The Choice

30) Omer

My life has been a whirlwind of emotions since the past year when Aurora set foot in it. This was not a nature of mine, for the past 20 years I have been the guy who stuck to his three rules that he made for himself to avoid people and feelings.

Feelings. A very huge thing that is both a blessing and a curse. I always encountered it as a curse till I decided to push and push at it until no trace of it was obvious.

Was it there? Yes.

But did it show? No and I never intended to.

Twenty years ago I lost my whole family. I lost myself as I saw them leave for good. I didn't ever think of another meeting, of a reunion.

Till the moment my insides churned when my eyes saw that CV. When my mind drifted to her every moment of the day. When I saw her and had the desire to lay my company and life, anything I own at her feet to just see her smile. That wasn't normal, I always lived on the borderlines. Existing and building an empire for no one. No family. No wife. No kids to inherit anything I built.

I asked myself why had I started it in the first place. Why did I hold my ground and say no to my father when he put a flimsy office that I wished would be a company one day next to my life with my mother and two brothers. All of these years I really did not have an answer and I just went on. I walked through life, cool, calm, collected. But with no purpose, I did not even do it for myself neither to get revenge and prove the people that bet on my loss wrong. They weren't even there.

After meeting my Aurora I knew why did I do it. When I saw the tiny rebel inside her, it felt like looking in the mirror watching my own reflection, staring at my own eyes. I did it because I had nothing to lose. I succeeded and went too far because I had nothing to lose. And that is what we must fear the most. A person without anything to lose. Nothing to hold them back. A free being. A reckless ambitious one. A monster that heard the snap of the chains that held him back throughout the years.

Did I want this, to meet with my family again? Yes and no. At first, I thrashed and clawed towards the possibility of seeing them again. But as years passed, I lost it; the hope, the spark, the love, the desire to live.

Until her.

I would live for her, with her, through her, around her. If meeting my mother today is a wish come true. Then meeting my Aurora was my miracle, that brought my heart back pumping it with life. The desire to live and strive not just exist.

I cradle my mother's limp body against mine. So small, so broken, so hollow. Nevin Mughrabi has been my role model. The fighter and warrior I took after. Our separation broke the survivor inside her. Me and my mother have always had a certain bond. One that was bigger than a mother-son bond. She fought for me, for my existence to bring me to this life when my own dad wanted her to get rid of me in her womb. And I too fought for her as I protected my brothers, closed their ears so they won't hear her screams. As I tended to her wounds and held her as she cried for her life and ours that she blamed herself for. As I stayed silent all of these years so I won't be the reason for the comeback of my father to their lives.

But my girl today told me something, "your cure is within yourselves, Omer. Your mother's, brothers', yours. They all are within you. Your reunion. If you all gathered, removed the bandage from the old wound and decided to deal with it, you will be all stronger. You will defeat him. Together. You all will be easy to break if each one is alone. They aren't together, Omer. Each live in their own world. Reunite them again, Omer. Be their cure, push them as you pushed me to be better. And I will hold your hand till it happens."

Something snapped inside me at her words. It snapped in place, if I wanted a life, a wife, kids, a family , I had to fix my own. I couldn't build a family based on a broken one. Because I will not be my father.

I was zoning out when I felt something soft on my hand. I look at my mother, she kisses my hand then looks at me. Through my eyes, not her own, but she once told me that she doesn't see him when she looks in my eyes. She sees another person, she even laughed about it and said "if I had a lover that I met at night and lived like the movies, you would have his eyes."

"so old." She whispers searching my face tracing the crinkled skin around my eyes and I smile softly, "yet you're still young, Nev." She lets out a laugh, I always called her that. "Are you really here, Omer?" I nod. She looks at the closed rooms inside to where Aurora and my brothers disappeared. "Aurora. I felt it." She mutters looking back to me, "something about her felt like you. If- if another person saw both of you, they would think she's your twin sister." I scoff, "don't say that again, Nevin." She lets out her old cackle filling the place with it's ring and I chuckle. "You both. What are you?" I raise a brow, "my twin." She laughs again, "you know what? I want her as a daughter." I snort, "you will, my girl. But as an in law." She gasps smile spreading, "you're kidding!" I look inside then to her as I straighten.

"Share or guess?" I ask and tears fill her eyes as she remembers when I was seven.

"Let's have a code, Tiny Omer. If you want to tell me something you ask share or guess?" I giggle in her arms as I squirm towards the lollipop she got me on her way back. She tickles me bringing me back, I huff, "fine, share or guess?!"

"share!" I shake my head, "no, you guess."

"you like a girl at your class?"

I throw my body back, "noooo." She wiggles a brow, "they what!" I raise a finger, "just because I want the lollipop. I like a teacher."

I still hear her horrified gasp as I laugh with her.

"Share." She says and this time I do without going around the statement. "I'm in love with her." Her eyes soften, "I wish I was there when you loved girls. I wished to be there at your first. But it doesn't matter, I'll be witnessing the real, right?"

I shake my head, "She is indeed the real, but also the first. And last." She gapes at me, "my boy, you're 36 now. Were they that bad or did you... Um prefer another gender?" This time I really laugh, "God, mom." She too laughs wiping at her eyes.

We hear the door inside open and the three of them peek their heads from the door. I laugh more at their look and mom does too. They stride towards us in a line and sit around us on the ground. Joe looks at Aurora and nudges her with a shoulder, "it went well." He says and she nods smiling. Mom looks her over, "I had a vision when I let you into that room, lady." Ali raises a brow and Joe's jaw hangs open at mom's tone.

Aurora smiles shyly, "I really wanted to tell you. I couldn't till I was sure." Mom nods then tugs Aurora in a hug kissing her shoulder.

Mom looks my way, "can- can we have a day together. As a family. A real one?"

I look at Aurora and she nods. I nod too, then Joe high fives Aurora as Ali pulls her to her feet bumping his hips against her. She rushes inside calling after her, "I'll call Eli!" Joe too stands, "Ali tell me what do you want and I'll go buy it." Ali is already in the kitchen as he opens the cabinets and recites ingredients for Joe to get.

Reunite them again , Omer.