ROWTAG
The moment I hear the click of Kitchi's door I jump up from the couch. Olivia comes out of his bedroom with a neutral expression as she closes her medical bag.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
"Yes, his vitals are strong, he's just fatigued."
My grandmother enters the apartment with a laundry basket in her arms.
"What happened after I left?" I ask her.
As it's my custom since Kitchi came home, I went to check on him during a break. He grabbed me in a hug the moment I came closer to his bed and seemed short of breath. His heart raced as I asked him a million times what was wrong, but he wouldn't answer me. He felt dizzy, so I made him lay on his bed while I called Olivia. Grandma wasn't in the apartment when I came in and returned just now.
"Is Kitchi okay?" She asks when she sees Olivia then tries to walk past me, but I stand in her way.
"He is, but I found him upset. Do you know what got him like that?"
"More like a who. Promise me you will keep calm after what I have to say."
Olivia stands next to me and places her hand in mine. Her presence grounds me and makes me feel stronger.
"Karen was here."
"Okay," I concentrate on Olivia's hand in mine. "Did she get Kitchi worked up?"
"No, it wasn't like that. Kitchi heard us arguing about the way she treats you all. He found out the truth about the family ties."
My hand abandons Olivia's and I pace the room, not knowing what to think or do. It never crossed my mind that my brothers could find out in other ways.
"He knows that we are not related?" I ask and Grandma nods. "How did he react?"
"He was tense and wanted to tell your brothers. I thought he fell asleep afterwards, and went to do the laundry."
"This is so fucked up," I sit on the couch and rub my face.
"Rowtag, I don't care..." I turn around and see Kit, eyes swollen and bloodshot, standing by the door frame of his bedroom. "She can never break our bond. We will always be brothers. I feel so fucking pissed that she lied to everyone. I only wish you had told me earlier."
"She came into my room at the hospital before Grandma and Grandpa arrived, I think I had just woken up. No 'hello', or 'how are you feeling'. She went straight on to forbid me to tell anyone that she wasn't my mother. She repeated that I should be dead and left. Her words messed me up badly. Eventually my shrink got me to talk about it, but I didn't dare to tell any of you."
"Is that why you never came to live with us again?" Kitchi asks. "Because of her?"
"Dad decided that as a precaution, he didn't want us to have another accident, but I can't say I felt unhappy being away from her."
"This is unbelievable. When all of this is her-"
"-Kitchi, you need to rest." Grandma shakes her head. "I will bring you dinner when it's ready. This is all too much in your condition."
Kitchi nods and walks back into his room, Grandma following him.
"Are you okay?" Olivia asks me as she sits on the couch.
"I will be. If anything, I feel partial relief now that Kitchi knows."
"I'm so proud of you. You managed this situation well," she caresses my cheek.
"To be honest, I'm afraid of Huritt's reaction the most."
"You'll tell him when the time is right. Maybe this is bold from me given the situation, but would you like to stay the night at my house? If your brothers see you in this state, there will be questions."
"What about Kitchi?"
"He will sleep until tomorrow when he gets his evening medication."
"I don't want to impose."
"I'm offering. Make an overnight bag and let me help you just like you have helped me recently."
After I refresh the contents of the bag I used when I slept at the hospital, I find Grandma talking with Olivia in whispers. Both stop at my sight.
"Have a good time at Olivia's," Grandma kisses my cheek. "I know you are both free tomorrow, so don't come home too soon. We'll be all right."
I head outside the house with Olivia and feel relieved when I don't find my brothers in the office and only a few employees rest at the lounge.
"I need to pick up Seth at the club. Here are my car keys and don't even think about driving," she warns me.
I do as instructed and wait inside the car with my eyes closed, concentrating on my breathing pattern to calm myself. I open my eyes when I hear the doors opening.
"Hey, Rowtag! Were you sleeping?"
Seth takes place in the backseat and smiles at me. He looks funny with the recent gaps in his teeth.
"No, just resting my eyes for a bit. Did you have fun today?"
"Yeah, I glued chicken feathers to my drawing. We walked around the ranch and picked stuff from the ground to use. I found the feathers," Seth says as Olivia takes her place in the driver's seat.
"That sounds like fun," I say.
"Are you sad?" Seth asks, concern in his little face.
"Yeah, I am," I say and Olivia looks surprised at my honest admission.
"Don't worry. Mommy will make you feel better. She always does when I'm sad," he says and I smile at his simple solution.
After driving for close to fifteen minutes, we arrive at a white cottage surrounded by colorful flower pots. Olivia parks the car and Seth runs to the post box to pick the mail. She opens the house and invites me in; the place is light, cozy and filled with more potted plants.
"This is a charming house, Olivia."
"Thank you. It's a luxury for us compared with the tiny apartment we had in the city. Seth can now play in the garden and I'm not afraid of him running in front of a car."
Olivia opens a side door next to the kitchen and we walk into a wide porch with a large rustic table and benches with cushions as colorful as the plants around the house.
"We like to eat outside. What would you like me to cook for you?"
I'm surprised by the question. At home, I always eat whatever Huritt cooks.
"I- Uh- Don't know. Seth, can you help me?" I ask and the boy walks towards me. "What is the best thing that your Mom can cook?"
"Everything!" He grins.
"That is not helping me, man. I eat pretty much everything," I say to Olivia. "I'm not picky."
Olivia gives me a light kiss and heads to the kitchen. I feel lost at what to do next. I could offer to help, but I won't be doing her any favors. Seth brings a board game outside and challenges me to play. I have been so busy in the last years that I forgot how much I enjoy simple pleasures like a game night.
"Gentlemen, time to clear up and wash your hands," Olivia says from the kitchen.
I'm glad she interrupted our game as I was feeling embarrassed at my losing streak, plus the scents coming from the kitchen are promising. We do as instructed and come back to food on the table. On my plate, there is a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and big breaded steaks with gravy. I look at Seth's plate, and he has the same amount of food I have.
"Is he going to eat all of that?"
"He is a miniature man and going through a growth spurt, so the answer is yes. He will eat that and then have a bowl of yogurt afterwards," Olivia says while Seth enjoys his food and doesn't even pay attention to us.
I smile remembering how Grandma would tease us, saying that she would have to hide the cows and the pigs from us when we were growing up.
After the lovely meal, we spend the evening chatting while Seth watches TV, and then it's time to go to bed. Seth goes obediently and asks me to read a story for him. Of course, I do. I dreamed a thousand times about doing this with my children. After the story, I kiss his forehead goodnight while his mom watches us from the doorframe, and he gives me a big smile. I head towards the living room, but Olivia holds my hand.
"Come with me, Row," Olivia brings me to a bedroom... Her bedroom.