Patterns of Blues

Chapter 1

Liam looked around the living room nervously, taking his younger brother's hand into his own and giving it a quick squeeze. Harry's face showed equal signs of anxiety, his green eyes wide and the corners of his mouth angled downward in a worried frown. He returned the action and scooted closer beside him as their mother's bedroom door opened. Out she came, wearing one of her lovely floral dresses, this one with a small but elegant embroidered heart above her own heart. Liam shifted a bit as she kneeled in front of them,

"Are we in trouble?" He asked in a whisper, and she shook her head and smiled,

"Of course not, baby. I told you that I needed to talk to you both about something very important, remember?" Harry nodded for the both of them, so she continued, "Well, you two are the most important boys in my life, and I love you so, so much. There's someone who I'd like for you to meet, and I think he's going to care for you just as much as I do." Liam felt himself frown thoughtfully,

"Like-like a big person?"

"Yes, sweetheart. He's a lovely man named Greg, and he's going to be living with us." Harry straightened up from beside him, all of his previous anxiety replaced with excitement,

"A new friend?" Their mother ran a hand through his curly hair and smiled broadly,

"That's exactly right. He's going to help take care of us." Liam's discouragement heightened as Harry's enthusiasm bubbled over,

"But we take care of each other, Mama. We don't need help." He stated and was upset with himself at the hint of uncertainty that crept into his voice. She smiled all the same and placed a hand on his cheek,

"And you do a wonderful job, lovely. Please just give him a chance, alright?" Liam nodded slowly, but he was still doubtful.

The rest of the afternoon dredged on for what seemed like forever as Liam stared out the window, the worry in his tummy shifting uncomfortably. Harry, on the other hand, was jumping around in his normal crazy fashion, his way of showing his excitement at the prospect of meeting Mama's new friend. Before he could tell Harry to settle down, movement from outside the window caught his attention and he turned his head back to look at it. A nice-looking emerald green car was pulling into their drive. He pressed his lips together in a tight line, but quickly replaced it with a smile when Mama walked in, her eyes bright,

"He's here." She took Harry's hand in one of her own, then reached out for Liam's as well, and he happily obliged. The three of them walked into the kitchen as a polite knocking on the door sounded,

"Come in!" She shouted, now bending over to quickly brush out the wrinkles that were formed in Harry's shirt. The doorknob twisted quietly, and in came a very tall and lean man with dirty blond hair that rested just over his shoulders. He wore a dark green polo shirt and deep grey dress pants, his shoes shinier than anything Liam could think to relate them to. But what stood out the most about this man was his eyes. They were bluer than the sky and sparkled almost magically, a shade that Liam had never seen up close before. Mama stood up straight again, and gently guided her boys closer to the new man, "This is Greg." Liam shifted in closer to his mother, grabbing her leg for protection while Harry all but jumped into the man's arms, squealing about all the fun games he would teach him. Greg laughed, and returned the embrace, tussling his curly hair affectionately,

"You must be Harry, right, little guy?" Harry nodded eagerly, taking his hand and practically pulling him into the playroom. Mama laughed at the sight of this, and Liam found himself smiling genuinely for the first time that day as they followed them out into the playroom.

Very shortly, Liam found himself taking to the man almost as well as his three-year-old brother had, playing with his collection of toy cars on the ground together and then piggyback rides in the garden.

A couple of months later, they all went to church together, but it was much different than the normal Sunday service. Mama was wearing a pretty white gown, and Greg was dressed up in a smart-looking suit, still wearing his shiny shoes. Even Harry and Liam got to dress up, and Greg had styled their hair to look the same as his. There weren't many people aside from some of Mama's friends, and some of Greg's too, oh, and Pastor Jamie. He called it 'Holy Matrimony', but Liam wasn't sure what that meant. All he knew was that everyone was happy, and that made him happy.

A few weeks later, Mama told him and Harry that they were going to have a baby brother in a couple of months, and Greg was the happiest man Liam had ever seen.

Everything was good.