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I was in the Middle East, doing contract work as shots fired all around our compound when my brother called. I didn’t think it possible for Gramps to die, but the shock I’ve felt since that phone call still hasn’t allowed me a full night’s rest. How can I miss a man so much who I chose not to see while he was still alive? Sure, I often spoke to him, but it’s not the same.
More guilt and shame floods through me. Gramps was a powerful man when he took my siblings and me in. He owned so much property in Washington, Oregon, and California, they could probably rename one of the states after him. And now the legendary man is gone from this earth... too soon in my opinion.
My brother hasn’t told me what happened. Was it an illness, an accident, or something more nefarious? To find out I had to come home. It’s odd though, because from the moment I got the message, all I wanted to do is come home. How sad that it takes a death to bring our family back together.
I’m still looking at my childhood home as all of this runs through my mind. Gramps has been gone for weeks already, and I find myself on shaky knees as I begin to walk the familiar path to the front door. I’m sure I look like a homeless man as I near the expensive home in my ripped blue jeans and worn leather coat. Of course, it’s a ranch, even if the home looks like something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. That’s a blast from the past. That show hasn’t been on for quite some time.
I don’t care how I look. Then again, I never care. I know who I am, and I really don’t care what other people think about me. It isn’t that I can’t afford whatever I want, I just don’t want a hell of a lot. My brothers have often looked at me like the black sheep of the family. I don’t call them enough and they never know where in the world I am. Hell, I don’t know where I’m going most of the time. I should quit. I might quit. I talk to Zach more than Callan, which is probably wrong.
Even though we talk, we haven’t been in the same country for a long time. I don’t remember the last time we sat down and shared a meal together. Now here I am, ragged and feeling like shit, unsure of what comes next.
I laugh as I near the door. I might look ragged, but I’m well aware of my appeal. This isn’t vanity, it’s fact. I’m six two, and have vibrant green eyes I’ve been told have an eternal sparkle. I can’t stand shaving and have a five o’clock shadow that feels better than razor burn. I’m vain enough to know women stop and look. I was blessed with looks and money. Sometimes it’s not quite the blessing others make it out to be.
Making real friends and having real relationships becomes incredibly difficult when you aren’t sure who wants to be with you only for what you can give them. It’s why I left home. What in the hell did I have to prove? Who knows?
I’m thirty-three. I own a lot of property that puts money in my bank account. I also do contract work for the government, which fills my need for a nomad lifestyle. I’ve traveled to war-ravaged cities, places where natural disasters have torn buildings from their foundations, and countries most people never heard of. I’ve seen things most wouldn’t be able to handle. I always thought I handled it. Maybe I’m not doing as well as I believe.
There’s so much damn good in the world, but the bad isreallybad. It’s what makes it hard for me to sleep at night. I’ve seen thebest and worst of humanity. I thought I was numb to it all. I’m wrong. Coming home makes me realize this.
I take a breath at the front door. Zach, Callan, and I might be triplets, but we’re about as opposite as brothers can be. I smile as I think about my younger brother... by five minutes. The man’s so uptight with his corporate job; I think he sleeps in a suit and tie. He also believes a stain is a national emergency. There’s certainly a family resemblance, but we aren’t identical, and this is also where our similarities stop.
Zach keeps his hair short and his appearance pristine. I, on the other hand, am in constant need of a haircut and shave, and my clothing looks like it comes straight out of the bargain bin at Goodwill. I like it this way. I don’t want strangers trying to get something from me. Nobody asks for anything if they believe I have nothing to offer. Good riddance to beggars.
Reaching for the knob, I smile as it turns. My uptight brother isn’t too worried about security. I’m a little shocked. Then again, we are in the country, where crime is the local bear, aptly named Yogi, emptying the garbage can and leaving a trail of garbage down the five-mile-long driveway. That’s always a super fun cleanup. The racoons sure appreciate the bears help though as they come in after him and scavenge whatever they can.
When I open the door, the smell that greets me stops me in my tracks as my stomach rumbles. I realize I haven’t eaten anything in the past eighteen hours. I managed to grab a bag of chips from the airport on my way through, after my twenty-hour flight, but I was in a hurry to get home, too much of a hurry to run through a drive-through, though a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme sounds like heaven right about now.
I’m starving. My nose leads me through the house to the kitchen I’d only been in a few times during my youth, as I had no interest in learning to cook. An older man’s cleaning what looks like the remains of a good dinner and I hope there are leftovers.I move up behind the man without even thinking about startling him. This is my childhood home, and I belong here.
When the guy realizes he isn’t alone, he turns, sees me, then lets out an ear-piercing scream, causing me to stumble back a few steps as I hold up my hands in surrender. I’m not sure how the windows aren’t shattered, or how a guy can hit that particular pitch. Even the local bats’ sonar has been activated.
My fingers twitch with the need to capture the look on the man’s face on my camera. I’m into photography, and there’s nothing like a candid shot. I can’t pay someone for a shot like this. Footsteps rapidly approach as I turn, seeing my brother burst through the kitchen doorway, his mouth grim as he does a quick visual for danger. When our eyes meet, I give him a crooked smile and a shrug of my shoulders. Zach sends me a frustrated stare.
“I see you’ve come in with a bang as usual, brother,” Zach says.
“Good to see you too, Zach,” I reply as I move to the kitchen island and take a seat. We both turn to look at the frightened man whose eyes flash between the two of us. Zach gives him a reassuring smile.
“I’m sorry, Mandel, this is my brother, though you probably can’t tell from the homeless appearance he’s sporting,” Zach assures him.
“I traveled a long way to get here. I wouldn’t mind if you passed along some leftovers,” I suggest with my most disarming smile.
The man’s clutching his chest and looking as if I’ve lost my mind. I want to tell him that ship sailed a very long time ago — I gave up living a life of sanity when I began traveling the world. It might not be the best idea to say it out loud though, not when he’s looking at me like I still might attack. Some people are too jumpy.
“It’s nice to see you’ve grown up during your travels,” Zach says.
I smile at him. “And I’m glad to see you’ve still got a stick nicely wedged up your ass,” I respond with a wink.
Zach’s expression never alters as he stands close. He isn’t going to sit down and be on an equal level with me — Zach has to be the boss. It’s been this way since we were young. But while Zach might have a need to keep control, I managed to talk my brother into some fun adventures anyway when we were young. These are the memories that keep me going during the scariest times of my life.
“You have staff here for just you?” I ask. I still haven’t been given any food. The least I should get is a hot meal after a full day of travel to get home.
“No, I just finished a meal with Nova — the groundskeeper,” Zach says.
This instantly piques my interest. “Nova?” I ask with a grin. “She must be one heck of a groundskeeper for you to bring a chef and cleaning crew in.”
“I just arrived today,” Zach tells me. “And she was here. I thought it would be good for us to talk.”
“Where’s she staying?”
