5-24-25

 It's fucking 3 am. I can't sleep. Dad and Uncle George called me in to talk. They sat me down in the damned wingback chair where I know far too many men have wept. I heard them. Through the heaviest oak doors on the planet, I could hear grown men weep. 

So, there I sat. And they asked me why I wasn't getting ready to leave.

I told them about Nathara. Leaving me. 

They looked at each other. Like they knew. They knew something. 

They waved it off. "Son, Nathara has her own path. College was a good time. We all have a good time in college. Then we have to grow up." 

Uncle George interjected at this point. "Yeah, take on the adult responsibilities." 

I had no idea what to say. I think I fumbled for a solid minute before I finally asked what they meant and why they had cornered me. 

"Whoa," Dad said. "We're not cornering you son." 

"Well," I was yelling at this point, "what do you call this?" I waved my hands around. 

George poured us all a glass of brandy and handed me one. He sighed. "I suppose I could tell it to you like this. We're here, right now, because we are a part of something bigger. You know this. You've seen it." 

The brandy was so sweet, it was sticking in my throat and I could barely talk. I just nodded. 

"Good. Your role is pivotal. We are reaching the end of an era." 

So, right there. He was reaching for words. Era seemed like a stretch. Like not quite what he wanted to say. There was something else. 

I cleared my throat and asked him, "era? What do you mean by era?" 

He was getting clearly frustrated and rubbed his temple. 

Dad sat down at the desk. "Era. As in this era of power is going to climax and end. And many will not make it through. But our family will. Our family will begin a new era." 

"What about Nathara?" 

George was pissed. I swear he snarled at me. "Fuck her." 

Dad tapped the table. "Jake, we need you to get your shit together and head up to NYC and plan on getting to work. We have investments to be protected. And that's your job." 

"That's always been Riley's job. Is she leaving?" 

Him and Uncle George exchanged this look. This shady ass look that said more than any of the lies that had come out of their mouths. 

"No, we have ....off shore investments that are being investigated." 

I have no idea what he is talking about. Off Shore. Look, to be honest, I barely paid attention in any of these classes. I'm still trying to figure out how I graduated. This is beginning to clue me in. 

I agreed to pack and head out in a couple of days. But ...is it me, or does something feel off?