The first time I met him was when I was six years old. I didn't plan on falling in love with him. Jesus Christ, at that age, I didn't even plan on finishing my vegetables. But no matter how long it's been, that day, I will never forget. It was the day my innocence fell apart and crumbled, I honestly don't know if it was for the better or for the worst. My family and I were visiting Ambrose because my dad happened to be good friends with Dr. Sinclair. The town was small but at the time still seemed quite… lively I guess you could say. I had been told we would only stay for the weekend, but of course, I ended up staying quite longer. But it wasn't exactly planned, at least if it was, I hadn't been informed. Early Friday morning we got packed and got dressed nice, a little bit nicer than we usually did, for a reason no one ever explained. Then we were off on a trip. It took about three hours excluding my dad having to pull over for directions about five times. But eventually, just around noon, we arrived. It wasn't hard to find the Sinclair's home. As soon as we drove in we saw Dr. Sinclair standing outside holding the hand of a young boy with tousled hair that appeared to have an inch of grease clinging to it. He looked dirty: the way a young boy around his age normally looks after coming in from a day of playing with his siblings. His appearance matched his clothes: they were tattered and covered in little grass and dirt stains. Dr. Sinclair appeared to be looking for someone. When he saw my parents' car entering the small town he frantically waved over to us, motioning us to pull in and park, and have a good time. As we were driving closer towards their house my mother looked to the backseat and whispered to me and my older brother Adam to not say anything about little Vincent and the way he looked.
"Ma, how are we supposed to know who he is if we can't say anything?" Adam asked my mom, tilting his head to the side, and swinging his feet against her seat.
"Just trust me, you'll know who he is as soon as you see him…" she replied, trailing off with a distant look, the kind people have when they seem to be remembering a troubling image.
Both me and my brother looked at each other, then back to my mom, and nodded. Although now I was bursting with curiosity, wanting to see what was so special about Vincent, I kept my mouth shut.
We pulled into the driveway and I let my eyes travel to the house. It was two stories and absolutely beautiful. The kind of house I had always imagined myself living in when I settled down and started a family of my own. The whole house was made out of bricks but they had been painted over with, what looked like, a grayish almost black color. The curtains were navy blue and the doors and roof were made of a dark brown wood. The whole house, actually, seemed dark compared to the sunny old fashioned style houses around it. But I liked it; it was very beautiful with all the contrasting colors. You could tell the Sinclair's must have put a lot of work and care into it. Meanwhile, in reality, my dad jumped out of the car and swung his arms around Dr. Sinclair's shoulders.
"Long time, no see man!" my dad exclaimed and gave a strong high five to Dr. Sinclair.
"You too Gary! God, I haven't seen you in ages!" Dr. Sinclair said as he wrapped his arms around my dad in a bear hug.
My dad ran over to our car and unlocked the doors; excitedly telling us to come out and meet his old pal' Victor. My mother was the first to get out, she opened the door for Adam and whispered to him warningly to be a polite young gentlemen. I unbuckled my seat belt and nearly face planted the concrete driveway. Fortunately, I caught myself with my hands, and only got a few scrapes on my palms.
''Whoa there, little lady, are you okay?'' my father said jokingly as he picked me up and swung me into his arms. I nuzzled my face into his shoulder and used his collar to wipe away the tear stains forming on my cheek.
''That must be your daughter; Aubrey.'' Victor said smiling. The boy next to him had run off into the house by this point yelling to someone about us arriving.
''C'mon, kids'' my dad said motioning for me and my brother to follow him. ''Let's go meet the rest of the family.''
Adam and I followed our mother into the Sinclair's home. It was just as gorgeous inside as outside. As soon as you walked in you could see the living room to your left, with dark leather couches and beige walls. The floors were dark chestnut colored wood; they were glossy and shined, as if they had just been cleaned. The whole house in fact must have just been cleaned. You could smell a faint citrus scent, the kind of lemony smell that only was produced by washing all the counters and windows. I was in love, the house seemed so cozy. Suddenly a petite woman with a slender figure walked out of what I assumed was the kitchen. She smiled at us and took another puff of her cigarette she was holding. She tapped off the ashes into an ash tray and introduced herself as Trudy. She has blonde, slightly wavy hair. She was gorgeous; she looked like she just stepped out of a magazine advertising the latest spring fashion. The young boy I had saw earlier outside with Victor poked his head from around the kitchen with a bottle of soda in his hand. His name was Lester apparently, and even though it didn't match his looks, he seemed polite enough.
"Bo! Vincent!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and blowing out a puff of smoke at the same time, "our guests are here! Come say hello!"
Instantly a young boy, as if he had waiting for such a signal, with dark brown curly hair cascaded down the stair ramp and slammed into the wooden floors.
"Hellloooooo!" the boy with curly hair yelled while doing a clumsy bow, "my name is Bo, and don't wear it out! Heh, but you can call me anytime sweetheart" He winked at me and clicked his tongue in the back of his mouth. Even for such a young tender age, this remark made me burst into a fit of giggles. Which Bo seemed to enjoy a lot, as he broke into a huge toothy grin.
"Bo, Be polite!" Trudy said, smacking the young child in the back of the head. He flinched, as if he was expecting it before her hand landed. Although it wasn't that hard, the gesture seemed to leave a small yet long period of awkward silence, as if time stopped itself. After a few moments of scolding from her, the rowdy young boy muffled an apology and glared daggers at the floor. Quietly, a polar opposite move from the boy before him, another young son creped down the stairs slowly. He poked his head out and our eyes met, a shiver went through my small body and I trembled. I could feel goose bumps forming on my exposed arms and legs. Although my mother had been right, because I knew his name before he was introduced. I could definitely tell.
"Ah there you are Vincent!" Victor smiled and picked up the boy in a tight bear hug. He placed him down and grinned, patting his other son on the back. The boy timidly shrunk behind his father's legs, but not before I could see it. His skin, on his face… it was, perfect. So perfect I knew it couldn't be real. It looked, creamy, and on the right side, where the other eye should have been… there was just a pitch black hole. His hair fell slightly below his chin and unlike his brothers, wasn't as curly. Almost perfectly straight with a slight curl at the end. Even with that mask on, he was handsome. And I instantly felt a pang of warmth in my chest. My face slightly flushed red and I looked away quickly to hide it.
"H-Hi… my name's Vincent." He said quietly, almost like a whisper only to be heard by certain people. And he was looking right at me, his eyes piercing every fiber of my being.