My Brother’s Best-Friend

(SOLANA’S POV) I can hear voices downstairs. Loud laughter and more loud laughter. I turn up the volume of my music and keep my head buried in my Novel. About thirty minutes or more later, Mum pounds loudly on my door and I jump from my bed to open it. ‘That’s really loud, Lana.’ She says in a raised voice immediately I open the door. I walk back to my bedside table and pause my music. ‘I appreciate that young lady.’ Mum says and then steps inside my room. ‘Dinner is set at the table and No you can’t have it in your room tonight.’ She stares me directly in the eyes and winks. I groan. She ignores me and walks back out of my room. Before shutting the door, she pokes her head around and grins ‘Besides, we have something we want to share with you, Now hurry down, Mademoiselle!’ And with that she shut my door. I wonder what Mum and Dan have to tell me. Are we going on a vacation again? What exotic place this time around? Ohhhhh we had visitors! Well I do hope it’s not a baby. I cringe at the thought of that and discard the thought immediately. Mum wouldn’t be indulging loud laughter if she was pregnant. I definitely knew that and so did Dan.My parents got divorced 5 years ago. Dan is my Step Father, he has been for 4 years now and I have been his distant expressionless Step daughter. I do not hate Dan. In fact, I do not dislike Dan. He just reminds me of my Sad life. My parents were already getting a divorce before mum met Dan anywayI met Dan for the first time when he came to pick mum and I up. I was 11 years old when that happened. After my parents finalized their divorce, there was split custody of the children. Mum took me with her and Dan to Paris while Dad and Larry stayed back in Los Angeles (where I was born). I do know that I hated Dan’s guts when I first met him and when I started seeing him around. I later found out that mum met Dan when she went to his firm to get a lawyer for the divorce. But I hate that Mum and I had to leave Los Angeles, my home and move to Paris where Dan was opening a branch for his firm. it is mainly because of that, that I don’t get too friendly with Dan, because he is a reminder. But I do not blame him for what happened because as I said, my mother was going to get meet someone else anyway, since as I said, she and my dad were already getting a divorce. But that was not to say that Dan did not annoy me most of the time. He however was always trying to make up for God knows what, acting Mr. nice all the time and even though it was very annoying, it was hard to get angry with him when he acts that way. Mum on the other hand is just swooned more by all these and consoles us all by saying I’ve always been a loner and so I was fine. Well thank God for her! At least she has a consolation for me, she still can’t find one for my older brother Larry. Larry is intentionally rude to Dan each breath he gets. I put my Jeans on and slipping my cellphone off the table, I go downstairs. My stomach is churning by the time I am close to the kitchen. Smell of Pasta, steak, fresh bread and soup fills the air. I sigh grateful for the Aroma. The kitchen looks livelier than usual. Its not the bright lights reflecting the ceramic, shiny wooden and glassy surfaces in the horseshoe shaped kitchen. It’s a combination of Edith Piaf’s La vie en rose playing smoothly from the inbuilt stereo speakers and Dan and Mum’s giggles. I walk to the dinner table which faces the view of the Eiffel tower. I take the seat beside mum. Mum and Dan don’t notice me at first. They are busy sipping wine and chattering about Mr Laurent who must have been here earlier. Then, Of course, Dan looks up and smiles hugely as if seeing me gave him an instant thousand dollars. ‘Hy, Lana.’ ‘Hello.’ I say simply and pour myself a cup of fruit juice. Mum tugs my cheek with her free hand and makes gurgling sounds with her mouth. ‘My beautiful darling’ She coos and I roll my eyes. She lets go of my cheek and turn to face Dan ‘ Yes, Lana spent the whole day at home as usual.’ I ignore her and begin to help myself to some food which had more of my attention than mum and Dan at the moment. ‘Lana you’re letting the beauty of Paris pass you by.’ Dan says and mum nods dramatically in agreement. ‘That’s not true. I go out often.’ My mouth is watering at the steak. ‘Not often, Mon Lapin.’ Mum corrects wagging a finger ‘You go out a few times and when you do it is to boring museums and art galleries or when I send you on errands or when you go shopping.’ ‘That’s a lot of activities, don’t you think?’ I take in a forkful of hot Pasta and silently groan in pleasure. I decide I have said more than enough and leave Mum and Dan to argue about whether or not I wasted the beauty of Paris. To be honest, I go out fairly and when I do, I don’t take taxis. I take long walks or go bicycle riding in the city. Mum and I just have different line of activities and hers are usually lengthier in duration. Take for instance, Shopping. Now, I have discovered in the few years that I have stayed in Paris that clothes are an essential part of living but mum spends endless hours shopping where I spend way less. She also likes to spend time at the spa or gong wine tasting with the wives of top lawyers at Dan’s firm. She also spends time at social functions. Now tell me why I would like to go for all that? I would rather spend time at somewhere artistic or culturally exciting or reading, cooking or watching tv at home. When it is obvious that I won’t be saying more, Mum and Dan drift from discussing me to talking about any general topic that would not require my participation but a few nods and headshakes. ‘So Lana.’ Mum is twisting her pasta nervously around her fork and Dan is clearing his throat, I assume it has to do with the long awaited big news. Oh lord! Let it not be a baby, even though I highly doubt so. I twisted in my chair trying to balance the tingly feeling I was feeling. She was definitely planning on making an announcement, I just knew it. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Mum takes Dan’s hand on the table and then he squeezes her hand back in return. I wished I could roll my eyes off my head. I cleared my throat. ‘Dan has been invited to one of the most prestigious workshops for top Lawyers in the world.’ Mum squeals lightly and Dan laughs. They both looked so happy. I can’t lie. That is a big one. Dan is very successful career wise, I am not surprised he bagged this but I am impressed. ‘Congratulations, Dan’ I said managing a little smile. Dan grins shyly and raises his wine glass to me. Mum clears her throat which means something else is coming up. Mum seems to be more serious now. ‘The workshop holds for a year and a half….and it’s in South Korea.’ As mum drops the last bombshell, I feel my world go down spiraling in chaos. First I am unsure of what to say. South Korea? In all honesty, I would love to visit there. I’ve heard it’s so beautiful. But it seems so far away, far away from Dad and Larry. Even though, our relationship wasn’t great at the moment I still didn’t like being far away and for such a long time. I am thinking of what to say when Mum raises her finger up. She wasn’t done. ‘Sweetie, I’m sorry but you’ll have to go to Los Angeles for a while, to live with your Dad and Brother. I freeze. Whoa! Where did that come from? ‘You’re not taking me with you?’ Mum and Dan share a surprised look. ‘Um… honey we thought you wouldn’t want to come with us.’ Mum looks surprisingly at me, Of course I didn’t but maybe I would rather go than actually move back to Los Angeles ‘But I don’t want to live there.’ I protest dropping my fork. Dan clears his throat for the 100th time and I tilt my head at him. ‘Lana we would love to take you with us but provisions are being made for just your mum and i. Besides, you can come for holidays.’ I don’t know what to say. Mum still looks surprised. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ I finally ask her ‘I’m surprised, I thought you would have wanted to go to Los Angeles. Thought you didn’t like going all these while because you would love to spend a lot of time there.’ Mum says dropping her glass and folds her hands at me. ‘What exactly is wrong with you and that city?’ I promised never to set foot in Los Angeles after I left for Paris 5 years ago. I was angry that no one tried to stop mum from taking me away. And I’ve stuck with that promise. Not even when Dad’s sister, Aunt Mel got married and mum and Dan went. I stayed back in Paris. Perhaps that didn’t help Larry’s visits either. He used to come a lot at first and then he reduced the times he came and then he started coming to Paris occasionally. Like during thanksgivings, Christmas, Easter, My birthdays, Mum’s birthdays. I got to see Dad then too. He never missed my birthday or Mum’s birthdays. I think he comes for the latter because its an excuse to see me. Dad’s visits are once in a while but anytime we meet, it’s a quiet but cordial time together. He always invites me to L.a and I always decline. ‘Can’t I just stay home alone? I’m quite mature, you know that.’ I say starring at both of them Pleadingly. I wasn’t ready to go back to Los Angeles. I used to be a Nerd back in the day and I got bullied a lot. And then there’s Pete, Larry’s best friend and my childhood love who I might have spent years stalking on i********:. It was all just complicated! ‘I am certainly not living you all by yourself while I flex Seoul.’ Mum says and wriggles her wrists in excitement. Typical. ‘Ohh I’m excited! Mrs Skye suggests we should try visiting Lotte World’ Dan is about to reply her when I slam my hand on the table and mum gasps. ‘Mum! I don’t want to spend a year and a half in Los Angeles. I don’t want to spend a day in Los Angeles. I told you I’m never going back there!’ I stand up and nod at Marie the cook. ‘Dinner was wonderful Marie.’ Mum calls to me as I head for the stairs. ‘Awww come on Lannie.’ I do not respond. I just walk back upstairs to my room and lock the door behind me. I crawl into bed and shut my eyes tight.