Bloodline

The sound of my fire alarm wakes me from my hibernation. As I regain consciousness, my senses arouse. The smell of smoke hits my nose sending me into a panic. I jolt up from the couch, that was my safe haven, to see a large fire engulfing the noodles on the stove. I grab the fire extinguisher hoping that it still works, and to my relief, the white foam smothers the flames in seconds.

After the excitement dies down, reality sinks in. “There goes dinner,” I whisper to myself remembering that was the last pack of ramen. My back slides down against the dirty wall that was white in a past life. I try to divert my mind to happy thoughts, but I know my attempt has failed as I feel a tear roll down my cheek. “I wouldn’t be living in this dump if mom was still here,” I sob. Although I love my aunt and uncle, growing up without my parents has not been easy. My mom, Avery, died many years ago, but the fact that she was not able to witness the most important parts of my life makes me tear up every now and then. My father was not in my life not because he died, which would have been the better option, but because he ditched me to go live with his secret family. So, I ended up with my Uncle Nelson and his wife Jade for most of my childhood. My maternal grandfather would help with the burden that I was for them; although they claimed I never was, their stressed lines and gray strings claimed otherwise. I have always been truly grateful for my grandfather’s support, although he was very distant and would rather write checks then spend time with me. However, that source of income was cut off after he died from a heart attack two years ago. So now it has just been me, Uncle Nelson, and Aunt Jade struggling to get through these last two years of college. 

Suddenly, my cell phone vibrates, forcing me out of my moment of reminiscing. I shake out of my self-pity party and get up from the dusty floor to make my way through the hazy kitchen, where my phone sits on the counter. I look down at the device not recognizing the number. My finger hovers over the red decline button feeling an undeniable urge within my very soul to answer the call.

“Hello?” I whisper trying to disguise my voice in case it is just a bill collector. Surprisingly, a bubbly voice greets me on the other end. 

“Is this Jasmine Walker?” the woman questions. 

“Um... who is this?”

“Oh sorry. Hi, I am Claire Richards. I am executrix of the Caval estate, and I am also an attorney at the Anderson Law Firm here in downtown Napa, it’s not to-”

“I am sorry, but Claire what does this have to do with me?”

“Oh right. So, I first want to say that I am so sorry for your loss. Mr. Caval was a very important member of our community here, and he will be missed. But I am calling to invite you to his will reading tomorrow evening. I know it’s last minute, but all beneficiaries must attend.” I drop the phone down to my side. I have never been more confused in my entire twenty years alive. Where even is Napa? “Jasmine? Are you there?” I hear the barely audible voice squeak from my phone. I quickly bring the phone back to my ear in order to respond. 

“Yes.”

 "So, will you be able to attend?” I quickly glance at the calendar to see that tomorrow is a Saturday. I had made plans to study, already knowing I will not follow through on it. With nothing on my agenda and enough SkyMiles for a free plane ride, why not. I mean if I am invited, I must be getting something out of this will, I think to myself. A sense of adventure runs down my spine, “Yes, I’ll be there,” I shout a little too over the top. 

“Alright Ms. Walker, I will send you the information. We will see you at the manor.”

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No longer regretting my decision to take an Uber, I feel my eyes starting to get heavy on the car ride over from the airport to the manor. I hardly got any sleep last night due to my intense research on this “Mr. Caval” guy who’s name I first heard of less than 24 hours ago. Plus, I would have been too nervous to drive anyway. I do not know exactly what to expect, but thanks to Google I think I have a bit of an idea: 

If I am correct, his name is Leonard Caval and his family originated from France. they moved over to America during WWI to find refuge and became comfortable here. His father, named William, and his Uncle Floyd, started a wine company, which I had heard of till today, and some other side business. William met Leo’s mother, Penelope, at a cricket game and the two were married a couple months later. They had some children, but Leonard was the only one who made it to adulthood. Information on his adulthood started to get a bit choppy, but I found out that he married a woman named Willa Graves, who died a couple of years ago. They had two children, but only one was listed, Daphne Caval. Hopefully, she is there today, and I will get a chance to meet her. Maybe the family knew my mom or grandfather, hence the invitation. I guess I will find out. 

As I finish wrapping my head around the information I found last night, my driver pulls into the driveway of the large manor. The gate opens to let us in after showing the security guard my emailed invitation. We continue to drive for what seems like hours, passing the rose garden, the vineyard, and the stables, until we see the massive brick home.

“Wow!” Me and my driver say in unison, astounded by the estate. He parks the car right at front, and I start to feel the butterflies flutter in my stomach. I slowly get out of the car. I can feel the eyes of the staff eyeing me up and down. Putting my fear of the unknown aside, I confidently knock on the door. It is not long after a tallish man wearing a suite answers the door. What am I in a batman film, I think to myself? 

“Welcome to Caval’s Manor, and you are?” He says with this proud accent.

“I am Jasmine Walker… will you need to see my I.D or something?” I question, not knowing how this works.

I see a brief smile come over him, but it fades quickly as he moves out the doorway to let me enter. “That won’t be necessary Ms. Walker.”

I walk in with as much class as I possibly can, because from the looks of those expensive cars outside, they must belong to classy people. However, my second of sophistication quickly vanishes as I hear the chatter around the room.

“Who is that colored girl?” A man sneers to his small circle before ending his remark with laughter.

“I think she has the wrong house?” A woman in her mid-fifties replies, her two children in her shadow. 

I began to shake with embarrassment. Maybe I am the wrong Jasmine Walker. I decide to turn around and leave, but with all the unneeded attention I forget how to get back to the entrance. 

“This place is huge,” I say to myself. My words get trapped in my throat as I try to hold back the tears. I thought that maybe these people could have been the answer that I was looking for. The step in the right direction about who my mom really was. I felt for just a second that this was it, but I was wrong.

I see a narrow hallway with a door at the end of it which seems like the best possible option to escape this dreadful turn of events. When I reach the door, I knock and hear no response. I slowly turn the paint chipped doorknob and am greeted with an array of spider webs. “Nice,” I whisper in horror. Normally, that would have been my turning away point but I would gladly deal with these spiders than those snakes in the room next door. The small window lets in enough natural light for me to take in my surroundings. I see that there is not much in the room besides a wooden desk and chair that both have probably given a couple splinters in its lifetime.    

I take my phone out of my purse looking for reception, so I can call a car service to pick me up. After a couple of moments, I finally get one bar, but I lose it even quicker.

“Dang it!” I yell slamming my left hand on the desk. “Oh… that hurts,” I wiggle my fingers making sure that none is broken. As I try my phone again, I realize that one of the desk drawers had opened when I slammed my fist. I turned my attention to the drawer, knowing that I had nothing better to do since there was no luck for connection. I take it completely out of the socket and start to go through it. There are some cigarettes. I don’t smoke. A bottle of whiskey. Eww! As I go to put the drawer back into the desk, I feel a stack of papers tapped underneath the base of the drawer. It appears that these were secret letters and by the looks of it, they were supposed to stay that way. I straighten out the papers, so they are eligible for me to read, realizing that these are letters. I read the first one aloud, “‘Dear Ivy.’ Aw! Is this a love letter? ‘I thought you looked beautiful…’ Yep! It’s a love letter. Okay let’s try this again” ...

Dear Ivy, 

I hope you get this letter. I thought you looked beautiful in that navy-blue polka-dotted dress earlier when you were serving us lunch.

Leonard Caval

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Oh, the dead guy wrote this. I continue to read more…

Dear Mr. Caval, 

Do not fear. I have received your letter, and may I say, it made my day. So, may I say thank you.

Ivy Campbell

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Dear Ivy,

You can call me Leo, and I should be the one saying thank you. For my eyes have never been so blessed. Please meet me at the vineyard tomorrow night at midnight.

Leo

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Dear Ivy,

These past few nights at the vineyard has been so amazing. I have not known such happiness could be felt. I would rather gaze at the stars with you every day than to receive a penny of my father’s fortune.

Leo

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Dear Leo, 

You may learn at the university, but you speak as if you are a fool. Don’t let the idea of us ruin your future. 

Ivy

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Dear Ivy,            

That is the problem, we are only an “idea.” Why may I not hold your hand in the street? Can I be your husband and you my wife? Or are you too embarrassed by what the public would say or what they will do? I don’t care, I want to be with you. We have done things at the vineyard, that I can never tell anyone, but I am tired of being afraid.

                                                                                                                                   Leo 

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Dear Leo, 

Why do you rumble for hours? Why do you speak of a future that is unknown? What are you not telling me? This must come to an urgent stop, Meet me at the pond at midnight.

Ivy

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Dear Leo,

My heart is entirely broken after hearing that you must marry Ms. Willa Graves, which means that our love must come to a complete end because I refuse to be your mistress.

                                                                                                                                   Ivy

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Dear Ivy, 

I, of course, would never ask that of you. But I will ask you to leave this place behind and run away with me. We can go up to New York, where we will be accepted, and our deeper wish will come true. Don’t worry, I have a couple of thousand dollars saved, until I find a job. Just please meet me at the barn, I have found a priest in town who would be happy to marry us, tonight.                                                                 

Leo

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Dear Leo,

My heart leaps for joy at the fact that I am now your wife, I am now Ivy Caval! It may be un-lady like, but may I yell it from the rooftop. But may you answer just one question: When do we leave for New York?

Ivy

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Dear Ivy, 

I felt the same way you have, but I regret to tell you that my father has seen your letter before I have, and now everything has gone wrong. My parents are having our marriage annulled, Willa is angry most of all. The whole house is in chaos, and I am about to be thrown out of the university. Please write back, so I know you are okay, but I am afraid you won’t get this because there will be a new help in your place.                                                                                                                        Leo

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Dear Leo,    

I know it's been three months since we have last seen each other. But a lot has changed, I saw in the paper that you married Ms. Graves. I believe congratulations are in order. But more importantly, I am expecting our child, please do not stress. I have met a man by the name of Phillip Boyd, he is a man of my color, and does have a little money. He works as a coal miner in West Virginia but was visiting here. I plan to go back with him in a month's time.

Ivy

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Dear Ivy,

If what you have told me is true, about you expecting. I am very happy; my parents will be pleased with the announcement of a grandchild. I know this is personal, but Willa cannot have children. We plan to visit the orphanage to bring another generation to my family. But when you have given birth please come back to visit, you can prove that I am the child’s father. You may live back in here with me and we may be a family.

Leo

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Dear Leo, 

The fantasy you have sold sounds promising, and I would have bought it. But you are now a married man, you have new responsibilities. I am happy with Phillip, even though he may be older.

Ivy

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Dear Ivy,

I hope you are enjoying yourself in West Virginia, if I timed it right you should have given birth to the baby! I hope you are all healthy. As I wrote to you earlier about the orphanage, we adopted a 1 year old by the name of Daphne.

Leo

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Dear Leo,

You are correct, I gave birth to a little girl, Avery, she reminds me of you very much. I would love for you to meet her, but it is too risky, I have told Phillip he is the father and I don't want him suspicious of you coming around. And with that said this will be the last letter I will ever write to you, for its time to start our new lives, and leave our old one's behind.

                                                                        Ivy Boyd

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My heart drops after reading the name Avery, because that was my mother's name. Which means that Leo Caval is my real grandfather. I start to close the drawer when I see two letters stapled together. I can tell that they are newer than the previous ones, and by the looks of it, it was probably typed and printed. I begin to read them...

Dear Ivy,

I have just learned of your passing and have no intention to send this out. If I knew the last time I would see you would be at that dirty pond, I would have enjoyed every second. Even though your death has brought much sadness to me, it has brought even more happiness. For the first time, I have received a phone call from Avery. The words were not spoken, but both of us already knew who the other was. 

                                                                                                                         Leo

Dear Ivy,

I visited our daughter, Avery, and when I look at her, I see you. She is doing extremely well. She is currently in her sophomore year of college and engaged. Even though I have known her for about a month, it feels like a whole lifetime. But I plan to take care of her for her lifetime, which is why I am currently in the process of changing my will. I will give everything to her, everything to our bloodline.

Leo

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I grab all the papers, without giving myself time to digest what I have just read. I frantically run down the hallway finding my way back to the reading. A man and a woman sit at a table in the font of the room; all eyes are on them. The man holds the envelope, and I recognize that the woman is Claire Richards, whom I spoke over the phone. Without any remorse, I begin to shout, “I am the bloodline!” Everyone looks at me with disturbance written all over their faces, but I do not care. “Check the will!”

I sit down at any empty seat, as Claire takes the envelope from the man, and opens it. She unfolds and reads the words that Leo Caval has left behind, “‘I leave everything to my dear daughter Avery, and her daughter Jasmine Walker, my bloodline.’”