Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“I’m the same way with my mom, I try not to give her reasons to worry. Maybe that’s just what happens when you’re the only child of a single parent. As a kid, I always tried to take care of her, the same way she took take care of me. But then, when she married my stepdad, things got a lot easier for both of us.”
I asked, “When did she remarry?”
“When I was twelve. It changed our entire world. She’d been widowed for eight years at that point, and we were used to barely scraping by. Then this kind, loving man swept her off her feet. We went from a crappy apartment in a rough neighborhood to a huge house in the nicest part of town.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It seemed too good to be true at first,” Devon admitted. “I couldn’t believe this man was as kind and generous as he seemed. But over time, I realized he really was all that and more. He treats my mom like a queen, and from day one he’s treated me like I’m his own flesh and blood.”
“I wish my dad would put himself out there and try to meet someone. He claims he’s too old to date, but he’s only forty-five. He could find someone if he wanted to.”
Devon nodded. “He could for sure. He’s very handsome. In fact, you two look a lot alike. The weird thing is that he looks like he’s about thirty, but you’re twenty-eight. The math isn’t mathing.”
I grinned and said, “People always used to ask if we were brothers. We look less alike in person though, because he’s five inches taller than me. I guess I got the short genes from my mother.”
“I know you said she wasn’t ready to be a mom when you were born, but did she come around later on?”
“No, not at all. After graduation, she went away to college and never looked back. Last my dad heard through some friends from high school, she became a lawyer and ended up moving out of state.”
A frown creased Devon’s brow. “She’s totally missing out by not being a part of your life. I hope she knows that.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have a great dad, and I was lucky enough to have a wonderful Abuela for the first seven years of my life. She was such an amazing woman. She immigrated to the US as a twenty-three-year-old newlywed, and even though her husband died while she was pregnant, she stayed here by herself to give my dad the best life she possibly could.”
“That must have been tough.”
“You’re right, but she was so strong. She was full of love, too. She always acted like I was a blessing, not a mistake, even though I cost my dad his chance at a college education.”
Devon squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry you lost her at a young age.”
“Me, too.”
“Where was your grandmother from?”
“Oaxaca.”
“Have you ever visited it?”
“No. My dad always wanted to take me to meet our relatives and see where his mom grew up, but it never worked out.”
“I hope you make it to Oaxaca someday. It’s a beautiful part of Mexico.”
“You’ve been there?”
“Yeah. I traveled throughout Mexico and Central America when I was twenty.” He looked embarrassed as he added, “And yes, I know I’m totally over-privileged.”
“I never said that.”
“It’s true, though. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities, thanks to my stepdad. He even set up a trust fund for me. I’ve never used it for myself, but I’ve had the security of knowing there’s that safety net.”
That was hard to comprehend. “Really? You have a bunch of money available, but you’ve never used it?”
“It made me feel ridiculously spoiled. Instead, I used the money from the sale of my condo and my savings to travel these past three years. But again, the only reason I was able to buy that condo in the first place or had any savings was because of my stepdad, who hired me at his company and paid me a generous salary.”
“Hey, don’t feel bad. If my dad ever meets a wealthy sugar mama, I can guarantee I’ll let her spoil me rotten.”
He grinned at that and muttered, “Thanks for being so nice about this.”
“Well, yeah, because you’re obviously not some bratty rich kid. You grew up poor like I did, so I know you don’t take having money for granted. And I’m glad you and your mom don’t have to struggle anymore.”
I could tell he still felt self-conscious. To change the subject, I asked him to tell me about Oaxaca. He described it in vivid detail while we finished our coffee and the giant muffin.
Then he asked, “What would you be doing today if I wasn’t hanging around?”
“I assumed I’d be helping my housemates with dinner. Since they’ve got it under control, I’d probably go do some work in my studio.”