Second Beginnings

\"So where should I turn?\" Ryo asked. He couldn\'t believe that he had let Dee rope him into giving him a ride home. Honestly, he felt like he shouldn\'t be driving because he could barely concentrate on the road with Dee just inches away from him. He blindly followed Dee\'s directions without thinking. Dee had picked on his absent-mindedness and smiled to himself.
\"Just to the right up here.\" Dee replied.
\"So how has your life been like?\" asked Ryo.
\"Fine I guess. What do you mean?\"
\"I mean…who are you now? Who is your family, where you grew up, what your childhood was like…I mean, like how did you even become fluent in Japanese?\"
\"Well with Japanese, I took it all throughout high school. I even studied abroad there for a year. I remembered that you heritage was always an important part of your life that I couldn\'t share with you so I wanted to learn it,\" Dee answered. \"Hmmm…with the other stuff, I don\'t know where to start…\"
\"Anywhere. I know nothing about your life now.\"
\"My new family lives in New York. We have a couple of houses in Manhattan.\"
\"A couple?\" Ryo raised an eyebrow.
\"Well, we\'re kind of rich.\"
\"What does your family do?\"
\"We own a couple of hotels…the Lorrington chain…if you\'ve heard of it…\"
\"Hotels…you mean you\'re one of the Lorringtons? All the Lorrington hotels all over the world belong to you?\"
\"Well…my family…sort of. My grandfather started the chain and now my dad\'s the president of the corporation. My older sister is going to take over,\" answered Dee.
\"That\'s really progressive of your dad to entrust your sister with the company.\"
\"Trust me, she\'s the only one capable. She\'s really something. My dad knew my heart wasn\'t into it.\"
\"Did you have other siblings?\"
\"Danielle, my dad\'s side of the family are not that creative with names, is the oldest. She\'s the one I\'ve been talking about. I\'m second and that\'s it.\"
\"And your parents?\" Ryo asked.
\"They\'re both still alive and still together.\"
\"Wow,\" Ryo commented. He looked at Dee seriously for a moment. \"How was it like, to have parents? Your childhood seems completely the opposite you had before.\"
\"It was pretty different. My parents loved me in their own way but they weren\'t really involved. Dad always was really busy with the company and Mom always had these functions to go to and organize. I had nannies until I was old enough to go to boarding school in Boston. I learned to fend for myself. It\'s kind of funny. I remembered thinking here I have two parents but I was so lonely for the kind of affection Penguin used to give me. But don\'t feel bad for me. I still had a lucky childhood. I had all this money now and all these amazing opportunities. Christmases at the Alps, spring breaks in Paris and summers in Tuscany but nothing interested me. I always felt empty…because I didn\'t have you.\"
Dee looked up at Ryo who had been unconsciously staring at him. He quickly returned his gaze to the road.
\"You can turn up here. Now go straight.\"
\"What does your family think of you being a cop?\"
\"Originally they didn\'t like it. They wanted me to apply to college and everything. I did all that jazz and just told them I wanted to defer a year and go traveling before finally going to college. However, during my year off I enrolled in the police academy and that\'s how I\'m here now.\"
\"Where were you going to go?\" asked Ryo.
\"Harvard.\"
\"You?!?\" exclaimed Ryo, shocked. \"I mean, you…I could totally see you there….\"
Dee laughed. \"You\'re so mean! I could get into Harvard…\" He continued reluctantly, \"My dad is on the board of trustees so that helped. But, he\'s cool with me being a cop now. He\'s thinking about becoming a politician so it\'ll be a great angle for him…Just a few houses down. That\'s it!\"
Ryo pulled up and stopped the car. He looked out the window. He was in front of his own building!
\"Dee! Why did you lead me to my place?\"
\"Calm down! I just wanted to see how you\'ve fixed up the place over the years.\" \"I don\'t think this is a good idea.\"
\"Please?\" Dee looked so hopeful. Ryo couldn\'t resist. The two bounded up the stairs into the building.