The Promise

A trip to Dawg town reveals a darkness that leads to a promise between two brothers.

 Brushing softly against his skin in contrast to their speed. The wind whipped at his ponytail, the late night air gracing his fair complexion. His nostril burned with the smell of trees and farmland, the soft volume of Wheezer echoed from the stereo.

         He glanced over at his brother, not by blood relation, but by the trails of life. His dark tone made him blend into the dark country highway. His favorite blue Sonic the Hedge Hog shirt was all that set him apart from the driver’s seat.

         His window rose as his ponytail dropped. “Thanks again, I owe you big time.”

         “Meh, it’s no biggy.” He casually brushed the gesture aside.

         “No, it’s a huge biggy. You've got class at 8, it’s already 2 in the morning. I’m sorry for  this.”

         “It’s okay, but tell me, what exactly happened?”

         “Yeah,” he paused at the mere thought of the last week, “I almost don’t feel like talking about it.”

         “Oh it’s cool. I was just wondering.”

         “You know I said almost.”

         “You know you don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

         “Why else would I have come out here?”

         “Hm?”

         “Nothing I’ll tell you later.”

         “Well we are almost there.”

         The roaming fenced country expanse was fleeting. Small houses began to pop up, followed by gas stations, Subway, Pizza Hut’s and Domino’s. Then one by one apartments sprouted on either side. The university’s flag flew high on every porch, a poster on every window, every wall. And stickers spread like the plague. This was Dawg Town and it was alive, even in the late hour of the morning. Joggers, party goers, business men, jocks out training and students living up the good life.

         Steve was captivated, the sights, the sounds, smells that stung in his nostrils. He was engulfed and bombarded by it all. His only response was wide eyes.

         “You alright over there? Got pretty quiet.” He let the words ring with a bit of a chuckle.

         “You side it was a lot, but damn Doug it’s 2 in the morning!”

         “Told you, hey are you hungry?”

         He was answered by the deep rolling growl of Steve’s stomach, to which his retort was to pull into the Checker’s drive through.

        

         The television was the only thing making noise as Doug entered his dorm, Steve was at the desk that was underneath the top bunk, the bed made in a half bunk bed style. He was writing away at a notebook with a look on his face that only Doug could understand.

         “What’s up? You alright?” He tossed his keys up onto his bed and dropped his draw string book bag in front of the side table that was siting between the desk and sink.

         Steve paused in his writing and let out a deep sigh, one infamous to the two. “Not really, it’s still getting to me.” He stared out the window at the tree that stretched beyond the heights of the floor they were on.

         “Ah,” he pulled his out of town roommate’s chair up beside him, “ready to talk about it?”

         “Do I have a choice?” He stared him down with a sullen stare.

         Doug shot him a glance that told him ‘you know better’

         Steve dropped his notebook on the desk, “Do you think we could go down to the basement?”

         “Uh, yeah. I think it’s empty.”

        

         A seven floor descend found the two to be alone in the large basement of the dorm. A computer lab, laundromat, vending machines and even a table top tennis area greeted them. Steve made his way over to the table tennis and began to inspect the wooden paddle. Doug took the motion and stood opposite him and served. The ball snapped Steve from his private inspection and he sent it flying back with a reflexive downward slap. The sudden move caught Doug off guard and the ball soared over his short five five stature.

         “Wow, you hit that too hard.” He went to fetch the ball from under a chair.

         “Sorry,” he turned to stare out the large glass doors that gave way to the sight of the parking lot. “About what happened this past week. How much do you know?”

         Doug twisted his face in his famous ‘thought face’. “ I know you haven’t been sleeping, which is no good for your condition.”

         “HA!” Steve laughed as he struck the ball back. “That is an understatement dear brother. But as you can imagine, without sleep the bombardment of usual fighting and arguing has been twice as rough. It got to a point where,” he slammed the ball down and watched as it whizzed past Doug’s ear, “it all had to end.” His last words set a silence on them both. One that stopped Doug from continuing with the next serve.

         “What do you mean by that Steve, you didn't,”

         “Yes, I tried.”

         Doug’s face flashed with a shock of pain at his words. Steve simply bowed his head and spun the paddle on the table.

         “How?”

         “What do you,”

         “How Steve?! HOW?!” He yelled the words at him.

         Steve rose to see the fumes from his raging stare. “Knife, through the heart.”
 

Silence befell them, Doug’s anger settled as he watched Steve walk to a chair and gaze at the world pass them by. He took another of their infamous sighs and took up the chair beside him.

         “Steve,” he almost whispered the word.

         “I already know what you’re going to say. Tell me how I didn’t need to do it, how I shouldn’t, how I need to,”

         Doug cut him off with a soft thump on his forehead, his playful way of punishing people. “Shud up loser.” 

         Steve looked into his dark eyes and saw the meaning of his gesture. “Amazing isn’t it?”

         “Hm?”

         “How we do. We have these small ‘quirks’” he quoted the word with his fingers, “that we understand between each other.”

         “Yeah we do. What about them?”

         “Just makes me happy.” He smiled, for the first time in a long time, he gave a genuine smile.

         Doug returned the smile, “Good,” he paused a moment to think over his next question.

          Steve read the moment, “ Go ahead and ask.”

         “Why? Why do it? Why even try?”

         Steve let the question cut him deep. “I just, don’t, know. To relieve stress, to escape the pain, to bring some sort of order to the madness.”

         “How in the hell would it bring about any of those things? I hate to be like this, but you know better than that. You know that you have me. I mean yeah it’s a hard adjust with me so far away and you may not have had much sleep, but you know you can call, we can video chat on the internet.

         “And as you can see, I will come down there to get you. If I had known this before I’d have come sooner to get you.”

         Steve let the words hang in the air around him. His thoughts spun and all he could do was let his pain surface in tears. Doug watched him only for a moment before turning his face by his chin. As he faced him he wiped the tears away.

         “Steve,” he paused and looked into his blue eyes then reached around him in a hug, “brother, you can’t ok? I can’t lose you.”

         “I know, and I’m so sorry.” His words were whispered and hushed.

         “Promise me ok?”

         “Promise me that you’ll take me away.”

         “Hm?”

         “I don’t know how, and I don’t care, but promise me that you won’t take me back. Promise not to stop this.” He looked deep into Doug’s eyes, begging him to keep him away from his dark pass.

         Doug was helpless to his instinct, to protect him, to hold his brother in his arms away from pain. He simply smiled and shuck his head.

         “Promise.”

         “Promise.”