Unsung Heroes

“Indigo Graham? Your grandfather will see you, now.”
I looked up with a start at the nurse who spoke to me, who stood patiently in front of me, tapping his foot.
I looked at Ash who sat next to me, and my Vovó who sat with her arms crossed, frowning at a spot on the ground, refusing to look at either of us.
Ash took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly, and then both of us rose to follow the nurse back through the halls, passing by many sick patients and beds full of people.
“Jesus,” Ash hissed towards me. “This place is awful!”
I nodded. “I know, and this is private care.”
The nurse stopped suddenly in front of an open door and gestured inside. I could hear the machines beeping and whirring as they worked to keep my Vovô alive.
The nurse walked away, but I didn’t make any move to go inside. It was like everything inside me had suddenly seized up, and I could feel my heart start to pound in my chest.
A sudden hand on my shoulder startled me and I turned to see Ash standing there smiling gently, and he gave me an encouraging push toward the door.
“Babe, he’s your grandfather, and he’s the reason we’re here. You need to do this,” he said gently.
I sighed deeply through my nose, and nodded in agreement. Ash was right; if I didn’t go in and face my grandfather, I would regret it for the rest of my life, especially since flying down here wasn’t cheap at all.
I steeled myself and walked slowly into the room, seeing my grandfather on the bed on the far wall, and felt my stomach churn.
The last time I saw him, he was old but he was moving fine and he could take care of himself. Now? He looked like if he stood up and I breathed on him, he would immediately collapse onto the ground.
His white hair looked almost translucent, and his skin looked so thin that it was like paper that had gotten wet and dried in the sun. He was breathing shallowly and had a respirator on his nose. His eyes were closed, like he was sleeping.
I took a deep breath and sat down on the chair by him, and looked at him warily.
“Hello, Grandfather,” I whispered.
His body stirred and his eyes, glazed over with exhaustion, opened slowly. His head turned slowly to look at me carefully.
“Indy?” he whispered. “I didn’t think you would come.”
I smiled. “Of course I came, Grandfather.”
He smiled weakly. “You look so different,” he said. “I see piercings, and blue hair, got tattoos?”
I laughed. “Yeah, on my back and sides.”
He chuckled. “Open the door to the cage and the bird flies high and far, huh?”
I chuckled weakly and leaned over to take his hand.
“Well, I’m here like you asked… what did you want to tell me?”
I felt him grasp my hand weakly.
“First, let me talk to my granddaughter. Your grandmother told me that you are… well, as she put it, an unwed mother with a bastard child.”
I winced at the wording. Of course she told him that way, how else would she tell him?
“Well, I am pregnant, Grandfather. I am four months pregnant with my boyfriend’s baby.” I took his hand and moved forward so that I could press his thin hand against my lower belly.
He smiled. “I can’t believe you’re having a baby. Is the baby’s father here with you?”
I nodded. “Yes, he came here with me. He’s a good man and he takes care of me and wants to be there for me and the baby. He has a good job that pays decently and we live together.”
He breathed shakily and retracted his hand to lie against his side. “That’s good, that’s good… are you working?”
I nodded. “Yes, I have a job at a retail store in LA.”
He nodded again. “I’m glad you were able to make a life for yourself. To be honest, sweetie, I never wanted to treat you the way you were. It was mostly your grandmother and her side of the family that dictated it.”
I felt a lump settle in my throat when he called me “sweetie” and my eyes grew warm and my chest felt constricted.
“Really?”
“Really,” he reiterated. “You’re my granddaughter and you lost your parents way too young. Honestly, if your father had any family I would have had you live with them, but he had no siblings and his parents died before you were born. I knew your mother resented us for raising her the way that we did. If I had more control of what was going on, I wouldn’t have treated her the way she was.”
I wrapped my arms around my middle as I tried to hold myself together. “Then, why didn’t you tell me sooner? All these years, I thought you both hated me and that I was alone. I was so distrustful of people when I first came to America, and it took me a long time to trust the friends I have now.” You could tell by my voice that I was about to break down in tears.
“Sweetheart, the reason I had your grandmother call you down here was because I wanted to tell you that I never took you out of the will like she wanted me to.”
My head shot upward in shock. “W-what?”
“You’re in the will, still,” he repeated. “I want you to receive the inheritance that was intended for you. Your grandmother has her own will that you aren’t in, but you’re still in mine. In mine, I left you a sum of money.”
I looked at him in disbelief. He left me money?! He still considered me his granddaughter? Oh my god, how come he never reached out to me to tell me this? When I left, I left them the number of the cell phone I got in America just in case they wanted to talk to me, but I never thought they would do anything like this.
“How much did you leave me?”
“I left you, in American dollars, about $600,000 dollars. It’s what we saved from the businesses we owned.” When I was a kid, they owned several restaurants and a couple of gift shops.
I stood up so fast my chair fell over with a clang!
“Indy?!”
I whirled around to see Ash suddenly burst through the door, looking wide-eyed at me as I gasped in shock, my hand clasped to my breast.
“Indy, what did he tell you?” Ash rushed forward to grasp me by my upper arms.
I put my hands against his chest and took a deep breath.
“Oh nothing, nothing… just that he loves me and he left me $600,000 in his will,” I mumbled in shock, staring at his chest.
Ash froze and didn’t say anything. Then he leaned down to set the chair back up and forced me into it. Then he turned to my grandfather, who watched with a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“Sir, is this true? Are you really leaving Indy that much money?” He said in a quiet voice.
My grandfather nodded and reached up weakly to grasp at Ash’s arm.
“Are you the man who is taking care of my Indy?” He whispered in broken English with a thick accent.
Ash smiled slightly. “Yes, sir, I am.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I love your granddaughter.”
My Vovô smiled wider and grasped his hand. “I am giving her the money because she had the courage to leave this place. She started a life of her own and is starting a family with someone she loves. Hopefully, this money will help you outI have already written the check for the money, and after I die, I am having the lawyer send it to you two. Leave an address before you leave.”
Ash’s smile grew wider. “I will, sir. Thank you for doing this for Indy. I think she’s in shock right now, but I know this means a lot to her.”
My Vovô wheezed out a laugh. “Yes, I think it does. And don’t let my wife’s words get to you. I know she can be a handful. Try spending time outside of the house, away from them. Go the beach and restaurants. Indy can take you to her favorite places.”
Ash chuckled. “Yeah, that’d be fun, I’d love to see the places she hung out at as a teenager.”
I still was having a hard time moving and was sitting and staring blankly at the conversation between my boyfriend and my grandfather.
Ash looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Are you okay, babe?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t even move I was so shocked by what I was told.
$600,000 dollars! How as that even possible?! I knew they were saving money from owning all those shops, but 600,000? The exchange rate and economy in Brazil was so fucking bad that it was really hard to make money. Like seriously, do you know how bad it is? It’s like 4 reals is one dollar! I didn’t even know how to take it I was so shocked. I felt like my heart and stomach were going to tie themselves in knots and burst through my stomach together Alien style… or maybe that was the baby.
Ash gently pulled me out of the chair by my shoulders and started to lead me out of the room, giving words of thanks to my grandfather before we left.
Outside the door, my Vovó was standing with her arms crossed, glaring at us over her nose. It didn’t seem like she heard what we were talking about, but upon seeing me, her posture relaxed a bit and she looked a bit confused.
“What did he tell you, child?” she said in a cold voice.
I jumped out of my stupor a bit and leaned into Ash. “He wanted to talk about me getting my mother’s stuff after he dies.” I lied easily. If I don’t tell her about the money, she won’t try and make my grandfather change his will. She wouldn’t care about my mom’s stuff, she sold most of it after I went to America.
She “harrumphed” once harshly and spun on her heel. “I assume you two want to go do something else? Do what you want, I don’t really care. Just don’t expect me to help you when you get arrested.”
I flinched slightly but kept my composure before Ash could notice anything different.
“Come on, Ash, we’re going out,” I said firmly. I took his hand and led him quickly toward the hospital exit, going to the curb to hail a taxi.
“Indy, where are we going?”
“I want a juice!”

“Oi!” I waved down the counter to the waiter, who moved to me.
“Can I help you, miss?” The gruff looking man said cheerfully.
I nodded. “Two guava juices, please!”
“Okay, five reals please!”
I dropped the money into his palm and waited for him to bring the juices to us.
“Okay, where are we?” Ash looked warily around the tiny, crowded space. The place I brought us to was a juice bar called Bibi Sucos, known for their good food and amazing fresh fruit juices.
“Bibi Sucos! I used to come here all the time! They have the best fresh-squeezed juice in the world!”
I motioned excitedly to the two tall glasses of thick, pink liquid places in front of us.
“This one, guava, is my favorite!” I picked up my glass and brought it to my lips, taking my time to drink down the sweet, slightly seedy liquid.
I saw Ash out of the corner of my eye pick up his glass and take a small sip, then his eyes widened in surprise and he drank it greedily like I was.
I set the glass down and wiped my mouth with one of the thin, waxy napkins provided. “When we’re done here, we should head to the park here. It’s basically a rainforest we can go for a walk in. I seriously need to clear my head!”
Ash chuckled and set his glass down. “Sounds good. The day’s still young, and I don’t fancy going back to your grandparents’ until late, tonight, if not because of the psychos there.”
I laughed and waved at the man to let him know that we were leaving, and stood up from my stool at the bar, grabbing Ashley’s hand and leading him out.
“Come on, it’s a really short walk from here!”
We walked quickly through the street, dodging people, vendors, and homeless people as I approached the park. It was basically rainforest held back with an incredibly tall iron fence. There was a small playground for kids and a museum, as well as many trails, fountains, and benches. There were also monkeys in the trees called sagui monkeys that were tiny and grey with white tufts framing their faces. You could feed them bananas if you wanted. There were also some small aquariums in the park, but they were hard to find.
“Holy shit,” Ash said wide-eyed, looking up and around at the amazing vegetation. “How often did you come here as a kid?”
I shrugged. “It’s free, and I came whenever I wanted to get away from school or home… so basically every day.” I grinned at him cheekily.
Ash barked out a laugh. “It seems easy to get lost, here.”
I shook my head. “It’s not, really, and remember, you’re with me!”
I marched along the path, only slowing down when I felt Ash put his hand on my shoulder and pull me back.
“Babe, hold on,” he said gently, turning me around and taking my hands in his. “I know this is kind of ill timing, but… you haven’t said a word about what you and your grandpa talked about since we left the hospital. Don’t you think we should talk about it?”
I felt a lump form in my throat. I knew Ash was eventually going to bring it up… I was just hoping that it wouldn’t be for a long time.
“I guess…” I said quietly. “Although I honestly don’t know what to say about it that would help me make sense of it.”
Ash wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Well, what did he tell you?”
I sighed. “Basically that my grandmother is the evil one and he doesn’t give a crap about my life choices and would rather I have left and be happy and not here and miserable. He told me my grandmother doesn’t know about his will and that he wants to keep it that way until his death and it cannot be changed.”
Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise and stopped for a second, a look crossing over his face like he was processing what I’d said.
“Wait, you mean he spent years being awful to you just to put on appearances for your evil grandmother?” He asked incredulously.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I led Ash to a mossy bench and sat down – my back was starting to hurt – and I leaned against him heavily, shutting my eyes.
“Ash, my entire life he was the nice one. Yes, it wasn’t great, but I could always tell when he didn’t agree with something my grandmother said. The day I moved to America, he was the only one awake when I left for the airport at four in the morning. He put $300 in my hand and went back to bed. I knew that at least to some extent, he actually gave a crap about me.”
I felt Ash gently rub my lower back, like he knew that it was hurting me. “You mean like that one person you know who acts like a dick but secretly does charitable work?”
I arched into his hand with a groan. “Something like that. Anyways, that money will really come in handy for us, Ash. I know you don’t really worry about money issues, but ever since I moved to America, I have struggled to make enough to support myself, let alone another person.”
Ash nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. I mean, part of the reason you couldn’t even be with me during most of the summer was because you were so terrified of losing your job or not making enough to keep your apartment. But, what do you want to do with the money?”
I sat up. I knew the money primarily had to go towards the baby. The baby was going to need money for hospital bills and medical expenses, but we were also going to have to start a college fund as soon as the baby was born. My parents did that, and thankfully interest built up into something I kind of could use, but that money plus the home they left me were basically gone.
“I think it mostly should go towards the baby, Ash,” I said quietly, cupping my slight bulge with my hands. Medical bills will be expensive, and the baby is going to need a college fund after it’s born.”
Ash didn’t answer me right away. “You mean you don’t want to spend it on hookers and weed? Damn!” He said teasingly, poking my side.
I laughed. “Oh, shut up Ash!”

It wasn’t until late that night that we went back to the apartment. The lights were all out and it was clear that everyone was asleep. It was so dead quiet in the apartment that you could hear the wind fluttering against the curtains in the windows.
“Remind me again why we’re here for a week?” Ash hissed at me as I guided him to our room. “Because we basically did what we came here to do.”
I sat on the bed and took off my shoes. “A, to see my grandfather. Which we did. The B side of our visit is basically me reconnecting with where I am from. I haven’t been here in almost ten years, Ash, and I miss it. You don’t want to miss out on the beaches here, do you? It might be the last time you’ll see me in a bathing suit before I swell up like a balloon.”
As I said this, I tugged my shirt over my head and dropped it on the ground next to me, and slid my pants down my legs. In my room was a full-length mirror that was one of the few things kept from my childhood. I stood in front of it and turned sideways. You couldn’t totally see my stomach yet, but I could tell it was there. My abs were basically gone and it looked like I had a small pudge of fat between my hipbones.
“And who knows how long it’ll be before I look like that,” I mumbled.
Ash appeared behind me in the mirror and tugged me gently to his chest from behind, wrapping himself around me and resting his chin on my shoulder. He took my hands and wrapped all four around my belly, stroking it gently.
“You won’t be fat,” he whispered. “You’ll be pregnant with my baby, and you will look sexy like that. You currently are sexy like that. Even when you’re nine months pregnant and your back hurts and your feet are swollen and you have stretch marks, you will still be sexy to me like that. Nothing will change that, and I can’t wait for you to really start glowing.”
I smiled at his words and felt my eyes water slightly… damn hormones.
Speaking of hormones…
I turned to Ash and smirked, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Hey, how about we christen my old room until my grandmother starts shouting Hail Mary’s at us through the wall?”
Ash threw me down on the bed.

Notes

Hey guys!
I am so sorry it took so long for me to upload a new chapter!
I started school again and because of Valentine's Day, I had to work overtime, plus, this past week I got really sick and am now recovering!

In case you are wondering, yes the places I mention that Indy and Ash go to are in fact real places.
How do I know? Because I've been there MULTIPLE times. I used to go to Rio every summer to visit my relatives.
And if you've been wondering, yes I am in fact Brazilian American. But the only reason why I made Indy Brazilian (And she's full Brazilian, I am not) was because I wanted her to have a cultural identity, and because Brazilian is the only one I truly know and felt I could do honestly and faithfully, I just used it. But it is the only thing i have in common with her. She is much more Brazilian than I am my father was born and raised in Rio, my mother is from Arizona. Both of Indy's parents are from Brazil, and Portuguese is her first language, mine is English. Her family is Catholic, which is the predominant faith in Brazil, my family is Jewish.

But yes, that park (i can't remember the name but it means "big park") is real I've been there many times it's beautiful and absolutely HUGE it takes up most of Rio, and Bibi Sucos is a real chain in Brazil famous for its fresh fruit juice and street snacks that are AMAZING. If any of you either want to go or have plans to, I highly recommend you check out both places, and if you have plans to go or want to know more about Rio, leave a question in the comments and I will get back to you as soon as I can!

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