A Tum-Tar Love story. Type plays match-maker (sort of) for the two brothers.
This is just a teaser first chapter for the story I am working on. Hope you guys like it.
Tar was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, silently fidgeting with his hands and looking around everywhere but his brother who was driving. He was nervous to say the least. Tum was stealing glances towards the younger man, searching for a way to break the awkward silence. He didn't want to push his brother, but he couldn't see Tar suffering alone as well. He needed to be there for his brother, now if only Tar would let him. He cleared his throat to get his brother's attention.
"So Tar, where do you want to have lunch?" This was a safe enough topic.
Tar just murmured and shook his head, "I'm really not hungry right now. Maybe we can go home.." Tum rubbed his neck and sighed. Looked like Tar wasn't going to give him any leeway.
"Umm.. how about this..we grab some drinks to go and pack some take-away. We can have something to drink now and later whenever, we can eat..Does that sound okay?"
Tar looked at his brother carefully. Although Tum was being normal, Tar knew his brother was concerned. There was awkwardness between the two that was palpable and Tar realized that Tum wouldn't rest until he knew everything.
"Tar..?" The younger man came out of his thoughts and nodded at his brother. Tum smiled, at least Tar was not shutting him out completely. They picked up the drinks and food, but Tum didn't take the route home.
"Pii..where are we..?" Tar asked, confused.
Tum smiled, "You will see..Relax, ok?" Tar nodded as he sipped his cold latte. It was about half0an later that they were entering a small village on the outskirts of the city and Tar realized where they were headed.
"Pii! We are going to the treehouse?" Tar said, excitedly. It was definitely his favorite place. The two brothers had spent so much time at the place before their parents had moved to the city. Although their parents had sold the house, the two brothers had begged them to keep the treehouse as it held years and years of memories for them. The treehouse had been renovated over the years and was now a fully equipped place to stay over. Seeing Tar excited made Tum think that he had made the right decision in coming here. They reached the house about twenty minutes later and Tar bounded up the stairs without even waiting for his brother. Tum chuckled as he locked the car and followed Tar up.
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The place was dusty. This was an impromptu visit so Tum had not had time to get the place cleaned. He figured if they couldn't stay the night, they might just rent a room at the local inn nearby. Although it was dusty and musty, Tar was exploring the entire place excitedly. The two brothers discussed the various photos that held memories, the trophies they both had won, and all the other knickknacks they considered important.
"Pii..remember, we hid our treasure box under this floorboard?" Tum chuckled. The box, now long gone, had different shiny pebbles and stones that Tar liked and some weird shells and scales that Tum had collected. They had been boys and did what all boys do all the time. When Tar had explored everything in the front hall, he went into the bedroom. He found some old clothes, too small for them now, some story books with rusty pages, the broken candle school the next day. and such other things. He bent down to look under the table and found something he had completely forgotten about. It was his older brother's first ever guitar.
"P'Tum, look what I found?!" Tum turned to look at an excited Tar and his face split into a genuine grin. He had loved the guitar so much, he had played it constantly. The instrument had been with him for nearly five years and had seen many repairs over that time. Both brothers had decided to leave it at the cottage in memory of their special place.
Tum took the guitar from his brother and held it lightly. He caressed the wood gently, noticing the slight roughness that was the result of several years of wear. He turned the instrument lovingly this way and that, marking the difference that years had added. He then brushed his fingers softly on the strings, one of which had broken and was hanging down, swaying like a loose thin branch of a tree. All the while, Tum couldn't help all the memories that flashed in front of his mind that involved the guitar. Surprisingly..or maybe not, he didn't see the win that his school band had marked or how he had reached the finals of inter-state musical competition. Tum only saw his brother who cheered for him, who sat beside him listening intently as he played, who insisted on listening the new song that Tum had penned even though it was past midnight and they both had school the next day. Tum was brought out of his musings by Tar who called out to him.
"Pii, is it still working? Oh can you play something..na na ..?" Tum smiled at his brother as he was once again reminded of that happy boy who was so full of life and enthusiastic until a few years back. The thought of what ad brought them both here felt like a stab at Tum's heart. But the older brother pushed away the sourness and smiled beatifically at the young boy in front of him.
"I'm sure I can play something ..although its not in its best condition...How about we take the food out on the porch and we see what we can play, huh? It's too dusty inside and you need to eat." Tar nodded vigorously as he grabbed the food bags and headed out behind his brother. Tum dusted the porch as best as he could and settled down comfortably with his guitar. Tar joined him with a few cartons of takeaway and some plastic cutlery. He didn't fail to notice that his brother had deliberately bought crispy eggrolls that were Tar's favorite along with flavorful prawns padthai.
Tar waited as Tum tried out the guitar and started to play simple song after a few minutes. It didn't sound as perfect, considering the broken string but Tar was transported back to the time when the two brothers used to spend hours just talking or playing and sharing everything from their school things to their frustrations towards their parents or teachers. The fact that he had hid something so big from the only person he trusted completely was painful for Tar. By this time Tum had gotten into a rhythm and was playing a soft melody, eyes closed and swaying slightly. Tar felt his lips curve at the sight even as he felt tears stinging at is eyes.
As Tum felt the melody coming to the end he opened his eyes to meet his brother's glistening ones. He felt overwhelming emotions bubbling up in him at the bitter sweet moment that the two brothers found themselves in. Tum felt his lips tug into a broken smile as the two looked into each other's eyes. It was unclear to both of them how long they remained like that, just silence and each other's presence encompassing them. Tum's guitar and the food lay forgotten. It was only when Tum saw a tear roll down his brother's soft cheek that he jerked into motion. He immediately pulled his baby brother close and enveloped him in a tight hug, both hiccupping as sobs took over them.
