a Life Well Written

Awkward

"So dad, how are you?" Wilbur asked with a smile on his face as he handed tea to both Phil and Techno.

"I'm fine, my son," Phil said as he took a sip of his tea. "How are you? How have you been?" He asked.

"I've been great," WIlbur smiled brightly.

Techno zoned out of their conversation and watched Tommy. He still looked uncomfortable and it was showing, he was fidgeting and looking around the room but not making eye contact with anyone.

"Hey Tommy, can you go get us some snacks in the kitchen? I forgot to bring them out," Wilbur smiled at his younger brother.

Tommy nodded and stood up, exiting the room.

"I'll go help him," Techno mumbled as he followed Tommy.

They walked to the kitchen in silence, Tommy still looked uncomfortable.

"You know," Techno spoked as they entered the kitchen. "Phil's not a bad guy, he's not going to hurt you nor well I. You don't need to be so uncomfortable around us."

Tommy glanced up at him. "I know that.. Wilbur told me a lot about him when we were younger.. He wanted me to always remember him, he would tell me stories of him, but I couldn't. How was I supposed to remember someone I never met?"

Techno nodded his head. "I understand."

No you don't.

"I can't be comfortable around people I don't know," Tommy stated as he grabbed a tray of snacks.

"But you're telling me things that normally wouldn't be told to strangers," Techno said as he grabbed another tray with more snacks.

Tommy sighed, put the tray down as he sat on the counter. "Well it's difficult. Just last month Wilbur came back after ten years, now Phil is back after my whole life!"

"Wait, Wilbur left for ten years?" Techno questioned, taking a seat in one of the kitchen chairs. He didn't question why he called Phil by his name rather than calling him 'dad'.

"Ten, nine, seven, eight years? I don't know," Tommy put his face in his hands. "He left, leaving me on my own. In this nation we built together!"

Techno looked out the one window in the room, seeing the walls. "'Nation'?.. You mean the walls surrounding this part of the village?"

"Yes," Tommy looked up at him. "He left me with a nation to keep and a child to take care of."

Techno snapped his head back at Tommy, eyes widened by the new information. "A child!? What the hell? He left you– how old are you? Twenty?"

Tommy chuckled a bit. "I'm twenty-six, but I sure don't look like it, do I?" He smiled.

"Twenty-six? You're one year younger than me!" Techno felt shocked and somewhat angered. "How old is Wilbur's child? How old were you when you built this nation?"

"I was.. Seventeen when we built this nation. Wilbur's son is sixteen years old," Tommy shrugged.

"How old is Wilbur?" Techno asked.

"Umm thirty-four?" Tommy shrugged. "I don't know, but he had Fundy when he was young. He was at least nineteen or eighteen when he had him."

Jesus, even I can't handle this shit.

Techno was dumbfounded. "Must have been tough for you, but now I feel bad that we didn't come earlier."

"Your maths isn't the best Tommy," Wilbur said from the doorway to the kitchen, Phil beside him. "I was eighteen when I had Fundy, and left for only nine years. Also, how do you not know how old I am? I am eight years older than you."

"But was I right?" Tommy asked. "You're thirty-four?"

"Yes, at least you're right about that," Wilbur said, his arms crossed and a grin on his face. 

"Wait, Wilbur," Phil grabbed Wilbur's arm. "You never told me about that. You have a son? You left Tommy alone to raise your child? Where's your wife? Where's kristin? Why did you leave?"He asked.

Wilbur sighed, looking away from Phil. "I had to, dad. I.. My son, his name is Fundy. I am unfortunately a widow, my wife died long ago. Mom.. she also died."

Phil's eyes opened, his eyes shined from his tears. "Kristin's dead? H-How?"

"She died from drowning.. Kind of ironic, she loved the ocean," Tommy mumbled as he jumped off of the counter, taking the tray.

"How long ago?" Phil asked.

"About the same time as Fundy was born," Wilbur spoke. "After Tommy's tenth birthday."

Techno felt the tension in the room, it felt.. Very tense and very uncomfortable from a bystander.

Awkward.