HEIRS

CHAPTER THREE: AT YOUR DISPOSAL!

Wheels rolling. Rods sliding and clicking. They were back. Oh, yes! Maybe getting that excited wasn't required but I couldn't help it, I was genuinely pumped. There they stood, letting themselves in with their key. I ran to them and hugged them very hard. They were gone over a week and I hadn't gotten the chance to bid my bye. I instantly peppered them with questions about how it all went over there. If they'd made the deal or not. I should've known better than to doubt their combined abilities because they'd obviously scored this one. I was very happy for them. We kept talking until the Turners came to our house and dragged us to their place for the morning meal.
"When did you get back here?" asked Anwir's dad, Jacob. 
 "Oh, just about an hour ago" my dad answered, looking at his watch.
The table was almost set, just the plates and cutlery were to be put. I offered to help. Scattered chatter around the table as the moms and dads were lost in their own conversations. And all I could think of was the perfection of the moment. Everyone was there. Everyone I so loved. Although, it was ephemeral. Because the thought that followed was, everyone except her. It took just a moment from jumping in the rainbows to plunging into the darkness. Anwir seemed to have guessed my train of thought and slapped my back in reassurance. I smiled up at him, my eyes ratting me out.
Just then, "Hi" a voice squeaked, sounding super nervous.
Oh, boy.
"She's still here?" And Anwir kicked me under the table. Uh-oh.
 "She's still here," I said, changing my tone.
Exactly like Phoebe did at times. Mom lifted her head from her plate and instantly looked back at Dad. What was that look for? It wasn't some normal look or any look they'd ever shared, at least that I know of. 
"I'm sorry. I'm interrupting a family....thing, aren't I?"
And Mom hit us both boys on the back of our heads. The barista smiled lightly. Her face completely changed. What a smile can do to your face, huh?
 "What?" both of us demanded.
 "You didn't tell me we had a guest" she whispered a little.
 "She's not a guest, exactly. She's a, um..." I trailed off. I didn't think we were quite there to call her a friend. At least, I wasn't quite there. And thankfully, she picked up the conversation.
 "I'm Andy Decker. I live a few blocks away from here. My, um, my family had to go somewhere and I'm stuck here troubling you people" she ended, smiling nervously. 
 Mom got up and went near her and tapped her shoulder lightly.
"Don't feel so awkward. Also, hello, I'm his Mom" she said, pointing at me.
The barista, I mean, Andy apparently looked very shocked for God knows what reason.
"Wait. So, you guys aren't...." she stopped mid-sentence, looking between me and Anwir.
"God, no. He's already a pain in my-" he stopped abruptly and cleared his throat.
"He's better off just being my friend." I gave him a look which I wished said, your death is coming very soon. He chuckled.
 "I'm more like a surrogate mother to him" Loki, Anwir's mom, said from behind. I know, I know, it's a different name. But it fits her so perfectly, it never felt out of place.
"Sweet" Andy muttered.
"You're welcome to stay here, though. What will you have?" my mom asked.
 "No. No. I've already caused enough problems and also, my tribe's back. So, I'm just going to slide away."She smiled again. Wow, she was so highly strung that it was almost like looking at myself.  
 Her gaze peered over the whole table for the first time.
 "You were no trouble, kid. And how's your grandma?" asked Loki from behind the counter.
 "Oh. She's fine. It was a blood pressure thing. It wasn't a big deal. I mean, it was, it was a big deal until-"
 "Hey, hey. Relax."
 She looked away and shrugged. "Social anxiety. Excuse me." Her gaze fell back down. 
 "That's okay. We're more familiar with it than we would like to be" my mom said, looking at me. Oh, she was going to talk about me. And she wouldn't stop, I know her. So, I had to stop her. "Mom, she had to go, didn't she?"
 And then the look she'd been giving me turned dangerous.
 "I, um, I mean she has to see her family and make sure they're fine, right?" I didn't meet the barista's eyes. I just couldn't. She made me nervous too. For the reasons, I couldn't analyze. Not anyone new made me nervous or all worked up. But I sure felt queasy in unfamiliar crowds. I didn't understand how or why the others didn't feel that way. Anwir once said that it was because they weren't all freaks. Agree to disagree.
 "No ma'am. That's fine. He's right, though. I have to go. I'm very sorry for interrupting your family.....thing once again. And thanks for having me. I had a good time."
She smiled a little again and then just left for the door. And it might've been just one second after that my mom shot me her icy look again.
 "What now?"
 "What was that? You were practically asking her to get out." And I stopped her before she could go on.
"Mom, cold feet. Okay? It's no big thing. We're friends. We'll sort it out. If it ever creates an issue. Emphasis on if."
The word 'friends' just rolled off. Miraculous things do happen every day.
 "Hope it doesn't become a 'when', kid" Dad shot from across the table.
Anwir nudged me. I kicked him under the table. He wouldn't give up with the nudging. I took the higher road and did. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I went back up. After pacing up and down my room for a lifetime, I strapped on my guitar and went to the garden which was previously occupied by the Turner adults. After Andy left, they'd headed out there. A cute one where we all collectively grew plants. Rather unique ones. Jacob was a plant-enthusiast. If that's even a thing. He literally made the backyard look a thousand times beautiful. And he was the one who found a variety of plants too. That being said, it included some age-old cures. But what they didn't know, a matter of fact, no one knew, was that I found out a secret way out of the backyard that would lead me directly into the burrow of a huge tree which was said to be the first tree of this very city. That was my place when I needed to get some air. Needed to be away from everyone. Everything. Just catch a moment of peace. A moment with myself. Where I let out a part of my heart that was locked away a long time ago. I needed some time off badly right then. I started to work on the song I'd been trying to complete for very many weeks. Going over and over the part I'd already written and played before didn't help to get me anything new. But I had to complete that song. Determined, I sat there and decided not to leave until I did it. After about two hours or so, when I was still nowhere near completing the song, I checked my phone. Anwir's texts. Nothing to be worried about. Instead, they made me feel bad because of what those texts said.  None of them concerning about my location. He always kept reminding me that he was my brother. Wouldn't a brother worry about another brother's whereabouts? Although, this wasn't new to me. Sighing, I looked at the texts.
 Text one, around an hour and a half ago: 'According to your IQ, you shouldn't be forgetting stuff, dick.'
Ouch. That was harsh and offensive at the same time. Offensive because duh, my IQ is too good for me to be forgetting things.
 Text two, just two minutes ago: 'Well, you not being here means you still don't remember what the thing is. No worries. Die.'
Okay, I knew one thing. He was pissed. But nothing in those messages made sense. Except for my high IQ part. Then it all clicked. Goddamn. Oh, did I mess it bad. I ran back home. Throwing the guitar in the room, not literally, I raced down again. But when I looked at the time, it seemed useless. It was exactly two hours past the time we were supposed to be done. The two hours when I decided to go into hiding. The door swung open and Anwir came in.
 "Hey. What are you-"
"I texted you that you forgot something? Did you remember it?"
He was visibly very angry but I had to respond with something.
"I guess I wouldn't be here now if I didn't, right?"
I tried smiling slightly. A feeble attempt at humor and angry Anwir never went well. Even after knowing that, I tried it.
"You have no right not to answer me straight."
 Thought so. He thought he was sounding scary but in fact, I found it funny. I didn't tell him that, for obvious reasons.
 "We were supposed to be at that damning comic book store. For you. And I had to cancel movie night for that. And guess what? You didn't show up."
Yikes.
 "Dude, I'm sorry. Really. I just... I don't know, my mind was completely distracted."
I wasn't completely telling the truth there. I did remember it sometime in the middle, but when I did, there was still time. I still had no right to use that as my defense.
 "I knew that."
He looked like he would bury me alive.
 "Honestly. Let me make it up to you."
Very dangerous words, I still said them, being completely aware. 
 "Oh-ho. So, you're at my disposal."
 That's the most irrational thing I'd done so far. Being at anyone's disposal. I once always was, but it was only for her.
 "Well, not exactly. But, let's settle for that for now." This was not the time I talked about technicalities of my promise sort of thing.
 "You're going to get off my back for a few weeks." Sneaky.
 "That was definitely not what I was expecting. And do what?"
The question only made it worse.
 "Find someone new." I saw it coming! Argh, I should've known better.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. I'd rather be alone." He knew that better than anyone.
"Want to make up to me? Do this. Otherwise, you really would be alone."
 "Fine. I'll find someone." I was really reluctant to drive him even crazier, given he was already on that ride. Because of me.
 "Let me make it easier for you."
 That was as impossible as the idea of me making new friends.
 "You came prepared."
 Huh. And I walked right into it.
 "Of course. It's you I'm talking to."
 "You better not tempt me to kill you." I could afford to lose temper by then.
 "That's going to happen anyway. So, it's going to be Andy."
 "Ah, who?"
 "Andy. The girl who was in our house this morning?"
 Any third person who heard that would've received it exactly the way it wasn't supposed to be received.
 "No. Not going to happen. We started off on the worst foot possible."
 That wasn't true.
Actually, according to me, it was- "Perfect" he interjected, echoing my thought, just that our interpretations of that word were entirely different.
 "Not perfect. Exactly opposite of perfect. It's going to be a disaster."
I had to tell him that because I didn't want him to know that I'd purposely been harsh not-entirely to her.
 "That's why Ash. That's exactly why."
He was clearly enjoying this.
 "Why her?"
God, really. Why her? There was something definitely off with that girl. The kind which I wasn't used to, and didn't want to be too.
 "I don't know. She seems.........free. Easy to talk to. And, it just felt you guys would make fine friends. Or more than, if you gave her the chance." He then winked. 
 "Dude."
 I made a face.
 "Just a possibility" he supported his statement.
 "I'll try," I said, too exhausted to argue.
 "You better. I'll head back home."
 "Cool man. So, we're good?"
 He gave me a back-slapping hug and answered, "We'd always be" and left me there with a heavy feeling all of a sudden. I just sat back on the bean bag, thinking. At least, was trying to. It was a big thing which I assured him. Without giving it much thought, I just agreed to make me do things for him. I mean, how could I, when he is the only one who truly gets me? After her, he's the only one I've had.
"You know something buddy? What he asked you to do makes sense."
 I turned back to see Dad leaning against the couch.
 "Dad, you know I don't do good with new people. It's just too hard to let anyone else come close to me."
And the pain increased. It changed to burning inside.
"That's not what she would've wanted." I was about to ask him if he was kidding about it but then saw the seriousness in his eyes.
 "That's not fair, Dad. You can't know that."
He sighed. "Ash, you know in your heart, in your bones that she never wanted you to be alone. That she always wanted you to meet new people, explore, experience, and get out of your comfort zone, kid. Trying to do new and crazy things. It would come with new friends, buddy. Trust me. Do that. For her. Maybe that's how you'd ever repay her."
That was hard to believe. There was no way I could repay her in any way in this life-time.
 "I'll do it, Dad. For Ira." This promise didn't need too much thinking. I'd do anything for her.
 "That's like my kid."
He started to get up and go into his room. "Dad?"
 "Yeah?"
 "Thanks. It really helped."
 "Don't thank me bud. Good night."
 "Yeah" I muttered back.
 So maybe trying to talk to Andy wasn't a bad idea. I'd already had a long day and the more I thought about it, I was likely to get reasons not to do it. I gave up on that. Dad made it pretty clear now. I was making a new friend. I was also ready to hit the sack, and I did.