Queen of Diamonds

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Feeling refreshed after a cozy bonfire like midday nap I sprawled into a cat like stretch to awaken my muscles from the recliner. Through the window I could see that the day had grown grey and there was an afternoon shower that had passed through saturating the deck and trees into darker glistening earth tones. The sheet of clouds slightly cracked in spots revealing bluer skies hiding behind them.

Looking over at Gram, she was still softly snoring, flapping the paper cover of her book with her steady breaths. Reading the title, The Tomb Ruins, she was most likely reading about ancient Egyptians, a cultural interest she and my father both shared. My father was of Egyptian decent always dreaming of one day returning back to the mother land to explore their rich histories of pyramids and pharaohs. Unfortunately, his dreams vanished the day his heart stopped beating. Apparently, Gram still kept his dreams alive.

Clumsily rolling myself out of the recliner, I grabbed my drawstring bag of goodies and climbed up the stairs to my room. Considering I still hadn't washed off the privilege from last night a shower was necessary. Pulling off Derek's sweatshirt it still faintly smelled like him and his woodsy musk. Throwing it on the bed to further disrobe the dress I was still in from last night, I saw a folded piece of paper fall out of the sweatshirt pocket. In the annoyance of everything that had happened this morning I hadn't even bothered to read the note Andrew had dropped in my lap at breakfast.

With a sliver of fresh annoyance at the remembrance of the richie ambush at breakfast I unfolded the note. It read, Meet me at the dock at sunset. With a snort I tossed it back on the bed and headed across the hall to the bathroom. What else could he possibly want? To steal back my winnings? Finish Richie's interrogation about my necklace? Yeah, no thanks.

Turning up the steam in the shower I let my coconut oil sugar scrub exfoliate and rejuvenate me washing away the remnants of last night's sparkles down the drain. Still so much to digest; the party, the carat cream, all those diamonds, Andrew, Derek, and Gram's first love being a richie. In the midst of learning about all the legacies last night I never would have thought that Gram's engagement legacy would tie in.

I remembered when I used to come Upstate to visit Gram with my mom. The summers were filled with childhood adventures, simplicity, and family time. My dad would always come up later in the summer to give us our girl time and to get some extra work done while he had the house to himself. But after he came up to meet us at Grams he would stay longer to spend his own quality time with Gram after me and my mom had left to go back to the city. He was like the son Gram never had and she was like the mom he wished he'd had.

My father was adopted from an orphanage in Egypt when he was about 7 years old. He never really knew his biological parents. All he knew was that his father took off when his mother was pregnant, she then struggled for money soon after, landing herself in some precarious situations to get herself by. Before she could inflict any real harm on him as a child, his biological mother gave him up in hopes of a better future for him. At least she loved him enough for that. A few years later my father was adopted into a wealthy family in the states from Long Island that gave him a real chance at a life. Unfortunately, that was short lived. While my father was away for college, ironically Upstate, perusing a business degree, he got a call one evening that his parents had been in a detrimental car accident back home. His father died on impact and his mother lived for another year as a vegetable until the plug was pulled.

Coincidentally, this was the same night he and my mom had met. They were at a college party together. My mother was a beautiful recluse, soberly floating through the party her roommate had dragged her to. She met my father who was full of natural charisma and even more charming while under the influence. No doubt that's where I get my dazzling wit. Come to think of it, my mom is actually the odd one out in the family with the sweet meek personality. God knows she isn't brash like Gram.