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“I’ve been looking so long for you. Everyone thought you were… well… here you are.”
I can only interpret her statement to mean people thought I was dead. Was I the sort of person who would make people think that?
“This is Henry. He believed me when I said you were alive. He helped me find you.”
I reach out and shake the man’s hand, only realizing after that I’ve got grease all over my hands.
“He used to be a cop, but don’t hold that against him.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Okay. Is there a reason I would?”
Lana lets out a sigh. “You really don’t remember, do you?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I mean, I have a sense that I know you, but?—”
“I’m your sister. Twin sister. Lana.” She hugs me again like she’s worried I’m going to evaporate into the ether. “We have another brother, Elio. He can be an asshole sometimes, but now that he’s married and had a daughter, he’s mellowed some. At least at home. And our cousin, Matteo, works for Elio. He’s like a brother. He’s awesome. Funny has hell.”
I nod. I look at Henry, who’s watching Lana like she walks on water. The sun rises and sets by her. If there’s so much love, why have I been missing?
She looks at me. “How did you get here?”
I shrug. “I woke up in the hospital. I didn’t know who I was, and no one else seemed to know. When I got out, I saw this place, felt I knew my way around cars, and I’ve been here since.”
“Does it feel like home?” she asks.
“I guess. I don’t know.”
She smiles up at me, and I have a sense that the smile gets her whatever she wants. She probably used it on me as a kid. A weird fullness fills my chest. “You need to come home, Lazaro. We miss you. Will you come?”
Henry steps forward, putting his hand on her shoulder. “It might be a lot to take in.”
But she stares up at me with the expectation that I’m going to follow her home.
“I need to let my boss know.”
“Excellent.”
“I need a day or so.”
“We’ll stay in town, won’t we, Henry?” she says more than asks.
“Of course.”
I walk them out to their car, a vintage Aston Martin that feels nearly as familiar as Lana. “Nice car.”
She grins up at me. “When you’re ready, you can drive it home.”
It takes me a few days to get what little affairs I have in order. I don’t get to drive the Aston Martin, but that’s okay because I don’t know where home is except Chicago. I never pegged myself as a big city boy, but I guess I’ll figure it out.
As we pull up to the house, my stomach turns over. I’m a mechanic, living in a studio apartment, mostly eating beans and rice. This house is a mansion.
“This is home?” I step out of the car and take it in. A part of me wants to get back in the car and go back to Lafayette. What the fuck do I know about being rich?
“Yep. It’s big. You have your own space. Everyone is waiting. Welcome home, Lazaro.”
For a minute, I have to remember that’s my name.
Lana bursts through the door. “He’s home! Lazaro is home!”
