The Switch

Luke- Secrets

The next Saturday, Juan and I got up early as per instructions by the head mistress, who was my grandmother.

Somehow, I was still trying to process that fact.

We were preparing to leave for a road trip. It was Juan’s idea.

Friday evening, he’d called me into the class room after English class.

“What do you want?” I grunted.

He grinned down at me and said “A plant starts from its roots…”

I nodded, though I was certain I hadn’t gone to him for a biology class.

“So, tell me, if there’s yellowing in a branch, what does it imply?”

I stared blankly at him “That…it’s unhealthy?” I suggested, having no idea where he was going.

“Really, I know you can do better” he mocked “come on, one more try”

I sighed “There might be a problem in roots”

“Exactly!” he beamed, like Sheldon Cooper going BAZINGA!

“Point is,” he continued, walking past the table and poked me on my forehead “in the White family tree, we have a problem with the last possible branch…”

I scowled at him for that.

“Don’t look at me that way” he backed up, defensive “you know that it’s true!”

I sighed “So, what do you want to do about it?”

Then, he leaned against the table, and folded his arms, smiling sincerely “we’re gonna go check out the roots”

I felt my heart get heavy...check out my family roots…

“So, get packing, Lukey” he winked “we’re going to the White Mansion”

The sun hadn’t risen yet, that Saturday, and I was already making my way to my grandmother’s office with Juan.

Our first lead or ‘branch closest to the ground’, as Juan called it, was her, since she was the oldest White that we knew of.

“Is she even going to be in there?” I asked Juan.

“Well, she is the headmistress. Where do you go to find the headmistress? To her office, of course!”

I rolled my eyes “Juan, it’s three-thirty in the morning” and reminded him of the fact, because that guy had issues comprehending things like these!

“Oh, let’s humour ourselves, anyway!” he waved the matter away and knocked, all British governor style, on the office door.

A yellow light inside the office was on; it was possibly a lamp light, but we could see it through a crack in the door.

“Come in” called a tired feminine voice.

Juan beamed at me, and we walked ourselves in.

“Luke” she brightened after seeing me. I returned the smile, because frankly, I had no idea of how else to behave.

Suddenly that whole scene where I had warned her that I would interrogate her flashed before me, and I shortly yearned to bombard her with the questions I had in mind, but, that could wait.

She was exhausted, and you could see it in the dark circles under her eyes and have enough evidence of it in her voice.

“Been up all night, Lizeth?” I heard concern in Juan’s voice, as he pulled out a chair and sat down on it.