Unbroken Chords

Chapter 1

Six Months Later.

Iris makes sure Jon sits in his seat across the booth before she sits on her own. It's been almost a month since they moved to Wilmington from Charlotte. The waitress gives them a kid's menu and a regular menu, and Iris smiles a thank you.

"What can I get y'all to drink?"

Jon looks up at her curiously with scrunched eyebrows, "Do you guys have chocolate milk?"

The waitress looks at him with a grin and nods, "Yes we do." "Cool, I'll take that and my momma will take a coffee please!"

Iris and the waitress chuckle and Iris nods to confirm the drink order. The waitress walks off giving them more time to look over the menu.

After a bit, she ordered a stack of pancakes and chocolate chip ones for Jon. Iris opens the pack of crayons for him to keep him distracted until the food arrives.

She was used to being a single mother. She had raised Jon since he was two, after his parents, her brother and sister-in-law, had passed away. She always had the occasional support from her best friend Lori and her teenage son Zen.

Jon was always a little restless as he grew but he usually wanted to do things on his own, like order for the both of them, which she always found interesting.

He craned his head around, looking at the people in the diner. He concentrated on a man across the aisle sitting alone in a booth. Iris noticed his stare and handed him the crayons.

"Here, why don't you draw something for me?" she said, guiding Jon's attention to the kids menu.

Jon had a tendency to notice everything and everyone, he was just always curious. He also had a tendency to talk loudly about whatever or whoever he noticed.

"He looks sad," he said, his voice a bit too loud for Iris's comfort, causing her to blush.

"Jon," Iris said quietly, "It's not polite to comment on other people.  Why don't you draw something for me."

Jon picked up a crayon and started drawing. Iris took a deep breath and was relieved when the waitress came back with the coffee and chocolate milk.

She was operating on very little sleep and needed the caffeine boost desperately. Jon grabbed the kiddy cup and took a big swig of milk then began working on his drawing.

Anthony sat in the booth staring down at his coffee. He dreaded what was coming. He was momentarily distracted by the cute kid at the next table acting big. It was almost enough to make him smile, then he remembered his predicament and sunk back into his own thoughts.

He heard the bell on the diner door as it opened and saw his brother look around. He met his gaze and he headed straight to the table, glaring at him the whole way.

The waitress approached immediately.

"Just coffee," Issac said before the waitress could greet him. The air was thick with tension and the waitress walked off understandably.

"I'm sorry," Anthony said, still staring into his own cup.

"Bullshit," Issac said, unable to control his anger.

Iris looked up at the language and Issac suddenly realized there was a child just across the way.

"Sorry," he said, glancing at her. He turned his attention back to his brother and lowered his voice, "Anthony, where have you been?"

"I went up to the lookout at Wolf Hill," He said, "I was sitting in the car thinking about things and I fell asleep.  I guess my phone died."

"So you slept alone in a car at the top of a hill?" Issac whispered out angrily, "Fucking brilliant, man. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"