One Dysfunctional Mess part 5

Chapter 19 Lousy humans

"What do you mean you've known about him for two years!" His voice filled the room as his fist clenched tightly. He had the overwhelming urge to punch his brother in the face repeatedly.

Remorse was across his face as he said "I found out about him two years ago."

"How?" Jason asked. "And why the hell didn't you tell me about him?"

"I was in Arlington..."  Jeremiah then let out another sneeze.  "Can you get me out of here please, my allergies are going crazy."

"No."  Jason said.  He then walked into the bathroom and to his surprise found a roll of toilet paper there.

"Come on man I am suffering here."  Jeremiah complained.  He would give up to leave but he knew if he tried to stand up his legs would vanish from under him.

"Suffer then."  He said as he walked out and tossed the roll to him.

"You can be a real bastard at times you know that." Jeremiah said to him.  He then tore of a sheet and blew his nose.

"I hear it runs in the family."  Jason said.  "Now you were saying."

"I was in Arlington meeting with a client."

"You mean girlfriend."  Jason said.  He knew full well that his brother was not meeting with any clients.

"Fine girlfriend."  Jeremiah said. "And I thought since I was in the area I would look Lauren.  You know just to catch up on old times." 

"In other words you were hoping to get lucky."  Jason said.

"Maybe."  Jeremiah said and then sneezed again.  "So anyway I drove by her house and I saw her with this teenage boy who looked a lot like you when you were that age."  He then adjusted himself on the bed.  "I got curious so I did a little detective work.  I found out his name, then his social media profile and there I found his age and month of birth and then did the math."

"So you never spoke with Lauren?"  Jason asked.

"Nope."  He shook his head.  "Seeing she had a teenage son was kind of a buzzkill."

"Too bad Cynthia having three teenagers wasn't a buzzkill for you."  Jason shot at him.

"Well that relationship existed way before the kids." He said.

"You're a scum bag you know that."

"Maybe I am."  Jeremiah said.  "But your are not Mister Perfect yourself are you."

"I never claimed to be."  Jason shook his head as he tried to process this new revelation.  I am really getting tired of revelations he thought.  I would like a month to go by that some deep dark secret doesn't get exposed.   "Why didn't you tell me."  A thought then came to him.  "Wait did you tell Cynthia?  Did she know about John?"

"I didn't tell Cynthia."  Jeremiah said.  "I saw how she treated her son I hated to think what she would do to the son of a woman you had an affair with."

"Well at least you had some common sense."  Jason said. I didn't think that was possible with him. "So why not me?"

"Because I didn't feel like it." He said as the weight of guilt came crashing down on him again.

"You didn't feel like it."  Jason gnashed his teeth as he spoke.

"Yeah I didn't feel like."  Jeremiah said.  "I could have known about him if you told me two years ago."

"You could have known about him if Lauren had told you sixteen years ago when she was pregnant with him."

"That is immaterial."  Jason said. "You're my brother, you should have told me."

"Haven't you figured it out yet Jason."  He said with sadness in his eyes.  "I'm a lousy human being."

"Yes you are."  

"I hear that runs in the family too." Jeremiah said.

"You have thirty days?"  Jason said.

"What?"

"You have thirty days to leave this house."

"You cant do that."  He said as he became panicked stricken.

"Yes I can its my house."  Jason said.

"But I don't have anywhere to go."

"I don't care."  Jason gave him a look of indifference.  "Go live with mom dad, shack up with one of your girlfriends, go back to prison I don't care.  I just want you out of the house at the end of thirty days."   He then walked out and closed the door behind him.

"Jason." He said.  "Jason come back."  He then sneezed.  "Jason please come back." He sneezed once again and said "Oh man."

Upstairs Jack sat on the bed as he said "It was here."  Jack said. "I was standing in the corner when he came into the room and came up behind me."

A flux of emotion hit John as he said "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing."  Jack said.  "He just came up behind me."  He shivered as he could feel his presence behind him.  He was so close to him it made his stomach twist into knots.

 "And then what happened." 

"And then."  Jack said as his he tried to figure out what happen next. Then he heard it.  His mother's voice calling Spencer's name from downstairs. "My mom called for him." Jack as a feeling of relief grew inside of him.   "She said she needed him for something and he left."

"Left?"  John asked.  "Just like that."

"Yeah."Jack said. "She was scared that she would come looking for him."

"I'm glad to hear that."  John said. "And you never told dad."

"I was too scared to."  Jack said.  "I was afraid that I would get in trouble with mom."

"Which you probably would have."  John said. And unfortunately dad would have been too weak to do anything about it.  I love you dad but hate how you were unable to defend Jack.  

"There you are guys."  Jason said as he walked in.  He then looked at Jack. "Are you okay buddy?"

"Yeah."  Jack then stood up and put his arms around him.  

Jason pulled away.  "You sure you are okay?"

"Yeah." Jack pulled him closer. 

Jason looked at John and was about to ask him what was going on but instead he put his arm out to him.  John then walked over and the three embraced.