The Boy Next Door

Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Stuart and I trotted on the broad path of the lush green Hyde Park. Fresh air and morning walks is what the doctor ordered. 

"So, do what are you getting Allysse and Mark as a gift?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, I was thinking of gifting them a photo frame," Stuart replies.

"Stuart..." I say.

"Yeah?"

"You remember about what we were talking yesterday?" I say bringing yesterday's topic.

"You're stubborn aren't you, 'cause you have convinced me to tell you," Stuart says.

"You will?" I reply.

"That is why I pulled you here to Hyde Park such early in the morning," he replies. "Let's sit." We walk briskly to the bench a few centimeters away form the path under a tree. "Right, so what do you wanna know?"

"Everything, all about you, I wanna know you better," I say.

"I hope you won't regret it or break this friendship," Stuart says.

"Trust me, I won't," I say.

"I never learn from my mistakes, do I? I'm so stupid," Stuart smiles to himself.

"No, you won't regret telling me," I say.

"I hope so," he replies.

"Come on, start!" I say.

"Impatient, eh?" Stuart sighs. "Fine, here goes."

"I was a perfectly normal kid to start with, me, my father, Felton, my mother, Carly and my elder brother, Harry we used to live in the heart of Reading. We were a very happy family, my mother was one of the most creative, active woman known in the area. She was some one who supported the both of us, Harry and I a lot, so did that but the way our mother would be behind us, was more than any mother could ever do for her children, in my view, she was an ideal model of a "best mum". I remember I was very weak at Geography and Maths but she always bucked me up, told me it was okay when I'd fail and never let me feel like a failure, she made both these subjects my strength. I remember Harry loved to play cricket but Dad always wanted him to be an economist and used to sign him up for classes in that field. He used to score bad and Dad used to get mad at him, he'd be grounded and scolded. It was Mum who told Dad and convinced him that Harry didn't have a career in economics, if he had one it was in cricket, she convinced Dad to allow him to sign up for under-17 cricket championships at the county level. I remember going to his final at Reading Cricket Club when I was six, we had an eleven-year gap between us but still we were very close and best friends. Harry was man-of-the-match in that game for his great all-round skills. He got 6-14 and scored a century.

I remember Mum crying of joy and Dad being proud and me hugging my elder brother and boasting about his heroic efforts in the final. Harry indeed was one of the best under-19 cricketers in all of Reading. He was even offered to play for many counties. Man, weren't we all proud of him! He agreed on playing for Surrey. So he packed up and temporarily, he settled a lone in London. He popular now and happy, he was just seventeen but the way he played, it was like he wasn't a rookie at all. At school I would boast and brag about my brother and guys wanted to be my friend s because of this. They all were inspired from my brother and they wanted me to get them auto-graphs and send messages to him Because of my brother, I was very popular back then. Then, because of his ankle injury, he decided to take a holiday and return to Reading. On his way, he had an accident and we all rushed to Surrey to visit him. By the time we reached, Harry had left us, left us in this world, my brother, my best friend had left me....