Hello,
Thanks for reading my Saturday Story! Below is part 3 of Rags to Riches. (You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here.)
Please let me know what you think by commenting below, and be sure to check back next week for Rags to Riches: Part 4!
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Part 3:
To Riches:
“Where’s dad?” I asked my mother, upon entering the grandiose kitchen.
New to a life of luxury, my mother joked as she leaned forward slightly, focusing her gaze as if straining to see me from far away, and asked, “Is that my beautiful Frankie?”
I smiled.
Though I had given my brother, Chris, enough money to buy his own chain of restaurants, he preferred to keep tabs on when my mother would be cooking. (“Buy all the mansions you want; mom’s cooking means ‘home,'” he said, whenever I reminded my mom that she need not cook so often anymore.) He continued my mother’s jest by jumping up and down while waving frantically, “Frankie! FRANKIE!” he called. I added an eye-roll to my smile- which was directed entirely towards my brother. We had enough money to join the highbrow parties, but something told me we lacked certain social graces required.
“Where has your father been since we moved, darling?” My mother asked, in answer to my question. “He’s driving his cars- every morning, a different one. You want to know why the price of gas keeps rising? Your father. He’s increased demand, singlehandedly.”
My brother chuckled, as he loaded his plate with our mom’s famous frittata, pancakes and bacon. “Thank goodness this place is so big; dad relies on the square footage for exercise,” he added.
I opted for an espresso and fresh fruit, and joined my brother at the island- a single, relatively small component of the space, but it was bigger than my previous kitchen.
“Let dad enjoy,” I said. “He’s always loved cars, and he deserves the break.”
“Oh, he’s enjoying it, all right.” My mother assured me, with a slight smile and shake of her head.
…
From Rags:
“What is it, Chris? What’s wrong with the car?” I asked my brother impatiently, upon answering my phone. Rosalee (my friend, and favourite patron of the diner I managed) sat and waited, while I spoke to Chris.
“Mom and dad are coming home on Sunday, right?” Chris asked.
“No, Saturday. Why? What’s wrong with dad’s car?”
“Can you talk them into staying until Sunday? The car looks good, but the side mirror won’t be replaced until late Saturday.”
“This is your mess, Chris. Why would I talk mom and dad into anything?” I asked, exasperated.
“Because they will know that something is up if I ask them,” Chris retorted.
Given my brother’s track record, that was probably true.
Calming down, I jumped into ‘big sister’ mode. “If you’re sure that it will be fixed on Saturday, text dad and ask him if you can keep the car until Sunday morning. I’ll pick them up from the train station on Saturday.”
“Thank you, Frankie!” Chris said, sincerely.
“You’re welcome, but I’m doing it more for them than for you,” I replied. My father would be furious if he knew that his car had been damaged, and my mother would worry for my brother’s philandering soul. This was best for everyone.
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Thanks for reading! Please check back next week for Part 4 of my Saturday Story: Rags to Riches.
Give your life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green
*This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
© 2018 Amber Green