Chapter 20
Derek just needed to pivot. This was bigger than just the shared animosity between two brothers. He needed to remember exactly why he had returned to Sierra Leone. He was here to help the incredible people who were struggling to survive in such a harsh and challenging land.
But Tommy? He had no idea what Tommy’s motivation was in tagging along. Was it to continue making Derek’s life a living hell? No, Tommy was not that nefarious. He was the perfect son, after all.
Whatever his brother’s motivation was, it didn’t concern him. He would keep himself busy. There was so much work to be done. Water well installation was hard, tiring work. It was actually back-breaking under the intense African sun. He’d work hard, go to bed early, rise even earlier, and repeat. Tommy could do whatever Tommy was here to do. Their paths didn’t need to cross.
It was working. Three days in and he’d barely seen his brother. Then Tommy had to go and be wonderful Tommy and come up with an incredible idea. Rejoice! All hail the amazing Tommy. The guy was here all of five minutes and was already the hero.
It didn’t matter that this was Derek’s third trip here. That he was the one with the engineering degree and the skill to actually make a difference. Oh no, Tommy just came up with a great plan. Everyone was raving over it, and now Derek had even more work to do.
However, he grudgingly had to admit that it was pretty good. The idea was to build a workshop for one of the villagers, Mariama. Currently, she was making African black soap to sell at the local market. With a well in the village, she no longer walked 2 km each way to the stream for water which meant she now had time to dedicate to soap making. But she was forced to use a heavy black cauldron over an open fire pit. It was unsafe and time-consuming.
Tommy had spoken with Leighton about ordering modern equipment that would streamline the production of this soap. Leighton planned to carry the soap in her store, and the TL Village Mercantile would stock it as well. Both stores had a successful online business, which meant Mariama’s soap would be sold worldwide. And she’d need to employ more villagers to help keep up with the demand.
Mariama needed a workshop with solar panels installed on the roof to provide a power source for the modern equipment. And that’s where Derek came in. He’d drawn up plans and was now drilling a metal track into the cement pad that had been poured the day before. He straightened, stretching out his back, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Unscrewing the cap on his water bottle, he took a long swallow and took in the scenery all around. Makeni Village was made up of clay huts with straw-thatched roofs. A tropical rainforest lay behind the huts, and the once barren field was now planted. With clean water and stocked pantries, the villagers already appeared healthier.
Pens were being built to house goats and chickens. Ben put his fancy agricultural degree to good use, planting the fields with sustainable crops. Soon, this entire village would be sustainable as well.
“Son of a … Derek!” Ben howled and hobbled on one foot.
Derek set down the water bottle and ran toward his youngest brother, who was leaning on Tommy’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” He reached his brothers just as Heidi did. The doctor was here with the medical van, checking up on the villagers.
“You left a piece of wood with a nail sticking out is what’s wrong,” Ben yelled and pointed at his right shoe where blood was pooling, and a nail stuck out the top.
“Really, Derek, how could you be so careless?” Tommy chastised him.
“Damn, Benji. I’m sorry.” Derek swiped at his brow again. How had he been so careless?
“It could have been one of the kids,” Heidi scolded him as well. She bent down to examine Ben’s foot, touching the blood on top of his shoe where a nail protruded. She lifted her finger and frowned as she sniffed the red splotch on it. Heidi lifted Ben’s foot higher and yanked off the piece of wood under his shoe. Duct tape had been holding it in place.
Heidi stood and grabbed the ball cap off Ben’s head, hitting him with it. Then she smeared the red ‘blood’ from her finger across his cheek and swatted Tommy as well.
“Ketchup! Damn fools. The entire Brennan clan is a bunch of jokers.” Heidi sputtered and stomped back to the medical van.
Derek stared at the ketchup smear on Ben’s cheek and then down at the nail that Ben had quite obviously stuck through the top of his shoe. His little brother was an ass who thought he was freaking hilarious. “Ketchup? Seriously, Ben? I have a ton of work to get done. And you’re wasting my time being a jackass.”
Ben doubled over laughing, as did Tommy. Derek was happy that they were both enjoying themselves so much while he was breaking his back in the scorching sun, working on Tommy’s project, no less.
“You two don’t want to start a prank war with me,” he warned. “It won’t end well for either of you.”
“Whoa, shaking in my boots,” Ben taunted. “Bring it, big bro.”
Derek narrowed his eyes and shook his head. They were not worth it. The kids here did not need to witness a Brennan brother scuffle. It was never pretty. It also was immature. Oh, but it would feel so good.
He turned and stomped back toward the workshop build. “Why don’t you take the higher road?” his mother used to ask him. Today he would, because in Sierra Leone he was not a hothead daredevil .
“Need a hand?”
He spun around. Tommy was following him. Didn’t his brother realize that he was taking the higher road? Following him was not a good idea.
“From you?” he scoffed.
Tommy glanced over his shoulder at the empty space behind him. “No, the guy standing behind me.”
“He’d be more helpful,” Derek sneered.
“He probably would be more help. But it looks like I’m the only one offering.”
“Nah, I’m good. You’ll mess it up and make more work for me,” Derek told his brother, his voice smug and dismissive.
“Pretty sure I can manage to hold up the wall while you nail it in place without MESSING IT UP,” Tommy emphasized the last three words.
“Knock yourself out.” Derek didn’t want to accept his brother’s help, but it would make the build go faster with an extra pair of hands.
“I’d rather knock you out,” Tommy muttered, and Derek pretended not to hear.
Tommy bent and picked up one end of the framed wall. “Wow, it’s hot here.”
Derek glared at him. He was not going to make small talk with his twin. Tommy could help, but it would be in silence.
They lifted the frame onto the foundation, attaching it to the metal plate.
“So, I was thinking that I’ve been kind of a jerk,” Tommy said nonchalantly.
Derek snorted. “Just kind of?”
“Are you going to make me say it?”
“Yep.” Derek paused from hammering.
“I am sorry that I wouldn’t accept your apology.”
“Damn straight you should be. You know how hard that word is for me to say.” Derek straightened and stared directly at him. “While you’re admitting your shortcomings, you should also acknowledge that you were too hard on her. ”
Tommy’s brow furrowed.
“Leighton,” Derek clarified. “You should never have blamed her. You should have come home and decked me. I deserved your anger. Not her.”
Tommy stared at him. Was he considering punching him in the face? It would probably make them both feel better. He watched Tommy ball his hand into a fist, but he kept it at his side.
“I was so sick of hearing about the stupid wedding,” Derek continued. “Once again, it was all about Tommy. Tommy this, Tommy that. And I was acting stupid and selfish.”
“So, your normal self, in other words,” Tommy spat out.
Derek sent him an annoyed glance and then shrugged his shoulders. Tommy was right. “Pretty much. Still no excuse, but I had been pounding back whiskey that night. Then frigging Ben goes and suggests a game of manhunt like we were all still ten…”
Clearing his throat, he kept confessing. “I ran into her. Literally. And I kissed her.”
He could see his brother’s face growing red, and it wasn’t from the intense heat. “It’s just like my bike. You hated that I saved enough to buy it.”
“Not that stupid bike again,” Derek moaned. When they were twelve, they shared a paper route. Of course, Tommy saved every dime he earned. But Derek spent it as fast as he made it. When Tommy saved enough, he bought this bike, and Derek had been so envious of it. But he really hadn’t meant to ruin it. He truly thought he could make the jump with it. Instead, he’d cracked the frame.
“I didn’t mean to wreck it,” he told Tommy.
“Yeah, I still don’t believe you.”
Derek closed his eyes, exhaling. “Seeing we’re on this whole spill-your-guts thing, I will admit that I was jealous. Jealous of the stupid bike and jealous of Leighton. I was jealous of how much time you spent with her. I was jealous that she liked you better than me.”
Tommy blinked. He had not been expecting the truth from Derek. “Why? You could have any girl you wanted in high school.”
Derek sat on the pile of lumber, taking a long swallow from his water bottle. “Those girls didn’t really want me. They just wanted the bad boy. I was a challenge for them. Or maybe the guy to piss off Daddy. I was a good time, not their forever guy.”
He held out the water bottle to Tommy, and he took it, taking a drink.
“I was not boyfriend material like you were. I was never the guy they dreamed of spending forever with, just their right now. You were the forever guy, though. And I was so jealous of the way Leighton looked at you. You could do no wrong in her eyes.”
Tommy stared at him, his brow furrowing as he digested what were probably the first honest words Derek had spoken in a very long time.
“Maybe you should punch me, and then we can move past it. Add in a second punch for the bike.”
“I should,” Tommy agreed. “But you need help to build this workshop. I won’t be much help with an injured hand. You have a really hard head.”
“Just as hard as yours.” Derek stood. “This workshop isn’t going to build itself.”
He grabbed a hammer out of the toolbox and tossed it in the air. Tommy caught it.
“You know that I have carpentry skills. They may be rusty, but I can still out-build you any day.”
“Really?” Derek narrowed his eyes. “Care to place a wager on it?”
“A wager?”
“Each of us builds a side wall. Let’s see who finishes first. The loser has to give Heidi a foot rub. Walk up to her and pull off her shoe. Just start rubbing her foot.”
“Deal!” Tommy nodded. Apparently, they hadn’t outgrown their competitive nature.
Derek spread out the cut lumber on the ground. Tommy was cranking his head, spying. He’d allow that, because he truly did have the edge. He was the one who had designed the blueprints and did this for a living.
He hammered the first nail, then the second. He could hear Tommy hammering away too. Now he was stealing glances over his shoulder. What the hell! Tommy was really moving. Damn, he was not going to lose. The doctor absolutely terrified him.
“Done!” He heard Tommy yell.
What the bloody hell!
“Hurry up, looks like the doctor is packing up shop,” Tommy taunted. “Bet she’ll really appreciate that foot rub you’re about to give her.”
Derek groaned and hammered in the last nail into his frame. “Seriously? You’re going to hold me to it?”
“A bet’s a bet!” Tommy said, a little too smugly. “Hey Benji, get your butt over here. You don’t want to miss this.”
“You’re such an ass,” Derek grumbled and started to walk toward the medical van. He strolled to the back of the van, where Heidi sat on the tailgate, writing in a notebook. He shook his head. Damn, Tommy. Stupid bet. He stooped down on one knee in front of her and pulled off her shoe.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled.
Derek took hold of her bare foot and started rubbing. She swatted him across the head repeatedly with her notebook. He let go of her foot, falling backward. She stood and continued to hit him. Damn, she had good aim. He crab-crawled away.
“Get him, Heidi,” Ben yelled.
Both his brothers were jackasses. He really hoped they were enjoying themselves. Tommy’s face was lit up with laughter like it once had before Kandahar and before Derek had betrayed him. His brother was transforming, as was this village.
He stared at the workshop. Ben was helping Tommy erect the wall he’d just built. It was going to mean so much to the community. There was going to be a new business in town, and it was going to be life changing.