Never Too Late

Chapter Nine

"Hey Johan, have you ever been to a polo game before?" Rachel asked as she watched her brother haul a huge blanket down the stairs.

"No, I haven't gone anywhere much." Johan answered as he lifted the blanket out the door and put it in the trunk of his dad's car.

It was the weekend and since the days were getting warmer and more sunny their mother had suggested the evening before that they all spend time together watching polo. Despite his efforts to hide the growing tension between him and his brother, he realized that she must've noticed anyways and planned this family day out in hopes of getting a reconciliation between them.

"Anna, did you find what you were looking for?" Their father called at the foot of the stairs to his mother. "We're almost done packing."

"I'll go see what she's doing," Rachel offered before leaving Johan and Luke to finish taking the rest of the things they needed outside.

"Is that everything?" Their dad asked when he returned to the living room.

"Yea, I guess." Luke said shrugging with disinterest. Johan could tell he wasn't enthusiastic about going out and he wasn't doing much to hide it. He felt likewise about being near him all day, especially since he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong but he was willing to put it aside if that meant his parents would be happy.

"Don't look so sour, this is a great opportunity for you two to spend some time together." His father suggested as he rest a hand on both his sons shoulders.

Johan froze, wondering if he had found out that they avoided each other at school or if he had just guessed that was the case but this made him dread going out even more than he already was.

"I'm ready!" His mom said coming down the stairs. "I couldn't find earrings."

"They were on the nightstand." Rachel said following behind her.

After making sure everyone was now ready his father ushered everyone outside and into the car. Rachel sat between her brothers, acting as an intermediary but Luke still looked cross so Johan decided to ignore him. During the journey his mother talked about all the wonderful things they could do together while watching the game and since they were picnicking on the grass which was a popular thing to do, they would have a lot of options. Looking over at his brother again, he noticed he was staring out the window disinterested just like he was but just then a truck passed by blaring it's horn loudly much to his annoyance.

"Damn, that's loud!"
"Damn, that's loud!"

Both brothers said in unison after being caught off guard. They instantly looked at each other, not knowing who had spoken first but when their mother started laughing they both turned away embarrassed.

"It seems you two forgot you were twins." His Rachel joked while smiling at them.

Luke looked visibly irritated by her words but Johan returned to ignoring him like before. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, they went onto the field and set up their picnic spot near the shade of a huge oak tree, right by the fence. Other families were already there and others arrived shortly after they did but the atmosphere remained light and calm, except for around the around him and his brother.

"Luke, why don't you sit beside Johan?" Their mother said patting the space between her and him. Begrudgingly, Luke obliged but his face was taught with displeasure. "It looks like the game is about to start," his mother said pointing to the players on horses coming onto the field, trying to lighten the mood of the situation.

Johan watched the players and tried to follow the game but he didn't understand what was happening. Aside from that, although everyone was dressed casually, except for the players there was an air of haughtiness about the entire event that he wasn't adjusted to.

"I know it doesn't look like much but it's an interesting sport, don't judge a book by its cover." His father said turning to him. "Do you play any sports?"

"No," Johan answered with a shrug. "I never got the chance to."

"Oh really? Luke plays baseball and he's on the school team. Maybe both of you could practice sometimes." His father said trying to nudge them into spending more time together both boys remained silent.

"Hey Johan," his sister called as she laid on the blanket with her chin in her palms. Sitting up, she tugged on her pink jumper and smiled. "What did you do for fun while you were in Foster care?"

Johan thought for a minute and noticed that even Luke seemed curious so he spoke honestly.

"I used to hang out with friends even though it got me in trouble sometimes." He explained as he looked back on his few fond memories. "Also, I used to help with my Foster siblings whenever I could and that wasn't too bad."

As he spoke he felt a tinge of nostalgia and sadness but it was overshadowed by the horrible treatment he endured during that time.

"If it was so great why did you leave?" Luke interrupted snarkily.

***

As Rachel sat on the blanket beside her  parents, she had hoped asking Johan about his life would be a great way to connect her brothers but quickly she realized that her plan was going horribly wrong as Johan slowly turned to face Luke.

"What?" He asked in a voice that betrayed no emotion.

She could tell that Luke's resentment of Johan was growing day by day but she never sensed any ill will from Johan until now when Luke covertly slighted him.

"I mean, it sounds like you fit in quite well while you were there." He continued.

"Luke! That's enough!" His father said angrily, clearly no longer willing to ignore his attitude. Looking between both boys he sighed in frustration. "I know this is a lot to ask but can you both try to get along, at least for your mother's sake?"

Looking over at her mother, Rachel realized that she looked visibly worried by the animosity between her sons but she never stopped smiling.

"Jacob, they're still getting to know each other, don't be angry at them." She said taking her husband's hand to calm him.

Hissing through his teeth, Luke got up and walked off but his dad stopped him before he got far.

"Where are you going?" He asked sternly.

"To the car," Luke responded annoyed. "I forgot to take out the cooler."

Sighing again, he watched Luke leave but Johan rose to his feet and followed after him, "I'm going to give him a hand."