Family Visit

Chapter 2

John was driving a black cab. He had been immediately accepted and allowed to drive from a cab depot that Lucas runs.

The cab had its own navigation system called 'Rowtz' under the radio. It was showing the location of a current passenger, waiting for the ride in South Planes, and the best route to reach them.

John awoke from a restless sleep this morning. He had a pancake breakfast made by Katy with her, Lucas, and Zelda. Both of whom were dressed and ready for work. Katy on the other hand was wearing her college uniform. All four of them sat there at the dining table, eating with an awkward feeling surrounding them.

They got through the whole meal without sharing a single word. They just stared at each other as though they were players in a school play who forgot their lines.

"So now what?" John said, finally breaking the uneasy ice.

"Now," Lucas said, "we go to work. Come on, I'll take you to the cab depot. It's not far from here."

Lucas and Katy went out of the house with John. Zelda stayed behind to wash the dishes before heading to work.

Lucas drove Katy to her school with John riding shotgun. He took his youngest sister to Capital University, Capital City's biggest school in the city, and also the most expensive. But lucky for everyone it only takes one payment to enroll a student, with a tuition fee of $2,700.

"Bye, guys," Katy said. She opened the door and stepped out.

"Bye," Lucas replied. Katy was already outside and closed the door. John didn't get to say anything to her. He was busy staring at the university's grand building and the impressive amount of students walking around.

They drove away, heading to Lucas' cab depot.

John's eyes were still locked on the Capital University building. "How the hell did you get the money to get her into that school?" he asked, swinging his head to his cousin.

"I've... made some compromises."

John managed to pick up Lucas' implicating tone. "Then you've just asked for a hefty price."

"No one's clean in this world, John."

"Doesn't mean asking to get your ass kicked for getting yourself dirty."

"Well, it's either that or sending her to another school where Katy would get sexually harassed or get bullied to suicide, which is ninety percent here in Capital City."

"So, you'd rather want to get hunted down and assaulted by your loan sharks everywhere you go?"

"I'll just have to learn to live with it."

"Why didn't you just stay in Australia then? You three were already doing fine with your parents."

"Not really. They wanted us to make our own marks in our family. They didn't want themselves to be our crutch our whole lives. Didn't want to be stuck in their shadows."

"Well, why take Katy?"

"Because she wanted to stay with us. Entrepreneurship doesn't interest her at all."

"What does she want to be, then?"

"A tennis player."

John sighed. "You brought me here to be your bodyguard. Is that it? No bullshit, alright?"

John had him figured out. "Yes," Lucas admitted. "But not completely. Your dad is partly the reason why I offered you to come here."

John snickered and said, "That guy doesn't do anything but force me into things I don't like."