I didn’t have any actual suits before, but after deciding to go into the company, I’d bought several and had a few made. I hadn't moved them all into my apartment yet, because I knew it made Mom feel easier to have some of my stuff lying around. So she wouldn’t think that I would just up and disappear
like I did when I left for college and didn’t come back or call home in a long time, even after I graduated.
Right after lunch, I went up to my room to pack my stuff. This meant when I got back, I’d be coming here and not going to my apartment, but I didn’t mind. Dad hadn't given me much detail, but there was time for that.
Mom gave me a long hug and a couple kisses on the cheek and gave Dad the same treatment. She was smiling, but I could see the unease in her eyes as we left.
“You can come back any time you want,” Dad said. “The talk is on Tuesday, so you can have tomorrow and the day after to yourself. I’ll be staying for about a week. Just let me know if you plan to leave early.”
I nodded along to his words, but didn’t know what to say. Dad and I weren’t close, not the way he was with my brother. I’d only recently gotten into the business, so we didn’t have that. Dad had played a sport in high school, and so did my brother, but I didn’t particularly like sports.
Neither of us spoke again, and we arrived at the airstrip a while later. There was a spot for permanent parking where Dad left the car. I waited for him to make his payment for the spot, then we walked to the private jet in silence as our luggage was handled by an attendant.
It wasn’t until we were settling in the plane that Dad spoke again.
“It’s not the same going from a hot climate to a cold one,” he said, looking out the window.
“Not the same at all,” I said in agreement.
I sat on the other side, also looking outside. The atmosphere between us was awkward, but it wasn’t like I could help it. I spent so long rebelling, even after I stopped, I didn’t know how to get close to my own dad.
There were times when I thought I should have been the one to go in my brother’s place. It would have been best for everyone. I knew my family always cared for me, but there was a part of me that couldn’t help thinking that, since the three of them had always been close, if it had been me, my parents wouldn’t have missed me as much as they did him.
I, of course, never voiced those thoughts. Not only were they foolish, I knew they would make Mom cry if she ever heard it.
Chapter Fourteen
Klara
I arrived at school early on Monday, and all over campus, there was a building excitement.
A guest speaker was coming to the school tomorrow. His name was Richard Black. I had been with the school for so long, so even though I liked to keep to myself, how could I not know who that was?
There were photos of him spread all over campus, and one couldn’t help but feel excited. After all, it was a success story so close to home that could give anyone hope. Though he’d been at the school a long time ago, longer than I had been alive, only a few people from the school had copied his feat, so he was still a pretty big name, though the school had alumni to boast about.
As I sat waiting for my morning lecture to start, I was practically vibrating with excitement. It was the first time since I’d been back to college that I was this excited about anything. I had my son to support now, after all. I had to succeed in life if I wanted to give my baby boy a good life.
“Hey, Klara!”
I looked up to see a girl wave at me as she made her way to me. We were in a few of the same lectures, and we were both quiet people who loved to read. We’d also been put together for a group project, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I was luckier this time around. I didn’t know about the others in the group, but Julia and I not only got along, but she also made sure to say hi to me when she saw me.
She was three years younger than me, but I was still happy that I made a friend, so campus was a little less boring.
“Hey, Julia. Did you just get here?”
She nodded as she took the seat beside me and started pulling her notebooks out of her bag. We were seated some rows back from the front, just the right position to not be in the first row, and not have too many people ahead of me that I would have a hard time paying attention and seeing the front.
“Yeah, I almost thought I’d be late so I was rushing, I didn’t even have breakfast! I can't believe the professor hasn’t arrived yet; he’s usually on time.”
I checked the time on my phone, and sure enough, it was already time for the lecture to start. There were already a lot of students present, but the room was only half-full.
“Hey,” Julia started, her voice dropping lower. “Do you think it has anything to do with that? The guest speaker that’s supposed to be coming.”
I shrugged. “It’s possible. I mean, the talk is set for tomorrow and they’re only putting the posters up today, so it was probably only arranged last minute, or we would have known something from last week, right?”
“I heard about it yesterday. It’s in the class’s group chat. Did you check it? A lot of people are excited about this! Not that I blame them. You hear and read a lot about success stories, but you rarely ever see the person in real life.”
I nodded absently, playing with my phone. “I’m kind of looking forward to this,” I admitted. “Plus, this should mean there won't be any classes for tomorrow, right?”