Evolution Read Free Page A

taken two bus transfers to get there. Then, she’d been so doped up she didn’t even seem to know I was there. I had planned on visiting that afternoon, but it was too late. I never got to say good-bye, and it had been a long time since I’d told her I loved her. I didn’t want to think about it because it might make me cry—and I wasn’t about to do that in front of my new guardian.
    I stood in the middle of the living room for what seemed like a long time, not really taking in in my surroundings. Richard finally broke the silence.
    “Where do you keep your suitcases?”
    I turned and looked up at him. “Suitcases?”
    “Yeah, you must have a couple for when you travel.”
    Travel? I’d never gone anywhere in my entire life.
    “Do you have any boxes?” he tried.
    I shook my head.
    “Trash bags?”
    We had a whole mess of plastic bags from the grocery store. Richard gave me my privacy as I filled seven of them with everything I owned. The apartment came furnished. Except for an old black-and-white TV—we didn’t own a damn thing.
    I moved the bags into the living room. “What’s going to happen to mom’s stuff?”
    “You should go through it, but it doesn’t have to be today. I assume the rent is paid through the end of the month.”
    I nodded.
    “I think you’ve been through enough for one day,” he said kindly. “It can wait.”
    Again, I nodded. But before we left, I entered my mother’s bedroom and snagged her purse. Putting it in yet another plastic bag. Then we picked up the bags and headed for the door. I took a long hard look around the shabby apartment, the only home I’d ever known, then locked the door.
    Richard turned on the radio during the ride across town, which was good since we didn’t seem to have anything to say to each other. I was kind of numb—not really paying attention to where we were going until he pulled off Main Street and drove slowly down a road filled with really big, really fancy houses. A lump formed in my throat as he pulled into the driveway of a three-story house that kind of reminded me of stately Wayne Manor that I’d seen on reruns of the old Batman show. I glanced at the person who was my half-brother.
    “Are you rich?”
    “Well, yeah,” he answered rather reluctantly. “But this isn’t my house. It belongs to my grandparents.”
    My heart skipped a beat. My mother had told me about old Mrs. Alpert. Mom wasn’t a woman to swear, but she’d called her former mother-in-law a bitch. She hated the woman and described her as evil incarnate, whatever that meant.
    “How old are you?” I asked as the car came to a halt.
    “Twenty-six.”
    “And you still live with your grandparents?” I’d planned to hightail it out of our apartment and get my own place when I made eighteen.
    Richard let out what sounded like a defeated breath. “It’s just easier,” he said, put the car in park, and switched off the engine, yanking the keys from the ignition. He looked toward the house and I could see he was nervous. My mom had hated his grandmother. Had his grandmother hated my mom, too?
    “We need to get a few things straight before we go inside,” Richard said, his words filling me with dread. “My grandmother can be rather intimidating. But you’re my brother. You need to tell me if she gives you a hard time.”
    “You’re a grown up. Why don’t you have your own place?” I asked again.
    “It’s very complicated.”
    I studied his face. He didn’t seem pleased about the situation.
    “Okay.”
    We got out of the car. I bent down to grab a few of the bags, but Richard waved a hand to stop me. “Curtis will bring them up later.”
    “Curtis?” I asked.
    “Their chauffeur.”
    “Chauffeur?” I didn’t even know people in Buffalo could have chauffeurs.
    We walked across the driveway and entered the home’s side door. Inside was a pretty big room with lots of shelves and cabinets filled with dishes and glasses, and places to hang coats and stow