In the Life (17 page)

"I would say tonight, but you know mama would rather us stay at least tonight. We can leave right from Aunt Sharon's house."

"So much for a warm homecoming," Braylon said as he got up from the table.

"I know." Braylon and Brandon knew it would be a long time before they came home again.

Chapter 7

Braylon kept looking over at Brandon who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat of the car. They had just left their Aunt's and they were too glad to leave.

The twins were surrounded by loving family and friends whom they had not seen in some time, but their father would not let them enjoy the atmosphere. He was always there with some snide comment about the boys. He never said anything that ousted Braylon to anyone, but Brandon was a different case. He had been brutal. His double angst was focused on the openly gay brother.

If Frank did not say something about Brandon being gay, he said something about his weight. Brandon tried his best not to crack or cry, which he didn't. Luckily, outside of Shirley, Brandon, and Braylon, no one really took notice to Frank's antics.

When Braylon and Brandon started to make their way to the car, Shirley let them without hassle. She kissed them both double as much as she normally would have and hugged them even tighter. She wanted to make sure they knew that they were loved despite what Frank may do or say.

"I made us a few plates before we left. I figured that whole scene was making you lose your appetite," Braylon said. They had just made it to the interstate and were both eager to get back to their apartment.

"Thanks," Brandon responded somberly.

"You took some tough blows from Dad. You want to talk about it?"

Brandon did not reply. He just looked out of his window at all of the passing motorists. Braylon couldn't keep his eyes on the road. He was concerned about his brother. He wanted to know what was going on in his head. Braylon had a few things flying around as well. He wanted to discuss them, but did not want to force Brandon into a conversation that might make him shut down.

"Dad is an asshole," Brandon finally said. "A fucking asshole."

"You don't have to tell me. I know."

"No, you don't." Brandon started tearing up. Braylon noticed and pulled off the interstate and took the next exit. "Sometimes I really hate that man. I tell myself that if he would die tomorrow, I would not care. I wouldn't even shed a tear for him. He is not worth it. I have cried enough for that man."

"You don't mean that," Braylon said even though he knew Brandon did.

"Braylon, if you only knew what I did…"

"No, I know."

"You think you know, man."

"No, I am telling you that I do," Braylon said with enough emphasis that made Brandon look at him. Brandon still didn't believe him though.

"When we were about nine, I never told you this, Dad would come into my room and…" Brandon started crying harder which made his voice crack. It was all so hard to say. "He would come in and tell me to take my clothes off and…"

"You don't have to say any more. I know. I always knew." Braylon grabbed his brother by the hand. Brandon had the most confused look on his face.

"What do you mean? You always knew?"

"Well, not always, but I read your journal years ago. I know it was an invasion of privacy, but I read it. I apologize for that."

"You know." The statement sunk into Brandon's head. In normal circumstances, Brandon would have been mad that Braylon had read his private thoughts, but knowing that he did not have to actually say what happened all those years ago was a relief.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry."

"Well, I try to not think about it, but it's hard. I am reminded about it every time I look in the mirror. He stopped wanting me when I started to gain a little weight. I was happy for that. I could sleep without him coming in and waking me up. But that's when he started making fun of me and my weight. That's when he started to act like I didn't matter."

"And that's when he started coming into my room," Braylon interjected. Brandon was stunned.

"He did what?"

"Yeah, he got me too, I guess. He said he did it because of love, but that wasn't love. We both know that. That love bullshit was a lie. He is a sick man who couldn't get what he wanted from someone of his own age. I was quick to learn what was up. I told him that if he didn't stop I would tell Mama."

"And he stopped?"

"Yeah, pretty much. He tried a couple of times, but he knew I was serious. I never told you because I thought that it was just me and I had handled the situation. When I read your journal years later, I thought it was best to not say anything. I didn't want to start some mess with us both being still in the house."

"That would have been some shit," Brandon said with an uncomfortable laugh. Braylon chuckled as well. He was happy to see that Brandon's tears were drying up. He was happy that the truth was out.

"Now how about we get some Micky D's? I am hungry."

Chapter 8

"So this is what we are going to do," Braylon said bursting into Brandon's room. "You are going to get up, get dressed, and we about to go to this party."

"What party?" Brandon had managed to get twenty minutes of sleep in before the disturbance at the door. The Richmond trip had been physically and emotionally draining. Brandon ended up knocking out as soon as they walked in the door.

"I almost forgot it too, but remember that surprise party for Mike that Jesse and Dana are throwing? We gotta go."

"All I gotta do is go back to sleep." Brandon rolled back over. Braylon wasn't liking his evasiveness at all.

"Nigga, I said that WE are going. I am not going to let you stay at home and sulk like you always do. I just got a text from Dana reminding us to come through at like 9:30."

"Alright fine," Brandon said sitting up. "What time is it now?"

"Eight. You got time to get yourself together. I will be in the kitchen warming back up my plate. You want me to warm yours?"

"Didn't you just eat McDonald's?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Nothing," Brandon responded shaking his head. "Hey Braylon!"

"Wassup?"

"You know that we don't have to let the past dictate our future, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you think that he is the reason for why you don't believe in relationships? Why you don't believe in love and…"

"Whoa. Whoa, dude." Braylon was quick to cut Brandon off. "See, this is what I am talking about. Sulking and thinking about all of this shit. You don't need to be doing it."

"But don't you think that we really should be talking about it? I mean, maybe even therapy. I know that you might say that you are okay, but I think…"

"I said that I don't want to talk about it." Braylon walked out the room before Brandon could say anything else.

As much as Brandon didn't want to, his mind went right into the past. He wondered if he could think of any signs that would have told him that their father had been abusing Braylon.

Braylon and their father had always had a bond that was different from the one Brandon had. Brandon didn't like sports. Braylon was the athlete and Frank never missed a game or a meet. Their relationship got a little rocky during the teenage years. Brandon had assumed that it was just because they were butting heads. Could it have been more? Could that had something to do with the molestation?

Brandon cracked open his old journal and read a few more entries. Maybe the clues were in there. Time passed and Brandon realized that someone had entered the apartment. Braylon was in the living room talking to someone.

It was Adrian. Brandon was shocked to see him. There wasn't a tutoring session that was scheduled for that day. Brandon and Braylon hadn't even planned to be back until the next night. What was Adrian doing there?

"Hey, Brandon," Adrian said with a smile.

"Yo, guess who coming to the party with us, bro!"

Braylon, Brandon, and Adrian all managed to go their own separate ways once they had gotten to the party. Some of Adrian's frat brothers were there so he was dividing his time between chilling with them and dancing.

Both Braylon and Brandon kept an eye on how the popular Kappa was moving. They were fascinated with how he interacted with others and the confidence he was exuding. He was sexy all on his own, but there was something about how he silently commanded attention that was intoxicating. He was damn near the life of the party. Braylon knew that he had to get Adrian alone.

He went into the kitchen a poured himself some Jose Cuervo into a cup. He also got one for Adrian. Adrian's cup had a little bit more tequila in it though. Braylon hoped to see if alcohol would release some of Adrian's inhibitions.

Braylon reached Adrian as Rihanna’s new jam was going off. He had been dancing with this one girl for the past three songs. They both were looking hot. The fans in the apartment weren't doing their job with all of the people crammed in the space.

"I thought that you could use this," Braylon said handing Adrian the drink.

"Thanks man." Adrian took the cup and took a big swig. Not knowing it was straight liquor, he wasn't prepared for the strong taste. He started to cough as the tequila made its way down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. This tequila?"

"You know it. Good, huh?"

"I am not much of a tequila drinker, but it is cool." Adrian finished off the rest of the cup in one gulp. The effects of the liquor was instant. He could already feel his buzz being strengthened.

"It is kinda hot in here. Aint it?"

"Yeah, especially now that I drank that tequila. I am about to come up out of this shirt."

"Me too," Braylon said with a smile. He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the sofa. His muscles looked delicious behind his white wife beater. Without trying to, Braylon became a trendsetter. Several other brothers discarded their shirts in the same fashion. The ladies, and some of the guys, had no complaints about that.

Brandon was talking with the host, Jesse, when he noticed what was going on. He didn't like what he saw. He watched as Adrian took of his polo shirt. He and his brother were off to the side laughing. Brandon wanted to know what they were talking about.

The two men began to start walking for the door. Braylon opened the door for Adrian who exited the apartment first. Braylon had a devilish smile on his face and Brandon didn't like it one bit.

Chapter 9

Some old tomatoes, a jar of relish, leftover Chinese food, and a half eaten piece of pizza; there was nothing in the refrigerator for Brandon to eat. If only they had some bread, Brandon might have been able to fix himself a bologna sandwich, but neither he nor Braylon had been in a grocery store recently.

Brandon scanned the fridge one more time before he journeyed over to the pantry. No doubt that it would be bare as well. He finally had to settle with some Apple Jacks without milk.

Eating dry cereal as he walked, Brandon headed for the living room. The apartment was quiet. Braylon had just left to go catch a movie with some friends.

Brandon plopped down on the sofa and just enjoyed the peace of being home alone. The sun was going down and an orange glow was filling the room. Brandon admired the simple beauty of nature while munching on his snack.