One Plus One

🖤Ch.12 :Can't Move Forward If...

__The Next Day__

CHRESANTO

"You really had to paint that room this early in the morning ? It's like five," Santo asked his father as they started re-painting the walls in one of the three guest rooms.

"Your ass should have said no instead of coming here to complain."

"You would've cursed my ass out. Be thankful to have a very helpful son," he said, making his father smack his teeth at him. Before he could dive the brush in the Pantone's cool gray 10UP paint, he straightened up and stared at his father with squinted eyes.

Feeling heavy eyes on him, Mr. Harris stopped moving and then slowly turned towards his son. "What ? "

"What's going on ? Why do you want to re-decorate this room all of sudden ? Decoration has never been your thing." He raised his right brow in interrogation. "Did you meet someone ? "

"No, I met nobody. A woman won't make me do something that I don't want to do in the first place. I've been saying that we need some renovations in here for some years now."

"And I thought that you would call someone to take care of it, like you did when we first moved in this house. Why do you want to do this yourself now ? "

"Because I feel like it. I'm tired of spending money to hire people to do a job that I can do myself and for less money."

"Okay, whatever." Realizing that he wasn't going to have more details, he gave up on questioning him more. If he did actually meet someone, he would meet this person in due time. He just might have to come by more often to catch his father. Yes, he was nosey like that.

"Dad, what the hell are yo--" Chadwick entered the room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes since he just got woken up. He paused once he noticed his big brother, whom he hadn't spoken to for about two weeks now. Their last conversation didn't go too well since he informed him that Orlea and he were going to abort their baby, a decision that Chresanto still did not agree with.

"Listen, I don't know what you're arguing about, but you're gonna stop that shit right now. You're brothers, family and we stick together no matter what. We are all each other has. Y'all remember ? It's us three against the world. It actually hurts me to see y'all like this, do y'all want to see me hurt ? "

Chresanto rolled his eyes and busied himself with the task at hand. He didn't want to talk to his little brother, not wanting to say something he would regret for the rest of his life. He couldn't even look at him right now, that was how upset he was with the whole situation.

Yes, it was their baby and this decision mainly concerned them, but damn this baby was his family too. On the same day, he learned that he was going to be an uncle and also that this privilege was going to be taken away from him. He didn't want to make it about him, but he couldn't help feeling how he felt.

When things got better with Mr. Harris and Chadwick, things went left with the two brothers. Mr. Harris was tired of the unnecessary tension and wanted him and his sons to be all cool again. Lately, they hadn't been able to keep up with their little traditions and missed some Friday Game days when they would usually watch sports together and have a good-ole father and sons hangout.

Chadwick nodded at his father's words. "Santo, can we talk ? " He tried to get his brother's attention, but was only met with silence. "Please ? " he attempted a second time and was still ignored. He looked at his father with pleading eyes, asking him to step in.