I pull my Nissan Versa into the driveway of my parent's house in Los Angeles. The house is shrouded in darkness. The red digits on the dashboard read 22:30.
During the drive home, there was a lot of traffic on I-80 into Los Angeles, and I was at a standstill for a little while. On the radio, an announcer said a truck ran into twelve cars before tipping over and landing on its side, blocking most lanes and leaving one open for us to drive on.
Once the traffic started moving again, I continued on I-180 to my parent's place. When I drove past the accident scene, I saw that the truck had been overturned and that some of the cars involved had been towed away.
Five people lost their lives due to the accident, and twelve people were injured.
Reaching into the back, I pull my overnight bag towards me. I step out of the car and head towards the house. In the background, I can hear cicadas and a few cars driving past the cul-de-sac street where I grew up. Other than that, everything is quiet.
When I reach the front door, I knock and wait for someone to open it. I hear the chain slide across the lock. The door opens, revealing Dad.
He's wearing grey boxers and a white T-shirt. His light brown hair is sticking up, and his light blue eyes are slightly closed, giving him the 'I just woke up' look.
A smile spreads across his face. "Hello, sweetheart." He pulls me in for a hug, and I wrap my arms around him. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to surprise Mom for her birthday." I enter the house and walk to the living room, where many family photos hang on the wall.
Dad follows me, and we sit next to each other on the couch. He takes my hand into his. "How's work going?"
A smile spreads across my face. "I got a promotion at Wilson Inc. I'm now a team leader. I train the recruits and get to boss them around." I look at the stairs before asking about my siblings. "How's Nate and Aleysa?"
Dad laughs. "You can't wait long enough to ask about your siblings, can you?" He looks towards the stairs. "Aleysa has her good and bad days, just like any twelve-year-old. I prefer her good days. Nate prefers to hang out with his friends and party on the weekends."
I miss my family.
"I can come home more often and help."
He places his warm hands on my face. "You're young, Chloe. You must live your life and not worry too much about us." He smiles. "I would love it if you come home more often."
Hugging him, I whisper, "When I come home, you have to take Mom out for the day, and I will take care of Aleysa. The two of you need a break at times." I turn towards the stairs and see Mom. She's wearing a pink bathrobe.
I got her that last Mother's Day.
Her brown hair is sticking up in all directions, and she has fluffy pink slippers on her feet. She wraps her arms around her stomach. "Who was at the door, honey?" Mom looks in my direction and freezes mid-step. A smile spreads across her face, and she runs down the remaining stairs. She engulfs me in a tight hug. "Chloe," she pulls back slightly to look at me. I'm glad you're home."
Me, too.
"I couldn't miss your birthday, Mom."
My parents and I talked for another hour before calling it a night. Once we made it up the stairs, we went in separate directions.
Walking down the hall, I stop in front of a brown wooden door that still has my name on it. Opening the door to the room, I see that it hasn't been touched since I moved out. Everything is still where I kept it.
On the nightstand, there's a piece of paper neatly folded with my name on it. Opening the letter, I read.
Dear Chloe,
I'm glad you're home for Mom's Birthday. I hope she liked our early birthday present. I can't wait to see you, big sis.
Love
Aleysa
Xoxo
The early birthday present Aleysa was referring to was me. It was a secret between her and me that I was coming home to celebrate this year.
I haven't come home all the other times because I couldn't afford it, and work kept me busy most of the time.
Ding.
A message pops up on the work iPad screen. Swiping my finger across the screen, I look at the message.
From: jsmith@wilsoninc.com
To: c.knight@wilsoninc.com
Subject: Workload
Dear Chloe,
I know you're supposed to be enjoying your break in Los Angeles. However, I know you're a workaholic who would rather be in the office than at home. I was hoping that you could help me with this load.
Regards
John.
Seriously? This guy knows I'm visiting my parents and wants to dump all this onto me.
The attachments contain twelve files. Opening the first one, I see it will take me hours to go through it all.
I won't be able to do this for him. Someone gave him this workload for a reason, and he can do it himself.
From: c.knight@wilsoninc.com
To: jsmith@wilsoninc.com
Subject: Re: Workload
Dear John,
I told you I was going to my parent's place to celebrate my mother's birthday. I will relax and spend as much time with my family as possible. I don't know when I'll take more time off work.
Good luck.
Chloe.
After replying to the email, I pulled up my Kindle on the iPad and looked for a book by one of my favourite indie authors. When I find the book, I click on it and start reading.
As I continue to read, my eyes begin to droop. Before I entirely fall asleep, my device hits me in the face, causing a tingling sensation at that spot. Picking up the iPad, I place it on the nightstand, reach across to the lamp, and turn the light off.
The bedroom light is still on, and I say into the room, 'Hey, Google. Turn off the bedroom light.' The light turns off, and I pull the covers over my body. It doesn't take long before I fall asleep.
YOU ARE READING
His Proposal
Ficção GeralChloe Knight is a caregiver to her seriously ill sister who was recently diagnosed with leukaemia, not too long after their parents deaths. She went looking for a job and got one working with billionaire Jai Marshall. Once he learns about Chloe's si...
