Chapter 3 Russel

Russel


The rain was pouring hard by the time I reached the cemetery. From the window of my truck I could see Micol and Harry waiting for me by her grave. The Two older brothers waved at me and then Micol said something to Harry which earned him a smack on the head.

Signing and shaking my head like an old woman I grabbed the umbrella I had the good sense to bring along and got out of the truck. I was about to shut my side of the door shut when I noticed Jake still sitting in the passenger seat.

'Jake?' I called my little brother who kept his face turned away from me, looking stubbornly out of the window on the other side. 'We talked about this, Jake.'

'And so we did.' Jake signed dramatically. 'But that doesn't mean i've changed my mind about her.'

'She's our sister.' I reminded him sternly

'She wasn't our anything and you know it.' Jake spat out venomously. 'Harry and Micol knows it too. Just because you three feel guilty about never looking for her after dad died doesn't mean I do too.'

Now that hit a nerve. 'Okay, hotshot. Here's how its gonna be, you either get out of my truck right now or I drag you out by your hair. Whether she meant something to you or not, she meant the world to dad. You'd not only be disrespecting her but you'd be disrespecting him as well and I won't tolerate that. Not from my own brother.'

Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat before muttering something unintelligible under his breath and getting out of the truck. He slammed the door shut a little harder than I liked but I was willing to let it go as long as he was following me.

Micol and Harry both shared a look as we approached them. They probably heard us, since I was practically shouting at Jake.

'Look whose here, our own little mountain!' Micol chuckled good humorly as he spread his arms wide and gave me a tight hug. 'Man I can't even get my arms around you. All that farm work must be pay'n off!'

'Hey, Russel.' Harry's greeting was little cooler but he smiled and patted me on the back. His smile faltered a little when he saw Jake. 'Jake, how are you?'

Jake shrugged his answer. Micol frowned at him but being as good natured as he was at the moment, he gave the lanky figure a pat on the shoulders. 'Well aren't you the picture of health and beauty. Do you even eat boy?'

'Dont call me that.' Jake growled at Micol.

'Aww, are you mad?' Micol taunted him. I could clearly see the ends of Jake's body hair standing up on end as he bristled. Jake has always been the odd one out of all the Asford brothers. Unlike me, Micol and Harry, he didn't inherit much of our fathers traits. He was slender with pale skin with black hair like our mother but he had dads green eyes. Unlike dads, they were dull and dark not bright and mischievous.

'You are such a child Micol.' Harry rolled his eyes at Micol. 'Leave Jake be.'

'And you are such an adult are you?' Micol shot back, looking pissed off. 'Mr. I'm so mature that I couldn't stop myself from f*****g that pretty student behind my beautiful wife's back!'

Harry's mouth tightened around edges. 'Don't talk about things you don't know anything about.'

'You're not denying it.' Micol smirked.

And they were off. Falling into an stupid argument as usual.Harry and Micol were like polar opposites of one another. Harry was more serious and less motivated by emotions, Micol was flippant and carefree about everything but put the two of them together in the same breathing space and they'll start tearing at each others throats in a second.

I cancelled out their voices as I walked past them to her grave. They had buried her a bit far apart from the other occupants under a Jacaranda tree . Her headstone was simple, nothing grand like some of the angel statues over the other graves, only her name under which the year she was born in and the year she died was scrawled in tiny numerals. A bouquet of lilies sat on top of her grave which made me wander which of my two older brothers brought it. Perhaps Micol. Harry wasn't the sentimental type.

I knelt down on the mud and from the pocket of my jeans I took out a little white swan origami and placed it gently inside the bouquet so that the plastic wrapping would keep it from getting wet. It was an old origami, you can tell from the discoloured edges of the swans wings that it has been laying inside someones drawers for a very long time. I remember stuffing the little paper bird into my bedside drawer and then simply forgetting about it until they called and told me my sister died in an accident while trying to save someone elses life.

I hadn't heard from her for so long after dad died that the news came as a surprise. I couldn't believe my ears when they told me she was dead. My heart was racing and blood was rushing to my head. The world seemed to tilt a bit on its axis and made me sick.

'What the hell?' I had mumbled at the polite man on the phone. 'If this is some kind of a joke then its not funny.'

'I assure you Mr. Asford this call is not a joke.' The polite man told me coolly. 'Eve Ashford died two days ago on Wednesday from a unfortunate accident. As her solicitor it is my duty to inform her family and carry out the instructions she has left me on the event of her death. How soon can you all come to Willow Brook cemetery?'

I told him that I would have to talk to Harry and Micol first, see if they can make time. After the phone call ended, I stood silent in my dads old work shop where I now work in, and for a long while I didn't know what to feel. It felt unreal at first. The news had come so unexpectedly that I couldn't quite believe it so quickly. After a while it all sank in and I couldn't stand any longer.

Marry, my wife, found me curled up in an corner of my work room, crying and heaving out heavy sobs.When she asked me what's wrong, I told her : 'I should have looked for her. God I should have looked!'

I remember the last time I saw her. It was at dads funeral. I was twenty eight years old at that time. The day was surprisingly warm without being too humid and the wind smelled of wet grass after a rainy morning. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the funeral passed along gently without incident. I almost didn't feel as sad over his death as I thought I would. I felt at peace just as dad probably had when he had died. While Harry and Micol were busy talking to dads friends and mother was being comforted by our various female relatives, I had walked off on my own towards the side walk outside the cemetery for a smoke. I was searching the depths of my trouser pocket for a lighter when I saw her.

She wasn't heading towards the cemetery but walking away from it. I was about to call out to her when the wind picked up and she turned around to give me a sad smile and put a finger on her lip as she shook her head. My voice died in my throat and for some reason i just stood by the side walk and watched her disappear behind a building across the street.

When I got home I found a swan origami on my pillow. It was her way of telling me goodbye. I knew I should be concerned that she was gone but somehow the thought never occurred to me then. Neither did it to Harry or Micol or mother even. She just disappeared from our lives like she had never been there to start with.

'Forgive me, Eve...' I whispered under my breath and touched her name on the cold headstone.

'You f*****g b*****d!' Micol roared.

'To hell with you too!' Harry roared back.

'That's it I'm done here.' Micol threw up his arms in the air and turned his back on then as he began to leave.

Harry signed a exasperated sign and began to leave as well but taking the opposite route out of the cemetery.

Jake was standing where he was and looking bored out of his mind.

I felt my blood grow warm in my veins and my temper rising in me like a waking dragon. Taking a deep breath I roared : 'No one is going anywhere! Not you Micol', I pointed at my alarmed looking brother. 'Not Harry and especially not Jake.'

Jake scowled at me. 'What did I do?'

The three brothers glowered at each other but none of them dared to disobey . I outranked them by both size and muscle and they all knew very well that I was capable of hauling their a*s back here if they tried to get away.

I took my time to glare at all three of them before I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Making peace with myself, I signed heavily before opening my eyes again and finding myself startled when I saw the thin stick figure of a man standing by my brothers with an open umbrella over his head. The sight of the umbrella reminded me of my own which was still unused in my hand.

'Mr. Asford's I presume.' The man voice sounded cool and breezy almost. There was no mistaking it was the same man who had called me. 'I'm Drake Black. Eve Asfords solicitor, we talked on the phone.'

'Yeah, I remember.' I reached out to shake the extended hand. I was careful to be gentle since his hands looked so slender and thin in mine that I afraid of crushing it if I applied to much force.

He introduced himself and shook hands with the others before turning back to me.

'As I've mentioned before, your sister left instructions for me to follow on the event of her death', Mr.Black said. 'We have a lot to discuss but it may be wise for us to go somewhere a little more...dry.' The smile that appeared on his face broke the cold mask he wore and made him look a bit more human.

'Eve left us a will?' Micol asked, his expression incredulous.

'Off sorts.' Mr. Black shrugged on one shoulder. 'Her house is just three blocks from here. I have the keys. We can discuss matters over some hot coffee. Your four look like you need some.'