Watch Your Step

GREATER {4}

The news of his brother being in an accident was already reported. "Mike Myers, a candidate for Mayor elections is now in critical condition at St. Mary and Joseph Hospital..."Mike turned it off.

Philip turned his head around to crack his neck. It's the same but rare instances when pain clashes with pleasure but the pain always succeeds so you have to yearn for more pleasure.

Only days before, as Philip believes his publicity stunt to adopt a child, when he was watching the TV in a cattery he's been having lunch. He was trying to open a bottle of coke when his nape started aching.

On the TV, together with his wife, Mike was waving his hands to the flashing cameras and holding a girl in his arms. He said he was going to adopt that child and raise her as his own. When Philip came home from work, he found out that his daughter Erica had been sent to the hospital.

"She just started convulsing," Emily, his wife, said, "I didn't know what to do."

Cold sweat dripped on Philip's temple, It can't be, he thought.

It was some unknown disease, the doctor said. Emily took a stronghold in her husband's chest as she cried. Philip embraced his wife and rubbed her shoulder. He kissed her head and said, "I have to meet someone."

I remember Emily cleaning here. Dusting tabletops and removing cobwebs. It's me and her against the world. But the truth is, Philip and his family were driven to poverty when his father disowned him. While Mike lavished on their father's riches and followed in his footsteps in politics.

"But you won on having yourself a family, a wife that's not for show,"

"While I couldn't make a child," Mike said morosely, "you won."

"This is your plan?" Philip walked around the living room, "Recollecting everything we hate about each other?"

"We're collecting all traces of envy."

They sat on the couch near the fireplace and after a silence, Mike spoke, "You called me after so many years because you watched me on TV. I can't believe you did that."

Philip wiped his face as his head started to hurt. He remembered something. Now, he couldn't believe he was sitting with his brother whom he practically killed a few hours ago.

When they have something in common, it usually doesn't end well. That's their curse. Now they're both on the brink of death, it's just a matter of who lives and who dies. They can't be both, Philip thought.

While Mike imagines this is just a day at work he could come home from. "Remember that time when I got sick," he said. "You were so energetic."

"We switched," Philip agreed.

Outside the window, it was darkening, as if the sun had already set.

"It should be afternoon," Philip said.

"We're losing time," Mike replied, "Let's go."