As We Are | Book 2

Brother to Brother

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Brother to Brother

I've lived the past three days in a zombie-like state. A trance.

The thought of my alleged half-brother Jack, my unfaithful dead father and the thought of my fucked up past swirling around my mind non-stop, eating away at everything that is good in my mind.

In the words of Frida Kahlo, 'I tried to drown my sorrows, but they learnt how to swim,' and now I'm struggling to keep my head above the water when the weight of everything weighs heavily on my ankles.

I wish it didn't affect me as much as it does, but I unfortunately, don't have the mental and emotional strength to continue with my days unfazed by it.

Instead I'm a distracted mess, struggling to work without staring out the window for hours at a time or forgetting to eat.

It just doesn't sit well with me. My past is a mystery, my present is uncertain and my future will never be the same and I'm struggling to come to terms with it.

No. Enough is enough.

I've got too many people relying on me; I can't spiral out of control now.

Today I've decided to put an end to this vicious cycle.

How? By getting to know Jack.

If I confront him and we talk things out, hopefully, I can get some answers and some form of closure. It'll be a step in the right direction.

I'm meeting him in a few minutes at the café.

I don't feel comfortable enough inviting Jack into my home. It's not something I'm proud to admit, heck I leave my doors open for pretty much everybody.

But something about Jack, isn't sitting well with me, but maybe I'm just being a pretentious, whiny brat who's in denial.

I throw on a navy sweatshirt and some dark jeans and sneakers.

I stare at my reflection for a few moments.

My skin has never looked paler. I stare into my icey blue eyes and my white-blond hair – which is a dishevelled mess.

I throw on a beanie and I pat down the stubble I've neglected to shave for a week.

I grab the keys and I head outside.

"Have a good day Chris," says Molly's little voice.

I stop in my tracks, my eyes searching the room for her.

I turn around and I smile sincerely, "thank you, sweetie. You have yourself a good day too."

I park crookedly and I rush inside the café to take advantage of the time before Jack's arrival.

But to my surprise, Jack's already here, sitting in the far end of the dining area.

He waves when he sees me, I smile stiffly and I approach his table, my hands already balled into fists.

I pull out the chair and I sit, staring at him with a stone-cold expression and he stares back at me expressionless.

"Good to see you again Chris,"

"You too,"

"Your energy tells me otherwise," he chuckles.

"Are you some sort of psychic now?"