AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re shitting me! Brother! Mikey! Oh no, don’t tell me you messed around with the staff!”
“That’s all I’m gonna say about it. You assume what you want.” Michael smiled and felt another genuine laugh escape him. It had been so long since he felt good emotions.
“Oh, I can read between the lines on that one for sure.”
“Let’s go to the diner. I’d love one of their burgers. A decent meal is what I’m certainly aching for.” He used air quotations when he said aching. “I can say for certain, that I haven’t had a good meal in four years. The commissary was a lifesaver. Thanks for putting money on my books when you could.”
“It’s nothing. I owe you a lot.” Mitch pulled a U-turn and went back to Broadway Street where everything was. “You ready to be eye-bawled and whispered about?”
“Of course. A town full of parolees and past felons is the first to judge a man who just got out. Let’s do it.”
Michael felt people’s stares burning a hole through them as they were seated toward the back. He wanted to face the exit – since being locked up, he had conditioned himself to pay attention to every entrance and exit, and never wanted to have his back turned away from crowds. He had to read the room and know what was going on, even now that he was free.
He recognized the familiar faces – the people hadn’t changed much. There were a few people he didn’t know, but things hadn’t progressed much in the four years he was gone.
The waitress approached them, a smile wide on her face as she pulled a notepad from her apron. “Oh, my goodness! Is that Mikey Brennan?”
“Hey, Katrina. You’re looking good.” She graduated high school with him and always had a crush on him. She wasn’t his type – not that she wasn’t attractive, but he always found her to be a friend and nothing more. She was kind, and that’s what he needed among the gossip floating around the café.
“When did you get out, hon?” Her smile faded a bit when she glanced at Mitch. “Hey, Mitch. Same order as usual for you?”
“You got it, sweetie.” He scooted his menu across the table.
“Got out today.”
“You’re just as handsome as ever. Some guys come out looking like they aged 100 years. Not you. But then again, you’ve always been so handsome.” She giggled and jotted something on her notepad.
“You’re too sweet,” Michael replied. “I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries. And a Coke.”
“For sure! I’ll get this order put in for you.” She looked at Mitch again, her friendly demeanor immediately gone as she walked away.
“Damn. I bet you could take her to the bathroom and bang the hell outta her if you wanted to. Give yourself that sexual release.” Mitch laughed.
Michael felt the eyes on him, and his face heated up. “Maybe we should’ve gotten our order to-go.”
“Best to rip the Band-Aid off. You’re gonna have to co-exist with these people. Just get your first public appearance over with.”
“Katrina seemed a little jaded toward you. What was that about?”
“With me?” Mitch patted his chest. “Nah, nothing. We were sort of a thing for a bit, but it didn’t work out. I think she got her jollies off the fact I was your brother. Thought that was her way in to be with you.”
“That’s a pretty big assumption.”
“Nope. No assumption.” Mitch shook his head. “One night we were screwing, and she called out your name. Talk about killing my desire.”
“No way. That didn’t happen.” Michael shook his head and thanked Katrina when she brought their drinks out, feeling more awkward than before.
“It did. I asked her about it. She said she always liked you best. I can’t blame her. You were always the one who got all the girls. I was always the little brother. Nothing more.”
“And now I’m the brother who went to prison, so that should give you an advantage.”
“Just keep in mind why you went to prison, big bro. You’re not a bad man. And women love bad boys. They think they can change you. You’re not gonna have any problem getting a piece of tail around here.”
“The reason behind why I went doesn’t matter. People see an ex-con. They see our past and who our mother is. That’s what defines a man. The only people who know the why are you, Mom, and Marilyn. They know I was a drunk and an addict. Everyone just sees a fuck up.”
The burgers came out and Michael couldn’t look Katrina in the eye. He wasn’t sure how much of Mitch’s story he believed, but his brother never lied to him about things like that, so he figured it was true. Neither spoke as they dug into their food. The meal was delicious – he savored every bite, finishing it quickly. He hadn’t eaten so much food in one sitting in so long, he felt far too full.
“Damn, you inhaled it.” Mitch dipped a fry in ketchup.
