Reverie Of Redemption

I took a deep breath as I stepped out into the airport parking lot, finally! that fresh Australian breeze, never thought I’d breathe it again. It is a general knowledge that things happen for a reason but how did we come about that knowledge?, what makes us so sure? I mean according to Newton, one of the smartest humans to exist yet, Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. But how is it that people tend to get away with their actions without getting a reaction? Isn't that when karma comes in? Life’s not always fair… At this point I will start carrying out my karma starting with the cab driver that flaked on me leaving me to stand under the scorching sun, this isn't how my much awaited comeback is meant to be going. First the airport lost my luggage, now my cab driver left me standing under the hot Australian sun for 45 minutes. And if you've ever been to Australia, you know that the term hot is an understatement, it’s like we are beside the sun or something. I contemplated calling Sam but no one knows I am back yet it is supposed to be a surprise. I haven't been home in 8 years so I was going to pop up and surprise my family, nice right? Wrong. In less than an hour my homeland has been nothing but cruel to me, happy to be back I guess. The sun wasn't going down any time soon so I might as well get a move on, if I wanted to get home. With my only surviving bag slung over my shoulder, I started down the airport parking lot, this is going to be a long walk. I paused by an abandoned Subaru to check out my appearance in the window, I looked like s**t. Pulling my air pods out, I selected the perfect running playlist. I was not going to run obviously, I mean come on it's not that serious. After thirty long minutes brisk walking, cars honking and sweat pouring down my face, I arrived at my destination Little Bourke street. Kids made fun of me in middle school because of where I lived, apparently little bourke was so funny to fifth graders. I grinned as I turned into our street, home sweet home! I stopped in front of the house and noticed that there weren't any cars parked and that was very odd. Where was everybody and why was everywhere quiet. ‘If you're looking for the family they moved a long time ago, no one has lived there for sometime’ I turned towards the shrill voice and saw a frail old woman slowly driving past in her wheelchair, she certainly looked like she was having the time of her life with her wheels. ‘No that can’t be right, they're my family, we've lived here since I was a baby. There’s no way they’ll move because that’s our home, that’s the Hollis mansion as my mum would always say’ I replied in disbelief, this woman has probably gone senile because there is no way she’s right ‘your home? I cannot remember the Hollis family having a daughter maybe…’, ‘I thought she died?’ another voice said from across the road. ‘you’ gasp ‘really need to…’ gasp ‘slow…’ gasp ‘down Dotty, or you would get lost again’ it was a much younger lady gasping for air like she had run after Dotty. Exactly how fast can this woman in a wheelchair be? ‘That can’t be right, because I am very much alive.’ I was getting agitated. What do these women mean? ‘Oh so sorry then, maybe that is a different family, but the family that lived over in that house moved out a long while ago but they haven't sold the house yet even after getting so many great offers, I wonder why?’ I zoned out as the lady rambled on and on, what is she talking about? Was she right? Why was nobody home? What the heck is going on?!! Fuck surprise I’m going to call Sam, there better be a great explanation for this. Why didn’t anybody tell me? Was I not part of the family any more? ‘Oh would you shut your mouth for a minute Agnes, don’t you see the girl is almost in tears?’Dotty hushed as she turned her wheels to me ‘what did you say your name was honey?’ ‘Aurora, Aurora Hollis. I am..’ ‘bless your soul!’ she exclaimed cutting me short, ‘you’re the doctor girl, the Hollis girl that went to the states to study, welcome back’ I was genuinely confused as to how this woman knew me, this was the first time I ever laid my eyes on her and my family was not that famous. ‘Thank you, if you’d excuse me I have to make a call and find out where I’m headed to next’ I dipped my hand into my carry-on and brought out my phone, Dotty’s beady wrinkled eyes were still hyper focused on me. ‘Do you want to come in? Agnes makes the best cocoa and you look like you really need a drink’ ‘Don’t bother, I wouldn’t want to stress you…’ ‘Nonsense child! You look like you might collapse soon, and that is the only thing Agnes does very well anyway’ she grabbed me with her hands intent on not letting me go. Sam picked after two rings, ‘what the actual hell Sammy? Why am I hearing that you guys moved?’ ‘s**t s**t s**t’ Sam panted over the phone. I heard some rustling and shushing before he replied to me. ‘Ro? Is that you?’, ‘Of course it’s me you dip s**t, where the f**k are you guys? I am standing in front of our house at little bourke but nobody’s here and some stranger is telling me that you moved!!’…..there was silence then more swearing ‘Ro, are you in Melbourne right now?’ ‘Yes Sherlock, I didn’t tell anyone I was coming because I wanted to surprise you guys. But guess I’m the one getting surprised, what the hell is going on Sammy?’ ‘Hold on Ro, I’m coming to get you right now… I’ll just..’ ‘more standing in the sun?!!, I don’t think so’, I paused and turned to Dotty, ‘I think I’ll take you up on your offer, I really need that hot cocoa’. She clapped her hands in excitement, ‘wonderful!, you heard the lady Agnes, lead the way’ I turned back to my phone, ‘I’ll text you my live location, come pick me up from there’. ‘Al-right Ro, I’m on my..’ ‘bye Sammy’. I hung up and turned to Agnes. ‘well then, lead the way’ At exactly an hour mark, Sammy showed up. I screamed and jumped on my brother, I really did not have an ounce of strength left in me but hey!, I haven’t seen the dude in a few years. Ladies and gentlemen, my brother Samuel, Sammy Hollis, the most sought after architect in all of Australia. Do you see any fine buildings or structures? Yeah that is Sammy. ‘I’ve missed you’ I said but my voice was muffled with my head buried in his neck, ‘I’ve missed you too squirt’ he laughed. I pinched his neck hard ‘I think I have outgrown that nickname’ He dropped me still laughing deeply, ‘you do look good but you’ll always be my little squirt’ grabbing my neck and ruffling my hair, he led me to his car. I was already feeling so dirty, hungry and exhausted. Engaging him was the last thing on my mind, I threw my bag at him and slid into the passenger's seat. ‘Where’s the rest of your luggage Ro?’ he asked, looking around like some butler was about to pop up bearing my bags. ‘It’s a long story, let’s just go home. I need a shower and some food’. ‘So..’ Sammy started ‘it’s so exciting to see you after many years. You’re evidently no longer just my baby sister. Sorry about your failed return, a lot has happened since you left’. ‘I really want to find out what exactly happened but I can’t function until I get some food into me’ ‘Speak no more, the Burger king around the corner is still standing. What do you say? He asked as he reversed out of Dotty’s house. Waving goodbye to the ladies I replied ‘Heck yeah’ ……… We got enough food into my body then hit the road, I took a deep breath and turned to Sammy. So lay it on me, what is going on or rather what went on? What has changed? Who has changed lay it all on me, I need to be prepared for whatever I’m going to see. I mean what exactly can you tell me that’s so bad? You guys already moved out of our home without informing me, so really what else? Sammy sighed heavily as he switched lanes, ‘I’ll start off with the less serious ones then….?’ he said, sounding so grim. ‘as you have already found out, we moved but first of all Nate moved out’ Nathan Hollis, the first child of my parents. He and my dad were alike but none of them wanted to admit they were so similar. He is a big shot engineer in Melbourne, he got married a year before I left. ‘Nate did?’ I asked not to sound surprised because there was a lot of bad blood between him and my dad. ‘Yes he did, he and Talia moved to Sydney. He had a lot of opportunities there that he wanted to…’ I rolled my eyes ‘you don’t need to sugar coat things Sam, I knew about him and dad’. ‘Oh okay then’ Sammy sighed in relief. ‘Well he moved shortly after you left, I feel like he was still putting up with dad because of you. ‘Aaron on the other hand moved few years ago, he needed his personal space ’ I nodded in thought, Aaron Hollis is the second child of my parents, he is our resident homebody and Tech mastermind. Bro once got scouted by the FBI but refused because it was a lot of work. I was really surprised he moved because honestly the only place he could move to was the kitchen and the bathroom. ‘No offence to Aaron but I thought he’d end up living in mum's basement’. Sammy chuckled loudly, ‘I won’t lie, me too, he’s too lazy to live alone.’ ‘What about Zac? He wouldn’t want to be away from his beloved mother now would he?’, ‘well prepare to be shocked because Zac moved to Singapore, he’s the only person that actually left the country. Apart from you of course’. I turned to Sammy in shock, ‘tell me you’re kidding??’. Zachary Hollis is my last brother, he could’ve been the last child the way he clung to my mother. Last I checked he was pursuing a degree in law. ‘Nope, definitely not kidding. He fell in love with this girl and she was a heiress of some Asian conglomerate..’ So he finally left mum's side and found love? Lucky, y’all still talk?’ ‘Yeah, we do sometimes’ Sammy said pulling up into a large estate he drove for sometime before he got to the gate. ‘I don’t remember us being this rich to afford this house Sammy’ ‘As I said before squirting, a lot of things changed’. The gate opened on its own and Sam drove in, he parked in front of a house, a very big house might I add, my mother finally got her Hollis mansion. Sam got down and opened my car door for me, we walked up the grande porch stairs and stepped into the house ‘guess who’s back?!’ he yelled I was expecting my Mother, maybe my father but I definitely wasn’t expecting… ‘Ro, you’re back’ she said her eyes wide as saucers ‘What the heck is she doing in this house?!!’ I screamed at Sammy.