Grabbing a bag of mine and stowing it in the trunk of the car, I get ready for the drive to my home. I come from a rural part of Texas and grew up in small-town America. The fields that extended out were a scene I was well accustomed to growing up, and I never really felt lonely from the scene.
Azrael on the other side of the car opens the door and gets in after talking to the pilot of his private jet. Yes, we flew on his private jet. Azrael insisted that it was the least he could do since he was intruding in on my 'family affair' as he called it.
He gets in and the driver pulls out of the tarmac heading for the address of my parent's ranch. He also politely asks the driver to play music from a CD he hands him, which the driver is more than happy to do. Manners really are great, and in somebody like Azrael who is always debonair people are happy to interact with him.
"I never asked," says Azrael as he asks, "but what are your parent's occupation?"
"They're farmers right now," I answer, "but my dad used to be in the military. He's retired and a veteran now."
"Oh," says Azrael as he realizes something, "they might be one of the business partners I deal with if they're farmers."
"True," I say as I realize there could a connection there, "that thought never crossed my mind."
"Do they own a ranch?" asks Azrael.
The car were in goes over a bump in the road but after we're on the highway heading toward the country-side for our destination. The music also starts up. Just some piano music. Perhaps Chopin? It's nice to listen to anyways.
"They do," I answer, "I think you'll like it."
"I can't wait to get there," replies Azrael with a smile.
We continue to talk for the hour of the car ride all the way to the ranch. The day outside is a little past noon as we left D.C. around eight in the morning. It was a calm flight to here in Texas and it wasn't at all stressful. I thought to talk to Azrael during the flight but I fell asleep before I could. And when I woke up he was asleep. So now I guess it's a fine time to chat.
Once we arrive at the ranch, we drive up the dirt road that leads to the farm house that my parents are in residence of. I think my brother and two sisters are home as well. The dark wooden exterior seems to glow in the sunlight of the afternoon, and it reminds of days I grew up here. I'm glad to be back.
"Well," I say as we pull up to the front of it, "here we are."
"It's a beautiful place," says Azrael as he gets out of the car with me, "I've never seen a prettier ranch."
He wears a T-shirt that is quite different from his usual suit with a pair of jeans. Seeing your boss in different attire is strange, not that it's bad. I get to see more of his arms and the outfit compared to the usual suit gives him a more, mundane cuteness. The suit if more winsome, while this is just casual.
"How many ranches have you seen?" I ask jokingly.
"Not many," admits Azrael with a smile.
Pulling our luggage out of the trunk, we say a thank-you to the driver before going up to the farmhouse door. Knocking, I hear feet shuffle over to the door. It opens up and I see that it's my dad who's answered the door.
My dad is as tall as me but his hair is not as dark compared to my dark brown and is a lighter chestnut with white strands. His skin tone also tends to be darker. I get my lighter skin from my mom and my hair color as well.
"Hey! Hogarth!" he says with a smile as he steps forward to give me a welcoming hug. I step into it and he pats his hand on my back loudly.
"Hey, Dad. It's good to be home," I say with a smile.
"It's good to have you home! And with a guest too," he says as he remarks on Azrael, who stands a little shyly behind me, "come in! Come in!"
After I walk in and Azrael does as well in a demure way, my dad closes the door and turns to both of us with a toothy grin.
"So!" he says, and the word booms out of his chest. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Azrael twitch, and think to tell Dad to stop but don't get to as he talks, "this must be the well talked about boss of my son's!"
"Azrael Durst," introduces Azrael as he extends a hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Oh, it's a much greater pleasure for me to meet you!" says Dad as he steps forward in a sweeping movement to give Azrael a hug.
Dad has been a very merry person since forever and is fond of even strangers. Azrael looks rather shocked that he's being bear-hugged by the father of his assistant.
"What's all the noise in here?" asks a voice as my mom and two of my siblings walk in. A sister and a brother of mine; Dia and Mallord.
They see the light-footed man being engulfed by Dad, and two of them crack a smile while the other turns away to giggle. Azrael loons like a kitten being held in the arms of a bear.
"Honey, you might want to let him down so he can breathe," says Mom as she steps forward and pats my dad's back.
I realize now that I look at many of my family members present here that we're a family of giants. Mom and Dad are about the same height, and so is everyone else. Azrael is like a rabbit in a herd of deer, from his height. Or maybe a family of bears.
"Ah, I was just giving him a Fallin welcome," says Dad as he sets Azrael down.
"I never realized we had one of those," says Dia to Mallord. Mallord shrugs.
"But I guess we do have much thanks to say to you," says Mom as she turns to Azrael as she extends a hand to hold one of his and shake it gently.
"D-did I do something?" stutters Azrael guiltily as he pulls back a little, but Mom holds his hand in her iron grip.
"Nothing bad, of course!" she replies as she and Dad start to pull him deeper into the house, "but we are signed to Garner Inc. and the help you provided for not just us but everyone through the recent drought has been helpful."
"Oh! Was it?" replies Azrael politely, and I find myself pulling the luggage of mine and his after them as they head to the living room.
"Nice to see you back here," says Mallord as he helps me in one of the bags.
"Good to be home," I say.
"Have you lost weight?" asks Dia as she gives me a hug.
"I think I may have actually gained some," I say honestly.
"Why did you bring your boss?" asks Mallord.
"It's complicated," I say as we walk into the living room. Before we do we leave the bags near the staircase outside of the room, "Azrael needs to stay healthy, and he tends to overwork himself. It's my job to make sure he's not spending too much time on his job."
"So you brought him here?" asks Dia to which I nod, "Mmm. Makes sense, I suppose. You can keep an eye on him."
Mallord and Dia are both older than me. Our other sibling, Beth, is younger than us three and is probably taking a nap since she just got back from Europe where she went to study. Jet-lag is a mess.
Azrael and my parents have sat down at the couches in the living room while the TV is on with sports.
"It really was no problem," says Azrael as Mom and Dad continue to say thanks about the act of clemency he and his firm did.
"But really, you never find people like that nowadays," says Mom, and I start to get embarrassed as my parents are smothering my boss in praise.
"I heard you're a veteran, sir," says Azrael to Dad, "I'd say thank you for your service, if it's anything coming from me."
"Of course it is!" says Dad as he makes a face with 'duh' written in every corner, "And thank you!"
"And you don't have to call me sir," continues Dad, "not even my boys and girls call me that. Just call me Dad if you want."
Azrael opens his mouth to say that, almost, but then something strange happens. He shudders and a choking noise comes out of his mouth. And I along with everyone can see him pale white as a sheet faster than candle flickering out.
Dia looks over me with a questioning look and I'm just moving over to the couch to ask if he's alright when Azrael talks, saying, "May I ask where the restroom is?"
"Of course!" answers Mom smoothly, trying to not make Azrael any more uncomfortable, "It's out the hall to the left and second door on the right."
She points to one of the entrances that nobody is close to in the room, and after nodding Azrael excuses himself from the room. I swear I see him tremble.
"Did I say something wrong?" asks Dad to me in worry. He's boisterous, but he's caring as well.
"I don't think so," I reply, "nothing you said sounds damaging."
"It might be something that he might not want to share," says Mom, "so I suggest we don't talk about it too much."
"He'll probably feel guilty for causing a stir when he gets back," I say.
"It's really no bother that he's here though," says Dad, "we bought two turkeys and if we don't have enough mouths I'll eat most of it, which will be quite a mess."
"Not to mention we wanted to thank him for the help," says Mom, "it really was thoughtful for him to consider the drought."
"I didn't know that it effected Texas," I say, "why didn't you tell me it did? I could have told him and also thanked him."
"We wanted to tell him ourselves," says Dad, "and you could still say thanks to him. You can never thank a person enough."
"True," I say as I sit down on the couch.
Dia takes a seat as well, while Mallord goes to the kitchen to grab a coke. He asks if anybody else wants one but we all say no-thanks.
"Have you started preparing the meals?" I ask Mom, and she nods.
"Definitely," she says, "don't want to get all cranky from no food being ready."
"We still have to go buy some wine and other drinks, though," says Dad.
"I can go shopping with Azrael. I want to show him around town," I say.
"You talk about him as if you were dating," says Dia with a smirk.
I push her shoulder and she laughs with Mom as they high five. I feel my ears heat up but they leave it as that though.
Mallord comes back into the room. He has no coke with him.
"I thought you were getting a drink?" I ask him.
"Oh, shoot," says Mallord as he smacks his forehead, "I meant to get that, but I met that kid in the hallway, and he asked me to show him to his room."
"What? Why?"
"I'm not sure," replies Mallord, "but he was still a bit pale, and he also looked somewhat...disturbed."
"I'm going to go check up on him," I say as I stand up, "which room did you put him in?"
"The spare. The one Gramma used to sleep in."
I walk out the room, leaving the conversation that is transpiring between Dia and Mallord discussing how he should call Azrael not a 'kid' behind. Going up the stairs, I reach the second floor and walk down the hall to the room in question. I hear noises inside, and knocking, I hear Azrael gasp, before bidding me enter.
Entering in, I see Azrael sitting on the ground next to his open suitcase. He's going through clothes and trying to settle in. His face is also still slightly ghostly but has calmed down a little in color.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I walk over, and what hurts is that Azrael seems to move away from me slightly.
"Yes! I'm alright!" he says unconvincingly, as he stands up and pulls a step away from me.
"You're pale," I point out as stop in front of him. He looks down at the floor.
"I...I think I'm just tired, from traveling," he say as he looks and tries to explain his strange behavior.
"Are you sure? Nothing else is wrong?" I ask to confirm, "If something is bothering you, you can tell me."
"I'm sure, Hogarth. Thank you for your concern."
"Was it something my father said? He was wanting to know if he did something," I offer as I point with a thumb behind me.
"No!" says Azrael as his arm flies out and grasps the raised arm of mine.
"Err...I mean," he says as he draws his hand back too quickly from me, "your family has done nothing wrong. I can assure you about that."
"Well," I say as I realize that I probably won't get anything more from him, "let me know if something is wrong, alright?"
"I will."
I nod, and then walk out of his room, closing the door softly behind me. Starting to walk toward the stairs and to downstairs, I'm stopped by the sound of a body slumping down onto the floor. I'm thinking of going back to see if he's okay, when I hear the huffs. As if he's scared.
What could have scared him? I don't know, and I don't want to disturb him by walking back in there. Instead, I resort to leaving him alone, and trying to dissect the situation downstairs in my mind to figure out what exactly it was that upset Azrael. Nothing pops out, but I'll have time to think it through more.
For now, I just wait for Azrael to come back downstairs and join me in this room. Hopefully I won't have long to wait.