𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 [st/it]

₂. even more secrets

May 24th, 1985

"Hey Will," said Jonathan, leaning on the door frame of his little brother's room.

"What's up?" asked Will, erasing a line in his sketchbook.

"Where's mom?"

"At work."

"Good. I have something we need to talk about."

"Okay," will put down his pencil and looked up at Jonathan who was now sitting down on his bed with him. "what's up?"

"You know how yesterday El and Hopper told us all that she found out that she has a brother, and she's going to try and meet him this summer on your trip?"

"Yeah."

"Well now is probably a better time than ever to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"We have another brother."

"WHAT?" said will, jumping off of his bed. "I HAVE A BROTHER THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT AND YOU DID AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS NOW??"

"Will calm down."

"CALM DOWN!?"

"Listen, Will. When you were born, it was from a c-section while mom was asleep. She actually had twins, but our dad put your brother up for adoption."

"Why?"

"For the money I guess."

"No not that. Why didn't you tell me that I have a twin brother."

"Because Lonnie said that he would kill me and you and our mom if I ever said a word. I was four so I trusted him and didn't do anything. It haunts me to this day, and being honest I never planned on telling you until Lonnie died. He scared me so much, that that's why I think I turned out to be so quiet. "

They sat in silence for maybe two minutes while Will started crying. Jonathan pulled him into a hug.

"Do you know anything else about him? Like his name or if we're identical?"

"I was four, all I remember is that Lonnie said that the family adopting was Jewish."

"Does mom know?" asked Will, in-between tears.

"No."

✰

Lucas walked into the kitchen to have breakfast. "Hey, dad, where are mom and Erica?"

"Out grocery shopping," said his father, not looking away from his newspaper.

"Did I tell you that last night Jane found out that she has a brother she never knew about who lives in Maine."

An alarm went off in his dad's head, and he put down his paper coffee and his face went blank.

"Dad are you okay?" Lucas sat down at the kitchen table to face his dad.

"Well son, do you want to hear a funny story?"

"What?"

"There's actually a possibility thatyoumayhaveonetoo," he said, while coughing.

"What did you just say?"

"Umm, I never planned on telling you this story son because quite frankly it's not something I'm proud of."

"What is it?"

"Well, when I was dating your mother, the year before we got married and had you I spent a summer in Maine. One night, I had one too many drinks and slept with a woman I shouldn't have. She was married, and I was engaged, so it's something I regret deeply."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because the woman got pregnant that night. She told me that she was pregnant a month later and that she never wanted to see me again and she was going to pretend that the child was her husband's. So there is most likely a girl or boy a few months older than you who lives in Derry, Maine with the Hanlon family who is secretly my child."

"So I might have a sibling my age that I don't know about?"

"Yes."

"And you're just telling me this now?"

"Yes," his dad somehow had returned to reading his newspaper.

"This doesn't bother you?"

"It does because I love your mother very much and I regret it deeply."

"But you're never going to tell her?"

"Son, she would freak out and we would probably get a divorce."

"Are you going to tell Erica?"

"Eventually."

"Are you ever going to meet this kid?"

"I'm not planning on it."

Lucas couldn't stop thinking about how ignorant his father is, and how he would never look at his dad the same way before.

✰

"Mike, I have something to tell you," said Karen as she walked into his son's room.

"Did you hear? El has a brother and we're going to go meet him an-"

She cut him off. "Actually Michael, this is what that is about."

"Okay..." His mom sat down on his bed next to him. He knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Honey, you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, mom of course! What are you trying to tell me?"

"You know how when you were born, you had a twin who died during the birth."

"Yeah mom, I know. What, do I also have a secret brother or something?" He laughed to himself at his joke. He looked back at his mom. She wasn't laughing. She looked scared. "Mom?"

She started crying, and Mike pulled her into a hug. "What's going on?"

"I should have told you. I shouldn't have kept this a secret for 14 years."

"Mom just tell me." It took her a minute to gather herself.

"Well, you and your sisters don't look alike at all."

"Yeah, we don't"

"That's because you have a different father."

"WHAT!," yelled mike"

"I shouldn't have done it. I cheated on your father once back when Nancy was little. I gave birth to twins and the man whose your biological father got to keep your brother."

"Is this a joke? Of course I have a secret twin brother. And I'm just hearing about it when my girlfriend just heard the same thing?"

"Michael, I wouldn't lie about this!" She was starting to tear up, "Your dad has always been a lazy-"

"Oh, WHICH ONE!?," yelled Micheal as he got even angrier.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Your real father wanted custody of both of you, but we agreed on both keeping one of you. Ted has no idea, he slept through your birth for crying out loud. But I do know where your real dad is now. His name is Wentworth Tozier and he lives in Maine with his wife Maggie and your brother."

"Are we identical ?"

"Yeah."

"What's his name?"

"Richie." They sat there, while Mike started crying in his mother's arms. "I know baby, I should've told you earlier."