A Day In The Life - {Watty Awards 2015}

Chapter 4: Flying (Jeb)

What I least expected to happen today happened: my brother came home! I haven't seen him in about ten years, he's been traveling all over the world since I was about seven, when he graduated from high school. He only meant to go out and see New Zealand over the summer before college, but he fell in love with it, and he's been globetrotting ever since. Somehow, he finds ways to make money so that he can fly all over the world and not take up our family funds. Occasionally we Skype, so we know he is still alive and things of the like. On his travels through Texas, he met his best friend, Michael, whom I have not yet had the pleasure to meet. I wondered where Michael was, because everywhere Andrew travelled, so did he. So, once we sat down at Owl Cafe for amazing french toast, I asked, "Andrew, where's this Michael I've heard so much about?"

He laughed, as if remembering something. "Oh, there was an issue at the airport in Frankfurt, he'll be here soon."

"What sort of problem at the airport?" by now, I was a little suspicious of this man.

"Last I saw of him, he was puzzling at why escalators were there and why people felt that they needed them, why they didn't just use them for fun. He missed the plane, but he called me telling me he got another ticket for another plane, so he should be here sometime soon."

"Wow. You seriously just left him there?" By this time, we were done getting our french toast, and we were sitting back down at the table with Melinda, who had kept oddly quiet all this time.

When we sat down to eat and Andrew excused himself to the facilities, I turned to Melinda. "Why are you so quiet? I mean, I understand if you don't like him because he's my brother and he's 25 and you might find that creepy considering my mom looks more along the lines of the age of his wife than his mother, but it doesn't mean you need to be rude."

"I wasn't trying to be rude, and I'm still not, but you might just be immune to his level of attractiveness just because he's your brother."

"Wait, are you saying that you're being quiet because you think he's attractive, because I can tell him if that will make things less awkward." Andrew emerged from the washroom as I turned.

Melinda's response came as a whispered, "No!" so I refrained from telling him.

"No what?" Andrew asked.

"No, she doesn't want hot chocolate with her french toast," I covered for Melinda, internally wiping sweat from my brow, uttering a "Whew," under my breath.

"Wasn't that a little too emphatic a response for a question about hot chocolate?" He asked. Damn you, Andrew, you and all your questions.

"I'm sorry, I forgot you were allergic to chocolate. I shouldn't have offered it."

"That's fine," (probably the only real words Andrew had ever heard her say), "even I forget sometimes." She gave me an unreadable look, so I assumed she meant me to take it as, "Thanks for saving my hide, a fruit basket will be arriving at your door in the next few days, I'm so grateful."

After we were finished, Andrew went to get the bill and Melinda picked up a newspaper. I didn't know why, but something told me that she was looking for another case like Anthony's.

"Jezebel," she turned to me.

"What?" I asked.

"There was another one," she said, as though scared.

"Who?" I asked, feeling the discomfort coming off of her in waves.

"Isn't your German tutor named Mr. Westerfield?" she asked, handing the newspaper to me.

"Omigosh.... yes, that's him. Is he the missing person or the murder?" I asked, hoping that I might be able to control the flow of tears trying to make their way through my tear ducts and onto my face, and hoping that he was the kidnapping.

"He was the murder, do you know a Katelynn Westerfield?"

"That's his daughter."

"She was the kidnapping." I felt myself start to cry, unable to control it now. These people were innocent. What made them deserve to die?

I stopped the flow of tears long enough to ask, "Is there any further news on Anthony?"

"No." I paused crying for good.

"Melinda?" I asked her, "We need to find this person."

"The police are already working on it."

"I don't care. If they haven't found anything on Anthony thus far, they probably won't ever, and if it's the same guy and they haven't found Anthony, then they won't find Katelynn either."

"Good point. We will. I promise."