Lost And Found, chapter 1
I glanced back at Maria. She had her nose stuck in a book, carefully studying and admiring the vivid-colored pictures illustrated on the slick, white pages. The California palms swept passed my little blue Mustang as I continued down the old road. "Mommy, where are we going?"
"To your Great-Great-Grandpa's old house. Your Great Uncle Joey needs our help to clean it." She wrinkled her light pink nose in disgust.
"Why?!" I laughed.
"Maria, Uncle Joey can't do it by himself. You know that."
"Yeah, because he's old. But why does it need to be cleaned anyway? Nobody lives there...and don't the caretakers clean it? How is it dirty?" I sighed and inhaled the warm California breeze. I still couldn't believe it myself when Uncle Joey called me. I knew something was wrong when I heard his voice. It echoed with silence as he told me that the city was planning on tearing his father's house down. They want to replace it with a Wal-Mart.
A WAL-MART of all things! They barely even exist anymore, let alone carry anything worth buying what with that scam and everything in the 20s...I was 16 when that happened- When the FBI caught the CEO putting poisons in the meats. It killed a bunch of people, and made a lot more sick. Luckily, everyone in my family hated Wal-Mart.
"Mom!" I looked back at Maria and set my book down.
"I'm sorry, dear. What did you say?" Maria sighed. So dramatic for a 7-year-old.
"Why does the house need to be cleaned?" I sighed again and decided to tell her the truth.
"Because...the city needs the plot of land it's sitting on. They're going to tear it down. They told your Great Uncle and Grandfather to get whatever they needed out of it, and since Grandpa is still in the hospital, we're going to help Uncle Joey." Maria looked at me in shock.
"But...but, it's like a museum!" I nodded my head.
"I know, sweetie, but most people don't come around too much anymore. They don't care about your Great-Great-Grandfather's house, music, or legacy. The city is selfish, Maria. They only care about themselves." She shook her head, her brown strands of hair falling into her eyes. The car stopped n front of a big, beautiful, aging house and chimed it's familiar mechanical 'destination reached'.
"Thank you, Mustang. Turn off please," I replied as I opened the door. The car beeped and shut off as my Uncle Joey strolled over to our car.
"Thanks, little niece," he said softly as he pulled me into a hug. "You always were my favorite."
"I know," I smiled. "Because I'm your only one, Uncle." He smiled back.
"Of course. How's your father?" I frowned as my eyes welled up with tears. Maria stared down at the ground, the mention of her dying grandpa always made her sad.
"Not good. He's getting worse. The doctors said..." Uncle Joey pulled me into a hug.
"It's alright, Ciara. I feel it too. I always figured it'd be me first, not Jake." I wiped away a tear with the back of my hand and told Maria to go ahead in the backyard and play. I smiled crookedly at Joey.
"We better get started."
"To your Great-Great-Grandpa's old house. Your Great Uncle Joey needs our help to clean it." She wrinkled her light pink nose in disgust.
"Why?!" I laughed.
"Maria, Uncle Joey can't do it by himself. You know that."
"Yeah, because he's old. But why does it need to be cleaned anyway? Nobody lives there...and don't the caretakers clean it? How is it dirty?" I sighed and inhaled the warm California breeze. I still couldn't believe it myself when Uncle Joey called me. I knew something was wrong when I heard his voice. It echoed with silence as he told me that the city was planning on tearing his father's house down. They want to replace it with a Wal-Mart.
A WAL-MART of all things! They barely even exist anymore, let alone carry anything worth buying what with that scam and everything in the 20s...I was 16 when that happened- When the FBI caught the CEO putting poisons in the meats. It killed a bunch of people, and made a lot more sick. Luckily, everyone in my family hated Wal-Mart.
"Mom!" I looked back at Maria and set my book down.
"I'm sorry, dear. What did you say?" Maria sighed. So dramatic for a 7-year-old.
"Why does the house need to be cleaned?" I sighed again and decided to tell her the truth.
"Because...the city needs the plot of land it's sitting on. They're going to tear it down. They told your Great Uncle and Grandfather to get whatever they needed out of it, and since Grandpa is still in the hospital, we're going to help Uncle Joey." Maria looked at me in shock.
"But...but, it's like a museum!" I nodded my head.
"I know, sweetie, but most people don't come around too much anymore. They don't care about your Great-Great-Grandfather's house, music, or legacy. The city is selfish, Maria. They only care about themselves." She shook her head, her brown strands of hair falling into her eyes. The car stopped n front of a big, beautiful, aging house and chimed it's familiar mechanical 'destination reached'.
"Thank you, Mustang. Turn off please," I replied as I opened the door. The car beeped and shut off as my Uncle Joey strolled over to our car.
"Thanks, little niece," he said softly as he pulled me into a hug. "You always were my favorite."
"I know," I smiled. "Because I'm your only one, Uncle." He smiled back.
"Of course. How's your father?" I frowned as my eyes welled up with tears. Maria stared down at the ground, the mention of her dying grandpa always made her sad.
"Not good. He's getting worse. The doctors said..." Uncle Joey pulled me into a hug.
"It's alright, Ciara. I feel it too. I always figured it'd be me first, not Jake." I wiped away a tear with the back of my hand and told Maria to go ahead in the backyard and play. I smiled crookedly at Joey.
"We better get started."
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