Shattered

23: The Promise

  Jacob smiled. "Keep your head up, kiddo. Everything's going to be fine. And when I get back, we'll just continue on as we did before. I'll be home in a little while, and when I get back, I want some banana pancakes and a back rub. Got it?"

  "That's the plan, Stan," said Brianna, her eyes shut tightly as she tried to stop the tears. 

  A few minutes later, they were out the door, walking down the sidewalk. The bus stop was only nearly a mile down the road, but the August heat made it much worse than it actually was. 

  The bus stop was a small, beaten down sign in front of a gas station. The three approached it with sadness, as they knew it was the last place they would be together for a while. Jacob checked his watch; he had under five minutes left with them. 

  "Brie, can you run into the gas station super fast and get me a bottle of water?" he asked, pulling out a one dollar bill from his pocket and handing it to her. He hated making her do it, but there was something important he needed to do with Brooke; something he had to do with her alone.

  "Sure, I'll be right back," said Brianna, running off toward the gas station's store.

  Jacob watched her until the door to the shop closed behind her. He put his luggage down on the sidewalk, and turned to Brooke. She opened her mouth to speak, but she never got the chance to say anything. Jacob leaned forward, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered, as they slowly broke apart. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I never found out what it was like to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world."

  Brianna came walking down through the parking lot of the gas station, just as the bus pulled up.

  "And how was it?" Brooke whispered softly, with a look of peaceful confusion on her face.

  "Better than I could have imagined," Jacob said quietly, as Brianna approached, handing him a bottle of water. 

  The doors to the bus opened, and Jacob nervously bent down to pick up his luggage. At that point the sadness was beyond tears, and with an understanding exchange of nods, Jacob climbed onto the bus. Brooke and Brianna watched as he took a seat, already missing his presence. He stuck his head out of the window and mouthed "I love you."

  The bus drove off, leaving behind only the smell of gasoline. Perhaps it was from the gas station, but it was more comforting to feel that some part of that bus had stayed there with them. The sisters watched in silence as it drove off, and disappeared in the hazy horizon. After a few moments of longing, as they tried to accept the reality, they turned around and began to walk toward home.

  With a sunken heart, and the look of confusion from the kiss etched upon her face, Brooke put her arm around Brianna, and they slowly walked down the sidewalk. With a thousand different thoughts flooding their heads, the one that seemed to stick out the most, was wondering just how long a year could last.

  They still had not spoken as they walked up the wooden staircase toward the apartment, but the shock that awaited them up at the top was enough to render them speechless for days.

  "With all sincerity in my heart and in what I say, I need to speak to both of you," said Bradley, fanning himself with his hand as he stood in front of their door in a black suit.

  "Take off that coat," said Brianna, looking up at him worriedly, "it's nearly 100 degrees out here, you're going to pass out."

  "Come inside," said Brooke, slowly walking past him to open up the door. He touched her arm gently and shook his head.

  "What I need to say needs to be said out here," he said. "I want anyone who wants to hear it to hear it."

  Brooke gave a small nod, pushing him to continue. She was close enough to him to see the sweat trickling down his forehead, and she wondered how long he had been there waiting.

  "When I came here almost a year ago," he choked out in a rush, "I came for all the wrong reasons. I did not know why I wanted to come back, and I don't think I figured it out while I was here. I figured just by showing up that things would go back the way they were and that I wouldn't have to worry about apologizing. Recently I found out just how wrong I was."

  "Bradley-" Brooke interjected.

  "No, let me continue," he said, nearly trembling, as he tried to spit out everything he had to say. "I have realized how much I miss being a family. I have been a stubborn idiot all these years, and I wish that I had known as much as I do now. For now, I know just how important family is. It took me the realization of pain to understand that. All summer I have grown close to a young boy in Ohio. He doesn't have any parents; only a foster mother. He is so full of joy, that you would never imagine at first knowing him how much pain he is in. It took me forever to get him to open up to me, and now I see him struggle on a daily basis. I couldn't believe that his parents would not want him, because he is a delight to everyone who knows him. How could someone leave him? It was hard for me to understand, but one day he asked me about my family. I realized later that I had done the same thing that his parents had, and that broke me down. I wanted to change that, but I also want you both to realize that that's not the only reason I'm here. I miss being your brother. I miss helping you with homework, and playing video games; I miss making fun of you and when we would sneak out in the middle of the night and just walk around town. I know it's too late for me to be here, at this point, but if you will just accept me as I am, I promise I will take care of you like I should have all along."

  His chest moved rapidly up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. There was liquid all over his face, but it seemed that most of it was tears. There was something about the desperation in his eyes that factored toward the sincerity of his words. 

  Brooke stood speechless for a moment, as she delighted over the words he spoke. And at last, she decided to delight in him. In one swift movement, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and embraced him tightly. With eyes flooded in tears, Brianna stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around the both of them. 

  And even though it was hot and humid around them; even though they were all sweating like pigs, and even though they were all so broken inside; they found refuge in each other. It was not just that they were reunited, it was that they were beginning to be rebuilt.