I Belong To Them

"That is so totally awesome for you!"Lily, my best friend of three years, gave me her brightest grin. "I mean, Crystal," she started, with the pretense of a movie director from L.A. "-honey. Chris, can I call you Chris? Yeah, I'll call you Chris. This is a new up-look for you. I mean, it's not everyday a teenage Floridian gets a free ride to New York. Look on the bright side! You'll have a chance to decorate your own room." "Is that all you got?" I asked her dryly. "Yeah, pretty much. You are going to have to deal with all the new stuff. New school, new apartment, new job, new climate-" She looked up at me pointedly. "Do I need to continue?" "No, thank you. I've had a week to do that on my own. " All was quiet; silence dominated the room until Lily broke it. "What do you do now?" Her voice was the softest that I have ever heard from her. "I just sit here and wait," my voice cracked. I felt the tears coming. I blinked quickly a few times so they wouldn't fall. To distract myself from the upcoming departure, I looked around my soon to be ex-room. I've done this umpteen times already. Three stuffed suitcases stood near the door of my small room. The house that we lived in for the pass three years was rented. Thank God for that, because packing furniture would just be another headache for mom and me. I stood by the window, one last time, looking out at the road. Two yellow cabs came into sight and stopped in front of the house. One of the drivers started honking, and I knew that it was time to go. I looked at Lily and said, "Well, that's my ride." I rolled two of the suitcases to my exit, with Lily bringing the last one with her. We got out of the house and walked to the cabs. Mom was already outside, stuffing her luggage in the trunk of the cab, with help from one of the the cab drivers. The other driver dashed around his yellow car and opened the backside of it. He helped me put my suitcases in the trunk, and in return, I offered him a "thank-you." I turned to the best and only true friend that has stuck with me through everything the last three years have brought. "So this is it, huh?" I said, trying not to break down in tears. "I guess it is," she replied as a tear slid down her cheek. I opened my arms widely and gave her a hug. "Crystal, it's time to go. The plane leaves at 10:10 A.M., and it's already 9:00 A.M. Bye, Lily. Stay in touch." Mom said all of this as she got into her cab. I opened the door of the car next to me and lowered myself in. I sent a final wave to my friend and closed the cab's door. The tears fell in waves and waves of fresh sorrow. The cab started and gained speed as it went. I watched as Lily became smaller, and smaller. I watched up until the point that I could't see her anymore. "Goodbye, dear friend," I whispered to myself. We safely arrived at the airport and just barely got through security in time for takeoff. I sat and did not a single thing during the entire flight, while my mom dozed. I let my mind wander, and I ended up thinking about the situation that I was in. It was very simple, and I treated it as such. Most teens wouldn't want to be moved from one state, to a completely different other. Most teens would put up a fight, or say that they are not going, even though they had to. The situation is a very practical one. It happens all the time. A company relocates the worker, and the kid has to go with the worker, because said worker is their parent. Very, very simple. If It had happened three weeks from now, i could have refused to come. I probably wouldn't have anyway. I'm not into the whole "I'm grown, and I can take care of myself" junk. I had a job as a cashier, but I'm storing the money I make. I refuse to waste money on things that I get free from my mom. Plus, I'm not even finished with high school yet. I still have my senior year remaining; school starts in less than a week. Mom got a transfer from the little branch, in Florida, to the main head in New York. She moved up in her company, so I guess she has to move up in the country too. I'm the type of person that keeps to myself. Or I like to tell myself that. (The more you say it, the more you believe it, right? ) That is all I know, since that is all the information my mom offered, and I didn't ask for more. * * * I don't know a lot of things about New York, but one thing I do know is that it's crowded. The plane landed about half an hour ago, and I stuck close to my mom while we were getting our luggage, trying to work them through the sea of people at the international airport. I managed to roll/drag all of my three suitcases, while my mom was struggling with her own baggage. I don't even know how I did it, but somehow, I got all three out and on the sidewalk. I know for sure I did some kicking. Mom hailed two cabs. She told them the location we were headed at during the "force the suitcase in the trunk" shenanigan. I hopped on, and the driver rode onto the flow of traffic, which was painfully slow. After a few miles...? Many miles? I wouldn't know, since I nodded off a few times. I noticed that there was barely ant traffic, and the buildings were getting shorter. After another few miles and some turns, the cab pulled up in front of a large white gate. On each side of the gate, stood men with black clothing, with the word "SECURITY" written in bold white on the colorless shirt. One of the two men stalked to the cab my mom was in, which was in front of this one. I watched as mom rolled down her window, and dialect passed in between the two. The security guard signaled to the other, who in turn, pulled a tiny remote control from his pocket and aimed it at the gate. It opened in two, and the cabs drove on. A few minutes passed, then we pulled up to another gate, this one being black. This time around, mom exited the cab, walked to the gate, and tapped away at the pin-code thingy. What's the huff about security in this place? Geez Louise. I haven't seen any sight of life for about a mile, or however far were from the the first gate. Now, I don't know a lot about New York, but from what I've read, It's supposed to be crowded. Like, an endless over-flow of people. It seemed strange to me that apart from the two security guards, I haven't seen not one person. Mom swiftly entered the taxi cab, and we proceeded forward. My jaw slacked, and my eyebrows rose to my hairline as I looked at the greenery around me. There were trees and neatly trimmed bushes , but not a building in sight. I was starting to wonder if mom and I got on the right plane, or if I slept so much that I did not notice we crossed the border into Philadelphia. I kept pondering on that thought, for a moment or so, until I saw houses or apartments. I didn't know which. Honestly, I hated brown. This color is a really light brown, adjoining beige on some extra details. They were at least three stories tall. I should just call them apartments. There were two set of stairs that crisscrossed between every two houses, connecting them. The reason I would think of them as houses is because the area between each set of two apartments/houses/buildings/whatever they are, is about the size of a football stadium. If I was counting correctly, there were about eight sets in total, four on each side of the road. The cab driver steered forward, and halted at what looked to be a drop-off area, the ones which are actually U-turns onto the main road. My eyes bulged as they made contact with the monstrous, brown and beige building. In it other word, the thing was huge - definitely more than three stories high. Considering the width, I would say it resembled more toward a mansion than a building. Maybe a condo? Yet mansions aren't supposed to be that tall, are they? Not that I've ever physically seen one, I thought, rolling my eyes. I watched as mom stiffly pulled herself out of the car and began to unload her things from the cab's trunk. Moving to do the same, I yawned and rubbed my sore rear end. Once I collected all of my stuff and shut the trunk, the cab driver sped away. I was leaning on one of my suitcases when my mom said, "Come on, honey, we have to get settled in." Warily eyeing the monstrosity in front of me, I hoped that it had an elevator, or that where I'm located is on the lower floor. With a sigh of resignation, I took hold of two suitcase handles, one in each hand.I looked back at the one which remained and contemplated that I would come back for it. I didn't feel like wrestling with heavy luggage. Once I looked forward, I noticed my mother was already going through the entrance. I quickly hustled after her, but all was done in vain. As soon as I set foot inside, I saw an elevator not to far away, doors sliding closed, and mom shouting, "Meet me on the fourth floor, sweetheart." "Guess you're on your own, Crystal," I breathed out a sigh. I'm not eve acquainted with the route, and what does she do? She leaves me to fend for my own. I wonder what is so important, and what's got her so rushed that she can't wait for her own daughter. I walked up next to the elevator, propped my suitcases against the wall, and waited for the elevator to come back down. I looked around the lavishly decorated lobby, which was completely void of people, even at the huge mahogany desk that was a little bit beyond the tinted glass doors. The elevator behind me finally dinged, notifying me that it was present. I pressed the button, and waited for the elevator doors to slide open. As they did, I rolled my suitcases into it, pressed the button with the "four" placed on it, and waited for the elevator to close and take me to my destination. The elevator stopped and I stepped out, hauling my things along with me. I paused when I noticed there were three different doors, two on the right side of the hall, and only one on the other. I walked forward, and halted my procession at the arrival of the first door, of the two on the right. I peered at the the gold letters, written closely together, in the most attractive calligraphy. They spelled out "Mr.Sutton." I proceeded onto to the closest door, which was the one on the left. " Miss Calleman" was spelled out in lavender and cursive writing, upon a white door. I raised my right hand to give the door a firm knock, but once my knuckles connected with the door, it slid about a feet open. I heard my mom's laughter, and trained my eyes to where the sound was coming from. "Knocking on an open door, you silly goose," she chuckled at me. My jaw slacked open as I took in the lavish decoration of the living room and kitchen. It was so pretty. The walls were painted the most gorgeous shade of light blue, all the furniture was black, with white decors upon them and a large white sofa. My eyes slid to the kitchen once more, and I could feel myself involuntarily quiver with laughter. There stood my mom, with two ham sandwiches on a plate, which was placed on the island. She abandoned me, and left me on my own, for food! This woman is something else. I lugged the things I packed along, looking expectantly at my mother. "Oh, your bedroom is down the hall to the left," she announced with a bright smile on her face. I followed her directions, noticing all the beautiful decoration along the way, and came to a halt in front of a closed white door. My suitcases became harder to pull, and I felt my eyes start to droop a little. The weight of traveling was finally crashing down on me. I opened the door and stepped in. My eyes became as large as saucers, glancing around the room in amazement. There was a queen size bed between two large windows. The linen, duvet, and pillow cases were all the same pale, yet shiny and beautiful white. There were two medium-sized drawers, one on each side of the bed. Their height reached just under the clear glass windows. I also took in a desk, drawers, and a white swivel chair. I did.'t even know they made white swivel chairs! I noticed my reflection in the ceiling to floor, mirror, encased in a white wooden frame. Yikes! With jeans a a t-shirt, I can confidently say that I am not looking my best. My curly black hair looks frizzy. I peered up at the ceiling, when a hint of glinting caught my eye in the mirror. I felt a gasp catch in my throat. It was a sparkling popcorn ceiling, but what caught my surprise and admiration was the heart that was curved into it. Wow, the person who designed all of the went all out. Cutos to whoever that was. There was a door across from the mirror, and my curiosity and piqued interest got the best of me. I opened the door to reveal a luxurious bathroom. The walk in shower was beckoning me, calling and tempting me in every way. A shower and nap sounds like a God sent blessing. The bathroom was a step-down-into with clear glass surrounding it. Every thing was white. Is that the theme here, or something? There were toothbrushes in the holder. This person, or people, went all out. I glanced at the window and cupboard and raised an eyebrow. Just maybe... I opened and cupboard, and smiled as I saw that my inkling was accurate. There was lotion, deodorant, conditioner, shampoo, razors, and a note taped to the back of the cupboard. Just to get you started dear - Mrs.Sutton P.S. There are three different type of tampons and pads. I don't know which you prefer, your mother didn't feed me that information. She drew a little smiley face at the bottom if the note. Awww, what a sweet lady. Mrs.Sutton? She must be the wife of the Mr.Sutton, whose name I saw on a door earlier. My eyes started to slant down on their own. The rest of my day should be spent in bed.I descended to go collect my remaining suitcase, took a quick shower, donned on sweatpants and a t-shirt, then tucked myself in on the comfy bed. My heavy eyelids flew open as I heard knocking on my door. I sat up in bed, slightly disoriented, as my mother walked in. "Hey, honey," she chirped, looking very pleased with herself. "Fine," I replied. I mean, I felt okay, but someone waking me up from my nap is not driving me toward utter happiness. "Great! My boss invited us to dinner at her place. Six o'clock was the designated time, but I don't think she'll mind us being a little tardy. She sounded so excited to see you, and I would let you sleep, sweetheart, but I already accept the invitation." Mom literally beamed at me. She looked really happy. See the key word in this whole situation is "I," not "we," not "you and I," but "I." I knew nothing of this. She did and didn't say a word to me about it until - I glanced at the clock - twenty-five minutes before six. " You got a few minutes to get ready princess, now up, up, up!" She smiled at me and sauntered out the door. Maybe there was something funny in her coffee this morning? I sighed in resignation, and dragged my unwilling limbs out of bed. I quickly arranged the duvet as it was and headed in the direction of the bathroom to take a shower. After my quickly cleansing myself, I pulled my hair into a not-so-neat bun. Selecting on a brown skirt, that barely grazed my knees, a plain white shirt, and a beige pair of dress sandals, I dressed swiftly. I glanced at the clock and couldn't help the smirk the came upon my face. I readied myself in less than ten minutes. I saw my suitcases where I left them, and a frown took the place of my boastful smirk. My contacts are in them, somewhere. Thankfully, I was smart enough to wear my glasses the entire way. I get a migraine sometimes with the contacts, so I always have my glasses on hand. Unfortunately the pair I had on wasn't the modern one my mom had bought for me a year ago. No, the one that I had on me was the thick rimmed glasses, that made my eyes look twice their original size. I put them on, none the less, and slip a small paperback into the folds of my skirt. "Crystal, time to go," my mom's voice echoed down the hall. "Coming" I yelled. Meeting with her up front, my mom opened the door, and we stepped out into the hallway. Mom led the way, and I kept after her, barely leaving a few inches of space in between us. I remember what took place a few hours ago, and I wasn't about to let her leave me behind again. We entered into the elevator, and my mom pressed the clear button, with "five" written in black on it. I gave my mom a skeptical look and said, "You're boss lives one floor up?" "Well, yeah," she started," seriously hon, didn't you notice how quickly and efficiently we got here. There is no way I could have done all of this on my own, especially without coming here first. Roxanne took care of all of it. The travel and boarding was all her; I had no part in it what so ever. When we were younger, Roxanne and I stuck together like glue. Life took us on different paths, but we always made time or each other. She's the closest thing I have to home," my mom whispered the final word. The doors of the elevator drew open and we stepped out ... into a foyer? That's odd. We walked the distance of the short hallway, and came before a door. Mom raised her hand to knock, but the door flew open, ans she lost her balance. On the other side of the threshold, a very tall and beautiful woman caught my mom before she could fall. Mom stood up properly, and they hugged for a good moment, until I saw a single tear drop out of the woman's eyes. "I'm so glad that you're back, Diamond. Oh, how I missed you!" The lady exclaimed. She looked at me with joy in her shining blue eyes. "And you finally, finally, finally brought Crystal. Now I can live in peace, without having to ask the question, 'Where is she, Mom?'" She gave me a bright smile, and feeling her happiness, I couldn't help but return one of my own. "Come in, darling, come in!" She gestured me forward, into her welcoming house." __ I followed my mom and her friend into the lavishly designed and decorated place. I kept my eyes glued to the white tiles, as we got deeper into the apartment - if It can be called that. I feel like I have been walking for a few minutes now. Finally, after a few more steps, the dining room came into sight. "Come help me get the food, Diamond. Crystal, grab a seat dear. We'll be right back, okay?" The lady gazed at me with warmth, and I took the chance to get a good look at her. Her skin color was a little on the light side, but she wasn't porcelain white. Her eyes shone with the color of the sky on a good day. She was tall, maybe 5'11" give or take an inch or two. Her complexion and body figure would make any model want to claw their eyes out. She and mom went through the doorway, and I was left alone, trying to decide whether I should go offer my help or sit down. I've slept for a few hours, and rode the elevator. A little exercise wouldn't hurt. I followed the their previous steps, but soon stopped when I heard my name whispered. "So does Chrystal know anything? Did you tell her?" "You know, Roxanne, I've been really thinking about it, but I decided I'm just going to let the guys tell her. My reason being that, I don't want to get her worked up for nothing. If the boys knows it's her, then they can break the news to her. If it isn't her, then no hard feelings since she won't even know. I don't want my own daughter looking at me like I'm crazy. "My mom's voice spun out. She sounded defeated. "You know she's the one." The woman, I mean, Roxanne said. She must be sure in herself because her voice rang with authority. A few moments passes before my mom replied, "I know." I quietly move to go sit down, as they previously asked me to do. Questions were flashing in my mind. They were obviously talking about me. They said my name, of course it's about me. I racked my mind, trying to piece together what they were talking about. Both of them mentioned boys. Maybe I would be a babysitter for the boys. They were probably Roxanne's kids. My mother did say I didn't have to worry about looking for a job because it was already taken care of. That's probably why she said: If the boys knows it's her, then they can break the news to her. This was probably to see how I'll do with the boys. They want me to have an interview without knowing it. I smiled to myself. Looks like I'm a step ahead in the game, a game I didn't even know I was playing. Roxanne and mom exited the kitchen, and one put a casserole on the table, while another put a chocolate cake there. They smelled delicious. "I kept it light and simple, since all the heavy eaters aren't here tonight." Roxanne stated, probably referring back to her family. The table had a set of eight chairs, but Roxanne, mom, and I kept close. Mom and Roxanne both took a healthy serving, and I took almost as much as they did. My mother always ate twice the portion of what a lady her size ever dared to eat at a Christmas dinner. From what I'm seeing, Roxanne does the same. I looked around and assessed the situation. My mother sat right by Roxanne, and I took advantage of that to examine the two. My mother was a bit shorter than Roxanne. She stood an inch shorter than me at 5'5." Mom's curves were more prominent, more voluptuous. Unlike me, who has a stubborn Buddha belly, my mom has a flat abdomen. I will forever curse my father , because I must have gotten it from him. Okay, I probably didn't didn't get it from him, but I need someone to blame for it. It's either myself or him, because I obviously could not pin point my mom with that one. I nibble on the food, and Roxanne beams at me. "I'm so glad you're here. Your presence brings me great joy and relief." She chuckled, then added on, "one more day, and, I swear, they would have come after you themselves." "They?" I questioned shyly since I really didn't know what my limits were here. "Oh, I'm sorry! Where are my manners? I speak of two of my sons, Damien and Drake. I could barely keep them away. The only reason they are not here, at this very moment, is because I convinced them that you have had a long day of traveling and will feel very tired. I persuaded the two into believing that you needed time to adjust, or else you will feel overwhelmed. I got you a week, daring. Use it wisely. Your time runs out Saturday, because that's the first day you will clock in at work" She winked at me, and I couldn't help but notice the slight mischief I see in her eyes. I smiled at Roxanne. " Wow, they are eager to meet me?" I inquired, not really looking for an answer. I imagined how the two little tykes would look like. The picture of two short bundles of joy, that has Roxanne's features came to mind. I smiled as I let what she just told me set in. She said I'd start on Saturday! So, I was right. Babysitting it is, I smiled my own little secret smile. "Well, of course," Roxanne smiled, answering my question from before, "you are most definitely the only things on their minds since Diamond last came to visit, about a few months ago. One whiff of her, and two practically lost their minds that time. Usually-" "Um, Roxanne, I think you have said enough. You don't want to scare her away on the first day, do you?" Mom sent a nervous glance toward Roxanne. As per usual, Roxanne shined her award-winning smile and replied, "We wouldn't want that, now would me."