If I Ever Fall In Love Again

《chapter 8》

"Sometimes, I find it hard to concentrate
Because thoughts of us together fill my head
When you're away, it's hard to sleep at night
So, my pillow, like my thoughts of you, I hold tight..."- You're Always On My Mind- SWV

 "Uncle Eric?" Kalani silently says, looking up at Eric as he chops up some greens, getting dinner ready.

Eric looks up from what he's doing and glances at his nephew with a raised eyebrow. "Hm?"

"Is my dad ok?"

Eric stops chopping then, letting out a sigh. His mind wonders to the phone call he had earlier with Jaime and the rope incident. He felt his eyes tear up at the thought of his little brother going through literal hell for the past 2 months. He had to admit to himself that he wasn't exactly the best big brother, and he knew could've handled the situation better.

He never had the thought of Bruno taking his life, though. He looked past all the warning signs that Bruno threw, and jumped to conclusions. Yes, Bruno was pushing him away, but Eric wasn't making himself harder to push. He was letting it happen, just like that.

"Uncle Eric?" Kalani asked again, looking at Eric with a confused look. He wondered why his uncle was crying, but at the same time he was scared because something bad must've happened.

Kalani had to admit, he was a little bitter towards his father, especially since he had heard everything that had happened downstairs. But he overheard the part of the conversation that his uncle had with Jaime, and so he knew that his father was drunk and had no control over his actions or words, which is understandable. He was still bitter, but he understood why his father acted the way he did.

"Well.. to be honest, he's not doing too great." Eric answered quietly. He turned around to throw the chopped greens into the boiling pot. "But he'll be ok. Your aunt and I will see to that. Don't worry too much about him."

"Is he coming back?" Kalani asked.

"Well.. he will. Just not now." Eric turned around to face him again. "You just have to realize that he's not at his best right now. He loves you guys a lot, he's just going through a lot." Eric said, turning around to check the pot again.

"Oh," Was all that Kalani could reply with. He played with his fingers. "How long are we going to stay here for?"

Eric chuckled sadly. "So much questions," He shrugs, turning around to give his full attention to his nephew. "We're not sure yet. I think that's up with your Aunt Jaime."

The doorbell rang and Eric froze. Cindiah came downstairs, hand in hand with Kalea, who had her thumb in her mouth. 

"I got it, babe." Eric says, wiping his hands on his apron and walking towards the door. He opened it and saw his sister Jaime.

"Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you." Eric says with a small smile. He glances behind Jamie. "Where's Bruno?"

"He's in the car. And we kinda have to talk in private." Jaime said, stepping in and closing the door behind her.

"Ok, well you can go get Bruno-"

"No, I meant without him. You, Cindiah and I." She walks past her brother and into the kitchen, where she greets her sister-in-law.