LET’S PLAY CUPID

CHAPTER 3

Their last conversations played over again in his head
“You know brother, I think father loves you but he doesn’t
know how to tell you because he had been pretty fxxked up
to you all this years and right now his heart has been built
to not give in.”
“well..who cares”
“I do Adams I do, I pray every day that one day I would
come home and see you both laughing and hugging each
other and that mother would be healthy and strong again
and we would be that happy family I know you want. I think
something is wrong with dad..now that I am a certified
resident doctor, I would fix him’’ Damien laughs taking a
gulp of his 6th bottle for the night
“Yeah, while you are at it, fix his brains too, he needs a
reset, like a computer booth” Adams laughs keeping his
eyes on the road “ you know, you have had enough to drink
D, I don’t want him to say I took you to get you drunk”
“hey..no. its my happy day I can do what the hell I want…I
am so happy’’ he screams, Adam laughs
“besides you took more than 5 bottles, and you snorted that
coke “
“because you forced me, making me feel guilty for not
indulging you and your friends, crazy by the way’’
Damien snorted “Lydia had a fine ass, whoof! she was
grinding into me all night.. I swear I wanted to finish the
party back at home but I was so high we did it in the
bathroom” he said laughing, Adam shakes his head
‘’I hope you used protection?”
“ I may be high but not stupid besides, when last did you
have some?’’
“Too long. But I don’t concern myself with girls. I have
more important things to think of like, what to do with my
life aside writing”
Damien drowns his drink, lighting a cigarette, he inhales
“You are going to be a renowned novelist and get a writers
grant and be the netk J.k Rowlings or some bad ass
author, and then you are going to be sought all over the
world making movies and maybe own your own writing firm
and movie studio and when you come home you are going
to have this hot banging wife you would sink yourself into
and live happily ever after. Just don’t wait to fall in love
though, I hate seeing you alone..” Damien sniffs
“I am not alone, I have you and mother, “
“Always and forever?” Damien turns to him
“Always and forever” Adams ruffles his brothers hair
“ And I know even if you don’t admit it to me…you love
pa.,,and because I know one day all this is going to be
history I am going to make sure even if I grow old and grey,
I’ll make sure you both feel that love a father and son
ought to feel, I would make sure of that. Believe that
brother”
“oh don’t dream. There is nothing between me and that
man”
“well we shall see about that I would remind you of this
day when you both are hugging and crying and holding each
other and asking for forgiveness’’ I would remind you.’ ‘
Adams shook his head, “Yeah, thats like till hell freezes
over or I see an angel with white glorious wings”
“hmm till then. In the main time I am so fxxking high I
swear I can fly…wait..I can fly!!” he opens the roof of the
car, stands on the chair, spreading his hands wide and
throwing his head back he screams “I believe I can
flyyyyyy!!!” he keeps bellowing going off key with R-kelly’s
hit song, Adams is laughing and shaking his head, the car
climbs over a stone he didn’t see and that caused Damien
to stagger a bit..he wasn’t holding on to anything, and they
were nearing the bend and so he reaches out for his
brother, tugging at his jeans
“Hey D..STOP IT!! Get inside..Damien get in and sit..C’mon
mehn”
“No!! I am flying baby whooohooo!!’’ he screams. Adam
was trying to focus on the dark road and trying to pull his
brother in, he leaned in towards him with one hand while
the other one was on the steer wheel
‘’hey D..Stop it get in.. Damien don’t be a dick get in”
“ I love you Adams, I love you mother..I love you OLD BAT
GERALDDDDD!! AND I LOVE MY LIFE I AM A FXXKING
RESIDENT DOCTOR..WHHOOOOHOOO!!!’’ he screams closing
his eyes and leaning all the way back..
“DAMN IT DAMIEN GET INTO TH-” and so he looks away
from the road just briefly to drag his brother to sit. He
shouldn’t have, a truck swerved in from the bend without
horning, and it was dark and the streets lights were dim…
He turned back too late, he tried to hold the brakes too late,
it hits them from the left pushing them off the road and
over the cliff.
He literally saw Damien flying off the car and he reached
out to catch him but he was too far, his seat belt was
holding him down. The car plunged downwards rolling and
hitting rocks a couple of times. He remembered emptying
his insides as the car kept rolling and he became dizzy, his
head hitting the chair before he finally passed out calling
‘’DAMIEN!!’’
When he opened his eyes, bolts of pain shorts through his
ribs and arms, his head was bleeding and the car bag was
suffocating him. He could hear voices overhead and see the
dancing lights of the siren from the mirror of the car.. but
he couldn’t hear his brother’s voice..
Then he knew why.. Damien was a few feet from where the
car landed, his skull was broken with his brains all
spluttered all over the rock he landed on.. his eyes where
closed and he had the smile he had on his face just before
they began to fall.
They said he screamed like a mad man when they came
down for him, they said he wouldn’t let go of his brother
when he got to him, they said he cried for days unending
not leaving his graveside, they said he tried to take his life
that’s why he was restrained for weeks.
What ever they said didn’t prepare him for the torment he
felt day and night seeing his brother with a broken skull
and a smile on his face. He wondered if he knew, He
wondered if he suffered or died as soon as he hit hard
rock, he would have felt better to know if he didn’t suffer.
Nothing prepared him for the guilt and the anger he felt
and the agony he was going through, for because of him his
brother who had a promising future died.
Gerald had become a mad man on hearing the news, he
had carried a gun to end his life, but the police had
restrained him telling him it was an accident. But he
wouldn’t have blamed him, not even when he had
called him a “Murderer!!!! Murderer!! You killed him
because you knew he was the only important person in my
life, my boy my boy you killed him” Gerald had broken down
and cried over his son’s body.,and when he had looked
back up all the hatred and anger he felt towards him
intensified. Adam could literally see it take form
“I am sorry I am sorry I didn’t see the truck I didn’t..i
didn’t” Adam fell to his knees and cried.
Gerald couldn’t arrest him because he couldn’t prove it in
court that he had killed his brother, oh he tried, but the
truck driver came forward, he had bad brakes and his tyres
had punctured due to the spikes he ran over. He served a
couple of months in prison for negligence and then he was
freed.
It was an accident.
Gerald never forgive him and he never forgive himself. He
never could bear the hurt in his mother’s eyes when she
screamed into his shoulders and cried for her boy. And then
she gets a stroke, which paralyzed her .
His father wanted him out. Ordered him out but he couldn’t
leave his mother, she was alone. His father drank more,
cursed more, going back to the way he was and worse
before Damien arrived. His mother’s grief was silent but yet
loud. He couldn’t take her away because his father
wouldn’t let him, and he couldn’t leave her alone even
though his father wanted to kill him .
So he fought him.
Their hate for each other was unparalleled, Gerald took one
look at him and went into a fit of rage and a slew of curses
flew from his tongue. He only tolerated him because his
sick wife, his mother didn’t want anyone else to take care
of her and wanted her only son to be by her side.
Adam stayed just because of his mother, he knew if there
was any chance of him and his father ever having a cordial
relationship, it went away the day Damien died.
Its being 5 years but the scar was an open wound that
refused to heal, constantly widening like an open sea
drowning him in.
Going ahead to become a self acclaimed novelist and
written a book or two, his sadness made him a lonely man,
even his books and writing didn’t give him peace and
whenever he shuts his eyes he saw Damien smiling at him
and screaming “ I am flying brother”
“I wish, I had flown with you or better still I wish you were
here and I would gladly have taken your place” Adam stood
at his grave, placing a flower there he sighed “I miss you
brother so much, mother too. Even the old bat does too. I
am so sorry”’ he cried.
Its being five long years and nothing had changed. Nothing .
His father still hated him worse than he had ever done, and
he shared the same sentiments, he wanted to go far away..
but he couldn’t. His mother was the only family he had left
and she was sick and needed care.
The doctors had told them to take her to the elder-lies
home but she had refused, he too didn’t want her to go
away from him. Gerald spent less and less time at home
and wouldn’t have cared either way but he didn’t push
when she said she didn’t want to go to any hospital or any
old people’s home and if she had to die she would die in
her house.
The only other solution was to get a stay-in nurse to look
after her. In the space of 6 months 12 nurses had come
and left in a few days or weeks.
Either they couldn’t cope with the demands of his mother
or they couldn’t stand the heat of him and his father’s
quarrels which could literally burn anyone that tried to
come between them. He didn’t blame them.. he too
sometimes had to go away for days to cool off, hoping by
the time he was back his father had gone for one of his
many trips.
He was sure the hospital were tired of sending them new
nurses every now and then.
The money his father was paying to them was fat, but
sometimes peace of mind and a sane environment was
better than a few thousands in one’s pocket. No wonder
they all left the minute Gerald or him transferred their
aggression on them.
And he hoped that the nurses too would take a hint and
stay out of their business and face their job, he wanted
someone to take care of his mother not play advocate for
him and his father. he knew his mother tried to make them
do it, tried to make them get him and his father to come
talk to her together but it always ends up backfiring or
getting any of the nurses .
Adam sighed as he stared at his brother’s grave “I wish you
were here brother.. I didn’t get to tell you I love you that
day, I hope you know I do”
The only light in his little darkness was his mother and he
was not going to let it go out, if it did he would die..literally
a thousand more deaths than the one he did when Damien
did.
Marybeth drops down from the cab that took her to her new
residence of work. She whistled seeing the huge mansion
facing her.. “Damn!! I guess this people must be totally
loaded” she says to herself
It took a while before securities let her in after going
through credentials and needed info
“crap I am just a nurse and you are searching me and
asking me so many questions as though I am a sister to Bin
Laden” she snaps
“sorry ma”am, just needed precaution” the security tells her
“well I would understand if whoever owns this place was a
mayor or something. I mean come on that’s my lipstick and
don’t touch my panties” she slaps his hands away from
touching her underwear as she grabs her red lipstick from
him “really?” she looks at him
“sorry ma’am, go right ahead”
“thank you”!! she replies walking in
“I hope she doesn’t run away like the others, that house is
a war zone when the boss and his son are around. Hate to
be in her shoes..” she overhears him talking to his buddy.
She didn’t stand to listen to his reply.
The butler ushers her in and shows her into her room, then
he takes her to go see the lady of the house, as she
realized she is called
“So, who is the boss of this sweet place?” she tries to make
small talk with the butler who didn’t look as though he
knew how to smile, he was cold just like the house. Despite
how beautiful it was, it still lacked that warmth of a home.
“MR Pope is the master of the house ma’am and he has a
son, Mr Adams, it would be best you stay clear from both of
them if you want to work here. That advice is free.” he says
“Really?” she scoffs “why is that..are they like the zombies,
pray tell ?”
“Your humor is not welcomed here ma’am’’ he frowns,
knocking twice before opening a door, to reveal a woman,
who looked small and frail on the bed, staring into nothing
but dancing candles on the wall
“Miss Stowe, this is Mrs Thelma Pope, the lady of the
house and she is the one to which you are to render your
services to as an in-nurse. All you need to know about her
health I believe you would have been briefed at the hospital
and if you require any information please go through her
charts by her foot head. Anything else, please do let me
know. I must warn you…patience is a necessity but she is
quite a lovely woman when she is herself” and with that he
leaves
Marybeth walks to her, she didn’t move nor acknowledge
as though she realized someone had walked into the room,
she sits down beside her and carefully takes her hands and
holds it
“Hello Thelma, is it okay if I call you Thelma? My name is
Marybeth Stowe, your new nurse, but you can call me
Marybeth?” she said, rubbing her palm
Slowly thelma’s eyes shifts away from the wall and focuses
on her
“Yes ..that’s it. Hello ?”” Marybeth says
“Who are you?”
“ I am here to take care of you Mrs Pope, is that okay?”
“ It doesn’t matter.. you would soon leave just like the
others. You know, he doesn’t come to visit me or check on
me.. and the other one, his eyes are so sad ..so, so sad
when he reads to me”
“ Who is he Thelma “?
“Gerald.. he is away again isn’t he? And Adam..Adam is so
quiet so sad.. Damien, oh my sweet boy..” she said
The boss and the Son ok, but who was Damien? the butler
didn’t mention any Damien. Was this woman crazy?
Marybeth wondered, they told her she was coming to help a
woman who had stroke and had been bed ridden for years,
they didn’t tell her she was coming to play shrink to a
woman who has gone COO-COO!!’
Then she heard their voices, bitter and angry and glass
shattering.
“what the hell?” she mutters
“Again..they are at it again.” the woman sobs “make them
stop please, Damien doesn’t like them fighting”
What the hell did she just walk into?
“I am sorry, if your family are having issues I best stay out
of it. That’s not why I am here’’
“please..” she sobs
Sighing Marybeth stepped out . She shouldn’t have. She
shouldn’t have listened
“Who the hell are you?” The younger man thunders her way
when she came into view,
She looks up to see the coldest pairs of eyes she had ever
seen
“Stowe, Marybeth stowe. The Nurse’’
“Get out from my sight, even your presence makes me feel
sick” it was the older man who spoke.
RUDE!!
Her mother used to say her stubbornness and sharp mouth
would put her in trouble one day, she just never knew
when.
“I would appreciate it if you don’t talk to me that way Mr”
she says
“And please you both should keep your voices down
because Mrs Thelma needs peace not two grown men
bailing at each other’’
And with that she turned and left the men staring at her
shocked.
To
BE
CONTINUED.