Interpreting a millionaire

GPS is in the backseat

    Their hands intertwined like two snakes searching for warmth in each other. It was intimate, but not romantic in any way. He was a bit younger and seeking comfort before the big event. He squeezed his big sister’s hand with fear before his name was called. She smiled down at him, squeezing his hand back in reassurance as their fingers slipped away and he disappeared behind a closed door. She looked at the white door for a moment before her gaze flickered towards the tv screen mounted in a corner. Her brother was afraid of the dentist almost as much as she was at his age, so she understood why he wanted her to come with him. Their parents couldn’t come, so she couldn’t refuse the child’s request even if she wanted to. Some stupid reality tv show played on the tv, so she fished out her phone to distract herself and make the time go by faster. She scrolled through several social media before getting bored of them and deciding on playing a mindless puzzle game. She was about to beat her high score when her phone froze and she missed the mark, ultimately losing. She murmured a few quiet swear words before angrily closing the app and shoving her phone back into her pocket. It turned out to be perfect timing as her brother shortly after opened the door and ran to her arms.

“Hey little guy, you’re alive!” She smiled at him, hugging him briefly. She then sat him down and went to the nurse to pay for the procedures done. It was a little less than she expected so that was a pleasant surprise for once.

“El, come on.” She stretched out her hand for the boy to grab. He happily hopped off the chair and ran to his sister. As they opened the exit door together, she looked back and mumbled a goodbye towards the other people waiting for the dentist to call them. One older lady, sitting close by said her own, rather disinterested, more automatic than not, goodbye.

***

    They arrived home without any complications. She parked her car in the driveway of their parent’s home. A house that wasn’t in any way special with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was on the more luxurious side compared to some, but their parents worked hard to be able to afford it and it still wasn’t theirs as the loan was still being paid by them.  Her bedroom was mostly empty, spare for some old furniture that she did not want to bring to her new living space as it already had perfectly fine furniture already there. Her old posters still plastered on the wall. She took her brother inside, to wait for the parents to come home.

“You want something to drink?” The boy shook his head no and sat in the living room. So she just poured her some water and walked over. She took the remote control from under the tv, turning it on as she sat next to El. She flipped through the channels watching out for El’s expression. Finally, they settled on a kid’s movie that was already at least a quarter in. The boy cuddled into his big sister halfway through and pretty soon he was out cold. She kind of expected it to happen as stress can take its toll on people, especially kids. The monotonous light from tv and it’s quiet sound calmed her down enough that she soon followed her brother and fell asleep on the couch too.

***

    Two grown people entered the house one after the other. This time it was coincidence as usually they would arrive separately, because their work ended at different times. But this time, the man stopped at a grocery store on his way home, so he got delayed. They weren’t being very quiet, after all it was their own house they were entering. They weren’t robbing anybody. Maybe except their kids of their nap.

    The girl woke up first and groggily laid her brother down as she stood up to greet their parents.  She motioned a shh with her finger and pointed in the direction of the youngest family member.

“Welcome.”

“Hi.”

“It’s rare to see you here.”

“Well, I don’t live here full time anymore. I couldn’t leave him alone, could I?”

“He would probably fall asleep anyway.”

“So was I supposed to just drop him off?”

“I’m just saying you could have done that. But you are here now, right?”

    She c****d her head to the side, frowning at the remark that did not sound overly enthusiastic. She could feel her eyebrow rising as she looked at her mother.

“Yeah. I’m gonna be leaving soon. I still have some errands to run.”

       The mother nodded and left to their bedroom to get changed. The father didn’t pay her much attention, but still asked if she wants anything before leaving. She just shook her head and checked on her brother, who was slowly awakening from his slumber. She hugged him lightly and said her goodbye before waving at her father. As she put on her shoes, she shouted one last goodbye into the house.

    Her car sat where she left it. Nothing unusual happened in the meantime. She didn’t even pay attention to her surroundings as she automatically sat into the driver’s seat. She reversed out of the driveway, thinking only of how much she hated doing that, and then set off to her home. About halfway through the journey she saw a small grocery shop and thought about dinner. Near her flat was a supermarket that would provide her with everything, so she just slightly adjusted her plans. She parked at a free spot that happened to be a little further from the entrance and exited her car. She marched over to the supermarket, thinking of all the jokes she saw online about people walking briskly. She walked like that ever since she could remember. Determination in her eyes, she hoped passersby would hurdle over each to get out of her way, like peasants in front of a queen or a protagonist in a fantasy novel, or even a villain. However, it didn’t quite work and she huffed in annoyance everytime somebody obstructed her way and forced her to change her pace. Inside, she didn’t bother with a cart and only picked a few things that would make for a quick dinner. Just before she was about to head for the self-checkout she passed the freezers with ice cream. She stopped for a moment, thinking whether she wants ice cream or not, finally deciding to take one.

    Thankfully her bag was able to accommodate all of her groceries and so she walked to her car, satisfied with her trip. Sitting down she threw her bag on the passenger’s seat and immediately buckled in. But the click of her seatbelt wasn’t the only such sound she heard.

“You’re gonna do what I tell you, understood?” A deep voice came from the back. She usually liked a deep voice in a person, but this one was unpleasant to listen to. Not only because of the situation.

    Has Zombieland taught her nothing? Always check your backseat.

    She wanted to turn around, to look at the intruder, but she could feel something solid pressing into the back of her head and she just couldn’t bring herself to risk it.

“My ice cream’s gonna melt, man.” She froze right after the sentence left her mouth. A string of swear words being uttered in her mind.

    The man didn’t seem to mind all that much as all she got in response was silence. Even then, she couldn’t calm herself down very well.

“Just drive, I’ll give you directions.” He didn’t come off as annoyed, so she let herself sigh in partial relief.

“So I guess this is a k********g?” She said, despite the dire situation, in a calm voice. It was partially a joke, somehow considering making small talk with the man. She felt like she could feel the man rising an eyebrow at her remark, but that could have as well been her imagination.

“You could say that. Why do you ask?” His mind and personality didn’t suggest it was as unpleasant as his voice.

“Well, to boast to my friends of course.” She laughed awkwardly.

“Will you drive already?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” She started the engine finally and put in the first gear. Slowly moving forward she spoke again.

“So where to, sir?”