Brother Sharpens Brother

Introductions

Cole

Cole Brookstone was an intelligent person. He had grown up attending prestigious schools for the academically elite, competed in competitions involving critical thinking and engineering, and was the captain of a middle school debate team at one point. He had more knowledge tucked away in the back of his head than anyone would ever guess he had learned. He could logically assess any situation and use the information to formulate an educated decision or plan according to what needed done. He was a smart boy, no question, but today Cole found himself stumped.

Dressed in his old tennis shoes, basketball shorts, and a worn band shirt with a syrup stain down the front, he followed his case worker Yolanda around the farmhouse as the one in question gave them a tour. He didn't know what to think about Wu. The old man was as mysterious as they come and Cole could tell he was hiding something; he didn't know what, but he was definitely good at hiding it. It was kind of odd to him how a man as frail and wrinkled as Wu was ever signed off as a capable foster father. He was tall for an old guy, Cole will give him that, but he was so pale and thin that any problem child that wanted to could probably flick him and he'd fall over.

Good thing he has a walking cane.

Despite the cautious feeling in his stomach for the man, Yolanda seemed to almost trip over herself in awe at meeting him, why, was beyond his knowledge. The chubby woman tailed after him as they gave Cole a tour of the age-old farmhouse, absolute wonder etched on her face as they held basic conversation. Was Wu famous or something? Cole inwardly chuckled at the thought. He watched, silent unless he was spoken to (he wasn't going to be rude) as Wu walked them into the kitchen that, in his opinion, was the best room in the house.

"And here is the stove Cole. Do you know how to cook? It is supposedly easy to manage, that is, after I figure out which button means what." Wu mused, giving the appliance a light thwack with his bamboo cane before shaking his head in a cheerful manner. His beard moved upwards when he smiled, the smallest hairs in the mustache touching the entrance of his nostrils in a way that made Cole's nose itch. Brushing it off, he laughed, "I'm no Gordon Ramsey, but I think I can cook pretty decently."

The tour went on and surprisingly, Cole found himself becoming more open to Wu. So much so that when Yolanda left, he didn't feel too awkward about being alone with him. His gut feeling didn't leave entirely, but Cole let the mysterious old man in front of him have the benefit of the doubt. He could see that while Wu carried himself as controlled as possible, he too was a little bit awkward the first few days of their arrangement. He tried to make up for it though and, after setting some basic ground rules the second morning, gave Cole permission to spend the last few weeks of July as he pleased.

Wu realized that his constant company was probably tiring for a seventeen year old, and gave him space to adjust that Cole was thankful for. In fact, there were many things about living with him that Cole found different from his last two foster families. Wu was honest with him from the beginning, letting him know where the line was and where his freedoms were. He had no intention of replacing his dad, he just wanted to be helpful. Even though they lived in the middle of nowhere, the boy found himself getting sunburnt almost every day exploring the forest surrounding them and staying in the wilderness until it was around supper time.

It was a handful of miles down the road until you could reach a paved one, and two or three more until you could reach another neighbor, but there was one woman that lived just beside them in an old tea shop two hundred yards away. Cole didn't go there. If he was skeptical of Wu at first, he was in downright disbelief at their neighbor Mystake. The old woman seemed almost psychic and it low-key freaked him out whenever she came to lunch, or whenever Wu would send him to purchase some tea.