"Wake me up when we get there." We had be driving for half a day at this point. We already listened to both our road trip playlists; We drastically underestimated how long this would take. I curled up in my seat as I yawned when I saw that there was plenty of highway in front of us.
"You're really gonna leave me here all alone? That's no fair!" The roads were so smooth that the ride felt like flying. I remember hearing how most of the city really transformed only a decade ago. "New job in a new city and not even my own sibling wants to keep me company." The complaints fell on deaf ears as I was already slipping into slumber.
I don't know what it was, maybe it was the nerves but the dream I had during that nap was very strange. A towering figure loomed over me, looking down at me. They felt impossibly large and eclisped the sky. I felt a hand on my shoulder but I couldn't make out who it was when I looked at them. The presence felt comforting though, like a guardian angel. Much like an angel they flew up at the giant beast. The ground rumbled and shook underneath me. I couldn't keep my balance as the stranger and the beast clashed above me. I heard a scream and was thrown to the ground but some unknown force.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I was jolted awake as my sister screamed and had to slam the breaks on the car. The seat belt restricted me to my seat as I was jostled. "Are you out of your mind?!" Another outburst as she honked the horn. She looked over and saw how frazzled the sudden wake up call made me. She just motioned to the scene in front of us, a large truck with what looked like five people inside. "Asshole just merged right in front of me right before the off-ramp. Look at that stupid fucking truck, bet him and his buddies are yucking it up in there."
"I didn't realize you were one for road rage," I said as I sat up and got comfortable in my seat. "You said this was the off-ramp? So I guess that means we're getting close?"
"Yeah," she answered before letting out an annoyed sigh. "You're not like, hurt or anything right?" I could tell the adrenaline was wearing off and she was going back to her typical overly protective self.
"I'm fine," I reassured as I stretched out my arms. As we drove I could see the city appear in front of my eyes. It was nothing like back home. Buildings larger than life and so densely packed. A sea of people walking on the sidewalks. "Wow, so this is Oakland? It's.... so much."
"In a good or bad way?" I could hear the snicker in her voice when she asked. I didn't really know right away but I was so optimistic about this change of scenery being what I needed.
"Good way," I said mindlessly as I was still just taking in the sights of the city. I was watching how the people moved as they walked from place to place. Couples holding hands, business people talking on their headsets while drinking take-out coffee, large friend groups taking up the entire sidewalk. I was snapped out of my trance when the truck in front of us sped up to cut a red light.
"Fucking assholes!" The truck sped away, leaving just a cloud of exhaust behind it. I could tell Lupe wasn't taking to this new locale as well as I was. As the truck began to leave our view the sounds of police sirens started to cut through the city soundscape. A local cop car began to drive after them. "Good, hopefully they'll learn a thing or two after having to pay a ticket. How much you want to bet his buddies won't chip in to help."
"Didn't think you'd be rooting for the cops after that pig tried to pin a ticket on us."
"The difference is that I actually wasn't doing anything wrong. They clearly sped through a red light," she defended while straighten her posture behind the wheel.
"You were going 60mph in a school zone," I reminded her bluntly.
"Yeah... during summer break. A victimless crime!" We laughed and soon after we approached the apartment building that we'd be staying at. "This is it, Onyx," it was the most excited I heard her since we got to the city. We parked, got our stuff out of the car and headed into the building.
"I can't believe your job set you up with a whole apartment. What company spends that kind of money just to relocate an employee?" We entered the elevator and Lupe nudged the button for the 27th floor with her elbow as her hands were occupied with boxes.
"I told you they had good benefits. They saw how good I was doing remotely that they wanted me at the HQ," she said with a big smug expression on her face. She deserved it though, ever since she got that job she had been working very hard. I was proud of her but it did inadvertently make me feel like a failure by comparison. I had never even had a job at that point. The job market back home was very dry. After getting rejected and ghosted time and time again I just gave up. "Speaking of which," she said with a soft tone which made me flinch. I knew what this was setting up for. "Obviously I can cover the rent but I would really appriciate help with other expenses."
"Yeah... don't worry, I was just thinking about it." I couldn't hide the expression I made. The worry, the anxiety, the way I felt like a parasite. I didn't want to leech off my sister forever, but what if it's just the same thing here? What if I couldn't find a job?
"Onyx, it'll be okay. We just got here. Obviously I'm not expecting you to have a job by tomorrow. Let's get settled in first." This elevator took forever. "Wow this elevator is taking forever."
"Took the words right out of my mouth." We finally reached our floor. We made our way out and made our way to our door. Lupe put her boxes down so she could unlock the door with the key she was sent by the company. She pushed the door open and quickly nabbed her boxes before making her way inside. We were both very surprised by what we saw inside. Fully furnished, marble countertops, state of the art appliences, velvet red curtains on the windows, and a balcony. This place felt so modern comparied to our parent's country house. I put my boxes down and collapsed onto the couch. "What the fuck, this is the place they gave us? Are you sure you're not in debt to them now?" I joked but part of my mind was genuinely worried this was another scam from a big corporation.
"No," she also put her stuff down and joined me on the couch. "They reassured me that the only thing I'd be paying was rent and they showed me how much that'd be beforehand. It was in our budget!" She sounded just as shocked as I was. "I was really expecting this place to be... smaller. Yeah sure the living room and kitchen are connected but there is so much room here! I could dance, do yoga, host a gathering of peers in here easily." She turned her head towards the doors near the back and quickly ran over to them. She checked them, two bedrooms and one bathroom. "Our own bedrooms... oh wow," She seemed like she was about to cry. We lived in the same bedroom together for at least as far as I could remember. Actually having our own space to ourselves, to decorate, arrange, and use as we see fit. It was a big deal to us.
"I mean, two bedrooms is what you asked for," I said as I hopped off the couch. "It's how you convinced me to follow you out here." I walked up next to her with my arms crossed looking at each of the bedroom doors. "So, which one do you want, left or right?" She looked at me with a confused expression. The question was more or less superfluous as both the rooms were the same size. It was because of her that we were here, so I wanted her to have first choice. She thought about it for longer than I expected.
"The right," she said with a strangely serious expression. Her face would slowly revert to her usual bubbly nature before she wrapped her arms around me for a big hug. Like always she would squeeze the life out of me; she never knew her own strength. "I'll be honest Onyx, I didn't really know how I would feel about all this. Right now though, I'm feeling really good about everything."
"That's good sis," I wheezed, "Will let me go now?" She gave an embarressed chuckle before releasing me. After taking a deep breath I grabbed my stuff and brought it to my room. Lupe walked over to the balcony and put her arms on the railing. I spent some time setting up my computer and putting my clothes away, only to walk out of my room and find Lupe still gazing out to the city. I joined her on the balcony and felt the wind hit me. The sun was setting and creating a vibrate orange color against the city's landscape below. "What do you see?" "Our future. It looks bright."
- Onyx