That week, Jason anticipated every mail delivery that he got, searching for the keys his father had promised to send to him. He had left Ashley's party after wishing her goodbye that first night, and their friendship was flourishing. School was still in session, and although Russ was rude to him, he remained kind and made a few new friends, although he suspected that they were befriending him simply because of his finances. On a Friday, almost a week after the call, he got the keys, tightly wrapped.His mom was downstairs when his package came, and he walked inside the house and handed the package to her after struggling to open it for a while. “Why would dad wrap it so tight?!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.“Well,” responded his mum, using a blade to cut open the pack, “maybe he just wanted it to be safe. Or he shipped it with something else that he didn't want to break. Who knows?”“Nobody but him, I guess. Still it's silly,” laughed Jason, running up the stairs

While Lance continued to yell, the lady asked him to take a seat. “Sit down, Jason. How are you?”“I'm okay I guess. But- did I just hear you say that you are my sister?”“Yes, I am. Is there a problem?” asked the lady, smiling at him.“No, not at all,” he smiled, “The thing is just that you know my name and I don't seem to know anything about you.”“Okay, well hi Jason. My name is Maya, your elder sister. I assure you, there are no more surprises after me. I'm sure Mum and dad told you that you were an only child?”Jason nodded with a faraway look in his eyes. They had told him that he was their only child, but he had early childhood memories of playing with someone. Perhaps it was her. “Did you- did you ever play with me when we were younger? I seem to remember playing with you, but those could be false memories I've created.”“Oh no, we definitely used to hangout, I just left home when I turned 18. I think you were 6 years old then. Now I'm 30 years old, and you're 18. It's tradit

As the sun began to fall and the clouds settled in for the night, Jason wondered if it would be a good idea for him to fall asleep in his new home without anything to wear the next day. He had seen all of the suits in the closet and had decided that he did not want to be all dressed up when he met them the next day. His father had said that he should remain true to himself, and suits were not that. “Paula,” he called, settling back on his chair. “Sir?” she responded, giving a light curtsey in front of him. “I will be back tomorrow. For tonight, I will be staying at my old home. Ensure all is in order here.”As she nodded and curtsied away, his sister walked into the dining room, a magazine in her hand to read. “Did I just hear you suggest that you'll be going home for the night?”“Yeah,” he sighed, “I think I want to spend one more night with my mum, if that's okay. I'm not ready to commit to living here today. Maybe tomorrow.”“We should,” she smiled, nodding her head.He walked

One of the other men who was standing close to the old man came forward, pointing at Jason. “Fake! The family could never give the esteemed ring to a beggar like this!”His clothes would have been considered high quality by someone who had been poor, but these people had only known luxury their entire lives, they had never had to have any true contact with the real world.The old man remained quiet, although he knew the truth, because he was stunned by the realization. Yet behind him, the tension built. A woman walked forward and asked to see the ring, “show us the ring, please.” Another woman did the same thing, swerving through a whole throng of people to get to him. “Show us the ring! If it is not fake and you are confident in it.”Wordlessly, Jason held out his hand for them to see, laughing to himself as the woman picked up his hand and examined the ring, acknowledging that it was real. Her perfume wafted over him the closer she came, and he felt himself getting lightheaded f

Two hours earlier….Jason walked into the store, feeling nervous. He was glad that he had José helping him get in, because otherwise, with that crowd, he would have been unable to get into the store. As soon as he got in, he was floored by a few attendants, who backed away when they saw him dressed in old clothes. All but one left, and she did not pay him any attention. Chewing on her gum, she gave him a plastic smile, saying, “you know this is not a store for average people, right? You can give the next store a try.”“Okay, but I want the best quality clothes,” he responded, crossing his arms over his frame. José was watching him from a distance, leaving him to his interaction, and he appreciated being kept alone to his devices.When she didn't say anything more, Jason looked at the shop attendant. “I said, ‘I want the best clothes!’ ”Frowning at him, the attendant gave him a once over. “I will be calling the security guards to bundle you out of this store, sir. We do not make s