The lower district was where Kim and Carl lived. Her flat was on the first floor of her apartment and it was as tiny as it could get but it was warm and cosy, just how a home should be like. The living room had just a couch, a center table, a TV and a DVD player so she could watch her dramas. There was no cable, it was a luxury she couldn"t afford. Behind the couch was the kitchen area, it was also part of the living room. There were cabinets for storage, a fridge and a gas stove with the heat extractor just above it and next to the gas, the sink. There were two seats placed in front of the cabinets that served as the dinning table.The living room had two windows for ventilation, they were also very tiny and didn"t really do a good job, thankfully the air conditioner functioned perfectly. The door to the bedroom is adjacent to the kitchen area. The bedroom is also tiny, there was just the bed, opposite the bed was the wardrobe and adjacent to the wardrobe was the bathroom.
Presently, Carl and Ryan were sitted on the bed talking. Ryan wiped the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. He still wasn"t sure where to start from, he stared at the bathroom door for a while before he began. "After you left, I started having nightmares, I couldn"t sleep so I moved into your room and it stopped.. temporarily." Ryan stopped to take a breather as he was reminded of how insecured he felt when he stayed at home. Carl could only observe his every action and let him say what he wanted. He didn"t want to push him to reveal everything if he felt uncomfortable.
Ryan on the other hand did not want to recollect his nightmares but he was glad someone asked him about it, he was glad his brother asked him about it. "Well I can"t really recall everything in detail but I"ll tell you what I can. Mostly, I was chased by unknown people and after mother had other children, she abandoned me." Ryan was still frightened by this thought that he shuddered subconsciously. Carl took notice and hugged him, patting his back. He could understand why his brother was scared, their parents were selfish and only thought of benefits so it won"t be a surprise if it actually happens. He promised himself he would treat Ryan the way he wanted to be treated, that was the only thing he could do.
Recalling Judith can no longer bear children, if there would be more children, it would be from a mistress and Judith would never accept that, she would protect her son in other to protect her position as the madam of the family. Besides, she knows too much, the elders would not want to tarnish the reputation of the family even if they wanted more children, most likely, they would look for a way to cover it up.
Ryan broke the hug and solemnly questioned, "Brother, do you think they would kick me out too? Would they discard me?" Rather than give a "yes" or "no" reply, Carl said, "It doesn"t really matter what they do, you can always live with me." How could he possibly say yes or no? Humans are unpredictable, it would be best never to a.s.sume but prepare for the worst while expecting the best. Contrary to popular belief that step siblings never have a good relationship, Ryan and Carl"s was different, they trusted each other. Apart from his maternal grandparents, Carl was the only other person he trusted.
They were so close, it was like they were a gay couple who came out of the closet only to face the negativity from the whole world. Carl asked Ryan to continue, Ryan recounted how he finally ended up in his grandparents" house.
Carl looked at his brother, his eyes were sad even though he tried to hide it. He made another promise to himself to be a good father to his children. He ruffled his brother"s head before saying, "You made a good decision to move out before it got worse. Anyway, if you feel too bored, you can come stay with me here." Ryan"s face instantly lightened up. "Then I"ll move over immediately. Grandma doesn"t allow me eat meat and anything surgery." Carl laughed at his antics before asking, "How about school? Why don"t you move in after graduation?"
Ryan didn"t really have friends at school too so he didn"t mind moving at all. There was no reason for him to stay whatsover, except may be his grandparents. "Okay, I"ll attend University of State A then." Carl got up, pulling Ryan along. "We"ve been in here for so long, let"s go see Kim." Ryan nodded I"m agreement. He still had questions to ask Carl but he would never tell him. "How frustrating."
Going back to the living room, Kim was sitted on the couch with legs crossed as she watched TV. There was a bowl of popcorn on her tighs. She was so immersed in her drama that she did not notice when the brothers entered the sitting room.