HER KIND

Family Secret

4.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Anything new from the boys?"

"No, I think they're still young," she sighed, packing their lunch boxes in their bags. "They haven't shown the signs yet."

She heard her uncle hum, and the silence that had surrounded her before he knocked on the door returned. Dria's uncle, Jeremiah, was her father's younger brother. He had always been a mysterious figure to her, as her father never spoke of him, and he only visited them on rare occasions.

As far as Dria could remember, Uncle Jeremiah and her father never got along. They were brothers, but her father treated his mafia boss more like a brother than he did Jeremiah. They rarely saw Jeremiah; they rarely saw her father's family; and it was never that important for Dria to know who her grandparents were because all she needed was her father. But that never stopped her from asking questions, and her father always lied to her when she did.

You see, even though Dria knew that their relationship was strained and she could hear their constant arguments on the rare occasion Jeremiah would visit, her father would lie about them being angry at each other.

Her father, James, would always tell her he and Jeremiah were the best of friends. He would tell her that he and Jeremiah were attached at the hip, that they did everything together, and even though everyone said it was because they were twins, he said it went deeper than that.

At some point, Dria believed him every time he told the stories, but at some point, it all stopped, and her father's stories stopped. Jeremiah stopped visiting, and she thought and believed that it had to do with her father's involvement with the gang. By the time she was 13, Jeremiah's name and presence in the house had become nonexistent until her father went to jail.

Tears streamed down Dria's face as she walked out of the prison, the sound of the gates closing echoing in her head. The thought of not celebrating her birthday with her father pained her deeply, and she couldn't help but let her tears flow. She missed him terribly, but she knew he had to face the consequences of his actions. As she moved away from the prison, she made a solemn promise to herself never to involve herself or her family in any criminal activities.

Her steps towards the bus stop were slow, as she aimed to compose herself by the time she arrived. Whenever a passing car approached, she averted her gaze, not wanting anyone to witness her tears.

Then, the sound of an approaching engine caught her attention. She instinctively turned away, trying to shield her face, but the noise gradually muffled, and she heard a soft engine idling beside her. She wiped her eyes and cautiously glanced at the car parked at the curb, seemingly waiting for someone. A knot formed in her stomach as the thought crossed her mind that this might be linked to criminal activity. She quickened her pace and did her best to blend into the surroundings, hoping to remain unnoticed by whoever was in the car.

Confused, Dria glanced around, her nerves on high alert due to the unfamiliar car that trailed her.

The car continued to follow her, and just as she contemplated breaking into a run, the window rolled down, and her name was shouted out.

She halted and turned, cautiously peering through the window. Initially perplexed by the man in the vehicle, the memories gradually flooded back.

He appeared older than the last time she had seen him, sporting a beard and shorter hair, but his eyes remained the same piercing black she remembered. It was her long-lost uncle, whom she hadn't laid eyes on in over a decade.