Bonds of Duty

RAYMOND I stepped before the long oval mirror, peering at my reflection to loosen the tie around my neck. The material had hindered my breath that night, my engagement party. What was supposed to be the start of something great in life turned out to be the complete opposite. Frustration lurked at my nerves, that when I pulled the tie down, my shaking fingers couldn't hold them up, dropping it and leaving to fall to the ground. Giving the material a quick glance, I turned back to the mirror only to notice it wasn't my face peering back at me. It was Brad, my twin brother, standing there. Golden brown hair tousled roughly in a captivating way, bright green eyes just like mine almost hidden behind thick lashes. It was his deep laughter that rang out loudly, breaking the silence of the night. Instead of the blinding light from the sun that usually creeps in through my always open window, I opened my eyes to thick darkness. It was even hard to tell if my eyes were actually open. The dark night, however, did nothing to calm my raging nerves or breathing. It's been three years since I dreamed about Brad and that awful day. Has the stress from work inspired it? Meeting with clients and trying to convince investors, no matter how hard I tried to hide it, stressed me out of my mind. But why now? Why have the dream after so long? And why was Brad’s deep laughter still ringing in my head? No, not his laughter, my phone. I really need to change that ringtone to something lighter. Reaching towards the side drawer, I grabbed my phone. "Hello?" I asked, my voice echoing softly into the quiet darkness. "Mr. Strucker?" a male voice asked. "Yes?" I answered back, not quite sure if I was the right Strucker in need of, or if it was my father or even my brother. Putting the phone away from my ear for a second, I was shocked to see the time. Who would be calling me after midnight? Whoever it was couldn't wait till morning? "Who's this?" I asked with every ounce of disgust I could muster. "Detective Tom," the voice answered calmly. What now? Why was a detective calling me at this time? Rolling the covers away, I tried sitting up properly to clear the sleep off my eyes completely. "What can I do for you Detective?" "Maybe it would've been better to send someone over, but I felt it necessary to tell you myself". I felt my heart rate increase. It now hammered so hard. Had something happened to my mother? Was that why she didn't arrive yesterday as planned? No. If something had happened to her, I would be speaking to my father now, not some detective. "It's about your brother, sir," the man continued, his voice vibrating with regret. For some reason, my heart rate settled. "Is this about Brad?” I asked with no interest. This was the first time since that night that I had spoken to someone other than Sabastian about him. “What happened?" What now? Had he done something again? I hadn't heard from him in three years, which was when he showed up to my engagement party and disappeared with my fiancé. Had countless thoughts about him, mostly bad, but hadn't seen or heard from him. "Mr. Strucker, we have reasons to believe your brother is dead. I'm very sorry for your loss, sir”. What the hell did he just say? I know I had lost Brad three years ago, but not to death. And now slowly digesting the fact that I'd lost every other chance I had to ever meet with him, I knew I had really lost something. "Wait, Brad is dead?” I asked quickly, getting up from my bed, my brain going numb." How's that possible? It can't be him." "I thought so too-hoped so. But we waited until the DNA results were confirmed. I know it's devastating, and you're probably concerned about Cherry. But she's fine and in good hands." Cherry?" Who the hell was Cherry? And what has that got to do with me? "Cherry", detective Tom repeated, "your brother's daughter, your niece." It felt like the air had been sucked out of me and I could feel my heart rate starting to rise. A daughter. My niece. "You were named legal guardian of the child by your brother”. This was crazy. Brad left with my fiancé three years ago only to appear now to place me with the responsibility of taking care of a child I'd never met. "Legal guardian? What do you mean? What about the child's mother?" I wondered if my ex was Cherry's mother. She should have full rights over the child, not me. "Your brother was a single father". Detective Tom explained. "But Cherry's mother would have more rights to the child than I would". "We have no idea where or who she is Mr. Strucker", Detective Tom answered. " And as the stipulated guardian, you're expected to pick Cherry up from the station tomorrow. I'll send you the details of the location". The phone drops dead. What? I wasn't even given an opportunity to decide if I was in a better position to take care of a little child. Typical Brad, not having any form of communication with me for three years only to show up and saddle me with the responsibility of being a what? Father? Uncle? Returning my phone to the bedside drawer, I lay back on my bed staring at the pitch black ceiling. A wealth of emotion enveloped me. Grief and guilt and regret sipping in. I realized that the angry words spoken between Brad and me, the grudge I had harbored for years, no longer mattered. Nothing mattered, except the fact that he was gone and for good this time. I had made a promise to myself those years ago that I would never let him or anyone else hurt me again, but right now that promise has been broken alongside my heart as I felt hot bitter tears roll down my eyes. I had lost my brother for the second time. TINA I stared blankly at the phone the detective had just put down. Clutching little Cherry closer to my side, I felt my heart break for the little child. Losing the only parent she had ever known came as a shock to her, and now she was going to be with someone she had never seen before. Her uncle. Stroking her little golden hair, I wondered if it was the right thing to do. Haul the little child away with a stranger. Looking down at the moonlit face of Cherry sleeping peacefully by my side, I felt in my heart that Cherry would be better and safer with me, being her nanny, since she was only just five months old, but I had no legal right over the baby, not by birth or whatsoever, but I felt the need to be by her side, and I was going with her wherever she went. Reaching across towards our luggage, I grabbed her small soft blanket and wrapped it tightly around her tiny body. I stared down at the young innocent face. Would Cherry even remember who her father was? What about me? Would she remember me if eventually I left? The thought of leaving suddenly disturbed me. I have heard stories about Mr. Raymond Strucker. Billionaire business-man. Rigid to the core, not very many people knew a lot about him. Aside from being very wealthy, he kept his private life, well, private. Did he have what it takes to care for Cherry? Would he even want to keep the child? Would Cherry be well cared for if I leave? And worse, was Mr. Raymond Strucker anything like his brother? ********** Driving down the road towards the station, Ray felt odd. The thought of taking the responsibility of a father tugged at his stomach, causing a cold shiver to run down his spine. He hadn't been able to sleep after the detective's call. He had called his mom and talked to her about Brad's death. Though she had sounded okay, he knew she was broken inside. They all were. What was he going to do with a two-year-old child? He had no experience of being an uncle, let alone a father. ********* Tina had cleaned and dressed Cherry up. Bundling her up inside a coat, woolen scarf and mittens, and on her head was an absurdly large hat that made Cherry look more like a bundle of abandoned laundry than a living child. She had hoped that Cherry's uncle would be in need of help for the child and decided to take her chances and stay behind until he arrived, coupled with the fact that there was no way she was going to leave Cherry alone with just the officers. ********* Driving into the station's littered parking lot, Ray felt his whole body quiver. It was funny how he was so bold standing before great business-men and women to speak, but the idea of meeting his little niece terrified him. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, the leather squishing beneath his palm. What was he going to say to her? Did she know about her father? Or worse, would she be able to tell them apart? The disgusting smell of sweat mixed with urine hit him as he stepped out of his car. "Oh God' he hissed. Sucking in as much air as he could, he muttered a little prayer as he made his way into the building. A worn-out poster with what seemed like an almost fading image of a map hung behind the reception. A young officer, probably in her late twenties, sat behind the desk, a grim expression on her face. "Good morning" he greeted, forcing up a smile. She looks up at him, her expression stern and conveying a sense of displeasure. "Good morning sir, how can I help you?" "I'm here to meet with Detective Tom" "Do you have an appointment?". The lady replied, her impatience beginning to grow. He wasn't sure he did. Coming to pick up a little child he didn't know existed until last night. Could that be classified as an appointment? "Uhm... no, not really", he stammered. This was really not like him to stammer. What was going on? "Name please". The officer asked, looking down to shuffle through God knows what. "Raymond. Raymond Strucker". He said. Something must have sparked in the officer's brain as she shot her head up, eyes wide from recognition. Of course, she’d recognize him. After all, he owned one of the biggest software companies in the country. If you didn’t recognize his face, you definitely wouldn’t miss the name. "I am so sorry, Mr. Strucker, Detective Tom's office, is right that way. He has been expecting you all morning". She said, pointing towards the detective's office. Nodding curtly at her, Ray made his way towards the office.