On The Run

Chapter Forty-Four - "Compensation For Family"

Jake

Recap:

I was utterly grateful for the arrival of Ryan and Emily, until I saw who they had in tow, wearing a grey over-ironed suit, gelled hair and a smug grin.

“Merry Christmas!” Ryan and Emily chorused with an excitement that I couldn’t achieve in my response. Their tail glanced around at the front hall and took in the numerous strewn coats in the front closet in mild disgust, still grinning smugly however. Then he finally noticed me, and his gaze fell on Sarah. He froze, and his grin vanished.

Cue in, excitement.

“Hello. I’m Marcus, Jake and Ryan’s older brother. And you are . . . stunning,” he said slowly, with his widened eyes boring into Sarah’s surprised ones, as he shook her hand.

I groaned internally, again and again, as a small smile broke across Sarah’s face, and I felt an ounce of hatred for him rise within me. Virulently and bitterly.

*

She smiled, “Thank you. I’m Sarah.”

Marcus grinned, continuing to stare at her, still holding on to her hand. Ryan and Emily seemed to find my irritation amusing, an irritation which Marcus himself hadn’t noticed.

I cleared my throat loudly. He looked up, and taking in my straight-faced expression, he released Sarah’s hand as he said, “I’m an idiot. I’m sorry. Are you two . . . together?” he asked, looking back and forth between Sarah and I.

Sarah glanced at me, trying to read my expression, but as I was giving nothing away, “No. We’re . . . partners,” she answered. My heart sunk a little, but really, that was all we were; there was no reason why I should be so affected.

Marcus grinned and as if he just noticed me, said, “Oh, hey Jakey. Merry Christmas.”

I grunted in response. Emily and Ryan stared warily between us, and quietly took their leave.

“What are you, an animal? Give your big brother a hug,” Marcus said, pulling me to him in a tight embrace.

I grimaced, “Merry Christmas.”

I couldn’t really pinpoint the day when I started to hate Marcus so much, but it went further back than the sandbox.

He had just turned his attention back to Sarah when my dad’s voice rang through the house, “Is that my boy? Is that my Marcus?”

My dad stepped into the front hall beaming, as he pulled Marcus into a hug.

“Hey, dad. I’ve missed you, you know,” he said in response.

Besides my sister, Marcus was the only one who called my father ‘dad’, not because he was given permission to, but because that’s what my father was to him – a dad; to Ryan and I, he was just a superior figure. Since I was a kid, I could never be in the same room as the man comfortably, not to talk about hugging him. The funny thing was, Marcus actually lived in Chicago as well, and made his way to my parents’ for dinner every Sunday; hunting with my dad every Saturday, and the farmer’s market with my mom every Friday, but my dad couldn’t even begin to hide his favoritism; it was clear that Marcus’s brief absences had more of an effect on him than my year-long stints in New York did.

Sarah looked at my father in surprise – he did seem like an entirely different person – and glanced at me in mild remorse. When I was younger, it affected me more, but now, I couldn’t care less. Our relationship had become so ingrained; sometimes I forgot that I had two parents.