The Perfect-ish Brother

~10~

Kess

Rukeme didn't look too happy to see me. As a matter of fact he didn't look happy at all. His skin appears blotchy and his eyes look puffy, like he's been crying.

I know he's not one to get emotional over things so it just disturbs me.

His grip on the steering wheel tightens and I can see his lips quiver as we mount a speed bump.

Is this because of Kaycee? Definitely not.

Something real bad must have happened, because the next thing I know; our car comes to an abrupt halt right in the middle of traffic, causing me to jerk foward from the impact. Thank goodness I'm not riding shotgun.

Rukeme leans on the headrest of his seat, tears streaming down his face with no restraint whatsoever. Something strange ticks in me.

I feel my eye twitch. I've ignored Rukeme for close to two years now and I had gotten so good at it; but here in this car....

"Are you okay?" I can hear the guilt in my voice.

Did I do this to him?

He immediately stops crying and then sits up. He adjusts his seat so he could look me at me through the rearview mirror. After a few seconds of staring at me intently, he chuckles dryly, "I couldn't help myself Kess, I just had to be the hero"

I have no idea what he's talking about.

"She called" He sniffles. "Mom called, Kess"

I feel my eye twitch again.

"She was crying and I-I-I don't know why I did it, but I did"

Twitch.

"Her boyfriend, he's a fraud. Hacked into her bank account, stole millions and left her a black eye to show for it"

He turns around to look me in the face, "She was crying, saying she had no place to go. And you could bet at that moment I was about to tell her that there was no way in hell I would let her come into our house after she abandoned us. But I didn't. Hearing her cry and promise to be a better mother-"

"You don't get it, do you?" A tear rolls down my cheek and I wince .

"Kess-"

"Would she have contacted you had the 'love of her life' not scammed her? Would she have even remembered our existence?!" My fist clenches.

"She wasn't there for me, for Mairo or Dad. She isn't worth saving, let karma run its course! You're not God!"

His eyes grow dark and the car becomes silent, both of us lost in thought for a while.

Rukeme sighs and revs the engine after ignition, then he meets my glare in the mirror, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry"

"Your sorry is worth nothing"

"I know"

***********************

The screeching sound of airplanes landing and taking off gives me a migraine. The airport lounge is packed with a lot of people, some scroll mindlessly through their phones, tired parents clutch on to their little kids-and luggages, others are engaged in conversations and whatnot. Rukeme and I get a seat close to the translucent window.

The view is aesthetic, I'll admit. But I'm too infuriated to relish it.

Rukeme told me that her flight touches down in 10 minutes. To say every second is torture would be the understatement of the century.

I remember the last time I came to an airport, I was 13. Mairo and Rukeme were arguing over who was the best Avenger of all time and as always, Mairo believed it was Iron man.

"He's the only Avenger with an actual purpose, right Jojo?" She turned to ask me and I nodded eagerly in response earning an eye roll from Rukeme.

Dad was just about to travel to Korea for a business convention and we had already escourted him to the boarding stairs of his company jet. After a big group hug and a special kiss on the forehead of the woman who happened to be my mother, his plane took off.

Rukeme had his arm around Mairo's shoulder as she leaned into his embrace. They were really close at the time.

Mom ruffled my hair playfully and muttered, 'Daddy's little princess' under her breath.

I guess we were close too.

The ride back home was nothing short of exhilarating. Rukeme would blast his music from the car speakers as Mairo would croakily sing along. I would stare at the evening sky and revel in the feel of the wind in my hair. Mom would occasionally attempt to crack a joke and we would either cringe or laugh; but either way we were happy. I was happy.

"Hello, is this seat taken?" I look up to see a girl in a pink hijab point at the chair close to mine. I shake my head and she plops down beside me. She plugs in her earphones and begins to tap her foot rhythmically, bobbing her head while her eyes roam. Next thing, an older yet identical version of the girl approaches us. This one is wearing a purple hijab and has on a pair of glasses. She hands the already seated one some snacks and they both converse in a language that sounds like French. I figure that the one with glasses is the mother of the younger girl.

Although I can't understand a thing they're saying, the bond between them is very palpable. The younger girl shows her mother something on her phone and she laughs heartily, her eyes crinkling at the sides.

Needless to say they have a healthy mother-daughter relationship.

Ironic, isn't it?

Suddenly, the monitor in front of us shows that Mom's plane has finally landed. My breath hitches and so does Rukeme's. His phone rings and he picks the call and I can overhear her voice from the phone's speaker, "He-Hello? Rukky? It's Mom"

"Yeah, I'm aware" His answer is gruff.

"Okay honey, what color of shirt are you wearing?"

"Orange"

I hear her laugh on the other end, "Still your favorite color I presume...And fruit"

"Mmm" He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath.

"I'm wearing a-"

"I know, I see you" Rukeme states as he opens his eyes and fixes his gaze on a woman with her back to us holding a phone to her ear. She hasn't seen us yet but we have, Rukeme gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze and smiles sadly at me. I nod at him and he lifts his phone to his ear, "Mom. Look behind you"

She turns. Her gaze meets mine and her smile fades, a frown of uncertainty is etched on her lips as she takes a few tentative steps toward me. Then all of a sudden, she grabs me and hugs me like her life depended on it.

Tears run down her face as she whispers against my neck, "I've missed you Jojo-Lee"

I stiffen at the memory of the nickname she gave me when I was a baby. My siblings complained then that my English name Leonora-Jolie was too long.

She pulls away a bit and looks lovingly at me, her amber eyes bore into my honey brown ones.

She then lets go of me and turns to Rukeme, "Oh Rukky!" She stands on her toes to reach his height and wraps her arms around him. At first his hands dangle awkwardly at his side, but as her grip tightens; his façade crumbles and he melts into her embrace.

"Let's go home" He says solemnly after reluctantly breaking the hug.

Then realization dawns on me; Mom is coming home.

And it looks like she's coming home to stay.