Page 2 of Barrett

With the mug in hand, I took it over to Marshall and pulled out the small tray table I usually ate meals on in front of the TV. “Drink.”

I sat next to him and waited until his body stopped trembling and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Can you talk?” I asked. I needed to know what I was dealing with.

“Yes, thank you.”

“What happened?”

“I lost my job because I missed two days last week and two this week, plus more in the past few months.”

My brother was a chronic migraine sufferer. He only worked part time while going to school. He had a scholarship to the local community college. God, my brother was talented. I’d never seen someone paint like he did. And the way he lit up when he did it, there was something so special about it.

He could have gotten insurance coverage through our parents had they held on to any job long enough to qualify. There was also the option of him getting it through the school or on his own, but when he could barely afford what the scholarship didn’t cover, that was out.

“Have you been going to class?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I stopped last month. I kept missing it and the scholarship has requirements.”

“Mars, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”

He peered into his mug, his head down. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“I could have helped.”

“I don’t want your money, Barrett,” he said brokenly. “I should be able to do it on my own.”

“There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”

His head lifted. His brown eyes met mine. “You didn’t. You left and did everything by yourself. Now you have a great job and your own place. I wanted to do that too. I figured if I could keep working, maybe I could go full time, but the weather shifted, and we’ve been getting a lot of snow. My head’s been aching.” He didn’t need to say more. I was familiar with my brother’s migraines.

“I shouldn’t have left you there.”

“I was okay. You didn’t need to stay for me, but if I could stay here for a bit, I’d like to look for a full-time job.”

“You can stay here for as long as you want, but only if you go back to school.”

He hunched over the tea like the heat of it was seeping into his body. “I can’t afford it.”

“I’ll take care of it. We’ll talk to them and get you back on track.”

“Barrett…”

“Let me help.”

A tear slipped down his cheek. “I don’t want to be like this. I want to be like you, with a job with benefits, so I can do what I love on the side.”

“That’s what you’ll have, but first you have to finish school. Did you tell Mom and Dad you were leaving, or did they throw you out?”

For as long as I’d lived there, they griped about how much health insurance was and how much money they needed for Mars to go to the doctor. It wasn’t just the migraines. Mars had eczema and allergies too. A combination that, with the proper care, could be controlled better. With insurance coverage only occasionally or none at all, he was left with over-the-counter medicine for everything.

“I left,” he said. “They were fighting last night about money. Dad lost his job again and Mom’s not working. I kept hearing them say how much food was and how rent was due, and they couldn’t afford it.”

“So, you packed your things.” Marshall wasn’t the kind of kid who bothered anyone. He got great grades when he was in high school, would always get his work done, even if he missed days because of his migraines.

He shrugged. “It was coming. I’m eighteen. Another mouth to feed. They asked me for money. I don’t have any to give them. I have to buy the medication.”

“I know.” I put my arm around him. “You don’t have to go back there. We’ll figure it out.”

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