Stranger

ch5

Roger was back. 

This was the first thought that came rushing back as soon as I closed the front door causing me to lean back on it while I try to gather my thoughts.

With a deep sigh, I push myself up and turn right towards the living room.

"What took you so long to return darling?"-mom asks from her seat on the armchair while dad chuckles from besides her on the couch, his eyes glued to the TV on my right.

"I met with a friend from school."-I answer as I walk to my left, past the dinning table and into the kitchen. 

"Your father said that you might have gotten stuck at Mable's and we'd have to come and drag you out."-she raises her voice so I can hear, a hint of amusement lacing it.

Any other day I would have laughed at her words, maybe even joined in and joked on my expense, but today was different and the mention of Mable was enough to drag me back to her words. 

"Yeah, I went to Mable's too."-I reply as I put the groceries away. 

"How is she? I haven't seen her since before the new year. I must go sometime after work next week."

"She's fine, great actually. She did however deliver me a shocking news."-I start as I go to the living room again and go to stand behind the free armchair that's across mom. 

"What's that sweetie?"-she asks with furrowed brows.

"Roger seems to be back." 

My mom's face falls in record time as her eyes widen in surprise and something close to horror.

"We didn't know that."-she tells me in a quiet voice. 

"You didn't?"-I say with a bit more accusation than needed and my eyes flicker to my father. 

"No, Evie, we... I mean I didn't and I'm sure your father..."

"Dad?"-I call him because his quietness was very suspicious.

"He did mention something about returning."-he speaks.

"You talked to him Patrick?"-mom asks confused. 

"Of course I did Natalie, he's my brother. He called me a couple of weeks ago, saying he missed us all."-he says with a bit of anger in his voice as he turns to his right to look at me. "He said that he was planning on coming to visit, but he didn't mention when and I had no idea he was back."

Hurt is what flashes first, anger following close behind. Dad knew how much I despised Roger and being faced with the fact that they were contacting all brotherly behind our backs was just like a stab to my chest.

"Well, he is."-I say sharply and my mom's eyes snap to my face. "And don't count me in on the family reunion because there's no way in hell I am facing him." I turn to leave, but my dad's words stop me short.

"Come on, Evie. You've got to let go of that old grudge. Everything that happened was just a misunderstanding." 

"For you maybe, but not for me. I have told you a million times, I wished that just once you believed me."-I snicker and leave in a hurry, getting out in the foyer and running up the stairs to my room. 

Shutting, no slamming the door shut, I lean on it and sink to the floor. My heart was beating fast and a panic was slowly rising inside of me. 

Roger was a nightmare. My personal nightmare. And it came to be almost five years ago. 

Roger was my father's brother. Well, not his biological one. My grandparents wanted at least two kids and since they had trouble conceiving, they decided adoption was another choice. So, when my dad was ten, they finally found a child to adopt, my current uncle.