FIRST GLIMPSE

She stops the buggy at the top of the crest.  We both get up, taking a look at the valley below. 

“There it is. Lancer. The most beautiful place in the world,” she says.

Damn! That’s something. Breathtaking. Magnifico. Why the hell did Mama ever left?  I wonder what my dandy brother thinks of this.

FIRST MEETING

Murdoch Lancer. What does he look like? Grandfather never said. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.

I walk into the house, my brother close behind. We step inside a large room. Suddenly, I find myself in front of him – the man who abandoned me.

He’s tall, much taller than I’d imagined… and he limps.

FIRST DINNER

Well, Miss Teresa outdid herself, obviously. There’s enough food for an army. It smells good.

It seems she’s taken out their finest china. I wonder if Murdoch Lancer is trying to impress me.

I can’t help but notice that my new brother doesn’t exactly seem comfortable – almost as if he’s never seen so much wealth.

FIRST NIGHT

He said it would have been my room, had I been born here.

I grab one of my books. Has my… father read all those I’ve seen downstairs? I wonder.

In any case, he certainly seems to be a tough man. I bet he never gives an inch. But I’ll show him I don’t either.

FIRST MORNING

Johnny barges in my room, half dressed. He looks like an exuberant kid. He can’t stay quiet one second; he keeps playing with my things. I let him. He amuses me.

Teresa barges in.

“Doesn’t anyone ever knock around here?” I ask.

“Oh, think of me like a sister,” she says.

Johnny smiles, I glare.