Page 27 of Easy Steal

Antoni nodded, “I spoke to her yesterday. I honestly don’t think she’s too anxious to come home.”

I nodded.

In a way, it was what Valerie had always wanted.

Travel, escape, and now she got to do that with Ren. The man she loved.

I was happy that my sister was happy, but I had only seen her two or three times in ten years before she fled to Sweden. It was like she was a stranger now. And though I knew she would be in no rush to return, I wished that she would.

Valerie understood me better than my other siblings. She never pushed, never tried to force me out of my comfort zone.

She just accepted who I was.

Antoni was always pushing, with the best of intentions, for me to step up.

Do more. Be more.

And Zarina was my polar opposite. The baby of the family, and utterly clueless about the real world. Out of all of us, she had been the most sheltered.

“So what’s the real purpose of thislittlefamily gathering,” I said, my eyes scanning the mass of humans stuffed into Antoni’s backyard.

“It’s Dad’s anniversary,” he said, frowning.

“Oh, I forgot,” I stuttered, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he shook his head.

Livie looked up at me, her eyes scanning my face for any indication of emotion. But she wouldn’t find it. There was no emotion attached to my father whatsoever.

He was gone, long dead.

And it made no difference in my life.

I was not the son he needed, or wanted, and being as quiet as I was - I made the job of ignoring me, very easy for him. Mum at least attempted to show affection, when she remembered that I existed.

Dad was only ever annoyed by the reminder.

Maybe the cold-hearted non-reaction I had to his death was the only indication that we were indeed related. It was how he had acted, when his father died. At our grandfathers funeral, he didn’t shed a tear.

Didn’t say a word, except for scolding Toni and I for crying.

Toni had the same ability as him, to suck his tears back into his eyes and clear them on demand.

I was not so well trained at the time, and was pulled aside.

“You’re acting like a hysterical woman. Look, even your sister is keeping it together, and you can’t? Cut it out, or go home.”

Mum took me home.

Save the embarrassment of The Family.

Now, I would place a large bet that I was better at it than Antoni.

“Have you seen Mum yet?” he asked, snapping me out of my train of thought.

I shook my head.

“You should go find her,” he urged, “she’s not doing well.”

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