Vicious Legacy (boy x boy)

Chapter Two: Hello and Goodbye

 Chapter Two: Hello and Goodbye

               

Christmas dinner in Caleb’s house was cancelled and nobody thought about lights or presents anymore.

Adam arrived the following week as planned, but with a one way ticket and along with his father’s coffin. His mother hugged him tightly when he arrived at the airport, around the waist for she no longer reached higher. Adam reciprocated weakly, partly because he felt he no longer knew much about the woman, partly out of sheer apathy. His eyes - as blue as his mother’s but now completely blank - sparkled just a little when he saw the one who had been his little brother and was now able to look him in the eye without tilting his head back.

“You grew up,” he stated, giving Caleb’s arm a friendly slap.

“Well, I tried hard to remain six forever, but I really couldn’t manage it,” Caleb jested, in an attempt to lift the heavy mood, which he thought was actually good for nothing.

Adam gave him a weak smile that made Caleb deeply sad. Here was his brother, a twenty-one-year-old young man who had always looked happy in the computer monitor. It wasn’t fair that he had been brought down like that, his father taken away in such a sudden and random way by some stupid food poisoning.

The brothers walked together to one of the many airport cafés after their mother insisted on taking care of everything regarding the coffin’s transportation. Her husband had offered to accompany her, leaving the boys alone.

 “What do you want to eat?” Caleb asked, opening the small menu in front of him.

 “I’m not hungry.” .

 Caleb raised his brows. “Have you eaten in the plane?”

 Adam shook his head.

“But it’s been so many hours! You gotta eat, even if just a caffe latte or something,“ Caleb argued.

Once again he managed to bring a smile to his older brother’s face. “I see why mom left me with you. You’re really good at replacing her,” Adam said.

Caleb slightly blushed, but didn’t give in. “I’m going to ask for a latte for you, is that ok?"

“Go ahead, then.”

Near the counter, while waiting for their two lattes, Caleb discretely observed his brother. He was sitting in his chair in a very straight posture, but with his head tilting down so that one or two locks of black hair were hanging over his pale forehead. His eyes stared at the table like he was lost in some deep thought, that clearly could not be very happy. With a sigh, Caleb picked up the drinks and went back to Adam, putting the paper cups down on the table.

 Adam looked up to him, took a sip of his cup and winced. “Maybe coffee on an empty stomach is not such a great idea.”

“Want me to ask for a tea?”

Adam gave his brother an amused look. “How old are you? Eighteen?”

“Almost.  Why?”

“Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, being an annoying brat, raging against the world, instead of politely taking care of people?”

Caleb gave him a malicious grin. “What about a beer and a joint, then?”

His older brother surprised him with a laugh. “You’re funny. Better not, though. I tend to depress with those kinds of stuff,” Adam said, grimacing.

When their mother came back, she had the pleasant surprise of seeing both her sons smiling.

At the funeral, no one smiled. Rose, the deceased’s mother, cried rivers of tears and her sobs echoed throughout the cold cemetery. Adam, who had managed to contain himself so far, joined his cries with hers in this very last goodbye, before closing the casket forever. Gina could not bear his son’s tears without spilling her own, grabbing his hand and Caleb’s in hers. The younger one also ended up letting his sadness flow freely and silently down his face, more for his family’s mourning than for the man who had been his absent father and was now being laid down to the earth.

No one spoke in the car while the family was heading home. Although Adam now had the money to stay pretty much wherever he wanted, Gina insisted that he lived with them, at least until he recovered from this difficult time. He spent the whole trip back staring through the window at the street running fast in the opposite direction, with Caleb looking at him, almost feeling his anguish as his own.

“I’m going to the bedroom,” Adam said, as soon as they arrived home although it was still six pm.

Gina nodded but he didn’t see her because he was already headed to the stairs. She sighed. “I don’t really know what to do with him,” she confessed.

“Well, it was completely unexpected, must have been quite a shock to him. But Adam is still young. He will get better, just give him time,” her husband reassured with an affectionate hug.

Caleb felt a sudden urge to climb up the stairs after his brother, but he didn’t. Instead, he got a leash from a drawer and said, “I’m going to walk Tim.”

He headed for the backyard for their little black dog, went outside and started roaming around the block. Tim, at least, seemed to be happy all the time, trotting around with his tongue hanging out in a huge doggy smile. It would be good if people could be like that.

Turning the last corner before going back, Caleb noticed someone leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the road, someone who seemed to be staring directly at his house. This person was not very tall and wore a black hoodie with the hood pulled up and cargo pants hanging loosely about the hip. Through all those layers of clothing, Caleb could discern nothing about the individual, even gender. As Caleb approached, the figure stepped away from the tree and hurried in the opposite direction. Creepy guy, the boy thought, frowning. Right before entering his house, he watched into the distance until he was no longer able to see the person.

Inside, he found his mother staring absentminded at the TV while Jake finished preparing the evening meal.

“Caleb, go call your brother for dinner, would you?” he asked.

Caleb nodded, heading up to his room which they would have to share for a few days, until they could turn their large attic into a proper bedroom. When he got in, Adam was lying on the inflatable bed, despite Caleb had told his brother to take his bed. He was asleep, but his face showed he had been crying again.

“Adam.”

The young man’s awakening was surprisingly quick. He raised his swollen eyes to his younger brother.

“Dinner time,” Caleb announced. Adam mumbled and buried his face back on the pillow.

“Want me to bring a tray for you?”

The older one glared at him, a bit aggravated.

“Seriously? Really, I’m not sure if you do that ‘cause you’re really nice, or because you want other people to feel guilty enough to give in to you.”

“I’m just nice,” Caleb stated, nonchalantly “It’s not such a big deal bringing the tray up, you know?”

Sighing, Adam jumped out the bed, but Caleb could see he was still annoyed.

“Well, I’m sorry. From now on I’ll just rage against the world.”

His brother rolled his eyes but a draft of a smile appeared on his face and he put one of his hands lightly over Caleb’s back for a moment, in a silent apology. Caleb smiled back, feeling as though he had achieved some small accomplishment.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying this story, please don't forget to vote ;) Any feedback is also welcome!

New cover by Contagious_