1 – The Party (1)

 

Jake stared up at Callahan Mansion, stomach prickling. It was massive. Larger than any house he had ever seen. One person owns this? Jake expected Jefferson to be different from California. But living here had been an endless stream of culture shock. He considered himself a person of strong morals, and Jefferson never failed to reveal something that went against them.

“What do you think?” his father, Will, asked.

“Does he let homeless people live here?” Jake asked.

“Maybe if they paid him rent.” With a chuckle, Will opened one of the double doors, and Jake followed him inside.

The foyer was brightly lit, and there was an actual directory on the wall across from them. The place had more than enough amenities. Will pointed to a spot on the map that read Ballroom. “Looks like the party is-”

“Will!” a fifty-something year old man appeared with a younger woman on his arm. He had balding gray hair, and wore a suit over his plump frame. The woman had long, auburn hair and wore a blue dress with ruffles and frills, along with a bored expression. The man shook Will’s hand, beaming. “It’s great to see you, after so long.”

“You too.” Will turned to Jake. “Jake, this is Barry, the owner of the house. Jake tried not to scrunch his nose at Barry’s extended arm. This man stood for everything he hated. But out of respect for his father, he shook his hand anyway.

On their way to the ballroom, Barry asked Will how his large pizza chain was doing, after all those new health and labor regulations. It was one of the reasons his father wanted to leave California. He kept losing business there.

They soon approached the ballroom, and walked inside. Benches and chairs were propped against the walls, but the middle of the room was free for people to roam and chat. Will asked Barry about his own business, running Callahan Mansion, which led to Barry boasting about his genius idea to charge hotel guests to use the pool. Christ, he was obnoxious.

Barry glanced over at the woman on his arm. “Oh, I forgot to introduce my wife!”

How could he forget his wife? Then again, the woman had kept to herself the whole time. Jake almost forgot about her too.

Barry put his hand on his wife’s lower back. “This is Stellaluna. Stellaluna, this is my old friend, Will.”

“Nice to meet you,” Stellaluna said flatly. Jake guessed she didn't want to be there either.

Barry’s eyes landed on him, like he was ready to drag Jake into superficial small talk. “You've grown a lot since I last saw you. You were only a little baby then. How old are you now?”

“20.”

“20?!” Barry glanced at Will. “Has it really been 20 years since we last saw each other? I could’ve sworn it’s been 10!”

“Nope, 20,” Will said.

“20. I bet you’re looking forward to taking over your father’s business.”

Not really. But Jake knew it was important to his father. And he’d always felt a need to please his father, ever since his mother left when he was a kid. So he just nodded.

A woman in a black shirt and a matching skirt walked by, carrying a tray of brown, glass bottles with a company logo on it that said “Hendi.” Barry and Stellaluna took one each. Stellaluna tilted her head back, and chugged it. The action surprised Jake. He expected a dainty sip from her.

“The Henderson brothers gave me crates of this for the party.” Barry said. “They’re testing out a formula for peach flavor.”

Will and Jake grabbed one, and the waitress moved on. The caps had already been removed. Jake peered inside. Whatever it was, fizzled. Was it safe to drink? Stellaluna had no problem downing it. Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a death wish.

“It’s soda,” Will said to him. “Try it.”

So this was the mysterious beverage banned in California. His father often talked about how he missed it. Jake took a small sip. The fizzling sensation assaulted his mouth, and it was sickeningly sweet. He tried to force it down, but it came right back up.

All over the floor.

Barry laughed. Will covered his face. Stellaluna actually smiled.

Flushed, Jake apologized and grabbed a handful of napkins on the table next to him. He crouched down to wipe it up, but Barry stopped him. “No need for that!” Barry pointed to the nearest worker. “You, clean this mess up.”

He was dragging someone else into this? “I can do it myself-”

But the worker was already on his hands and knees, rag in hand. All Jake could do was apologize. The worker barely acknowledged it. Were workers here allowed to accept apologies? He supposed he should be grateful Barry wasn't upset.

“I take it you didn’t like it?” Will asked, while Barry laughed again.

How much sugar was in that? Bottle still in hand, Jake searched for a Nutrition Facts label. There wasn’t one. “It should be illegal.”

“That good, huh?” Barry grinned. “The Henderson’s should be here any minute. They’ve got a beautiful younger sister your age. Like Stella here used to be.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “Remember those days, dear?”

“Mm-hm.” Stellaluna’s face had returned to its blank state. Like she had long stopped caring about anything. Somehow, her disinterest sapped Jake’s energy. He looked over at his father and mouthed, I want to go home.

Later, his father mouthed back.

 

~~~~~

 

On the other side of town, Sebastian reluctantly followed his parents, Waylon and Celine, towards the front door of their spacious house.“Do I really have to go?” he asked.

“Yes, you do.” Waylon said as he opened the door. “I plan on announcing to everyone that I’m running for governor. You being there will make things look better. Especially after that scandal you caused.”

That “scandal” was seven years ago. One would think people would have forgotten about it. But he knew there was truth in his father’s words. Sebastian reluctantly followed him down the front steps, towards the driveway. “Who cares what a bunch of rich snobs think.”

“Those rich snobs will vote for me if they think we’re a loving, happy family.” Waylon made his way towards his car, Celine walking behind him. Sebastian remained stopped.

Waylon turned around, waving his hand. “Come on!”

“But I don’t want to.”

“Stop whining. You sound like a little kid.”

“Because you’re treating me like a little kid! I’m an adult. Legally, I can do what I want.”

“And since you’re an adult, I can legally kick you out. Now move!”

As much as Sebastian wanted to move out, he didn’t have a job to pay rent. So he groaned as he walked over to the car. He climbed into the backseat. Waylon sat in the driver’s seat, and Celine in the passenger’s. Waylon entered the address of Callahan Mansion into the car’s GPS screen, and the car drove off.

They hadn’t even reached the freeway when the car starting thumping, and pulled itself over. Waylon muttered several swear words before getting out of the car to investigate. Then, he opened the driver’s door to give Sebastian and Celine an update.

“It’s definitely a flat. Sebastian, be a man and help me fix it.”

Sebastian knew nothing about cars, but got out to help anyway.

The front passenger tire was completely flat. “There should be a spare in a compartment in the trunk,” Waylon said. He popped the trunk, and they peered inside.

There was a flap at the bottom of the trunk. Waylon lifted it, revealing a large, empty space where a spare tire should be.

“What happened to our spare?” Waylon glared at Sebastian as though he had planned all this.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you steal it? Don’t lie to me.”

“No! Why would I steal a spare tire?” It was more likely the car hadn’t come with one, and Waylon never bothered to check when he bought it. But his father was in a bad enough mood, so Sebastian kept the thought to himself.

“Damn it!” Waylon slammed the trunk shut. “We’re gonna have to get it towed to a mechanic, and wait for them to fix it. God knows how long that’ll take.”

Sebastian tried not to smile at his luck. He and his father got back into the car. Waylon tapped a “request tow truck” button on the car’s screen, and followed the instructions. Hopefully it would take a long time to arrive. He’d rather spend all day waiting for a tow truck than go to that party. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder what he was missing.