A Mother's Bond

10

Sarayah July 5,2016
I stared out the window of the ridiculously expensive van. Under normal circumstances I would have been excited to be in it, but today everything felt wrong. I'd said goodbye to the only friends I'd ever known, the only home I remembered, and the possibility of seeing my mama again. I lost my whole world. I just wanted to be left alone so I could mourn in peace, but instead I was trapped in a damn van with Beyoncé sneaking furtive glances at me every few seconds. I don't know what it was about her, but her very presence pissed off my soul. I glanced up and caught her staring again. She quickly looked away, and I rolled my eyes. That was how it had been the whole ride to the private airport, the flight to New York and this long ass ride to their house.

I couldn't believe I would be stuck with this woman for the next two years. I looked down at my meager possessions. I'd barely brought anything. I barely had anything to bring. I clutched the picture scrap in my pocket. It was all I really had now. I couldn't even find Mr. Socks. Silly, I know. I'm 16 years old and can't leave a stuffed animal behind, but he was the only thing I had left from my childhood. I would have liked to have him as a reminder of happier times.

We stopped at a set of gates before a security guard sitting in a little office buzzed us in. We passed through the gates and into a luxurious community. The houses were huge and beautiful. I shook my head. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture, sending it to Vaeh and Kai. Kai immediately responded with foolishness. I smiled sadly down at my phone. I missed home already.

Jay nudged my foot with his, breaking me out of my thoughts. I frowned, moving my foot away from his. He stretched farther, nudging my foot again. I looked up at him, exasperated, and he nodded his head towards his window, smiling knowingly.

"We're here."

I looked out the window and felt my jaw drop. We passed through another set of large iron gates and drove up a long driveway, stopping in front of a white mansion. I could not call that thing a house. It was huge.

Jay got out first and held out his hand to help me get down. I took it without hesitation, too distracted by the beauty of the mansion to remember to be repulsed by him. He grabbed my bag and led me inside.

The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. It was spacious with impossibly high ceilings. There were large windows filling the room with natural sunlight. The walls were white and clean. Clean walls. Crazy. The walls in my apartment were so grimy you couldn't even tell their original color. So, this was new for me. I reached out to touch the wall, then stopped. I didn't want to be the one to ruin it.

The living room had a fireplace. I felt myself getting excited despite myself. I don't know what it was about the idea of an indoor fire, but it always seemed like a rich people thing to me. Never thought I could have one. Now look at me, rolling with people with indoor fires. I took another picture and sent it to Kai, before continuing to explore.

"This is what Annie must have felt like," I whispered to myself, shoving my phone back into my pocket.

The mantle was lined with family pictures. I walked closer. I had always loved pictures. They were like little portals to the past. There were pictures of family vacations, Christmases, birthdays. I paused, taking them all in.

"A lot of pictures of Blue," I mumbled, absently. I walked away, moving around the house.

I examined the paintings hung on the walls. They looked like they came from all around the world. I had never really been outside of Florida. Well, I was in Washington briefly, and I guess I must have lived in New York and, okay. Forget that. I hadn't traveled in the past seven years. My jumbled thoughts were interrupted by Jay clearing his throat. I turned to look at him.