3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Zahir
T he troubled look on Andre’s face assured me that I’d asked the wrong question.
Well, or the right question—depending on one’s point of view.
His skin was dark enough that if his face drained of color, I couldn’t see it.
Well, my tanned skin hid a lot as well—for which I was grateful.
The world didn’t need to see every emotion I carried with me.
Especially the stuff related to Marty’s passing.
We ate the rest of our meals in silence.
Every few minutes, Andre would look out the window and down toward the ground.
I suspected we were passing over farms and the occasional little town.
Eventually, we’d hit the prairies. I loved the golden wheat fields and endless flat spaces.
I especially loved when the sun was out with a few clouds and you could see the shadows on the ground.
Flying above the clouds always felt magical to me.
Hell, being in an airplane always struck me as a feat of pure genius.
Now if we could just sort out the rest of the crap in the world, that would be great.
“You’re finished?” Liliana appeared with her same lovely smile .
“Yes, thank you.” I handed her my tray and Andre did the same.
I was reassured he’d eaten most of his meal—including the lemon cake.
Have to remember he likes beef, tofu, salmon, and lemon cake.
I cast a surreptitious glance at him. At a guess, I figured he ate quite healthy.
That said, a twenty-six-year-old could look good without much effort.
Forty-one was a bit of a different story.
Adopting Daphne hadn’t just been to deal with the loneliness—my doctor was adamant I maintain a level of fitness and, for me, that meant walking several klicks a day.
Rain or shine, we were out in the neighborhood.
My girl had several rain and winter coats to protect her from the worst of the elements.
Andre gazed out the window again. “It’s hard to believe there are so many people down there—just going about their lives as if everything’s fine. Sometimes I think the world is falling apart, and no one cares.”
Slowly, I nodded. “Do you feel like it’s just your world or the entire globe? And yeah, thirty-eight million Canadians is a lot of people. Over eight billion on the planet is overwhelming.”
He rolled his hand in a gesture I couldn’t interpret. “Me? Them? Who knows?”
I placed my hand on the armrest between us.
He grasped it. “I only told him I was coming. That was it. I didn’t make any plans.
I researched him, of course. Not much to find.
He has some kind of computer job. His husband works as a director at a camp for LGBTQ youths as well as does some finance stuff for nonprofits.
They have two kids who appear happy and healthy. ”
“They are great kids. I mean, I can only speak to what I’ve witnessed. No one can truly know what’s in another person’s heart.”
“Can’t they?”
My gaze shot to his.
“I mean…I think I knew my mother. Right? Her hopes and dreams—always for me. She wanted me to be successful—wh atever that looked like. Most especially, she wanted me to be comfortable . Her word. I knew what that meant. Enough money to live without constant stress. Well, that’s really hard to do in a city like Toronto.
And I’ve looked elsewhere. Life’s just expensive. ”
“That’s true. So what is it that you do, Andre?” Because that felt like a safe topic.
He scrunched his nose. “I work as a fitness instructor at a gym. A big chain. Somewhere you’ve probably heard of.”
I considered. “Entirely possible. I don’t go to the gym, per se. We have one in Mission City. I go to the rec center a couple of times a month. Mostly to swim or do some weights. The smallest ones, of course.”
“I could show you.” His eyes widened. “I’m really good at easing people into a routine. Like, exercise is so important. You need to take care of yourself.”
“Yes, of course.” Except Marty had been the fitness enthusiast. I’d trailed along for the ride, but he’d been in peak health. Cancer hadn’t given a fuck about that —
“Are you okay?” Andre’s brow furrowed.
“Of course.” Because that was what I always responded. I sighed. “Okay, maybe not. Marty was the fit one of the two of us. He took such good care of his body. I should’ve been the one to get cancer—not him.”
“My mom died of cancer as well. She just…healthy one day, in the hospital the next, and sort of dead just after that. It all happened so fast. I didn’t have time to prepare. Although—” He rubbed his face. “—can you ever prepare for something like that?”
“Only in that we’re all going to die. I guess it depends on your religion. Or your faith—”
“I don’t have a religion. I don’t have a faith. ”
“Okay, that’s fair.”
“How about you?” He eyed me as if trying to discern my position on all this.
“I was raised in the Hindu faith. I might’ve strayed in my adulthood, but I still believe in a power greater than myself—if that makes sense.”
He shook his head. “We’re born, we die, and that’s an end to it.”
This time, I tried to figure him out. “But your mother lives on through you. Through your memories of her.”
“I supposed. But when I die, there’ll be nothing left. No more Fultons.” He cocked his head. “Right?”
“You don’t have any full siblings, so directly from your specific parents? No. But you know there are other Fultons. Demetrius…and I assume your siblings down in Texas—”
“Yeah.”
“And you might marry. Might have children with your last name.”
“It’s not a good last name. I wish I’d had my mother’s.”
“There’s nothing to stop you from changing your last name. Maybe—” I considered. “Maybe meet Demetrius before you make the final decision.
“I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to do that.” He bit his lower lip.
“Demetrius doesn’t know you’re coming?”
“Today? No. I just said I was going to but was, you know, evasive when he asked for details.”
“Okay. So what’s the plan?” I snuck a peek out the window to still see fields everywhere.
Andre rubbed his face again. “I don’t really have one.”
“Have you booked a hotel?”
He shrugged .
Okay, that’s not helpful. Push or ease back? No, I had to push. The guy needed to know where he was staying tonight. “It’s the Canada Day long weekend. Most of the hotels will be booked.”
He scrunched his nose. Clearly this wasn’t something he’d considered.
“Look, I can get my laptop and I can see if I can find you a hotel room in Mission City. Otherwise, we might find something in Abbotsford. They’re a larger city with more options. Or AirBNB? Would something like that suit?”
He cleared his throat. “I…don’t have money.”
I blinked. “Like you don’t have cash?”
After a long moment, he shook his head. “I mean…just nothing. I quit my job, put my stuff in storage, gave up my apartment, and bought a plane ticket.”
Not staring agape was really hard. “No plans?”
He shook his head.
“Okay. Well, that’s just not going to do. You have Demetrius’s cell phone number?”
“Yes.”
“Email? Social media contact?”
“No.”
“Right. As soon as we land and get off airplane mode, you need to send him a text. It’ll be early afternoon. Let him know you’re in Abbotsford.”
“Uh…?”
“What?” You need to watch yourself. You can just go running roughshod over total strangers — even if they’re in way over their heads.
I waited. As patiently as I could under the circumstances.
I could be a very persistent man when I needed to be.
Other times, I was as easygoing as the occasion arose.
Marty had always been the go-getter while I’d contentedly sat back and observed his enthusiasm.
Now, I was different in business—because that involved livelihoods.
But in my personal life, I tended to bide my time.
Today was not the day to leave up to fate. This young man needed help—some power I didn’t understand landed him in my lap. “Why are you hesitating about calling your brother?”
“Half-brother.” Said churlishly.
“Okay. Still…you’ve come all this way to meet him. You warned him that you were coming. So what’s the hesitation?”
“I don’t—” He swallowed. “I hadn’t thought it out. I suppose I thought I’d show up at his house and he’d know what to do. He seems like a level-headed guy. Although now I think I shouldn’t be counting on him so much. Right?”
Slowly, I nodded. “Maybe a plan would be a good thing. Having some idea where you’re going—literally and metaphorically.
What are you hoping to get from this meeting?
If things work out, are you staying? If they don’t, are you headed back to Toronto?
” A thought occurred. “Do you have a return ticket booked?”
He shook his head. “Well, that’s not true. I have an open ticket to go back whenever I want. I just—” He winced. “I don’t have anything to go back to, you know?”
Unfortunately, I did. He’d put all his eggs in this basket and bet his entire future on a brother he’d never met and had very little reason to trust.
“You have options.” I can’t believe you’re about to do this.
“Yeah?”
“Well, I still think you should call Demetrius and give him the heads-up that you’re in town. I mean, he might’ve gone away for the weekend. Jai will be at the summer camp, of course, but there’s no guarantee Demetrius is even around.”
“Oh.”
Clearly, this had not occurred to him.
“Once you’ve sorted out your brother, then you need to find a place to stay. He might offer to take you in, but he’s got two kids, and some random stranger showing up isn’t exactly easy to deal with—even if you are family and even if he was aware you were coming. Does that make sense?”
He nodded for the umpteenth time.
“So I’m going to extend an invitation for you to stay with me. I have three spare rooms—two of which are set up as bedrooms. You can pick and I can assure you that at least one of the beds will be long enough. How tall are you?”
“Six three.”