Wanted

Chapter 39

I am so sorry about the delay these days, but it can't be helped. I know where I want to bring the story (there's still quite a bit to go) and how I want to end it but as usual when you get to that stage there is a lot of thinking involved so that that everything aligns. This is the time when you, my dear reader needs to be alert and if you notice anything that doesn't make sense with what I have written before, you need to let me know so I can correct it. So if there are any questions that you are having at this stage, if there is anything that doesn't make sense, this is the time to ask...  oh and please leave feedback.

Numees had never come back to explain to him who Ikimma was, so that soon after Enkoodabooaoo and Numees left his room, John fell asleep again and did not wake until the late afternoon. Everything was still exhausting and painful to his head, even just a small conversation or having his wounds tended to.

The light in the little room was low due to the sun going down, when he woke to the whispering voices of Bert and Carl, who were sitting on the floor beside his bed bickering over a game of checkers. As usual Carl was miffed that he was losing again and claimed his big brother had cheated, which by all means was a possibility. It annoyed John that whenever Bert was at risk of losing himself, he had no problem with bending the rules in his favour a little, by suddenly remembering rules that hadn't been mentioned before or simply making up new ones as he went along. 

Where Carl was concerned however, he was a terrible stickler for the rules and had no problem to hang his little brother out to dry by ratting him out to their father whenever Carl tried to cheat. He made sure to never let his little brother win, never gave him the advantage, and never shared his strategies with him either. Maybe this was because Bert knew, like everyone else did, that someday, Carl would outsmart him. And he wanted to keep that day as far away as possible for as long as he could. The only true advantage Bert had over his little brother was the age gap between them, which already wasn't all that much, and which seemed to grow smaller by the day. It was plain for everyone to see that Carl was determined to catch up with his brother and that where he lacked skill and ability, he made up for it with sheer grit and creativity. No matter how frustrated he got, no matter what the game or the challenge, he would try and try again, no matter how often he failed.

John liked them both, but truth be told, Carl more so than Bert. Carl was more like himself and didn't mind breaking the rules a little now and then, and like himself was rather unapologetic about it when he thought he could get away with it. John considered both of them his friends though. Once he tried to tell Bert to let his little brother off, but that backfired terribly. They both turned on him. Carl didn't like being treated like the little brother, and Bert was hurt for being told he wasn't behaving like a big brother should. Alfred had to step in and separate the three of them fighting, which was when John realised that there was no need for Bert to be a big brother, Alfred was that to both of them. It made him wonder if his own little brothers who had an even smaller age gap between them would go on like that as well, or if Billy was stepping up to protect his baby brother the way he used to for them both. He missed them, still, and was wondering if there ever was to be a time where he wouldn't.

John didn't let on he was awake but listened to the boys quarrel with each other while Carl set up the game for them again. His complaining had gotten louder when suddenly their father made an appearance in the room. 

"God darn it boys, you were told to play quietly in here and let us know when he's awake," which made them both look up at their friend curiously, smiling when they realised he'd been watching them contently and feeling much better. "How can anyone make such a racket playing checkers?" Walls asked but in the same breath told them he did not want to know the answer. They gave it to him regardless though. "He's a sore loser, as usual" was Bert's explanation. "He's the sore loser. I can't proof it, but I know he cheated. I'm sure of it, Pa," was Carl's.