Brotherhood
Travis
As soon as I pulled into Brock’s driveway he came walking out. My grandparents house was just a shell of what it once was, years ago. It was a brick cape cod, and my grandparents took pride in their yard and flower gardens. What I saw now was an old truck in front of me, an old broken down minivan next to it, and there was a lot of plant growth close to the house, but it looked like he did mow it at least. The porch had a bunch of junk sitting on it. The kid probably didn’t have the time to keep up with the place.
He opened the passenger door and took a seat. “Nice car.”
“It’s a rental.” I put the Tahoe in reverse as he snapped on his seatbelt. “I thought we would go to a place outside of town to eat, hopefully we will have some privacy, and nobody will know us. Any recommendations?”
“Yeah, there’s a diner just west of here, about five miles out of town. Over by the old school house.”
I knew exactly what he was talking about. There was an old school our grandparents attended, but it shut down way before our time and sat vacant when I was a kid. “Sounds perfect and I think I can remember how to get there.”
“Thanks for picking me up and spending time with me. I took the day off and my boss was pretty cool about it.” He said.
“Good, we can do whatever you want after breakfast. I have most of the day but would need to be back before dinner.”
“So, you never did tell me what brought you back to town.” He said.
“My girlfriend, actually. I knew her dad pretty well growing up and we came back to visit her family.” I explained.
“Wow, so you met a girl from your own hometown? What are the chances of that?” He asked.
“Well, I grew up with her and we just reconnected a few months ago. So, it really wasn’t a coincidence.” I turned left on the old highway.
“So, you’re not home to meet me or see Paula?” He asked.
I sighed. “I won’t go out of my way to see my mom and as far as you, we’ll I don’t know how I felt. You have to understand my dad was still married to my mom when he had you, then he kind of abandoned me to stay with you guys. At least that’s what’s been told to me.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s true. That’s what I was told by grandma and grandpa. Also, Aunt Tricia. I don’t think they talked to him for a few years after they learned about me. I was like eight when I met dad’s family.”
“So, dad wasn’t on drugs or anything, was he?” I glanced at him then looked at the road ahead of me.
“Not as far as I know, I mostly remember a drunk guy, but I never saw or heard of any drugs. He worked for the National Weather Service. I mean, to the outside world he put on a good facade, and I guess he was functional at work. He traveled, there were conferences he would attend, and he took off with Paula sometimes. They never stopped looking for their oldest son. Mom told me he was gone to a conference and met a woman that was foreign, had a one night affair then got a call from the woman a year later saying she might have gotten him sick. He was already having symptoms but he such a drunk he thought he just had a bad immune system. They kept it from me for a long time and said I had to be careful around dad if he ever bled, they told me it was his liver, something like hepatitis or something. Told other people it was cirrhosis of the liver. Then when he went onto full blown AIDS they lied again and told people it was pancreatic cancer. He was still drinking and got fired from his job, so that’s why we moved. I knew about it because of my parents fights. Dad was sick and got some kind of government assistance, but he was spending what little money we had on booze. Mom had a job waitressing, but dad blew threw her money too. By then he started gambling, trying to double his money as an alcoholic would do. He spent most of his time on the computer when he was home. He wasn’t just looking for you but his other son as well. He would stare at your picture for hours and cry, get so fucking wasted he would pass out with it. I heard all about it every damn day. He wasn’t there for you so that’s probably why you turned out so good. All kinds of self-pity bullshit. He would rub it in my face that you turned out so well, and I was only sixteen when he died. I think he resented me. He got my mom pregnant and that obviously took a toll on his marriage to Paula.”
I glanced at him. “My mom didn’t realize what was happening or try to help?” I was so confused about their relationship.
“Paula came around a lot. Dad would go from cold toward me then soft warm and fuzzy for Paula. He was Uncle Robert to her kid, and he would always say how much she looked like you, more than I did, obviously. I took after the Trenton’s, except I’m a skinny little shit like my Uncle Beau. You know, my cousin is in the NFL.”
I turned on a country road. “I knew Matt well, we went to school together and we were friends through elementary and middle school.” Yeah, he also dated my girlfriend and knocked her up.
“Cool, when I was little he dated a really pretty girl, and her parents were friends with dad and Paula. They almost got married too. She’s really nice and hot as hell.”
I chuckled. “Wrenly Carlson, she’s my girlfriend.” It almost broke my heart that she didn’t have a nice thing to say about the kid.
“Damn, she’s gorgeous, congrats. I was pretty little, but you don’t forget a girl like that one.”
No shit. “Yeah, she’s definitely unforgettable.”
“Anyway, I don’t have much else to say about dad. He always compared us, saying you were trouble too but made something of yourself. I was sixteen, working two jobs, and that’s what he had to say when I had to drop out of basketball because of my grades. I got in trouble in school a few times, I’ll admit that much, but it wasn’t like I was going out to party. I got a co-op job through the vocational school and washed dishes at night and on the weekends at the restaurant my mom worked at, while he was sick and not doing shit but wallowing in his misery. I don’t know, maybe it’ll mean something to you that he always kept tabs on you, cried about you because he had regrets, but made us all promise on his deathbed that we would never find you. You were better off without our fucked up lives.”
I glanced at him as we pulled into the diner’s parking lot. “He told my mom not to find me?”
“Yep, sort of, I guess. I just remember him telling her that until she found peace with their oldest sons disappearance, she needed to leave you alone. That they were miserable, and you got hurt the most and when you got in trouble it was a blessing for you. You escaped their misery and somehow turned out to be a good man. I also remember her getting mad at him because he kept tabs on you and never told her. He reminded her that you weren’t kidnapped and if you wanted them in your life you would have come home. Obviously I couldn’t blame you for staying away. If I didn’t have the responsibility of taking care of my mom, I’d leave in a heartbeat. Do something better with my life, you know?”
That was a lot to take in, and also not the reason I was spending the day with him. I needed to get the conversation back on track. “I’ll tell you what, I agree we both got a shitty hand, but let’s not focus on dad. Let’s focus on learning more about each other. We’re brothers, right?” I didn’t see it coming, but I was open to the idea. He struggled as a kid, I struggled as a kid, and maybe somehow we can put our heads together and somehow improve his life.
“Are we? I’m not exactly proud of how we met.”
I waved him off. “Forget that, like I said, I’ve had my moments too. Just think, that shitty night put us on the same path and without it, we may never have met. So, let’s go in, have some breakfast and you can tell me all about basketball and maybe a little about what you wish would happen for your life, okay?”
He nodded. “Sure, I’m kind of dying to hear more about your life. Special ops, dude?”
I couldn’t believe it. “Just how much was he able to learn?”
He shook his head. “That wasn’t him, I figured it out.”
“Let’s go inside and you can tell me how you figured that out, it doesn’t sound like it was new information for you.”
We stepped out of the Tahoe, and I locked it before we went inside the diner. It was a seat yourself kind of place, so I led him to a table in the back corner for more privacy. It wasn’t busy, so I felt like it was a good spot.
“Oh…my…God!” I heard a woman squeal before we even took a seat. I turned and saw a waitress but squinted a little to see if she looked familiar.
“Shit.” I muttered.
“What?” Brock asked.
“Hang on tight, or hold your ears, it’s about to get a little crazy.”
“Travis! Oh my God! I’m so excited! I can’t believe you’re home! Holy shit!” Stacy practically knocked me over when she jumped into my arms. “You look amazing!” She nearly busted my eardrum. “Let me get a good look at you.” She stepped back and drank me in, making me feel pretty damn uncomfortable. “What’s brought you home?”
Dammit, she wasn’t even a thought when I came home. She had the biggest fucking mouth of all the girls in school. Granted it was a nice mouth, one that sucked me off too many times to count. “It’s just a short visit, yeah, I came to see my brother.” I was a tad bit weary to mention Wrenly. She didn’t need to be the target of Stacy’s rumors once again.
“Oh, that’s right, your dad had another kid.” She looked at Brock and acted like she was going to squeeze his cheek. “Aren’t you just so adorable? Tall, but you’re a cutie.” She looked back at me. “Let me get your drink orders and I’ll be right back over to hear all about your life now.” She looked at my left hand. “Oh, and you’re still single.” She clapped like an idiot.
She sashayed away, and I looked at Brock. “Not even worth talking about.” I sat and he followed suit.
“Damn, if that’s the shit I had to deal with, I wouldn’t come home either. She didn’t even ask us what we wanted to drink.” He reached for the menu.
I chuckled. “Yeah, nobody said Stacy was the smartest.”
I opened the menu and looked down at it. I reached up and stuck my pinky in my ear and kind if shook it. There was a high pitched ringing in it, then I looked up and saw Brock was doing the same thing. I had to laugh. “Imagine if she was closer, like when she squealed directly in my ear.”
“Damn, you must have been a good lay, she’s really excited to see you.”
I busted out laughing, not believing he said it.
He shrugged. “It’s kind of obvious.”
I shook my head. “I was fourteen and she was sixteen. It didn’t last long, believe me. I was just a kid and didn’t know better.”
“Oh, I definitely get it.” He looked back down at the menu. “My biggest mistake was during my co-op. She was the shop owners daughter and never kept her hands to herself. I was sixteen and she was eighteen when I finally gave in. She worked as a secretary at her dad’s shop and every damn day I sweat beads worrying that she would tell on me. See her all the time and she acts the same damn way, except now she’s knocked up by one of my classmates and he’s really sweating beads. Her dad is kind of a badass.”
“She was eighteen? Isn’t that illegal?” I asked.
“Nope, sixteen is the age of consent and there wasn’t a huge enough age difference to get her in trouble. Oh well, it doesn’t matter now. I lost my girl, and no other decent girls would want anything to do with a guy who has a record.”
I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s bullshit, Brock. It was sixty days, and it couldn’t have been that bad. What were you selling?”
He shrugged. “Pot and some pills. The cops said they were oxy. I didn’t even know, and it was pretty damn dumb. I was locked up for sixty days for a small bag of weed and a few pills. The cop I sold it to only paid me twenty bucks, so yeah, I’m a dumbass. I was driving so they drug tested me and I was clean, much to their surprise. Like I said, never did a drug in my life. Can’t really blame them, though. I was guilty, accepted a plea, and did my time. The fucked up part, is that I hate drugs. Always have, always hated liquor too, but that didn’t stop me last night.” He shook his head in shame. “I knew better, and I let my anger get the best of me.”
“Tell me about this girl who had you twisted in knots last night.”
He sat back and ran his hand down his face, then rubbed his neck.
“Oh my God, I’m such an idiot.” Stacy appeared and set two glasses of water on the table. “I forgot to ask what you wanted, so I brought water with lemon. Can I get you some coffee or juice?” She asked.
“I’ll take a coffee.” I answered.
“Me too, thanks.” Brock said.
Stacy fucking tapped my nose. “Coming right up, cutie.” She once again sashayed away, and I looked at Brock. “Unbelievable. Anyway, the girl?”
He took in a deep breath. “She’s great and my life is too fucked up for her. Abby is smart, she’s actually in college but came home for my birthday and that’s where I fucked up. We started dating freshman year, we broke up for a few months our sophomore year. I told you how I fucked up with that other girl, well that was when we were broke up for a few months. She found out about the other girl, but that’s a completely different story. Anyway, we got back together the summer between our sophomore and junior year. She hated my parents, only met them a few times since I sure as hell wasn’t bringing friends home, especially not a girlfriend. My free time has always been an issue. I screwed up last night because I was offered double time if I stayed late. I needed the money, and I did text her, but she was still pissed. She comes from a different world than me and doesn’t understand how bad I need the money. Her family isn’t rich, but she’s never had to worry about finances. She’s off in college, her parents are covering it, and she needs for nothing. The only reason I took off today is because I have personal time off, so I’ll still get paid. Other than her inability to understand why I have to make as much money as possible, she’s a pretty awesome girlfriend. I love her, but I love my mom too.”
“Have you told her about your mom?”
He shook his head. “I’ve not told anyone but you.”
“You know, Brock. Honesty will get you a long way in life. Trust is vital when it comes to love. I have a suspicion she knows something else is happening and you’re not opening up to her.”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “She has known for years there’s more to my story, but it’s AIDS, Travis. It’s a scary thing, even these days with so many advances. Plus, my mom is very guarded and would be devastated if she found out I told you, let alone my girlfriend. If this ever got out…I guess it would destroy what’s left of my mom.”
I sat up straight, I guess as a warning to Brock that Stacy was coming. She placed our coffee in front of us then leaned against the booth I was sitting on. “So, what have you been up to?”
I looked up at her. “Working, the same as everyone else.”
She blinked her eyes with a blank expression. “As?” She prompted me to talk.
“A worker.” I blinked up at her with the same expression.
She reached up to twirl a piece of hair, but her hair was in a bun. “Cool, me too. What kind of work?”
I blinked up at her. “The kind that pays me, you?”
She blinked a few times. “I’m a waitress…here. Where do you work?”
“On the ground mostly. You?”
She was still blinking. “Here.” She was confused. “Do you use tools? I mean like work with your hands or are you in business?”
“I’m in a business right now, and yeah, I know how to use some tools. Why do you ask?”
I glanced at Brock and his lips were in a straight line, but his face was a little red. Honestly he looked like he was holding back a fart, not a laugh.
Stacy was growing uncomfortable. “Well, umm…what state do you live in now?”
I nodded like I understood her question. “Right now, the state of bliss, but you know, we all have bad days.”
She blinked a few more times. “Are you still on the market?”
I smiled. “I’ve been known to dabble, and I’ve invested well. Not to brag or anything, you know how it is.”
“I’m referring to your finger, there’s not a ring.” She deadpanned.
I shook my head in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you in a relationship?”
I looked at Brock, then at her and scrunched my nose. “No, he’s my brother. What’s wrong with you?”
“Ugh! Do you have kids?” She was growing frustrated.
“Not with me, they must belong to someone else.”
She looked around the dining room and there were no kids. “What part of earth do you live on?”
“It’s actually quite nice. It’s a lot softer than here and just about everyone has a basement, unlike the hard soil found here. The farmers do well, I guess, it’s a pretty rich earth.” I could hear Brock struggling not to laugh.
“You’re fucking with me.”
“Nope, I have no interest in fucking with you. Especially in front of my brother, so no thanks.” For a moment there I thought she was going cross eyed.
“Do you have a concussion or something?” She stopped leaning against my booth.
“Not lately, I haven’t been to any sporting events, but who doesn’t love an overpriced hot dog and a cold beer?”
“Ugh, not concession, concussion.” She stomped her foot just slightly.
“Bless you.”
Brock buried his face near his elbow as it rested on the table. I could see his shoulders shaking, so I knew he was laughing quietly.
“Enough games, I’m done. What do you want to eat?” I think she was pissed.
“That’s the last thing on my mind while dining with my little brother. Plus, I already shot you down, I’m not fucking with you today. But if you’d like to know my breakfast order, I’ll take the special.” I looked at Brock who shook his head and refused to look up. “I’m guessing Brock will take the same.”
She narrowed her eyes on me. “You’re a bigger asshole now than in high school. You can get your own damn food.” She turned on her heels and stormed away.
I reached for my wallet and threw down a few bills. “Let’s get out of here, she’s absolutely going to spit on our food.”
We laughed all the way to the Tahoe. Stacy was a bitch to Wrenly, and I had no remorse. Plus, it cheered Brock up so it was totally worth it. We ended up closer to the city where we went through the McDonald’s drive thru and ate in the Tahoe at a park.
“Tell me about your mom’s situation.” I prompted him.
“Right now, she’s recovering from pneumonia and two broken ribs. That’s how hard she coughed. She was in the hospital within a week after I got out. While I was gone she held herself up in the house and Paula brought her groceries. She tells people it's broken heart syndrome and she’s in heart failure. She was able to survive on her disability benefits while I was gone, but she didn’t go out to get her meds, which is why she developed pneumonia. Aunt Tricia allowed her to stay in the house and not pay rent until I got home. Her mental health has declined over the years, and she doesn’t talk much. She will talk to her family when they make threats to come over and help her. She’s become a recluse, and she’s angry with the world. She’s not very nice to Paula, but your mom doesn’t give up all that easily. She has a complete meltdown if I as much as mention dad, and she threw out all his belongings, including your photos. She blames everyone but dad for his actions. She thinks he would have been a better husband if Paula and him weren’t so close, she blames his older son and you for abandoning him. She refuses to see that it was him and Paula that abandoned you. When she has a meltdown it’s violent and she lashes out on the world. We only have one kitchen chair left because of her outbursts. She spends most of her time in bed watching television. Just getting her to shower is a battle. What other eighteen year old kid has to drag his mom into the shower and wash her down once a week? I honestly don’t know if she showered the entire time I was locked up.” He took a bite of his sausage bagel.
“Have you considered checking out a few assisted living facilities?” A place like that would probably be better for his mom.
“What’s that?” He crumpled up the paper from his sandwich.
“It’s like an apartment where she would receive nursing care on an as needed basis. Typically, they’re connected to a nursing home and they’re for people who don’t need twenty four hour care but may need help here and there. I’m sure she would qualify.”
“A nursing home?” He asked.
“Yeah, except she would have her own living space, like a kitchen, bedroom, and living room. They might even have better luck in motivating her to participate in activities.”
“I doubt she will even consider it. Not just because she wouldn’t want to move but she will see it as a red flag to her family that something more is up with her. If I’m not taking care if her, she will just let herself wilt away.” He said.
“You’re eighteen years old. Surely she would rather you focus on yourself rather than taking care of her.” She couldn’t be that selfish, could she?
“I can’t motivate her into showering herself, let alone motivate her to move.” He said.
“I’ll tell you what, talk to her about getting power of attorney, if she refuses, then talk to Aunt Tricia. She owns the house, right?”
“Yeah, we rent it from her.”
“Fine, make the assisted living her only option. Ask Tricia to tell your mom it’s time to move, and tell your mom you’re leaving town. I know you work on cars, but how do you feel about motorcycles?” I needed to talk to Creed, but I could definitely swing it.