Dear Rhénee, 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4KvNNeDVV
By the time you're reading this, I would probably have passed on, my dear. Your mother promised me that she would surely give you this letter after I'm gone.
I would've loved to say to you all that is on this letter in person, but I can't go on your parent's word. It would truly hurt them if I had decided to see you in person, henceforth, I wrote this letter instead.
Time has gone by since I last saw you, my dear. And also your sister, Zoey and your brother, Ryan. You're obviously grown up now. I heard from your mother that you were in college and by the end of the year you would be writing your exams. I would've liked to wish you all the best, my dear, but by the time you would be reading this.....well, you already know. I know you would do well, my dear. From what I know, you have always been brilliant, just like your father.
I hear Ryan is helping out with the family business with the mining company and is a real hard-worker. I've heard he is doing very well and I feel so proud.
I hear Zoey is in college too, but I preferred she stayed helping out your mother with the fashion business, don't you think? She has always been a fashionista since childhood. Always playing dress up and applying make-up. I still remember the old days when she used to do that. It's weird that she is taking up a career of her own choice. Looks like things aren't always what it seems.
Coming to you, my dear, what you're about to read might shock you a little, but to me you truly deserve it.
The house in the west side of California, Madison, where I live at the moment now belongs to you. Yes, my dear. I know its shocking that I had left the beautiful house in your name. Probably should have left it in your brother's name but I couldn't have thought of a better person than you, Rhénee. Only you.
Everything in the house also belongs to you, including my lovely paintings too. If you want you could sell the paintings. I wouldn't mind even when I'm dead, you can get good money out of them, that I'm sure.
Also my bank account with all the money belongs to you now. I haven't used so much money in my years so you probably have a huge fortune in your hands. You can contact my lawyer, details about him are at the back of the letter.
Your parents, I'm guessing, wouldn't like the idea of you inheriting the house, but what you do with it is your decision, my dear. It's a gift from me to you. That's all I could give you my loving granddaughter. May you treasure it for all the years to come.
From your loving grandmother,781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNgn6RuiGX
Emelda.
Rhénee slowly folded the letter back to the way it was before and put it back in the old crumpled brown envelope. She held the envelope a little longer in her hands and as she closed her eyes. She put the envelope to close to her nose and sniffed it a little as if her grandmother's scent was still on it.
A year had passed since Rhénee's grandmother passed away, but to Rhénee it felt like yesterday. She had not seen her grandmother ever since she was ten and her parents had stopped her from seeing her grandmother ever again. She never knew why the sudden change in her parents. She wondered if her grandmother had upset them in some way. But no one got to know the reason why.
Last year in November, the family had received news about the death of Emelda. Rhénee, Zoey and Ryan were willingly prepared to go to the funeral. But their parents refused them to. They were going to stay behind in Beverly Hills like locked up children. Rhénee had a flashback of that devastating day:
" Come on dad, we aren't kids anymore," said Ryan, looking straight at his father in the eye.
"Don't tell me you agree to this, mum," Rhénee said, looking at her mother who sat on the white couch across her husband.
"Sorry dear," her mother replied as she crossed her leg over the other. "Your father is right. You can't come with us."
"Why are you doing this?" Zoey asked, "we haven't seen our grandmother in years and you're telling us to sit here and do nothing? She is dead now and the least we could do is pay our last respects."
"No!" exclaimed Mr Johnson, now eyeing his daughter Zoey, "no one is going to the funeral. And do you know why? Because I said so."
"Thats not true at all," said Rhénee. "There is a reason behind all this and you aren't telling us."
"Your mother and I have nothing to hide, Rhénee."
"I'm not dumb, dad. And I'm not a kid you could easily manipulate. Starting from the time you restricted us from seeing our grandmother, I knew something was up. And you're going to tell us right now."
"There is nothing to explain, dear. You three are all going to respect our decision whether you like or not."
For a little while, the living room became quiet. Mr Johnson with a satisfied look on his face was prepared to leave.
"Looks like we have settled this matter," he said. "Now your mother and I are going to pack our things and leave for the funeral."
"Hold up for a second, dad," said Rhénee.
Mr Johnson turned to look at Rhénee and the satisfied look on his face soon turned ugly. He knew what was going to happen. Everyone in the room knew what Rhénee was capable of doing when she was upset.
"I'm not going to listen to any of your nonsense now, Rhénee," Mr Johnson said sternly.
"Well, I'm sorry, dad," said Rhénee, crossing her arms, "but I'm tired of being kept in the dark for years. I know you won't tell me what had happened to our grandmother but at least do Zoey, Ryan and I a favour and let us attend her funeral."
"I can't do that, I'm sorry," Mr Johnson said, "and that's final."
Rhénee walked up to her father with tears in her eyes. She had her father's soft brown eyes, but at the moment they were dark and filled with rage. And she wasn't afraid of taking all her anger on him. She clenched her fists and bit her lower lip to control herself.
"Thanks a million, dad," Rhénee said, "thank you for making my life a living hell throughout the years. You seperate us from grandma without any explanation. I can't believe that you treated your own mother like that. Even in her death, you still her like trash. I've missed my grandmother for years and you have never cared how the rest of us felt."
Her father grew startled by her words. Zoey and Ryan gasped in shock while their mother became fidgety on the couch.
"Rhénee, please-" Mr Johnson started but was Rhénee interrupted him.
"I think we have had enough drama for one day, dad," said Rhénee.
****
"Meow!"
Rhénee was startled by the sound that pulled her away from her memories. Beside her on the bed sat her black cat, Sophie. Rhénee put the envelope on her lap and scratched behind the cat's ear. The cat purred delightfully.
"Looks like the time has finally come, hasn't it, Sophie?" Rhénee asked.
Sophie stared at Rhénee with her green eyes in acknowledgement.
"Well, looks like I have to finish up packing then."
Rhénee took a look around her room. There were card boxes everywhere with books and other valuable items. She was leaving the house.
It was a tough decision to make to finally leave. Rhénee was only 20 years old and her parents hadn't like the idea of her leaving. The worst part was that she was moving to her grandmother's house in Madison, West California and it soon became a big issue.
Ever since Emelda's lawyer came on New Year's Eve to read the last will and testament to the family, Rhénee had been thinking of moving away from Beverly Hills, away from her family. When she had told her parents about her plans, they had gone bonkers.
Moving away meant a lot of things were bound to change. Rhénee would've to take a transfer from her college to the one in Madison. She would abandon her friends and family and no one couldn't imagine their lives without Rhénee.
It had taken a lot of pestering to convince Rhénee not to leave. Ryan, Zoey and the her parents were so persistent. But Rhénee was a tough nut to crack and she had already made up her mind.
All Rhénee needed was a little breathing space from her parents. For the past few years she couldn't stand them much longer. She was still upset with them for seperating her from her grandmother and also because they were really annoying and restricted her a lot.
Rhénee packed the envelope back in her suitcase where all her clothes had already been packed. She stood up from her bed and walked to her closet to see if there were any clothes left. The closet was completely empty. She checked if there were any shoes left but she had all packed them up in a box which was beside her bed.
At her dressing mirror, the table was all cleared up. She had packed up her combs, her make up and the jewellery which she kept in the drawers. She wanted to make sure she didn't leave anything behind. Not that she was materialistic or anything. She wasn't like her sister, Zoey.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her thick black shiny hair reached her shoulders and her Black-American chocolate brown skin shown like polished bronze when the sun rays coming from her bedroom window, touched her skin. Sophie, the cat, couldn't stop looking at Rhénee with awe.
Rhénee turned to face Sophie on the bed."We better start looking for that duct tape, Sophie," said Rhénee. "I want us to leave this house as soon as possible."
Sophie jumped off the bed as if she knew what Rhénee was looking for. Rhénee just smiled.
Ever since Rhénee got Sophie as a Christmas gift last year, Rhénee had never felt lonely. Sophie was a great companion and seemed really loyal too. For once, Rhénee felt really grateful that her parents had given her such a wonderful pet like Sophie.
"Rhénee, please tell me you're not serious about this."
Rhénee looked sideways and saw her sister, Zoey standing by the door. The two sisters looked alike, almost like twins. Except that Zoey had inherited the dark brown hair from their mother. Anyway, Zoey was older than Rhénee by just two years.
"Stop being dramatic about this," said Rhénee. "Its no use trying to convince me."
"I know, sis, I know," Zoey said with a sad tone in her voice. "I don't really think its a good idea. I mean, you're moving into........ her house."
Rhénee raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Zoey wanted to talk but she quickly closed her mouth.
"Has mum been telling you a bunch of stuff lately?" Rhénee asked.
"Its not that, Rhénee," Zoey replied quickly, "I just don't get why grandmother left you the house and all the money."
"Why? Are you jealous?"
"No I'm not. Im not jealous at all."
Rhénee almost burst out laughing. She knew Zoey was completely jealous that their late grandmother had not given her anything. And also, a friend of Zoey's had told Rhénee one day that Zoey was upset that Rhénee had got part of the fortune. Rhénee never wanted to confront Zoey about it because it would just make things worse.
"I'm going to miss you a lot though," said Zoey, "everything won't be the same without you."
"I'm going to miss you too. But I've no other choice."
"You never told me why you wanted to leave."
"It's none of your business, Zoey."
"Is it because of mum and dad?"
"Come on, Zoey. I seriously don't want to talk about this."
"Mum is really worried though. She thinks that you're upset because of her and dad. She doesn't want you to go so far away from home."
Sophie prevented Rhénee from speaking any further when she appeared with duct tape in her mouth from under the bed. She quickly went beside Rhénee and dropped it to the floor close to Rhénee's feet.
"Aww! Thanks, Sophie," said Rhénee, bending over to get the duct tape.
"If dad didn't leave for his trip, you wouldn't be leaving," said Zoey.
Rhénee straightened up and stared at Zoey. Zoey took a step backwards from the door knowing that she just struck a nerve. Rhénee tossed the duct tape in the air, caught it and smiled.
"I guess you're right on that," said Rhénee in a calm tone, "but what difference does it make? Whether he is here or not, no one is going to stop me from leaving."
Zoey didn't say a thing afterwards and Rhénee felt glad that she was finally quiet.
"If you don't mind, I have to finish up, " said Rhénee.
Zoey left quietly without a word and Rhénee started to seal up the boxes with Sophie close by. When she was done, it was time to pack them up in the car.
She carried a box which contained her books and she went down the hall. The hall was exquisite. The floors were a black and white checkerboard with magnificent paintings on the wall.
Rhénee went down the white marble stone stairs covered by a red carpet. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was heading for the front door where her grey Toyota hilux was packed. She packed the box and was about to go back in when she saw her mother standing by the door.
Her mother wore a sky blue sleeveless dress with matching high heels. Mrs Johnson also wore a diamond watch on her wrist and had a beautiful diamond necklace around her neck. Her brown hair was short and curly. And today she had a sad smile on her face.
"Hello, mum,"said Rhénee.
"I didn't see you at breakfast," said Mrs Johnson, "now I see why."
"We don't have to go through this over and over again."
"You're right. We don't."
Rhénee came towards the door, past her mother and went inside the house. Before she could go far, Rhénee felt her mother grab her elbow. Rhénee stopped in in her tracks but she didn't turn to face her mother.
"You know I would've preferred if you were to rent an apartment in town and stay with a friend than to go and leave in Madison at your late grandmother's house alone."
"Mum, you're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Holding me back. I have a lot of packing to do. I have to leave before noon."
"Please, look at me, dear. Can't you just change your mind and stay. For your mum's sake. I'm going to die if you go, sweetheart."
Rhénee turned to face her mother whose eyes were already in tears.
"Don't start crying," said Rhénee, with a note of irritation in her voice.
"You won't stay? Just for me?"
"Mum, I know how much you care about me, but whatever you do, I'm not changing my mind. Sorry."
Rhénee took her mother's hand which caught her elbow so that she could let go. Then, Rhénee went up the stairs leaving her mother in a flood of tears.
After everything was packed up in the car, it was finally time to go. Rhénee was now in her bedroom which looked quite empty except from the bed covers on the bed and some pictures of her as a child hanging on the walls. She was really going to miss her room.
She put on her red and black coat. It was February and as usual it was really cold. She already had her black slacks and boots on ready for the road.
Sophie was on the bed, looking and waiting patiently for Rhénee to make a move. Rhénee looked at the cat.
"Come on, Sophie," Rhénee said, picking up a basket from the floor, "hop in. It's time to go."
Sophie obediently climbed into the basket and Rhénee got the car keys and the keys to her grandmother's house. She put the keys into her pocket and carried the basket where her cat had lain and went out of the room, closing the door behind her.
When Rhénee went down the stairs, she found her mother, Zoey and Ryan, who had come early from work, just to say good-bye to Rhénee.
As Rhénee reached the bottom of the stairs, her mother burst into another flood of tears and leaned on Zoey for support. Zoey wrapped her arm around her mother and looked like she was also on a verge of tears.
" I'm leaving now," said Rhénee, "I'm going to miss you all a lot."
Mrs Johnson quickly broke away from Zoey and went to embrace her younger daughter. She held Rhénee tight hoping not to let go. But Rhénee wiggled her way out of her mother's embrace.
"I'm not a little girl anymore, you know that right?" Rhénee asked.
"Yes, dear, of course," said Mrs Johnson in between sobs, "you're grown up now. My little girl is leaving me too soon."
Rhénee moved her eyes away from her mother and turned to Zoey who quickly looked away from Rhénee's prying eyes. Rhénee knew she wanted to cry. Instead of laughing, Rhénee put up a sad smile and went to hug her sister. Zoey held Rhénee tight and tried not to cry.
"You know, you've always been the only one who understands me, Rhénee," said Zoey, "you listen to my problems even if they are petty. You've always been like my best friend."
"Coming from you, it means a lot," said Rhénee.
Then Rhénee turned to look at her handsome older brother, Ryan. He was tall with black hair and a diamond stud on his left ear. He had deep brown eyes and a magnificent smile.
" I wish you all the best in your life, sis," said Ryan.
"Thanks, bro," Rhénee said with a smile on her face, "so far you haven't persisted so much. You understand me better than anyone."
"True. But if dad were here, the two of you would have torn the house apart just to stop you from leaving."
"Yes, but I would still go no matter what."
"You're just like him, you know?"
"Ha! So I've been told."
"I'll miss laughing with you, Rhénee."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKWDvOZsqR
"Me too, Ryan."
The two then hugged each other. Rhénee knew she was going to miss her brother the most. He was the only one who understood her and knew her better than anyone.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQsWt2eavU
Rhénee walked out of the house, carrying the basket with Sophie in it. She entered the driver's seat and placed the basket by the passenger's seat. Her family also came outside to see her go. Rhénee started the engine and the car drove towards the gate. The security guard opened the automatic gate with just a push of a button. The gates swung open and Rhénee took a deep breath.
To Rhénee it had always been a habit. Whenever she was walking away from anything or from anyone, she rarely looked back. Even now, she didn't look at the rear view mirror to see her family wave good-bye as she drove away.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXHmKDmiwl
