Hey, new to this so cut me some slack. Suggestions always welcome.
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"Call me as soon as you land." Sean hugged me so tight it was hard to breathe. "Go have fun, ok? But please, please, stay out of trouble. I can't help you if you're out of the country." I tried to break free of his embrace, no luck. "I love you lil sis." Sean kissed my forehead.
My big brother and I have been connected at the hip since we were kids. So the thought of going to Greece for five months without him brought tears to my eyes. "Love you too." I tried not to cry. I took my boarding pass out and made my way towards my gate.
"Bring me something back!" I heard Sean shout as I boarded the plane. Going to Greece wasn't my idea. It was a cousin of mine that I never met. He thinks being there will clear my head and help me focus on what I want to do with my life. I guess the family has been gossiping about me again, that's the only way he would know about the trouble I've gotten myself into. Just last year alone I was brought home by the police on 7 different occasions. They were they weren't serious crimes and I was a minor at the time, nothing on my permanent record. This trip is meant to straighten me out.
The plane ride was smooth, I slept the entire time. When we landed in Greece I had no idea where to go. The people getting off the plane walked like they were on a mission, as if they knew something I didn't. Maybe I shouldn't have slept on the plane. I took a seat on a near by bench and figured I should go ahead and call Sean.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answered.
"Hey, my plane just landed. Are you sleep?"
"Yeah sorry, it's midnight here."
"Oh my bad I forgot about the time zones. It's only 5pm here. Do you know where I'm supposed to go once I get here?" I could hear him yawning into the phone.
"Someone is supposed to meet you there to pick you up. Go outside and there should be a car with your name in the window. Call me later, when it's morning here."
"Thanks." I hung up the phone and headed for the door. Sure enough there was a black car outside with my name in the window. An older man, I'm guessing in his thirties stepped out. He was a big guy with a brown pony tail wearing kaki shorts and a white button down shirt.
"You must be Arian." I reached out and shook his hand.
"Call me Ari." He smiled at least I think I was a smile and took my bags to the trunk.
"Get in the car Ari, we have to go." I wanted to ask where, but from the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't going to answer me anyway.
We drove for two hours in silence until we reached a dock with a boat waiting.
"Get out." I obeyed, of course. He walked my bags on to the boat and motioned for me to follow. He spoke to the boat driver and started walking back to the car.
"Whoa, where are you going? Aren't you coming with me? Hey!" He wasn't listening to me. He just walked back to the car like it was nothing. I am not liking this. I feel like I'm being kidnapped! I turned to the driver, who as laughing at me.
"You think this is funny?" God this couldn't get any worst.
"Calm down sweetheart. You don't recognize me?" the driver was maybe forty, his black hair cut short with sprinkles of silver. His skin was olive colored, from the sun I'm assuming. He didn't look familiar.
"Excuse me? Should I know you?" I was scared of his answer.
"Well, I'm an uncle of yours. Distant uncle, but uncle nonetheless." He smiled a loving, fatherly, smile at me. This made me a little more comfortable. So I have Greek in me? My mother is Black, while my father is half Native American and half Venezuelan. Thus giving me light brown skin and curly black hair that I kept at shoulder length. Where the Greek comes in, I'll never know.
"Oh," not really knowing what to say next. "can you tell me where we're going?"
"My place, in Santorini. You will be staying with me and my niece for the next five months. You will help me with all the work that needs to be done." I really hope he doesn't mean hard labor.
