AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’s younger,” she admitted.
“So, my Dad had him before he got deployed to Iraq?”
My mother looked down.
“Come on, Mom. At least tell me that? Does he live in town?”
Her eyes flicked up meeting mine.
“He does,” I realized. “Do I know him?”
“Titus, stop it. You’re trying to get me to say things I can’t say.”
“You can do whatever you want, Mom. It’s what you’ve always done. I mean, how could you keep this from me my whole life?”
Her resolve returned. “This conversation is over.”
She got up and headed to her room.
“Oh because you’re done talking about it, you think it’s over.”
“Just let it go, Titus!”
“Let it go? You dropped a bombshell like that and you expect me to just let it go?”
Entering her room, she slammed the door behind her. I stared at it stunned. What the hell had just happened? I had grown up lonelier than I could stand, wishing I had a brother, and I had one this entire time? I couldn’t believe it.
It destroyed me that I couldn’t call Lou and tell him about this. But, he was probably celebrating his engagement. Why had I waited so long to tell him how I felt about him? I felt like my whole world was coming apart.
Not wanting to be here anymore, I headed for my truck and drove. Being a small town, I didn’t have a lot of places I could go. I could hike out to one of the falls that the town was named after. But I didn’t feel like being by myself.
Approaching Mike’s diner, I saw his truck parked in back. I thought about him and my mother. How long had things been going on between the two of them?
It wasn’t that Mike was that bad of a guy. When Nero was going through his asshole phase, Mike was the only one to give him a job. Considering my mother’s dating options, he was a catch. I guess my problem was everything that came with their relationship like potentially losing my childhood home.
Look, I get it. I’m not a kid anymore. I could find my way on my own. But my world was shifting under my feet.
I had lost the guy I love. I was losing the only home I ever had. And somewhere out there was a brother I might never meet. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
Driving further down Main Street, I next approached Dr. Sonya’s Bed & Breakfast. Dr. Sonya was my new roommate’s mother. Since Nero got drafted and Cali was coming to East Tennessee University as a freshman, us rooming together made sense. The two of us were the only ones there from Snow Tip Falls. We had to stick together.
Remembering what other project Dr. Sonya had going on, I pulled into her driveway and parked next to a truck I didn’t recognize. Following the path to the back of the beautiful two-story, craftsman home, I circled onto the large stone back porch finding three small two-tops.
“Titus! What brings you here?” Dr. Sonya said exiting the house’s back door to greet me.
“Cali told me you were doing this and since I was in town, I decided to check it out. How’s it been going?”
“Surprisingly good. Marcus is beyond thrilled,” she said showing a hint of her Jamaican accent. “He’s here every morning baking. It’s become a real adventure.”
“That’s great! Now if we can just get the rest of the town on board, we could put Snow Tip Falls on the map.”
“Literally,” Dr. Sonya said touching my arm with a laugh.
She shared my frustration with the town’s apathy. I was sure that Snow Tip Falls could be the most popular destination in Tennessee for Eco tourism. We had more beautiful falls per square mile than any other part of the state. It would benefit everyone.
But there were people like Mike and my mother, who preferred to keep things the way they were. What they didn’t realize was that my generation needed a reason to stay. If we can’t find our opportunities here, we will look for it somewhere else. And, how long would the town last when its only residents were over 50?
Dr. Sonya got it, though. It helped that she was born on an island that survived on tourism. That was probably why she opened her bed and breakfast. It was the only place in town a stranger could stay the night. Without her, the town would be a general store, a diner, and a crumbling high school.
