He backed away from me willingly, not wanting a repeat of the attic episode. “I’m wearing you down,” he said confidently as he walked over to finish my CD’s.
We were finished in a short two hours. My room looked eerily empty - it felt strange and unfamiliar to me. “I’m scared,” I admitted.
“That’s just because it’s something new, but you’ll be fine. Plus, Karl and Deanna are gonna look out for you until I get there.”
“Five months just seems so long. I don’t even know how we’re going to see each other.”
“I’ll be there. Don’t worry about that.”
We were startled by Mom’s voice beckoning us from downstairs. “Are you two finished yet?” She asked.
“We are now,” I replied.
“Well, why don’t you guys join us down here?”
I glanced over at AJ before responding. “Sure. One sec.”
My father was seated in the living room waiting for us. He smiled warmly when AJ and I walked in and sat side by side on the couch. It was so unbelievable that things had changed this much. It wasn’t long ago that my father was trying to separate me from AJ, and now he was starting to grow fond of him.
“So, AJ when do you make the transfer from Westwood to Charleston?” Daddy asked.
“January, at the beginning of the semester.”
“What field of study are you majoring in?” Daddy inquired. I glanced over at AJ to see if the questions were making him nervous, but he stayed calm and spoke confidently.
“I’m dual majoring in Business and Communication.”
Daddy cocked his head to the side. “That’s a pretty general area of study. You can do a lot with a degree in both of those fields. What career path are you planning to take?”
“Well, my family’s in the construction business. Have you ever heard of Arata Building Company or A.B.C.?” AJ asked.
“Of course. Who hasn’t,” Daddy replied.
“Well, My grandfather Jun came here to the States over fifty years ago and started the company with whatever was left of his life savings after traveling to America. My grandmother, Misaki, helped him build the company from the ground up and for the past two years it’s grossed over a billion dollars in profits. My father’s the Chief Executive Officer for now, but once I finish school and he trains me for a couple years, he’s passing the torch to me so he can retire.”
Daddy stared at AJ for a few seconds and then smiled. “C.E.O. of Arata Building Company,” he said to himself as his smile grew. “Sounds like you have a bright future ahead of you.”
AJ smiled back.
Mom entered carrying a tray with drinks for everyone. She passed them out and sat in one of the arm chairs.
“Oh, Samantha honey. I forgot to tell you that Dr. Harp called to say that he transferred your medical records to the doctor you chose near school. He wanted me to remind you to schedule the last CT scan as soon as possible. He just wants to make sure that everything’s alright.”
“Ok. I’ll call first chance I get.”
As she thought of the accident, Mom closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m glad that after this last appointment this whole thing will be over and done with. I hated seeing you go through that.” From the corner of my eye I saw AJ glance down. “Why didn’t anyone see that this Leila girl had issues and do something about it? Didn’t her parents notice?” She asked.
I started to answer, but surprisingly AJ spoke up. “Her mother passed away a few years ago and she had a really hard time. Her father was in denial that anything was wrong, and plus he was too lost in his own hurt from losing his wife to notice that Leila was having problems.”
“I’m still trying to understand why she did this. It doesn’t make sense that someone would hate someone so much that they’d do a thing like this. Did you date this girl?” Mom asked. I was embarrassed by her forthrightness.
“Mom!” I scoffed.