Sequel: Union ›
Family Reunion
The Cousin
Her mother and she got off the plane and started walking down the long off-ramp until they reached the terminal. Rose looked around and she didn't see anyone or anything of any familiarity. But than again, she didn't know what they looked like anyways.
"We have to go to arrivals," her mother said, as she started pulling her daughter by the arm.
"Okay okay, stop pulling me!" Rose growled with attitude. "This ought to be a great memory for 2005," Rose muttered quietly.
They made a left and went through set of doors, only to come down a flight of stairs and another set of doors.
Then, there they all were. Her sister whom was now nineteen and she hadn't seen since she was fifteen years old and her Grandfather who she didn't even recognize at all. Several family members slinked behind like defenseless kittens.
Rose only had eyes for her elder sister. Sarah walked up to her slowly and gave her a hug. "Oh my gosh Rose, you look so much different!" she said in a monotoneous plastic tone.
"Yeah you too, people change over the course of four years," Rose smiled gently, but felt kind of nasty when she had said it.
Her Grandfather then came over to Rose while Sarah went over to her mom. "Hi Rose darling. Wow you were just a little baby when I last saw you."
"Hi Grandad," she smiled, and she gave him a respectful kiss on his age-wrinkled cheek.
"Why are you guys just sulking behind there?" Sarah said to all of the other family members. "Hmm I think they are just shy, what's with our family and social problems?" she laughed.
A few of her aunts came forwards and her one uncle, "It's good to see you dear," they said while hugging her and patting her on the back.
"Yeah great to see you guys too," she said trying to act comfortable even though they were like strangers to her. Well not like...they were strangers. She felt her heart racing right now as her anxiety disorder slightly kicked in in the tension of the airport.
They all had smiles on their faces and Rose was really the only somber one here. As far as she could tell, a quarter of the family were still hiding behind the others.
Sher snuck around Rose's aunts and went to talk with Rose's cousins. Rose couldn't hear what they were saying, but she was still very nervous to have to meet all these new people.
Sarah came back over to Rose. All though they had been best friends when they were kids, Rose felt like Sarah was a stranger now too. She didn't know her, she didn't think she'd be comfortable telling her her darkest secrets.
"Mom we got to get our luggage before they send it back east," Rose said with a subtle nasty tone in her voice.
"Oh yeah right," Sher said.
"Maybe your cousins can help you load it up into my Lexus," Grandad said.
"Yeah those lamoes can do that, come on Rose!" Sarah said, pulling her arm towards the conveyer belt of suitcases much like her mother did.
All six of her cousins got up behind her and she didn't even have time to glance at them. "Okay so what bags are your guys?" Sarah asked Rose.
"I don't know I don't see them yet."
Then somebody tapped on Rose's shoulder she turned around to see one of her cousins that she didn't recognize, "Yes?"
"Ah hi, I'm Holly you need some help?"
Rose looked at her sister whom started to speak to Holly, "Yeah Holly sure, its so nice you offered to help before the guys did!" She turned to look and glare at all her male cousins.
Rose looked at them all now and she noticed one of them was wearing sunglasses and hat with a 5 o'clock shadow and his head tilted downwards. He looked like he was trying to hide from her or something.
"Oh there's my bag," Rose said.
Holly stared at it, it was the same shitty old black suitcase that had turned brown. And the zipper was broken, if half the stuff hadn't fallen out it was a miracle. "Okay," she said and she grabbed it reluctantly.
Another of her cousins came over and he was male. "Hey I'm Allen," he said and he grabbed the bag from Holly. The cousin with the hat and the glasses came over and he spoke his name in a low voice. So low Rose didn't even hear it.
The rest of the family found nothing weird about his behavior. They knew why he was doing it. Before Rose could ask him to repeat himself she saw her mom's suitcase. "Oh there's mom's bag," she pointed.
The man with the glasses grabbed it, he was really tiny but he didn't seem to have any difficulty grabbing the heavy luggage.
Grandad came over to the conveyor belt. "So are we all good and ready to go?"
"Yes," they said, and Grandad then lead them outside into the massive parking lot. They walked up to a silver Lexus and beside it was a black BMW.
Grandad opened up the back of his Lexus, "Okay Billie and Allen just toss them back here, well don't toss it, but you know..."
The man with the hat and the glasses came over with the bag and loaded it up. He looked so mysterious and she still couldn't pinpoint why he was the way he was. He continued and went over to the black BMW and unlocked the driver's door, Rose didn't steal her eyes away for even a moment. "Hmm they're all rich," Rose muttered quietly.
Sarah and her mother Sher came up to Rose as Grandad closed the trunk. The rest of the cousins followed them. "Rose I'd like you to meet your cousins. This is Marcy, David and Anna," she said.
"Hey..." Rose said and nothing else. She turned away and sighed, she still thought this reunion thing was pretty retarded.
Sher shook her head at Rose's behavior, but she said no more about it. She would save that for later when they were alone.
Grandad signaled to all of Rose's cousins, "You three can come with me, and Sher can come with me too in my car."
Rose shook her head and assumed she would be going in Billie's car. "Come on Rose," said Sarah. Holly and Allen got into the car where Billie was already sat waiting. Sarah got in the backseat with her cousins and Rose took the front seat next to Billie.
Rose sat thinking about all her cousins for a moment, they all had to be at least in their 30's.
Then grandad's Lexus started up and pulled out of his parking space. Billie started his BMW and the stereo turned on. It was Green Day but a recording Rose had never heard before. Billie turned it down.
"Billlie Joe, I like that song! Turn it back on!" Sarah protested.
"No! I only have it in here so I can mentally edit it," Billie Joe said with a sly grin on his face.
'Billie Joe? Who's Billie Joe?' Rose contemplated in her mind. She turned her head to look at her cousin and right then and there, in the tinted glass of his car, he took his hat and sunglasses off.
"We have to go to arrivals," her mother said, as she started pulling her daughter by the arm.
"Okay okay, stop pulling me!" Rose growled with attitude. "This ought to be a great memory for 2005," Rose muttered quietly.
They made a left and went through set of doors, only to come down a flight of stairs and another set of doors.
Then, there they all were. Her sister whom was now nineteen and she hadn't seen since she was fifteen years old and her Grandfather who she didn't even recognize at all. Several family members slinked behind like defenseless kittens.
Rose only had eyes for her elder sister. Sarah walked up to her slowly and gave her a hug. "Oh my gosh Rose, you look so much different!" she said in a monotoneous plastic tone.
"Yeah you too, people change over the course of four years," Rose smiled gently, but felt kind of nasty when she had said it.
Her Grandfather then came over to Rose while Sarah went over to her mom. "Hi Rose darling. Wow you were just a little baby when I last saw you."
"Hi Grandad," she smiled, and she gave him a respectful kiss on his age-wrinkled cheek.
"Why are you guys just sulking behind there?" Sarah said to all of the other family members. "Hmm I think they are just shy, what's with our family and social problems?" she laughed.
A few of her aunts came forwards and her one uncle, "It's good to see you dear," they said while hugging her and patting her on the back.
"Yeah great to see you guys too," she said trying to act comfortable even though they were like strangers to her. Well not like...they were strangers. She felt her heart racing right now as her anxiety disorder slightly kicked in in the tension of the airport.
They all had smiles on their faces and Rose was really the only somber one here. As far as she could tell, a quarter of the family were still hiding behind the others.
Sher snuck around Rose's aunts and went to talk with Rose's cousins. Rose couldn't hear what they were saying, but she was still very nervous to have to meet all these new people.
Sarah came back over to Rose. All though they had been best friends when they were kids, Rose felt like Sarah was a stranger now too. She didn't know her, she didn't think she'd be comfortable telling her her darkest secrets.
"Mom we got to get our luggage before they send it back east," Rose said with a subtle nasty tone in her voice.
"Oh yeah right," Sher said.
"Maybe your cousins can help you load it up into my Lexus," Grandad said.
"Yeah those lamoes can do that, come on Rose!" Sarah said, pulling her arm towards the conveyer belt of suitcases much like her mother did.
All six of her cousins got up behind her and she didn't even have time to glance at them. "Okay so what bags are your guys?" Sarah asked Rose.
"I don't know I don't see them yet."
Then somebody tapped on Rose's shoulder she turned around to see one of her cousins that she didn't recognize, "Yes?"
"Ah hi, I'm Holly you need some help?"
Rose looked at her sister whom started to speak to Holly, "Yeah Holly sure, its so nice you offered to help before the guys did!" She turned to look and glare at all her male cousins.
Rose looked at them all now and she noticed one of them was wearing sunglasses and hat with a 5 o'clock shadow and his head tilted downwards. He looked like he was trying to hide from her or something.
"Oh there's my bag," Rose said.
Holly stared at it, it was the same shitty old black suitcase that had turned brown. And the zipper was broken, if half the stuff hadn't fallen out it was a miracle. "Okay," she said and she grabbed it reluctantly.
Another of her cousins came over and he was male. "Hey I'm Allen," he said and he grabbed the bag from Holly. The cousin with the hat and the glasses came over and he spoke his name in a low voice. So low Rose didn't even hear it.
The rest of the family found nothing weird about his behavior. They knew why he was doing it. Before Rose could ask him to repeat himself she saw her mom's suitcase. "Oh there's mom's bag," she pointed.
The man with the glasses grabbed it, he was really tiny but he didn't seem to have any difficulty grabbing the heavy luggage.
Grandad came over to the conveyor belt. "So are we all good and ready to go?"
"Yes," they said, and Grandad then lead them outside into the massive parking lot. They walked up to a silver Lexus and beside it was a black BMW.
Grandad opened up the back of his Lexus, "Okay Billie and Allen just toss them back here, well don't toss it, but you know..."
The man with the hat and the glasses came over with the bag and loaded it up. He looked so mysterious and she still couldn't pinpoint why he was the way he was. He continued and went over to the black BMW and unlocked the driver's door, Rose didn't steal her eyes away for even a moment. "Hmm they're all rich," Rose muttered quietly.
Sarah and her mother Sher came up to Rose as Grandad closed the trunk. The rest of the cousins followed them. "Rose I'd like you to meet your cousins. This is Marcy, David and Anna," she said.
"Hey..." Rose said and nothing else. She turned away and sighed, she still thought this reunion thing was pretty retarded.
Sher shook her head at Rose's behavior, but she said no more about it. She would save that for later when they were alone.
Grandad signaled to all of Rose's cousins, "You three can come with me, and Sher can come with me too in my car."
Rose shook her head and assumed she would be going in Billie's car. "Come on Rose," said Sarah. Holly and Allen got into the car where Billie was already sat waiting. Sarah got in the backseat with her cousins and Rose took the front seat next to Billie.
Rose sat thinking about all her cousins for a moment, they all had to be at least in their 30's.
Then grandad's Lexus started up and pulled out of his parking space. Billie started his BMW and the stereo turned on. It was Green Day but a recording Rose had never heard before. Billie turned it down.
"Billlie Joe, I like that song! Turn it back on!" Sarah protested.
"No! I only have it in here so I can mentally edit it," Billie Joe said with a sly grin on his face.
'Billie Joe? Who's Billie Joe?' Rose contemplated in her mind. She turned her head to look at her cousin and right then and there, in the tinted glass of his car, he took his hat and sunglasses off.