Chapter 5 - The Vultures at the Door
I walked slowly to the front door, my bare feet silent on the hardwood.
I didn't need to look through the peephole to know who it was.
But I did anyway.
My father, my mother, and Melissa were standing on my porch.
They looked breathless, their eyes darting around my property as if calculating its worth.
Melissa was holding a store-bought cherry pie, trying to arrange her face into an expression of deep, sisterly concern.
My mother was clutching a bouquet of cheap gas-station flowers.
I felt a cold, terrifying calm wash over me.
For six months, I had been a broken, bleeding animal hiding in a cave.
But standing on the other side of that door, I wasn't the victim anymore.
I unlocked the deadbolt and slowly pulled the door open.
I kept the heavy brass chain securely in place.
The gap was only three inches wide, just enough for us to see each other.
"Claire!" my mother gasped, trying to push the door open, but the chain held firm. "Oh, honey, open up! Let us hug you!"
"What do you want?" I asked.
My voice was flat. Empty. Devoid of any warmth or recognition.
My father cleared his throat, adjusting his expensive tie.
"Claire, sweetheart, we've been so worried about you. You've isolated yourself for months. It's not healthy. We saw the news today, and we knew we had to come intervene. Family is here for you."
"You were worried about me," I repeated, tasting the sheer audacity of his words.
"Of course!" Melissa chimed in, holding up the pie. "I brought your favorite! We just want to sit down and catch up. It's been way too long."
"It's been exactly six months and twelve days," I said staring directly into Melissa's eyes.
"Since the funeral."
They all flinched, but quickly recovered their sickeningly sweet facades.
"We know, we know," my mother said, waving her hand dismissively. "It was a misunderstanding. But we're here now. Let us in, Claire. We need to talk about your future."
There it was.
Your future.
They didn't see a grieving mother standing behind a chained door.
They saw a walking, breathing lottery ticket.
"Say what you came to say from out there," I replied, crossing my arms.
May you like
My father looked around nervously, checking if the neighbors were watching.
"Claire, don't be ridiculous. You can't leave us standing on the porch. We have business to discuss. You've come into a substantial amount of capital, and you need guidance. You need your family."
