In Fair Verona

II

I walk past a souvenir shop in the airport as I look for the exit. I've already stretched and got my luggage. Which surprisingly isn't much considering it's everything I own.

I finally make my way to the front of the airport. There's huge windows taking up the walls and there's escalators everywhere.

I scan the crowd looking for someone who could be my father. I've never met him, I have no idea what he looks like. In fact, I'm not even fully sure, but I'm pretty sure he's a white man.

I finally sit down at a seat and continue to search the crowd. Eventually a tall man approaches me. He's in a business suit and has dark brown hair. There's a few grey strands and it's quite clear he dyes it brown.

"Casey?" He asks.

"Yeah. You're Richard then?"

He raises an eyebrow at me. Likely not expecting me to call him by his first name.

"Uh, yes," he says awkwardly but quickly his emotion changes and he's smiling. "Okay kiddo. You ready?"

I nod my head before standing up and grabbing my luggage.

It's so odd to be walking next to a man who biologically is my father. I've never had a step father, a grandpa, a brother, nothing. Hell, I've barely had a mother. Just been grandma and I.

"Your sister is super excited to meet you."

"I've got a sister?"

I hate saying that. I don't believe blood makes you family. It's who you were raised with that's your family. I don't know these people. They might as well be strangers picked off the street and I've been shipped off to live with them but I can trust them because we share blood.

"Two. And a brother. He's a tad bit more... stubborn. Don't take it personally if you meet him and he's a bit of an ass. Phoebe however is ecstatic to meet you."

I don't answer. I don't know how.

"Then you'll meet my lovely wife Gwendolyn. She's the mother of all three of the kids. Grace is twenty, Auguste is seventeen. Same age as you. And Phoebe, the baby of the family is fifteen turning sixteen in a bit."

The silence continues and I can tell he's trying desperately to fill the silence.

I stay silent as we walk to the car. Richard seems to enjoy talking about his life. I pay more attention to his gold watch on his wrist.

"We also have the neighbours. Addison and Kieran are around your age. They're good friends with my k- with your siblings since they grew up together."

I notice his voice speed up a bit. Probably nervous.

We finally reach his car. It's a Ford truck.

"This baby's brand new," he says patting the hood as he walks to the drivers seat.

"You'll finish off you're senior year with Auguste and— and have you thought about post secondary school?"

I shrug.

"College? Uni? Grace is in medical school right now. She's studying to be a pharmacist."

Good for her.

I don't care.

I just shrug again.

"Phoebe I think wants to be a vet. Or something to do with being some kind of animal surgeon I don't know. Auguste however. Not a clue. Stresses his mother and I out."