Chapter 1
It is popularly known that everything in life has a purpose, but I am far from believing in that statement. So many things have happened in my life to contradict that statement. The family company went bankrupt, losing my father, and lastly becoming poor.
What purpose could those things possibly have?
I place my hand on my arm, the injury from the dog scratch from days ago still hurting. This week- on - this month, nothing good has been happening. From losing my job to doing badly in my dog walking job then getting turned down from all the other jobs I applied for. I just hope the bad luck doesn't run on today's efforts as I had taken my rèsume to some enterprise downtown.
As I keep walking, I can only wonder what use the Langley name now has. There is nothing that I am gaining from it apart from nostalgia, pain, and more heartbreak.
There was once a time when that name had wealth backing it up but that time is now gone. I can still remember every detail of how our lives transformed. From how we lost our home, yacht, private jet, beach house, and most importantly- company.
It all started when my dad's Pharmaticuelar company was sued for the production of defective drugs. The company was sued by the state, local government, institutions, hospitals, families, and individuals. It needed to pay $ 2 billion for settlement and it did but the company's reputation, amongst other things, had already been affected. This led many investors in the other multi-million projects to back out.
Also, after like half of our fortune had been added to the settlement, the bank that we owed threatened to issue a legal process against us if we didn't pay our loan: one that was taken to credit a project but the project the bank credit backed up couldn't be achieved due to the government than altering production in the company- it was a loss.
My dad begged for more time but he was forced into bankruptcy and the value taken was our properties. I remember seeing my dad in the living room signing the transfer documents with teary eyes.
I still remember how it felt when exited my home. How leaving my lavish lifestyle hurt and then, I thought that it was the worst thing that could happen to me but my father's unexpected death hurt a billion times more.
It not only caused an eternal void in my heart, but it also led me to grow fast as my mother and I had to deal with the numerous lawsuits after his death and settle the remaining fines.
His death made us feel void and my mother began to take drugs and alcohol after his death. My inability to talk enough senses into her led her to become a sot and a drug addict and while she went for her inpatient rehabilitation, I had to become a sibling guardian.
I had to decline my admission to Cambridge giving up on my aspirations and dreams of becoming a doctor.
I didn't want family service to take my siblings. Even without wealth, the last thing I wanted was for my family to be f****d up. I had a sixteen-year-old brother, a four-year-old sister, and a four-year-old brother so I needed to take responsibility while my mother did her two-year inpatient rehabilitation program funded by insurance.
It was hard - very hard to take responsibility. To care for my siblings, scold them, prepare their dishes, and do odd jobs to pay the bills even when Gabriel, my younger brother helped but I couldn't have let them be taken to a different home Or let my mom get herself killed by her addiction.
Luckily, my mom could successfully get detoxed. She came back home being the caring mother she has always been and I felt very happy but those two years made my zeal to go. That 18-year-old girl had now turned twenty and felt different.
I didn't want to study medicine again, all I wanted was to keep doing my job routines and feel happy with my family around but I can't be blamed, everything that happened discouraged me. That girl who wanted to be prosperous and more assiduous than my father vanished replaced by a boring workaholic who began to struggle along with her mom to keep food on their family's table.
My brother was accepted into the University of California College of Law, San Francisco during this period and that inspired me a little so I began my goal-setting again. I knew it would take me bit by bit to fully convince myself and get my goals back but I am getting there.
We managed to pay the tuition fee for my younger brother's college and will all be able to finish our schooling through the plan that I had convinced my mom to follow.
We had a house in Manhattan NY and - being the only property of ours left and when we sold it, we made up to seven hundred thousand dollars.
Instead of using the money to buy a house, or car Or invest in private or commercial real estate, I convinced her to save it for our college.
Real estate isn't reliable but education pays- that was one of my slang and maybe it still is. I just need more time to regain myself completely though I knew I was already turning into a different Cora Langley, one who only had three things in mind - seriousness, family, and making money.
Watching my father die, seeing my mother turn into a different person before, losing all I had, taking responsibility for my home at the age of eighteen, rejecting my college admission, and living around my new neighborhood, were all responsible for this change.
I arrive at my apartment and dash into my house. It's dark in here so I turn on the lights. Everywhere is also silent.
'Everyone must be asleep,' I think then I throw myself to the sofa. If I am not hungry right now, I would have slept right here but my stomach is growling.
I force myself up, walking to my fridge and searching for something to eat since there is no cooked food stored on the top shelf, I settle for cereal.
When I am done eating, I walk towards Andy's room to check up on him. He usually stays with Gabriel but since Gabu is in college, he sleeps alone.
I close his room door back confirming that he's asleep. I don't want him to stay up to play games.
I am about to go to the room I share with Sarah when I suddenly notice low sobering coming from my mom's room. My eyebrows furrow. Did something happen?
I hastily walk towards her room, thankfully, the door is open and the first thing my eyes catch up with is her frame leaning toward her bed. I turn on the light getting a better view of her.
She's mumbling things to herself while crying. I walk close to her and even though I don't want to think wrong of her, my intuition leads me to go close to her and smell her mouth knowing that she only behaves this way after getting unhappy drunk.
I smell it and it just had to be it. She is drunk! My mouth falls open and without even realizing it, tears begin to stream down my face.
