Red Flags (38 page)

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The parking lot to the stadium was packed.
Jason decided on the Raptor to, in his words; make the bad drivers
respect our place in line. I doubted it really made a difference,
but Jason swore the bigger the vehicle, the less likely some idiot
was to jump in front of you. With the exception of a few
expletives, we parked with no fireworks to note.

The line to check in was exceptionally long;
luckily Jason and I had the same major so we would be able to keep
one another company for the forever long ceremony. Chelsea and Mila
came running up and we hugged, jumped up and down, and squealed
like fifth graders. Mila tossed her camera to Jason and we posed
for a series of serious, cute, funny, and sensual pictures. Jason
said he couldn’t handle any more of the sensual shots, and heaved
the camera back at Mila, then took me in his arms as we posed for a
few of our own. The processional music began playing and we took
our places in line to march in to the stadium.

Thousands of screaming, applauding, proud,
and anxious friends and family members greeted us as we made our
way in. I couldn’t have predicted that I would feel overwhelmed by
that moment, but I was, and I had the tears rolling down my face to
prove it. I reached back for Jason who gladly took my hand, and we
made our way to our seats together. As we sat, he brought my hand
up to his lips and kissed it firmly, whispering, “I love you.” I
lay my head on his shoulder and allowed the tears to flow as they
may. For the first time in a long time, they were welcome tears,
and since they hadn’t made themselves known in a long time, I
welcomed them with open arms.

The ceremony was unbearably long. Lucky for
me, I had Jason to hold on to and stare at while the stuffy old
Professors and Dignitaries spoke their words of wisdom. As soon as
the ceremony ended, we made our way through the throngs of people,
hugging, kissing, crying, and picture taking to the loving arms of
my parents, and Ryan. It seemed Ryan was attached to both families
because the Nakamura’s stood side by side with my parents, and
welcomed us with hugs of their own.

The overabundance of picture taking had my
jaw and cheeks burning. I highly doubted that I could smile for
another photo, so I cut them off, after of course, taking a picture
on my dad’s back. We had a picture from my kindergarten graduation
with me on his back, and this photo, 17 years later, would make a
fine companion piece. After my mom’s tearful, “have a safe flight…
call me as soon as you land… have a good time…” I turned to my dad
who was much more composed with his see you laters.

“Just have a good time,” then turning to
Jason, “take care of my baby girl and get her back here in one
piece.” He was stoic as ever, but reached his hand out, and
actually pulled Jason in for one of those half-hearted man hugs. My
mouth dropped, but my cheeks warmed as I saw my dad and Jason
actually embrace. It was a sight for sore eyes because I couldn’t
recall a time that my dad had been openly accepting of a guy that
I’d brought home.

Jason patted my dad’s arm and answered,
“You’ve got my word, Sir.”

I blew a kiss to my dad, and waved goodbye to
my mom as we strolled away, hand in hand, glancing at one another
with smiles of admiration marking both of our faces. Although the
trip ahead would be a short one, I felt like I was crossing an
unforeseen threshold in life, and the thought excited and terrified
me all at the same time.

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The three hour non-stop flight into the
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport would have felt
excruciatingly long had it not been for first class, and Jason’s
big, warm body to rest on. Chelsea and Hunter decided to take a
later flight, so that she could spend some time with her
grandparents who had flown in from Florida. I didn’t mind the alone
time, because I knew Jason wasn’t thrilled about vacationing with
her, and I wanted to soak up every inch of him before we were
surrounded with all of his family and all of Heath.

Walking hand in hand, following behind the
cattle line of people making their way to the baggage claim, I
spotted a sharp man in a black suit, holding a sign that read:
Bradley & Pinkston
. Jason looked down at me and smiled,
while pulling me closer to the man. They obviously knew one another
because the man tipped his hat at Jason, then gave him one of those
man hugs that I had grown accustomed to. Jason introduced me, and
introduced the man as Richard. I nodded my head and gave a polite
smile, never letting go of Jason’s hand. The amount of drawl in
Richard’s voice had me slightly chuckling, and mildly embarrassed
by it. We made our way to the car and after weaving in and out of
horrendous airport traffic, Jason finally relaxed in the back seat
with me.

“How long until we get to your parents’
house?”

“It’s a little under an hour’s drive, so kick
back and relax.”

I took my cell phone out and started snapping
photos of the highway, the metropolis that was Dallas, and anything
else that caught my eye. Jason let out a deep sigh, and threw his
head back on the headrest.

“Or not.” He mumbled sarcastically.

“Believe it or not, I’ve never been to Texas,
so I want to document every inch of this.”

He didn’t argue, and I continued snapping
away. My photography session didn’t last long and I found myself
falling asleep in Jason’s lap as he massaged my head. The drive
could have been as long as the flight for all I cared; when he got
his fingers in my head, I felt like the stresses of life just
melted away.

Not long into my nap, Jason gently tapped my
thighs and softly whispered my name, breaking me from my brief, but
satisfying sleep. I sat up and caught a glimpse of the white,
marble encrusted sign
Country Club Estates
that bordered the
entrance to the exclusive neighborhood. The homes were an
impeccable display of wealth and class all rolled into one. The
magnificently tree lined streets hid towering brick homes,
masterfully centered on no less than acre large lots. The
neighborhood was peaceful, with a few kids here and there playing,
but for the most part, people were just sitting on shaded porches,
talking, drinking, and relaxing.

The Texas heat was stifling, with humidity
that could choke the life out of a beach girl. I stepped out of the
car and immediately felt sweat beads begin to form on my arms,
hands, and forehead. The stickiness that had layered itself on my
skin was unbearable, and I ached to get inside of the house,
pending the use of central air conditioning. I stood in the
circular driveway of a white flanked brick mansion with a large
fountain placed in the middle of a perfectly manicured lawn. The
garage looked like it could house six cars, and that was without
the knowledge of a tandem or not. I took a sweeping view of the
house, the surrounding homes, and the neighborhood in general, and
felt overwhelmed and swallowed by the amount of wealth and luxury
currently bordering me.

My parents live in an upper middle class home
in the San Diego suburbs, and Jason’s home is in an exclusive area
in La Jolla, but neither compared to the richness of the setting
that we were currently immersed in.

“Don’t worry about all this, it’s purely
superficial.” Jason said observing my facial expressions.

I was certainly overwhelmed and feeling
inadequate in the Country Club Estates.

“I’m enamored Jason… Chelsea would be in her
element here, but I’m a bit out of my league.”

He laughed, and wiped his brow with the back
of his hand; obviously the Texas heat was getting to him too. “I
still have a few hours to not have to think about her, can we
please keep it that way?”

I tried to laugh, but my nerves had gotten
the best of me, and sweat began to coat the palms of my hands. I
playfully wiped them on his shirt.

“My mom is a little bat shit crazy, but she
means well, and my dad, well, he’s my dad – a good man, with a bit
of asshole mixed in.” His descriptions of his parents had me a bit
worried, but I pretended that everything was just fine, and made my
way back to the car, sweaty palms intertwined in his hands.

Richard was unloading our belongings when we
walked back and a few other guys made their way out to help.

“Where am I storing ya’ll’s things Mr.
Bradley?” Richard asked, and the more I heard his southern drawl,
the more at home I felt.

There was something about the true
authenticity of that drawl that felt so welcoming, and warmed my
already scorching blood.

‘We’ll be in the guesthouse Rich, and with a
nod, Richard instructed the guys to take our things to the side of
the house that led to a trail where the guesthouse was located. I
giggled slightly, and nudged Jason with my nose on his chest.

“Your drawl has already gotten thicker and we
just got here.”

“I can’t help it, it’s engrained in me.”

Between the driveway and the time it took us
to walk back to the guesthouse, my shirt looked like I’d
participated in a wet t-shirt contest. The sweltering heat had my
lungs feeling like a fire had been set to them, and made breathing
nearly impossible. Sucking air by the time we reached the
guesthouse, I spotted a lake just on the backside. At this point,
the lake might be worse for my condition, but the sight of water
excited me in the most trivial of ways.

Richard opened the front door to the
guesthouse, and I saw that it surpassed the beauty and luxury of
even Jason’s house. It dawned on me that this was why he thought
nothing of his digs back in La Jolla, because where he came from
swallowed that house in comparison. The entry way had large
cathedral ceilings, and chandeliers that rivaled what I’d seen in
most fancy restaurants. Mahogany hard wood floors covered the
ground, and sparkled giving off that just polished look.

Richard led us further into the house,
describing the home’s specifications, but I was in a trance at the
fact that it was someone’s guesthouse, so I missed almost all of
what he said. Jason stopped him after reaching the living room, and
thanked him for his services. I sat on the chocolate suede couch,
and glanced around the room, trying to take in all that my brain
could possibly filter.

Jason opened the slider doors that led to a
large, barren field, stopping adjacent to the lake that only a few
moments ago, I was hoping to find myself indulging in. He motioned
for me to join him, and I peeled my lazy, lethargic, body from the
couch and made my way back out to the blistering heat.

“This is where the gala will be held.
Tomorrow mornin’, this area won’t even be recognizable to you.”

“Well, today, while I can still see it, can
we please make our way into that lake? My insides are begging on
hands and knees to get some liquid satisfaction.”

“Oh, well, if that’s the case, why didn’t you
say anything?” His eyes drooped low and dark. “I’m always up for
providing you with liquid satisfaction.” The hunger in his eyes
told me if he had his way, I’d be just as short of breath inside of
this air conditioned home, as I was whenever I dared to brave the
sauna that was outside.

“No. Not right now.” His look went from
wanting to deflated in a matter of seconds. “You need to show me
around this house, and then I need to meet your parents. Where are
they anyway?”

“They’re in the main house. I told them I
wanted to get settled in before making our way up there.” He took
my hand and continued to show me around the house.

The living room had an elegant display of
deer heads adorning the walls. Jason said he, Jacob, and his dad
were avid hunters and each of the heads were their very own kills.
The fireplace was large enough to sleep in, but in this heat, who
would want to get anywhere near it?

Going from the living room to the kitchen
hung numerous family photos, some I’d seen before in Jason’s home,
some I had not. The kitchen was an immaculate show of wealth. The
black, marble countertops were flanked with gold specs, leading to
stainless steel sinks, and peppered with stainless steel
appliances. The pristine shine of all surfaces led me to believe
that the kitchen got very little use, but it was impressive
nonetheless.

Heading down a long corridor, we made our way
to two spare bedrooms, that looked like they would fit mine and
Chelsea’s bedrooms combined. The last door at the very end of the
corridor was the master bedroom, which is where Jason and I would
be staying. The sheer size of the room left me breathless, and I
threw my hand over my chest as I caught my breath. The enormity of
the room left me feeling like a small fish in a big pond, and
standing at the entrance, swallowed was the only word that came to
mind.

Jason rolled his eyes, and took me by the
hand, leading me further into the room. “This is nothing out of the
ordinary; it’s just like our room back in La Jolla.” He made sure
to emphasize the possessive part of his statement, still hoping
that if he said it enough, I would go for it. “When I moved to
California, my dad said I could keep my standard of living, that’s
why I said the house wasn’t anything special.”

“Did you live in the guesthouse while you
lived here?”

“Yes.” He restlessly ran his hands through
his hair, “it’s just a house Cara, drop the astonishment.” I
noticed the veins in his neck starting to bulge, and I felt the
thickness in the air constricting us. The distress of being back
home was overtaking him, so I took him by the hand and led him into
the marble encrusted bathroom and started a shower -- hoping it
would ease some of the discomfort that had suddenly crept into his
body.

The shower seemed to have done the trick.
Never in life have I settled for a cold shower because a hot one
would only make me feel even more miserable. The shock factor
behind the cold water loosened Jason up, and without speaking a
word on his swift mood swing, I could see his muscles visibly
relax. We dressed quickly; he said his parents were anxious to meet
me. I remembered how he described them, and tried to psyche myself
up for meeting them, careful to not lose any of my manners. Jason
had instructed me on the way to the airport to use sir and ma’am,
as they were in keeping with Southern mannerisms.