Warrior

Chapter 26: Rage in Words

I approached my younger brother as he approached me, he stopped a good distance from me, standing with his hands in his pockets and looking at me, I walked a little closer until we stood a few feet away. We stared at Each other, so close now, so much to say but neither of us knew how.

"Been looking all over for you" I started, he stood still like the soldier he was, not once did his face show emotion. "How's it goin'?" There was silence for a bit, but then I finally heard his voice.

"It's goin'" was all he said, so blank, so heartless.

"I was thinking maybe we could grab a coffee" I spoke with hope, praying that he was willing to talk. But we both knew what was going to happen on that beach.

"I don't drink coffee, whattya want?"

"You don't wanna go sit down somewhere?"

"I'm good right here." I could see how rigid he was, how angry he was. There was a long, deafening silence, and then I cut right to the chase.

"Shit, Tommy how were we supposed to know we'd never see you guys again..?" Tommy narrowed his eyes, they were hard and empty, there was no bond with us anymore.

"You were briefed. You had the information, you chose the old man and-and the girl" he looked out at the sand, avoiding eye contact with me, but i felt like shit. I knew he needed me, and Jade and I needed him, we were all supposed to leave together. But how could I leave Tess? How could I leave the love of my life?

"She wasn't just some girl. I married her, she's my wife" I took out my wallet and opened it, walking closer to my brother as I took out a picture of my family and handed it to him, he took it "That's Tess. And that's Emily and Rosie, they're tour nieces, Tommy" he glanced impassively at the photograph before handing it back to me.

"Don't know 'em" he shrugged.

"I know you don't know them, of course you don't know them" I chuckled a little bit, but I could feel the hostility.

"Why am I looking at pictures of people I don't know?" He looked up into my eyes now.

"Because that's my family"

"And who are you, exactly?" I was taken aback by his words, what the fuck was he saying,

"I'm your brother, man..." I spoke a little quieter now. Tommy eyed me, then his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"You were in the corps?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"I said I didn't know you were in the corps." I stared at him for a bit, but he said nothing else.

"I wasn't in the corps" I replied slowly, not really sure what he was getting at.

"Then you ain't no brother to me, my brother was in the corps" Tommy then walked briskly away from me and down the beach. There was no way that was the end of our conversation. I followed him down the beach calling after him.

"Jesus, Tommy I was young, what the hell did I know?!" I trailed after him, he turned around, walking backwards as he spread his arms out.

"I don't know what you know. Why don't you go ask your girlfriend about it?"

"She's my WIFE Tommy" I corrected him, not knowing how much more I could stress the fact that I ended up marrying the girl I stayed for. I ran in front of him and stopped him in his tracks as he looked at me. "So that's it, I stay with Tess and Jade and we never get to see you guys again? Not a single phone call? Nothing?" He stared at me, Tommy was nothing but a brick wall. "God, man, I don't understand this. You won't forgive me but... You... You forgave pop?" My face showed a look of confusion and so did Tommy's as he shook his head.

"Shit, he's just some old vet that I train with, he means nothing to me." He paused, his eyes were blank and I couldn't read him. "And from what I hear he means nothing to you and Jade either. So you got balls talking about forgiveness"

"That's got nothing to do with forgiveness. I've got a family to protect, everything I do is for them" I reasoned, not only Tess and my daughters, but Naomi and Jade, I couldn't let pop back in, no fucking way they were going through what I did as a kid. Tommy smirked, and walked away from me again. "But I forgave Pop. Just like I forgave you and mom" Tommy froze in his tracks, turning to look at me with disgust and disbelief.

"You forgave us?" I nodded, and there was silence again. "Wow, I'm not surprised you made the tournament, Brendan. You got some stones, man"

"I fell in love, Tommy. What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to stick to the plan. You were supposed to come with us. Mom needed you, I needed you. You were my big brother you bailed on me." Those words hit me really hard, my heart sunk in my chest and I stared at him, he was the same young boy on the inside, but he was full of hurt and anger and remorse, I knew he just wanted me and Jade up there. "Hey, I'm glad you stayed and everything worked out for you, Brendan. See, you leave, you get the opposite. You leave, you get to bury people." His voice was a stone cold growl.

"You are NOT the only one who's suffered Tommy" my hands balled tightly into fists, thinking about what me and Jade went though, how we stayed with Naomi for a while, Jade was crying every night for Tommy and Ma to come back, praying to a god I wasn't even sure she believed in anymore asking for them to come home. "I didn't even know she was sick! I never even got the chance to say goodbye to my own mother. You had NO right to keep that from us, that was not your decision to make!" I yelled, but his hard composure never broke.

"You know what? You walk around with your pictures in your wallet, and you're all I forgive you, I forgive Pop, I forgive everyone. But you know what Brendan? You're full of shit" we were right in each others faces, seconds away from violence, I wanted to hurt him just as badly as he wanted to hurt me. Two fighters about to go to war. "Are we done, Brendan? Are we finished?"

There was more silence, there was both so much to say but nothing to say at all. Tommy scoffed, turning around and walking away from me, not once looking back.