Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“Thank you so much.” I hear Justin say. “Just put everything over there.”
I walk over and see two men bringing in bags and then more bags and then more bags. “What’s going on?”
“It’s not pizza,” Dylan says from the fridge, eating another cheese stick.
“There are about fifty bags,” one of them jokes with Justin.
“Fifty in this trip. There are still a couple more downstairs,” the other one says.
“Take your time,” Justin says to the two men, and I sit on the stool watching.
“Justin, you bought so much stuff,” Dylan says, coming to sit on the stool next to me. “Is it your birthday?” he asks, and my head swings to Justin, and my heart sinks. What if today was his birthday, and I didn’t know?
“Not my birthday.” He smiles, and the men come in again.
“This is all of it,” he says and smiles at us and then walks out.
“What is it?” Dylan asks, and then Justin looks down at the floor and then looks up again. I can tell he’s nervous, and I have no idea why.
“So I know that you haven’t been able to get your stuff from your place. And I know how cool your old stuff was,” he says, and I have a sinking feeling I know where this is going. “And well, since I forgot to take you to pick up any things.” He looks at me, his eyes pleading with me. “I called my sister, who is a professional shopper.”
“You bought us new things?” Dylan asks, getting up and checking in the bags.
“Just a couple of things,” he says, looking at Dylan and putting his hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “It’s just to hold you over until I can take you back to your house to get your things.”
“Cool,” he says, and then Justin looks at me.
“I got you a couple of things also,” he says, and I look from him to the bags and then back to him again.
“A couple?” I look at the bags.
“I mean, I told her to get you a couple of things.” He smiles. “This”—he points at everything—“is the exaggeration that is my family.”
“Oh, cool, look,” Dylan says and takes out a pair of new shoes.
“You can return some of it,” I say. “Or most of it.”
“What?” Dylan shrieks. “Why? Look at all these new clothes.”
He starts taking stuff out of the bags—shorts, shirts, bathing suit. “Can we go to the pool?”
“Yeah, after we eat, we can hit it up,” Justin says and walks over to me. “Please don’t be mad,” he says softly, and I look up at him. “I swear I told her to only get you a couple of things.”
“I’m even afraid to look in the bags,” I say the truth. “I don’t need all that.”
“I know,” he says and pushing my hair away from my face, his hands coming up to cup my face, and his thumb moves up and down. “You can keep whatever you want, and then if you want, you can donate the rest.”
“Donate?” I ask, shocked. “How about you return it?”
He scrunches his nose. “No,” he says. “Final sale.” He winks at me.
“Mom, open this one. It’s for you. It’s bras,” Dylan says, coming over with the light pink bag. “And underwear.”
He hands me the bag, and it’s a tad heavy for a bra, and I look in and see the pink tissue paper on the top, and inside, I spot maybe ten bras. “This whole bag is full.”
“I can help you decide which one to wear.” He winks at me. “Here, let me put this in my room.” He grabs the bag and walks away.
“You got a bathing suit, too,” Dylan says, coming to me and putting the thing in my hand.
“Dylan, don’t open all the bags,” I say, but he’s already elbow deep into another one when the doorbell rings. Getting up, I walk to it and open it, spotting a woman standing there. She is dressed in jeans and a top and stilettos. Her blond hair is fixed perfectly, and her makeup is a tad too dark for morning. Let’s not even discuss the heavy lip gloss. I can probably see myself in the reflection.
“Oh, hi,” she says, “you must be the maid.” She smiles. “Is Justin home?”
“Um …” I start to talk, but Justin is behind me.
“Not the maid, Gloria,” he says, almost hissing. “What can I do for you?”
“We are just letting you know that we are going away, and that our daughter might be coming by.” She now ignores me. “She was hoping you could show her around.”
“Yeah,” Justin says, “not likely.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “You should let security know that you’re leaving,” he says. The elevator pings, and the same security guy from before is coming up with the food. “Just in time. Gloria is leaving, and she needs someone to show her daughter around.” He reaches out and grabs the food. “Have a great night,” he says and closes the door in Gloria’s shocked face.