Mitchell's Power Play

Alone at Home

MITCHELL

Nash, Bryce and I spent another two days in Michigan. Marshall wasn't able to find a will, but that didn't surprise me. I never thought my father had one to begin with. He wasn't very organized, nor sophisticated. In truth, he probably didn't give a shit what happened to everything once he was gone. It wasn't like he cared much when he was alive...

What did surprise me, was that Marshall asked Maria to reach out to me the day before we were leaving, so we could try to get everything settled before I left.

I'd met with an attorney that John had recommended, and he was very helpful. Being from Michigan, and into hockey, he knew who I was right away. I don't know if that affected the way he handled my case or not, but regardless of if it did, I was thankful. He was professional and to the point. None of that kiss ass stuff.

He had a contract written up in less than a day where I donated my shares of our father's estate to Marshall and Maria, and then I bought her out of the mortgage.

Marshall wanted to stay in the house, because it was the one stable environment in Neil's life, and as much as I thought my brother was an asshole, I respected that. His kid was young, and so far he'd gone through a move, his parents' divorce and the death of a grandfather.

Whatever agreement Marshall and Maria wanted to make about my father's belongings, if he had any, I left up to them. I didn't want anything from him, and I didn't care to know what there was, or how they decided to split it.

Maria had indicated that she would to stay in the house for a while, while she figure out her options. I assumed she wanted to make sure Marshall found someone to care for Neil, and to make sure he was alright before she made any of her own decisions.

I hadn't seen her in a long time, but spending those few days with her, I could tell she was a very caring person. And, like me, she felt things deeply.

I hoped, and maybe that was a bit selfish of me, that she'd take me and Nash up on our offers and come to New York. It would be nice to have some real family around, and I think she'd benefit from experiencing what genuine family life was like with the Reeds and the Millers.

***

So much had changed in the short amount of time we'd spent in Michigan, that it actually felt a bit weird to leave. What made it even stranger was coming home to an empty apartment. I was used to the light being on even if Jackson wasn't home, but since he'd moved out, it was dark and quiet.

I didn't like it.

I knew Sammy was asleep because of her early mornings, and Nash was reuniting with Kennedy. Bryce was meeting up with some of the hockey guys at a bar downtown. He had asked me to go with him, but I'd told him I was tired. In reality, I just didn't want to go. Not that I wanted to be home alone, I just didn't want to be somewhere crowded, where I'd have to pretend everything was great.

Because it wasn't.

Things were manageable when I had my friends around. But when everything was quiet, I got caught up in my own mind. I knew I was getting into some kind of funk. I just didn't know how to get myself out of it. There were too many emotions to deal with.

I turned the TV on to chase away the quiet. It didn't matter what channel it was, as long as it was some kind of noise.

After putting in a load of laundry I walked around the apartment a few times, noting that the spare bedroom where Jackson used to stay could work for Maria, if she decided to take my upon going to college. It probably needed a desk too, and maybe a feminine touch, but Sammy could handle that.