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"What?" I ask Mr. Van Lith on the phone, even though I already know the answer.
"I am no longer your guardian. Sometime next week, Ares Kostanidis will come to visit."
"So soon? I thought it would take longer for the judge to authorize the transfer of guardianship."
He sighs on the other end of the line. "We’ve been negotiating for months. Due to the fact that you are of legal age and both Mr. Kostanidis and I have an unblemished reputation, the transfer was a mere formality."
Which means he lied to me. The transfer of guardianship has always been a certainty.
"You said he's coming to New Orleans. What for?"
"You need to get to know each other, but it's important that you remember what I said: no one can know about the change in your guardianship. He demanded secrecy."
"Okay about the secrecy," I say, annoyed. When he uses the word “guardianship,” I feel like a baby. "Although, I can't understand why there's so much secrecy."
It sounds like he’s part of a secret society. Who on earth is this man?
I make a mental note to research him online later. I haven't yet, perhaps because, deep down, I hoped he would give up on becoming my guardian.
I feel my face heat up as I remember my appointment with a lawyer last week. I hid it from everyone. Not even JeAnne or Mr. Van Lith knew. I wanted to find out if there was any way to change my parents' will, if a judge could intervene. I left frustrated when I received a negative response.
"Is there a specific date he will come?"
"I don't know. As I told you before, sometime next week."
"I have my first solo performance in front of a paying audience next week. I mean, it’s for charity, but still, very different from what I’ve done until now."
"Congratulations," he says, making it clear from his tone that he’s not really interested. "It is likely that Mr. Kostanidis will not show up on that day."
"Does he even have my phone number?"
"Yes, he does."
"But I won't have his?"
"Not for the time being. I believe he will provide it to you when you meet."
I notice that he looks out of breath, tired, and I feel remorseful. Mr. Van Lith is very old and should no longer bear the duty for which he was chosen.
After a quick and impersonal goodbye, which doesn’t sound at all like an interchange between people who’ve had a relationship for more than ten years, albeit as guardian and ward, he hangs up and leaves my life.
It's stupid to be sad. He never showed me anything other than concern about doing a good job as a guardian, but even so, I feel abandoned.
One way or another, everyone I live with ends up leaving me.
The other day in my kitchen, I accidentally found some leaflets on properties for sale in Florida. I think JeAnne is thinking about retiring.
Maybe I was born to be alo
Ares
CHAPTER SIX
"I thoughtwe handled everything when we went to New Orleans. What the hell are you going to do in Louisiana?" my brother Zeus asks on the phone.
"We handledalmosteverything. I still don't know her."
We did manage to buy the one percent of the shares we needed, in exchange for me becoming the girl's guardian until the terms of her parents' will are fulfilled.