A stray bone

Kan would always wonder later in life whether his brother grew up to be a more wholesome person because he spoke up, and questioned when they were children, where Kan simply did what he was told.

Up till the day his brother died in that accident, he had been one happy man, full of life, love and laughter.

He was the charismatic one, the charmer, the one who took instead of simply accepting what was given, and he was their mother’s pride and joy.

And the day their father died, his brother was the one that held him back from saving them. 

They were twenty years old at the time and having dinner. 

Their father had gone on a tirade again about something they had not done, and, as usual, it was connected to the Tuckers.

He seemed to be getting angrier by the moment as the twins remained silent. 

He hated it when he was interrupted, but at the same time got angry when he was speaking and no one was saying anything.

He was standing up now, and Kan was already grimacing, knowing the skin on his back that had barely healed was about to scar again when the man suddenly stopped and his eyes bulged.

Kan gasped, staring in shock as the man began to make choking sounds.

And as he crashed to his knees, his hand on his throat, he stretched his other hand out, asking for Kan's help.

Kan flew off from his seat, but he felt a hand grip him. 

He turned startled eyes to his brother, who still seated, gripped his hand firmly. 

His father fell to the floor now, trying to get whatever he had choked on out of his windpipe.

He wheezed, and all the veins in his face stood out as his face turned red as a tomato now, his eyes bulging.

He tapped on the floor, unable to stop wheezing, and Kan could only stare at him.

He could have thrown his brother’s hand off and gone on to save his father, but he did not. 

Soon, his brother stood up, and they watched the man till no sounds were coming out of his mouth anymore. 

And then his body went from jerking and moving about, to twitching, till he lay completely still, his eyes still wide and open.

Kan’s eyes strayed to the kitchen and only then did he realize that his mother had been standing by the door the whole time. 

“I’ll call an ambulance.” She said quietly, and turned around.

Later, as he watched his father’s body on the silver tray at the morgue, he told himself again that a stray oxtail bone had killed the man, and they were not responsible for his death, while his brother went out clubbing that same night.

He opened his eyes now, and it was completely bright outside, and he wondered how long he had slept for. 

The pain was back in his chest and he could not stand it anymore.

He could not bring his son back from the dead, but at least, he could make Ariel love him. 

He had a deep soak where he played the country music his twin used to love. And when he stepped out of his room much later, he looked radiant on the outside, although his insides were still all jumbled and hurting.

As he walked out of his new bedroom, he ran into Ariel on the second floor and headed towards the nursery. 

Her face was drawn and tight and angry, but she was all dolled up.

From the look of it she had been out of the house already, and he wondered where she had gone so early. It could not have been to see Tucker.

“Honey.” He called, and she finally noticed him. 

When her eyes fell on him, he did not know what she saw, but sympathy colored her pupils. 

But it was all gone again as he drew closer.

“If you want to fight, now is the worst time.” she said,

“What? Why would I want to fight?”

“It’s been days, Kan. When will you sign those papers? I call the lawyer every morning, and he says he has not gotten your signature.”

He stepped back, utterly speechless as he watched her. 

Every morning he woke up and hoped that, somehow, this was a temporary thing, and she would soon get over it, and stop this divorce topic. 

But that did not look like that was going to happen.

“Ariel.”

“You cannot be like this.” She said, “Is it not bad enough that you hurt me? You want to drag out my suffering?”

“I said I was sorry.”

“We don’t have to keep going over this. You got many chances to stop lying to me Kan, to stop hiding things. So stop already.” She said, her face looking angrier by the minute.

He went quiet as he thought about how she would react if she found out about the baby. 

She would definitely move out like she had threatened, and they would finalize the divorce process from separate houses. 

He did not want to alienate her by showing his true emotions, screaming, yelling, and punching something like he so wanted to do now. 

He had to be gentle, and remain in her face.

Use kid gloves on her. 

He had finally realized that was what that cunning Tucker had done. When he was showing all his emotions, Tucker pretended to be calm the whole time.

“OK,” he said, and she stopped, watching him suspiciously. “I will sign the papers after the launch.” 

She was already beginning to frown, so he hurriedly went on, 

“All our efforts with this thing will be useless if the news of our divorce gets out before the launch. The stock prices will crash.”

“The news will not get out. Only a few people know.”

“You are smarter than that, honey.”

She exhaled deeply as she continued staring at him. 

“OK,” she said finally. “I hope you don’t go back on your word,” she said, and he shook his head. 

He would not have to. 

By that time, Tucker would be dead and the last thing on her mind would be a divorce.

“When do you think you will both be done with the redesign?” he asked, and she stiffened, her hand on the door that led to Oliver’s nursery.

The look that passed her face surprised him. 

What happened between her and Tucker? 

Maybe he did not really care because whatever happened had put Tucker in Ariel’s bad books. And that was all he needed to know.

That was good enough for him.