Oblivion

10| Taking something for granted

THIRD PERSON

Vito stood behind the desk and looked at his brother angrily. Domenico stared back unwaveringly with his arms crossed. Sometimes, he found, his brother was surprisingly shortsighted. Just like the last twenty minutes they had spent here.

"How could you decide that without talking to me about it first?" Vito snapped again. "From now on, we will discuss everything that concerns our family or work beforehand!" Domenico continued to say nothing. They had reached this point a few times before, and he didn't see the point in talking to Vito while he was so angry. Grown people should know better, and they were both adults, Domenico thought. "Do you realize the danger this puts Josephine in?" Vito didn't understand his brother. They wanted custody of Josephine and were therefore responsible for her well-being, yet the first thing his brother did was take her home early and against the wishes of the doctors. Still, he stood in front of him as if it didn't matter to him. "Don't you care about her at all?"

Something flashed in Domenico's eyes, and he took a deep breath as he walked closer to the desk. His voice was still calm when he spoke. "Can you really not see it?" he asked, shaking his head. He leaned over the table closer to Vito and rested his hands on it. "Are you that blind?"

Vito straightened and furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to understand what his brother was referring to. "Obviously yes. I beg you to enlighten me with your wisdom." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Do you think I would risk anything that could affect her health? You've known me all my life. When have I ever done something so rash?" The answer was clear to both of them: never. Even as children, it was always Domenico who acted rationally. Whenever Vito was upset about this, their mother would take him aside and explain it to him again and again. Due to the premature birth, Domenico's brain functioned differently than his own. It took years for Domenico to understand why people sometimes acted irrationally and what influence emotions had. That didn't mean he didn't feel anything; he just felt differently, and Vito was always there to help him understand.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about her health. Can you please explain it to me?" Vito asked, much calmer this time.

Domenico stood normally again and looked at his brother with his head cocked to the side. "I promised not to say anything. But if it wasn't my wish, nor yours, nor the doctors', then whose could it have been?"

Josephine. Of course, but why would she do something so stupid? Did she want to run away again and think she had better chances if she was here? No, she wasn't that stupid. But what reason could she have— "Is she concerned about the hospital bill?" Domenico said nothing, and that was enough. "But why? That's nonsense! We will, of course, pay for any treatment. How could she come up with such a stupid idea? Have you said anything to her about it?" Vito shook his head and continued without even giving Domenico time to open his mouth. "Of course not. That's crazy!"

"Not from her perspective. Try to see it from her point of view. She, who is afraid of being a burden to us in any way. Who is not used to having money or a safe environment."

"She thinks we won't take her in because of that?" Vito was stunned. How could she think so little of them? On the other hand, who knows how many times she had been disappointed by people? 'We won't become one of them,' Vito decided grimly.

"She didn't say it, but it would make sense considering her circumstances," his brother replied.

"Then why didn't she talk to me about it?" Vito ran his hands through his hair. Such a thing would not be tolerated if he were going to be her guardian. Domenico didn't answer; he just looked at him as if he were slow to understand. Well, why? "She doesn't trust me," Vito stated and collapsed into the chair.