Tragedy

Kevin was out celebrating his anticipated start at a prestigious university. He wasn't sure how much he would see his newfound friends in a few weeks once he started school and everyone moved away. Of course some folks would stick around, but he didn't know if he would. His sister had also gone out with her friends and they met up. Their friend groups didn't line up that well, but his friends liked being around older beautiful girls and the girls liked flexing by getting Kennedy's younger brother into places he shouldn't be.

However, that night a fire broke out in the first floor of their house. Their maid was off for the night. Dottie and Harold were upstairs sleeping after a hard week. By the time they awoke, they were already oxygen deficient and couldn't seem to escape. When Kevin and Kennedy arrived back home, firetrucks were there and Gloria had arrived. She broke the news to the kids as she felt it was her duty as someone who saw them grow up. Gloria opened her already overcrowded home to them. She had a husband, Alexander, six kids, and Alexander's parents living in the same house. However, they made space and blew up air mattresses for Kevin and Kennedy. The two privileged young adults were grateful for the lengths Gloria went to accommodate them. They were honestly impressed with how professional she was for someone who had soo much going on at home. However, they were too shocked to express their appreciation properly.

The next day, Gloria helped them get in touch with their next of kin and a lawyer came. The lawyer had bad news. Harold's family had started fighting over assets, which shocked the kids. Their father came from money, what more could they want? They had counted on staying with their uncle, Harold's brother who was two years older than Harold and had two kids around their age. He had a large house and plenty of space and resources. However, their lawyer said that may be unwise since if he took them in, he would argue for the entire estate as reward and the kids would quickly be running out their inheritance if they brought on a heavy hitting legal team to combat their host.

However, Gloria had been friends with Dottie since Dottie had arrived in the area and knew about her sister, Anita. She had already contacted Anita and asked about keeping the kids. Anita told her she had inherited the family property with a reasonably large house. She had never married but had two adopted girls. Kevin and Kennedy knew Anita and her girls from meeting them once or twice, but that part of the family wasn't close since Dottie had fled home and there was still a rift when she died. All agreed living with Anita was their best case scenario, so Kevin and Kennedy planned to move in with their aunt.

Anita and Dottie's father had died a few years ago and their mother had passed before Dottie left. Kennedy remembered the adopted daughters causing a family scandal, but wasn't sure how accurate her memory was.

Either way, they had two weeks to prepare. Kennedy hardly left her air mattress. She didn't really eat or sleep. She mostly jotted notes in her notebook and played with Gloria's kids since they were on the living room floor and Gloria's two oldest slept on the couch and loveseat.

Kevin contacted Anita about school. He found the uncertain financial situation prevented him from updating his student aid application and his lack of access to his inheritance meant he could not afford to attend the university he intended. Anita offered to front him two semesters if he promised he would make a B or better in every class. Kevin felt confident he could do that, but he was not going to accept that kind of money from an aunt he barely knew and he told her so. Anita understood as she also had a stubborn streak that hindered her from accepting charity. She felt he was making a mistake, but respected his reasons and decision.

Anita had lived in her small town her entire life and their family had been there for generations. She knew folks at Damden College in town. She offered to ask around and Kevin agreed and sent his resume, a high school transcript, and a standard essay he wrote by hand on the back of junk mail that Gloria had in her house. The college was impressed by his grades and grit. With the recommendation by the two professors and one administrator Anita knew, they rushed his application through and accepted him. Kevin couldn't say he was excited, but he was very grateful to his aunt and the college admissions team. The financial aid was undetermined, but the college was willing to calculate that later once some of the lawsuits were settled. He received a Damden College T-shirt and orientation package in the mail at Gloria's house two days later.