BXBX NOVEL Chapter 70: Proud
I got out of the Mustang and walked up to the front door, which turned out to be close.
\'I don\'t have keys.\' I thought and I rang the door.
I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from inside. The door swung open, and there stood my dad. He had his hair slightly tousled and clearly he had lost some weight recently. He was wearing a casual white shirt and jeans.
"Jack!" he said, stepping closer and pulling me into a hearty hug. "It\'s good to see you. Come in. Are you hungry? Mom is going to make something for you... Jessica!!
It\'s Jack."
My mom stepped out of the bedroom, looking a bit dazed. Her short blonde hair had grown out a bit.
\'Strange, she always kept it much shorter.\' I thought.
"Hello, honey. I was a bit tired and sleeping; I didn\'t hear you come in." She gave me a casual smile.
My dad looked over at my mom. "Tired from what?"
"And who\'s making the food and cleaning the house?" My mom shrugged lightly.
I started to sense that something wasn\'t quite right.
I looked at my parents, trying to get a handle on the situation. "Where\'s Sydney?"
"She\'s over at Britney\'s house," Dad replied.
"Okay..." I nodded. "Anyway, mom, dad, I\'m here because I wanted to talk with you about the money..."
Mom\'s eyes softened as she glanced at me. "Maybe you want to eat something first? You\'ve probably been on the road for hours. You must be starving."
True...
My stomach was playing tricks on me already.
I managed a tired smile. "Yes, I\'m actually very hungry. What do you have, Mom?" I asked as I sat down at the table.
"There\'s not much in the fridge right now, but I\'ll whip up something special for you. Just give me a few minutes."
Naturally, she only said she did not have much.
Soon, she set a plate in front of me with a smile.
On the plate were crispy bacon-wrapped shrimp with deliciously creamy, flavorful grits underneath, with added milk, butter and cheddar cheese. I was salivating just looking at it.
As I dug in, my parents sat down across from me.
"How did your midterms go?" dad asked.
I glanced up between bites. "Pretty much perfect, actually. I seemed to have made an impression on one of the professors, and I\'ll be taking part in a national competition."
"That\'s my Jack..." My mom\'s eyes warmed with pride.
My cheeks flushed slightly. "Please, don\'t make me embarrassed."
\'I did well in a past life, but not this well. I may not have the need to study right now, but seeing my parents proud makes it all worth it.\' I thought.
I heard the door to my left swing open.
"Hey, I\'m back!" Sydney called out as she stepped in, her bell-bottom jeans swishing.
"Oh! Jack!" She looked at us with surprise.
"I told you he would be here for the weekend." Dad said with a chuckle.
"Ahh! Right, I forgot."
A sudden idea struck me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key to my Mustang.
"Sydney! Catch!" I called, tossing the key to her.
Sydney\'s eyes got bigger. She fumbled a bit, her hands making a frantic but ultimately successful grab. "What was that for!??" she yelled.
"It\'s yours." I said.
"Wait-wait-wait. WHAAT?!"" She froze. She looked at the key in her hand, clearly having a hard time understanding what had happened.
My parents were equally stunned.
"Wha-wha-what are you doing, Jack?" My mom stuttered.
"Are you giving Sydney your car?!" My dad asked.
"I\'m just going to buy a new one... It\'s for her birthday!" I said matter-of-factly and let out a rich, hearty laugh.
Sydney, still stunned, blinked a few times. "Which birthday... my birthday is in September."
"Well anyway, don\'t worry about it. It\'s yours from now on." I said and then I turned to my parents, shifting the focus. "Alright. I think it\'s time we talk about finances."
"Can I listen too?" Sydney quiped.
I glanced at my dad. "Does she know everything?"
"Not about the money you sent me... I haven\'t spent a single cent of it." Dad answered and gave me a piercing look. "You need to explain why you sent such a large amount."
I looked him in the eyes. "Dad, I\'ll say it point-blank... That much money is the very least I should be giving you after making over a million dollars." I said flatly.
The information seemed to have not registered in their minds immediately, and when it did, my mom\'s mouth opened slightly, while my dad leaned back in his chair slowly.
Sydney wasn\'t able to contain her shock. She bolted up to me and gripped my shoulder.
"What did you say, Jack?! You made a million dollars?! How the fuck?!"
My parents didn\'t even bother to reprimand Sydney for her cursing.
My dad\'s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. "Jack, don\'t play games with me. Are you serious?" his voice was low but intense.
"Dad, I told you over the phone that I\'d made retirement money. What did you expect? That you could retire on a hundred thousand? That\'s not how it works."
My mom straightened her back and asked. "What are you planning to do with this kind of money?"
"Of course, I\'ll be investing it further to make even more money."
Her expression grew more somber. "You know that I lost my job, right?"
"Yes. I did hear that from dad," I replied. "How did that happen?"
She sighed. "I\'ve been working at the golf course in Bartow for a few years now... I asked for a raise back in August; they refused, and when the company downsized a month ago, they decided I\'d be the first to go..."
The fact that this never happened in my previous life must mean...
"Mom... what made you think you weren\'t earning enough ? Were the other workers making more than you?" I asked.
She looked at me but did not answer my question.
"Mom... Dont tell me... You feel like you\'re not contributing enough to the family, don\'t you?"
A look of surprise flickered across her face; she seemed at a loss for words.
My dad turned to her. "Jessica... is this true?" he asked her affectionately.