's go see him!"
"after dinner, your father called us in. time to get our grub on."
he put a hand on his hip and offered his arm like a gentlemen. She wrapped her arm around his as they walked to the kitchen together. Her father looked up and smiled at her.
"there you are, i should've guessed you were this old guy"
Rex chuckled lightly.
"comin from you that's a compliment aren't you like 400 years old now?"
"funny. funny."
Sunny smiled happily as the two most important men in her life joked and talked. She released her arm from Rex and walked over sitting next to her mother and giving her a hug. she inhaled during the hug and smiled lightly remembering her mothers scent. man it feels good to be home, She thought to herself.
When she released the hug, in front of her was Lonny and Davis, she gave them greetings and had small talk while her father, brother and Rex brought in the food. There was steaks, potatoes, string beans, Rolls, some type of Alfredo pasta and sweet corn. They all wasted no time by digging in.
By force of habit, Rex made a plate for Sunny, she thanked him and took the plate. First she tried her mothers pasta and as soon as the noodles hit her taste buds she got a rush of euphoria. It reminded her of her childhood. Her mother being Italian could throw down in the kitchen when it came to pasta.
The table was silent other then the trees rustling outside and the clink of silverware against china plates. A breeze came through the opened french doors as she inhaled. She chewed with a small smile on her face. feels good to be home...feels good to be home... She continuously repeated the thought through out her head over and over as she dined on what tasted like the best food in the world.
Being 23 and living by herself, home cooked meals didn't come easy. Her father cut in, eventually ending the silence.
"so Marc, hows college my boy?
Marcus looked up and wiped his mouth with his napkin before swallowing his food, he smiled lightly.
"oh dad, its great. it's an amazing experience. Oh and i got Mr. Heartwell for health science like you were hoping, and your right hes a great professor, very hands on"
"what did i tell ya, im proud of you my boy"
Mr. Dior smiled as he took a bite of his steak, beaming at his son who he was clearly very proud of. He set his fork down and looked over at Sunny as he swallowed.
"and you...how about you my dearest daughter?"
She looked up with slightly widened eyes.
"huh?"
"hows college? lemme guess, your the best of the best, the valedictorian?"
It hurt her to see how happy her father was, because she knew that she would have to break bad news. she swallowed her pasta and cleared her throat. Her father looked at her with bright eyes waiting to here the wonderful news.
"well... dad...mom...im uh...im not in college"
the last part was mumbled so they couldn't really hear.
"im sorry sweetie i didn't hear that, could you speak up a little"
"i said....."
she took a deep breathe as her heart pounded hard against her chest wall.
"i said....i said im not in college"
as soon as she said the news her brother did a spit take, red wine spewed every way making a face of disgust mount onto her face. He got up from the table and ran to the bathroom while the liquid quickly began to stain the table cloth. Her father leaned his head back and laughed out loud at the fact that his daughter just told him she wasn't in college. Her mother reacted the same but the security team stayed quiet and out of it. She looked down and forked at her food, scooting it around her plate. once there laughter died down they looked at her.
"that was funny!.. you clearly get the comedic genius side of you from your mother, but okay! back to what i was saying. hows college?..tell me everything."
"im serious dad.... im not in college...and i don't plan on going anytime soon"
She looked down at her lap as she played with the drawstring of her sweatpants. The room was filled with silence, when she looked up her father was looking at her confused.
"your kidding right....tell me your kidding...please for the love of god tell me, your kidding."
"im serious dad...i never went to college... i work at a bakery called the
Wallstreet Bakery...and im saving up my money so i can buy a music studio."
Her father took his glasses off and put his head in his hands. Her mother sat there with her eyes widened not blinking. Her father spoke through his hands that were still covering his face.
"Sun'jai Rose Dior.....im gonna ask you one more time...your kidding right?"
"....no sir..."
Her voice was faint and small... she felt exposed like the world was sitting on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and held her breathe waiting for her father to start yelling. but he didn't...he lifted his head and took a sip of his wine.
"father i was gonna-"
"i don't wanna hear it...you graduated high school 5 years ago! and your just
informing us? your brother has got 2 more years till he becomes a doctor and
then after he graduates as a doctor hes gonna finish up and become a surgeon just like every one else in the family."
"that's the thing dad...i don't want to be like every one else in the family. look
i'll show you some of my stuff, im really good at it and a lot of people-"
"Sunny, i don't want to hear that junk you call music"
She blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes.
"junk..."
"yes .. junk.. you should be with your brother in college becoming successful
not playing on the computer all day and considering yourself successful, you said it yourself, your working in a bakery till you save up money, if you were a doctor or surgeon you wouldn't have to save up"
"its not junk.. and i am successful ... I'm sorry i didn't tell you i just wanted to wait and be able to show you that-"
"that what?!?!?!?...that your living in the gutters, as an unsuccessful bum"
"no that im actually making good music and that people really listen and they
think that i could be something big-"
"i don't want to hear it!...you'll see..when your brother is big and successful while your a bum"
Her mother cut in, thank god. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Derrick that's enough"
"No it's not, Addison..shes gonna be broke and were-"
She spoke up cutting him off, officially done with this dinner.
"have you ever thought that maybe it isn't always about the money dad...that
maybe im doing this because it makes me happy, and believe it or not most
music producers and musicians make more money then surgeons and doctors."
"it doesn't matter, because your never gonna get there"
She stood up and wiped the tears that were now rolling down her face and walked out.
"your not even gonna eat your steak?!?!"
He called after her, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him, the look of complete disgust on her face.
"you know dad.....maybe if you and mom didn't abandon us as kids, you
would've noticed that im a vegetarian"
With that she walked out of the house.
what a jerk....he doesn't know anything..hes just stupid...and so is she. i don't need them..i don't need this...sun'jai Rose you are gonna be a star someday i tell you...your wonderful..your music is great and you have people out there who love what you do.. The vacation home was secluded by trees and forest which as a kid was like heaven. One summer The landscape team, the security team, Marc and sunny had built a fort...a hide away spot on top of a small hill that looked out to the city. sorta how the "HOLLYWOOD" sign looked over Hollywood. She had been there for about 20 minutes now just crying and telling herself that she was gonna make it big and prove them wrong. The night was quiet consisting of a couple crickets and frogs in the background. the city shined bright against the dark night sky. She heard a rustling of bushes but ignored it, probably just some neighbor out for a walk.
"sunny....."
She looked over her shoulder to see Rex and Guard Dog.
"Guard Dog"
the dog ran over to her and gave her wet sloppy kisses, she hugged him and rubbed his soft fur.
"i missed you buddy"
Rex chuckled and sat down next to sunny.
"i thought you may have enjoyed his presence"
He smiled at the sight of how happy she was to see the dog. He was now lying on his back while she leaned over to give him a belly rub.
"he looks good for his age"
"hes only 9 .. got him on your 14th birthday"
"ooh yeeeaaaaaa...i remember"
she stopped mid sentence and giggled.
"and then we didn't know what to name him so we called him the guard dog
but then we forgot to name him so we kept calling him guard dog"
Rex laughed along.
"it works though, He protects the house just as good if not better then the security team"
She beamed down with love at the dog as he sat as close to her as possible.
"was he groomed recently..his fur is so soft"
"got him groomed yesterday just because i knew you would want to see him"
the talking ended, silence filled the air except the insects and frogs.
"sweet pea...."
"yea..."
"tonight..... that was... that was something else"
She exhaled, then inhaled slowly taking in the night air.
"you didn't deserve that... He went overboard..i can understand that he was upset ..but no need to disrespect you or your music."
She shrugged as she ran her fingers through the dogs fur.
"and i just want you to know that im completely on your side..you are
totally right...money isn't everything... your father is so involved with work and money he doesn't realize that not everyone wants that...I'm sorry that happened to you tonight"
She smiled at Rex and pulled him into a hug. he hugged back and rubbed her upper back as comfort, she pulled away and went back to rubbing Guard Dog.
"Thanks rexy...that means a lot to me"
"i have something for you...."
She looked over at him with a look of question. he reached over and pulled out two pieces of rectangular paper from his pocket.
"theirs a festival tomorrow...down in the city... there will be tons of artists
there performing and lots of good food, drinks and music... i know how much
you love music so..i got you these"
He handed her the two tickets. she looked down at her hand in disbelief then looked up at him.
"Rex...thank you but i can't take these from you..."
She put her hand out for him to take the tickets back but he only pushed her hand away.
"no...go ...i want you to go... please...it would mean the world to me to be able
to see you get dressed up and have fun."
She smiled at him lovingly and hugged him, when she pulled away there was tears in her eyes. He was perfect.. to her anyway.. Rex was everything she had ever wanted in a father and anybody would be lucky to have him in there life. He was a caring, loving man and he was her whole world.
"thank you so much Rexy...this means the world to me"
He smiled at her.
"your welcome sweet pea...now how about we hear some of that music you
you were talking about"
She laughed, wiping her eyes from the tears of love and joy that had fallen from her eyes. she smiled while pulling out her phone to turn on her songs.
who knew such a horrible night could turn to such a great one.....