Page 13 of Brother to Brother

Some seriously fucked up shit; that was for sure. Rush came over and clapped me on the shoulder.

“I need a fuckin’ drink,” I said.

“Limit one if you’re riding,” he said.

“Look at you, a regular fuckin’ D.A.R.E. officer.”

“Ha, ha… Man, like it or not, you’ve made yourself responsible for Grind’s family. Fuck, I wouldn’t know the first thing about takin’ care of a woman and a kid full time and I ain’t ready for that kind of commitment. Better you than me, asshole.”

Leave it to Rush to make it all about him, for being the older twin by virtue of eight and a half minutes, Nox ended up being the more mature and reliable of the two. Rush liked to live fast and was always in a big damn hurry, hence how he got his road name.

“Don’t I know it?” I grumbled, and followed him inside for that adult beverage. Not for the first time today, I wondered:just what in the fuck had I gotten myself into?Just as quick, I answered myself, too…You didn’t. Grind did; and like always, you’re left cleaning up his mess.

Maybe I would make ittwodrinks. I had time.

Chapter 7

Melody

I walked through the door with Noah on my hip and groceries dangling from my other hand. Nox followed me in with the rest. I set them down and sighed with relief, Archer looking on from where he was slouched on the couch.

“Noah, stop!” I told my wriggling son, who I was going to drop if I didn’t put him down. He toddled over to the couch and climbed up next to Archer.

“Me-mote!” he cried and Archer looked at him funny.

“What, kid?”

“Mimme the me-mote!”

Archer held up the remote control and Noah reached for it, Archer pulled it away, “No way, kid. I just got home a minute ago and the TV is mine.” Noah stared at Archer aghast while basketball played out on the screen.

“Good luck with that,” I uttered and hauled groceries into the kitchen to start putting them away while my one year old child and his forty-something child of an uncle argued over the remote control. Archer was going to win, it was just a question on if there would be screaming involved.I sincerely hope not.

I put away all the groceries and set to work making dinner which was hard to do with no real cookware. I would have to hit a Goodwill or second hand store to stock the kitchen a little better. Right now, I had aluminum pans, paper plates and plastic cutlery to contend with on the short notice I had.

Dinner was simple fare of shake and baked pork chops, mac and cheese, and canned green beans. Quick, easy, and by no means the extent of my culinary knowledge, it was just getting really close to being past Noah’s bedtime. Nox was staying for dinner and I was grateful that he and Archer kept Noah busy while I cooked.

Eventually, the table was set and the food set out and Archer surprised me by turning off the television and ordering everyone to the table. Noah managed alright by kneeling up on one of the chairs, but I hovered none the less to make sure he didn’t fall. He was hungry, inhaling his mac and cheese so fast I was afraid he’d choke, and equally demolishing his green beans. I was surprised, usually he didn’t want to have anything to do with his green beans but Nox ate his like they were the best thing ever and so Noah followed suit.

I washed Noah up, changed his diaper, got him into his jammies, and put him down in his crib. My little man was so tired he went down with a minimum of fuss. Nox left quietly, giving me a quick hug goodbye, while Archer had gone back to the couch, choosing this time to lay on it while he watched his game. By the time I was through cleaning up the aftermath of dinner, he was asleep too. I covered him up with the blanket on the back of the couch and turned off the TV with a sigh, dragging myself to bed to lay awake and listen to the bass and pounding rap music permeating the walls and through the floor.

I barely slept.

Chapter 8

Archer

I woke up first, surprised to find the boy still racked out in his crib. I got up and stretched and realized the only bathroom in the place was in my room, where Melody stayed.Oh well.I needed a shower and fresh clothes. I kicked off my boots and went to it, gathering up fresh clothes and taking them into the bathroom with me. When I got out, it was to Mel’s blue eyes looking at me.

“Wake you up?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” she murmured.

“Gotta get ready for work.”

“I know.”

I sat down on the end of the bed to pull my socks on and got a good look at the rest of the room. She’d done good in here, too; their shit neatly folded and stored in some plastic bins between the bed and the wall.

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