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Chapter 2
Rooms were able to hold more than people and furniture, Brian learned that day. They also held memories, whether they were good or bad.
Brian sat in the parlour and let the grey cloud pummel him. It wasn’t anything new. Sometimes it was refreshing to allow memories and feelings to have their way, especially in situations where there was little control. The one he had been in, there was little control. He didn’t want to be back at home. He wanted to be on his own, living his own life. But there he was, sulking in the parlour.
The main culprit was memories of his mother. And as usual, that was what had taken grip of him. Her sickness was a demon, one that stripped his mother of her dignity and grace. The image of her becoming gaunter, greyer, and the reminder of those horrid sunken cheeks was one that plagued him like his own sickness.
Because she had always been strong. She had been a hero to him cut down to size, broken, humiliated by an invisible, merciless, evil. Oddly enough, and with as much pain as it brought him, reliving it all soothed him. It even made his current situation trivial in comparison. He would have given anything to have his mother back. He would have sacrificed his own life for hers and endured the very pain that she had at the end of her life.
He would have done it without a moment’s hesitation. But that was not how life worked. Life was cruel, unforgiving, and made its own rules. The ironic part of it all was how much his mother had followed rules in her lifetime. She had been an obedient woman that had always believed that doing right by the world would come back to you in abundance. But where did it get her in the end, besides spitting up blood and wishing for the pain to stop?
Brian clenched his fist while sitting there. His jaw clenched as well, so hard, that it hurt.
It was then, that his lifelong friend Michael entered the room. His sudden presence made Brian unclench all that was clenched, while also releasing a big sigh.
“Whoa, are you well? It looks like you are about to go to war for the king,” Michael said while keeping his distance.
Brian did his best to relax the muscles in his face and switch to a more welcoming gaze, despite it not being all that easy.
“I am well, yes. My apologies. Sometimes uh, memories can be like shackles. Not to sound too dreary.”
Michael gave him a measured look, one that held a great mix of compassion and care. “I’ve known you long enough to where I can tell something is wrong. If at all you ever need to speak of such things, please know that I have two very open ears.”
Brian rose from his seat and walked over to Michael with a smile. “I appreciate the offer, my friend. But I am great. I know how to control the abyss that sits inside me.”
Michael nodded, probably expecting such an answer from his stubborn friend. “It is always great to see you, Brian. I hope you know that.”
Brian laughed and was very aware of how fabricated most of his laugh had been. The sadness had needed a moment to subside. “We saw each other last week in London, Michael. You act like we have not seen each other in decades.”
Michael smiled. “You are terrible with kind words. Do you know that?”
Brian poured himself a drink from a bottle that he found in the drinks cabinet. He wasn’t sure what type of alcohol it was, but he knew it was alcohol and that was enough for it to slide down his throat. “Kind words are for decent men. You are looking at a less than decent man.”
Michael shook his head. “Whatever you say. Maybe this summer will teach you to be a happier man. Lord knows, decades of past summers have failed miserably.”
“I am happy in ways that you can’t understand. Most people run from their sadness, pain, and struggle, but I embrace it. And that makes me happy. See. I have it all figured out.”
“You are a mad man. It is much like the soldier who enjoys going to battle. But, if it works for you, then who am I to interject?”
Michael was a suave man, who always seemed as though he was thinking about his next words. He was but only an inch or two shorter than Brian but had a skinnier frame. Somehow, over the years, he had felt like both a younger and older brother to Brian.
He was someone that could always be his equal in situations and make him see things from an entirely different perspective. Even with their little talk of happiness on that day, Brian couldn’t help but wonder if his marriage to the past had become a little bit more obvious than he would have liked.
“Or perhaps you are too normal. I am also angry over the matter that I am required to stay here for the summer.
Michael pursed his lips. “Is my company that horrid?” he asked sarcastically. “Everyone moves on one day, I presume.”
“Don’t make my longing for more in life about you. It has nothing to do with you. I just do not find it admirable to be tied to one town that I have seen enough of in my life. It is the same old story worn thin. I always imagined myself roaming the world. But my father’s outdated expectations have me here.”
“I have never heard such a sting on the wordherebefore. But I understand. And I too, have always envisioned you travelling and so forth. But perhaps there is still more for you to accomplish here. Having roots isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“Roots are for trees.” Brian downed his glass of alcohol after that.
“Very well. Does anyone else in the neighbourhood know of our presence?”
“A few. But Connor wants his arrival to be a surprise.”
Connor was their other friend, a man who wore shyness like a second skin. Yet he never had a reason to. He was tall, athletic, and women always flocked to him in a way that men would give their left hand for. Connor called it being humble, but his friends would tease him and call it shyness. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter though, because they all remained close, despite their personality differences.
