Ties (Book 1)

27. April Birthday

One day, Levi took me to his house, so I could properly meet his mother, since I had never seen her in my life... Well except from afar when the Ellisons hosted a charity event in their home. That was the only time I ever saw the woman, and it was only a glimpse.

His dad had always been kind and attentive with me. I had met Levi's father at one of the first football games, since he went to most of them. The pride he had for his son was palpable. He was a wonderful father, and it wasn't by a mere observation of mine that I knew; Levi always spoke about his dad with complete devotion and admiration. To me, he was Richard and not Mr. Ellison. He was so affable that we immediately went to first name basis.

When his mother met me, something strange happened. She was... polite. She didn't ask about my interests, my family, or my relationship with her son. By all means, she was a good host; my glass was always full of water, and I never had to ask for anything, because it was already in front of me before I even thought of asking. But she was so distant, it was unnerving.

I had yet to meet his sister, because she lived in Washington D.C. She had attended the University of Maryland to major in criminal justice and economics. She was recruited to work in the FBI's headquarters in Washington before she even graduated. She was valedictorian of her division at the university and graduated with honors and a high GPA. I was glad she was Levi's sister and not mine; having to compete and achieve so high like her must be hard. My parents would have expected a lot from me if Johnny would have been as smart as her. I mean he was smart, but Levi's sister was above average.

I was to meet his sister next weekend at the art gallery's exhibition of the newest installment that his dad and my parents had been working on with a neoteric artist. Most of the time I dreaded attending events of such magnitude. Surrounded by sharp business people and rich oglers. I had been raised in that type of environment my whole life that I should have been comfortable with it already. It was true that I was accustomed to it, but I never enjoyed it. That was the first time I ever felt agog about an event.

The art exhibition was formal with people dressed in their best clothes carrying glasses of champagne, as they browsed around. I decided to wear something that made me look older, so I went for a sweetheart, sleeveless, black cocktail dress with crystals surrounding the top of the bodice. I curled my hair into soft vintage-looking waves with one side of my hair pinned up with a crystal clip. I paired the dress with Louis Vuitton stilettos that made me feel important and mature.

When my parents and I arrived, we spoke to different people about art and law. My father had been a lawyer for years but as time traveled forward, he worked less and less at the firm my grandfather had passed on to him. He said that he wanted to pass more time with my mother, so he joined her in her hobby and helped many aspiring artists to get their foot in the door and gain the attention they so desired. He still owned the notable law firm, but he had other successful lawyers and assistants working the headquarters in New York City and Los Angeles. It was difficult to put my mind around the fact that I had been born in New York, and that until recently, I hadn't had many memories from there.

Throughout the night, my parents introduced me to the big-league people that dealt with either the art industry or were involved in law. They told me that they wanted me to be familiarized with people that could help me in the future. After all it was not who you knew, but who knew you. I tried my best to make an impression on everyone I interacted with, not for my parents sake but for my own. I always had a drive to find goals and achieve them; I always wanted to succeed in something, no matter how insignificant it seemed.

When my brother turned eighteen, our parents sat both of us down and told us that we could pick what we wanted to study as a career as long as it was prominent. Johnathan did as we were told and majored in accounting years later. He worked at the family firm in the New York City headquarters for a year, managing the money as well as working with other companies. He had become successful at a young age, but I knew he could have been more if he was still alive. If only I had not insisted that he traveled to Texas. I should have just waited to visit him after I got out of school for the summer break.