Chapter 15
It was surreal. Just a few days ago, they were living their quiet, ordinary lives. Then came Erin–an internationally renowned interior designer- offering to redo their home.
Now. Alonzo, a man who hadn’t taken on a student in decades, was expressing interest in teaching their child.
Two influential figures–untouchable even for the wealthy and powerful- were close friends of Dora, who had only been back for two days.
That was when the Acosta family truly began to see Dora in a different light. For the first time, they understood how she could so calmly accept the truth of not being a Hendrix by blood, and why she could return to this modest home without a trace of bitterness or pride.
It was because Dora’s confidence had never come from the Hendrix family’s status. It came from her–from her own strength and capabilities.
After a long day of travel, Dora was worn out. She showered after dinner and went to bed early.
With the new school term starting the next day, both Keith and Dewey didn’t dawdle either. They took turns bathing and went straight to sleep.
In the living room, only Alberto and Chris remained.
Chris sat in silence for a long time, her lips pressed together, deep in thought. Finally, she spoke, her voice steady with resolve, “Honey, we can’t keep leaning on Dora’s connections. We’re still middle–aged–there’s time for us to give it one more serious shot.”
Alberto nodded firmly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing since Dora
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came back. If we want a better life for our family, we can’t stay stuck in place. Driving for taxi is exhausting, and the income barely gets us by. If
ve want to move forward, we need to start our own business.”
That struck a chord. Chris had been thinking the same thing. “Still, it’s tough to run a business these days. Look at all those small factories–so many have gone under.”
“It doesn’t matter. If we made it once, we can make it again,” Alberto said, pulling her into a one–armed hug, his voice firm with conviction. “Let’s spend some time scoping out different industries, get a feel for the market. A bit of research upfront will go a long way.”
“Alright.”
******
On the first day of school. Alberto dropped Dewey off at elementary school.
Dora attended Ordstead Middle School, a prestigious private school, while Keith was at Yredo Middle School–conveniently located just across the street. The two of them took the bus back to school together.
The main bus terminal was only two stops from their neighborhood. When they boarded, there were still plenty of seats available.
Keith tapped his transit card twice–once for each of them–then led Dora to a seat near the back.
Dora kept her eyes on the card clipped to his backpack zipper, staring at it for a while. This was her first time riding a public bus–and the first time. she’d ever seen a transit card.
It looked pretty handy. Bank cards required a password, but with this, all it took was a tap.
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“Keith, where’d you get your bus card?” she asked, genuinely curious.
Keith paused for a second, then unhooked it and handed it to her. “You can get one at the community service center. But for now, just use mine.“.
“What about you?”
“I can just pay with cash.” He smiled warmly. Seeing how intrigued she was by the card, he figured he might as well let her have a go with it.
“Thanks. Keith.” Dora didn’t stand on ceremony. She clipped the card onto her own backpack zipper.
The bus began to fill up. By this time of morning, it wasn’t just students and office workers–there were also plenty of grandparents on their way to the supermarket.
As the crowd grew, the space grew stuffy. In the sweltering summer heat, the air quickly turned heavy with the scent of sweat.
Linda used to hate that smell–and hated public buses even more.
Keith glanced at Dora beside him. She was seated by the window, her skin pale and smooth, her hair lightly tousled by the breeze. Her bright eyes sparkled with curiosity as she watched the world go by.
For a moment, Keith found the unusually composed Dora… kind of cute. He looked down and smiled to himself, quietly amused.
Traffic was a bit congested, but their bus driver was aggressive and knew how to make up time. They arrived at the school stop in just under forty minutes.
The stop was right in front of Yredo Middle School, but Keith insisted on walking Dora across the street to Ordstead Middle School’s gate.
They weren’t running late, so the two strolled over at a relaxed pace.
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Luxury cars cruised past them, and occasionally a window would roll down with someone calling out cheerfully to Dora.
