Chapter 4

That afternoon, the Albright family’s motorcade arrived on time.

Three black Rolls-Royces lined up in front of our dilapidated village entrance.

Half the village ran out to watch the spectacle.

"Wow, this car must be worth tens of thousands!"

"More than that! Look at the emblem, it's easily over a million!"

The chauffeur, impeccably dressed in a suit, respectfully opened the car door.

Grandpa was the first to scramble in, flopping onto the leather seat, his hands running over the armrest:

"This leather is softer than our cowhide!"

He turned and shouted at the chauffeur: "Young man, how much is this car? Get me one too!"

The chauffeur smiled politely: "Sir, this is a custom model, globally limited edition."

"Limited is good!" Grandpa laughed. "The more limited, the more prestigious! It matches my status!"

Uncle Shane pulled Kevin into the second car and immediately pulled out his phone for a selfie:

"Come on, Kevin, smile! This will be our standard ride from now on!"

Kevin pressed his face against the window, showing off to the kids outside:

"See? Luxury car pick-up! It's all mine!"

Aunt Brenda rummaged through the car's mini-fridge, gasping in surprise:

"Champagne! Imported chocolates! Oh my god, one bottle of this wine is enough for our family's entire year's expenses!"

She unceremoniously opened a bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"Drink slowly," Uncle Shane pretended to caution her, but then reached out and grabbed a handful of chocolates, stuffing them into his pocket.

Grandma and I sat in the third car.

The car was quiet.

Grandma closed her eyes, resting, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest.

"Grandma," I whispered, "Are you really… taking them back to the city?"

She opened her eyes, her gaze calmly falling on my face.

"Lily," she said, "Have you ever seen a monkey show?"

I shook my head.

"The monkeys jump and prance on stage, and the more delighted and ridiculous they are, the happier the audience becomes."

She paused, the light and shadows from outside the window flickering across her face.

"They are performing a show now. We just need to watch carefully."