Into the Starry Night

Thirty

A loud bang startled me and caused my eyes to fly open just in time to catch Daniel sliding into the driver's side of the car.

“Finally,” my words were obscured by the yawn that took over me as I stretched my arms toward the roof of the rental car we were currently in, trying to get some feeling back in them. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Getting you this,” he handed me a steaming paper bag. “You didn't eat anything on the plane, and I don't need you hangry for the entirety of this two-hour drive.”

“I'm sorry,” I removed my head from perusing the contents of the bag. “I must be exhausted from all that time on the plane because it sounded like you just said we had a two-hour drive ahead of us. Please tell me I misheard.”

He shot me a smug smile as he clicked his seatbelt on. “That's right, princess. Your suffering has only just begun. You better buckle up.”

“You mean to tell me there's something worse than the theatrics you displayed on the way here? When did I die and go to hell?” I asked as I fixed my seatbelt.

I was rewarded with a healthy chuckle from him as he finally pulled us from the gas station and back onto the road.

Thankfully, the color was coming back into his face, and he was looking less and less like a cadaver from a morgue.

“The journey is beyond harrowing which is why I only come back on the holidays. Or when Ireti goes extra hard on the emotional blackmail.”

I took the heaping cheeseburger from the bag. It was pleasantly warm and chock full of meat and dripping cheese. It smelt delicious but I hesitated to put it in my mouth.

Daniel noticed and gave me a questioning look. “What? Why are you looking at that like it insulted your firstborn? What's wrong?”

“I'm just contemplating if eating this is worth the ten years it'll take off my life span with all that trans fat.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Um, yes. My body is a temple, I'm very cautious of what I put into it. Especially knowing exactly what those pesky little carbon atoms can do to . . .”

“Amarachi,” Daniel interrupted me, ruffling his hair. “Can you do me just a small favor?”

I eyed him. “Depends.”

“Stop talking and eat your food, please. Can you do that for me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine but only if you entertain me. Tell me something. Tell me about the rest of your family.”

He tugged at a curl and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “What do you want to know?”

“I don't know,” I shrugged, licking sauce from my fingers. It was less than ideal, but I had to make do as the only napkin available was already protecting my lap. “Anything. What are they like? How do you all know each other? Start at the beginning.”

He merged onto the highway as the sun sank lower into the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the road.

“I honestly don't even remember the beginning,” he started after a moment of silence. “Dare, Ireti's husband is Father's chief operating officer. But really, it’s just a fancy way of saying he’s a glorified secretary. He's been around as long as I can remember. He takes care of everything for Father, including his parental duties. He didn't have to, but I guess when you've been called to the principal's office and attended enough PTA meetings in place of someone's actual parent, you end up unofficially adopting them.”

He spoke with the flippant tone of someone who was used to it all and couldn't care less but I could tell that beneath all the nonchalance, there was something deeper—something raw and vulnerable, the kind of pain you bury deep and try to convince yourself doesn’t hurt as much as it does.