Inheritance

Recap: “I still have the blanket” I said as I finished the story.

“That’s amazing” said a wide eyed James
“Thanks” I said with a smile “Enough about me though, tell me a bit about yourself”
“Well, there’s not much to tell” He replied modestly

It turns out that after a bit of coaxing I was able to get him to tell me more. I learned that he had known his birth parents but he didn’t cherish the memories. He says the Sotos saved him at the age of 8. He talks about the Soto’ with so much respect, he believes they are his only true parents and it doesn’t matter that it’s not biological. He absolutely loves boxing, simply can’t live without it. It’s his sanctuary, where he knew all the rules and exactly what to do in order to get the right reaction from his opponent. He talks about boxing as if it were a dance, each dancer responding to every minute movement of the other. I also learned a bit about how life on the island was. He said that it was the most beautiful and breathtaking place on earth. He goes hiking whenever he can to see the stunning unspoiled life. He goes surfing on Waikiki on a regular basis. He tells me about the incredible Hawaiian rainbows and how I’ll absolutely adore Oahu because nobody couldn’t. I believe every word coming out of his mouth to be not much of an exaggeration because when he starts talking about the ocean, or the sunset, or even the banyan trees he gets this glassy eyed look as if he’s not quite here anymore. Instead he’s off in the home he loves enjoying its unique wonders.

I managed to keep him talking until we boarded the plane. We were flying first class of course. I could get used to this new idea of not worrying about money. After we boarded conversation broke down between us into a comfortable silence. I plugged in my music and lost myself in the beat.

“Whhaatt?” I groaned groggily. I felt as if I was on a boat rocking gently.
I squirmed a bit only to find two muscular bands securely holding me in place.
I opened my eyes into a chest covered in a wrinkled red shirt. Wait, James wore a red shirt. I looked up into his eyes.

“Why are you carrying me?” I asked in a craggy voice, I was always at my worst when I woke up.
“Well” He said nervously. “I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up on the plane. You just looked so peaceful. As an alternative I decided to just carry you. Oh, maybe I should put you down now.” He said blushing.
“Yes, maybe, but thanks for caring” I said.
He set me down on my feet and we walked out to a stretch limo. I noticed a man in a driver’s suit following us with my bags. I climbed into the black of the stretch limo. The inside was luxurious.

“Is this always how you travel?” I asked looking into a cupboard only to find wine and caviar.
“Not usually, Dad pulled out all the stops to try to make you feel welcome. Unfortunately he doesn’t understand that a lot of extravagance can make a person feel intimidated. He’s taking us out to a great restaurant too, for your welcoming party”
“Well, that’s comforting because right now I’m afraid to touch anything. It’s all so fragile”
He laughed at the expression on my face “Don’t worry, dad won’t care if you break anything”
I smiled at his laugh. It was so light and melodic.

The ride to the house I spent with my head out the window worse than a dog. Hawaii is so gorgeous it’s indescribable. Colors seem brighter and the air carries the wonderful scent of ocean mixed with the fragrance of flowers. I couldn’t get enough of it. Soon we entered a gated community. Each house seemed bigger than the one before if that is even possible. Soon we came to the end of the road. There was a dock at the end that had some yachts attached to it floating in the aquamarine water. I was staring at an enormously extravagant and overdone golden colored house on the left side of the road. It was nice but I hoped it wasn’t the Soto residence. It was just so conspicuous.

“Ankita, the house is on this side.” said James to my relief.
I turned to see…