Clockworks of the Heart

Fast-forwarding and Rewinding Personalities

Aaron is a docile person, as most of the people we know describe him as such. He rarely raises his voice and use strong words. It'll even be surprising if he can be heard within 10 meters. His high school classmates labeled him as one of the cool kids and the most popular guy at school and he didn't even need to give much effort to it. He didn't have a problem socializing since he has the blood of a Sanders in him. He was just a perfect example of a good teenager. However, his temper is not to be tested. He rarely gets mad at anyone, but, once he does, you'd better get out of his sight or your ego will have a taste of shame. I once made him go on edge and, boy, it was like World War III. I avoided getting into his nerves again. I usually let him win in arguments to avoid unnecessary quarrels, but not this time; not when Elena is involved.

“I've had enough of listening to saying whatever you want and seeing you do whatever you so desire to do without considering what others feel! You can be as selfish as you want because you have all the means to satisfy you, but I, on the other hand, can't afford to do that. Why? Because I have to be the realistic and less ambitious brother; because I still don't have a future so long as I still live in your shadows; because if you were to die, people will remember you more than they remember me whenever they see my face. I'm getting tired of your antics!”

“...” I was too engrossed by my anger that I couldn't think of anything to counter his words.

“I'll be plain and honest with you...” his voice calms down. He took a deep breath and began with his voice shaking, “I just...” he looked down in an attempt to cover his face. “...don't want to lose you. You're the only family I have left.” he finished.

The moment I heard him say those words, all my anger, annoyance and frustrations steamed out of my head. I started to cool down and finally realized just how selfish I am and completely ignored my younger brother's concerns. "I am such a useless older brother", I thought.  I looked at my brother and all of my memories with him started to playback.

The first time my younger brother, Aaron, came into this world, it was around my last year of junior high school, so, more or less, he's what you call a miracle baby. Our parents died in a plane crash while on their way back from their visit to both sets of our grandparents at Houston, Texas in the US and Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. A pretty awesome mix we are, right? Aaron, 8-years-old at that time, was also involved in that accident, but, luckily father and mother protected him from the crash. Despite from all the protecting my parents did for him, he sported a long scar on his leg. It was no ordinary scar; his tendons beyond that scar got damaged from broken glasses of the plane's windows. It was a big shame, because he had a future in the sports industry like our father, aside from his extraordinary foreseeing ability. When that accident happened, all our relatives were across the Atlantic Ocean and I just landed on my new job in some big time gadget and technology company, so I didn't have much money in me. That is when Dr. Jacob Stan Reeves came into the picture.

Dr. Reeves was my father's childhood friend. They were both brought up in Houston, Texas saying that they were the most rowdy kids out there.  My mother used to say that if ever those two met up and made a scene in public, she'll roundup those cowboys herself. Both my father and Dr. Reeves are scared of her whenever she's at her temper's limits because she used to shoot cans blindfolded with her riffle. Dr. Reeves was no ordinary doctor, I'll give him that. He was a neurosurgeon and studies Psychology as a hobby. My father lets him run some tests on me as much as he wants, which made me hate him even more. A few days after I brought Aaron home from the hospital, Dr, Reeves came marching into my crib claiming that he had legal rights to both me and Aaron. I wasn't about to let that guy do whatever he wants, so I asked for the papers for proof. It turns out that he really did have the papers. However, the papers were signed by my father while he was drunk. That bastard.