Coma

With Christmas come all the blessings!

■Baldwin, Christmas eve.

My father came back to visit us to spend Christmas holiday here. My mother was pregnant at her 7th month, she couldn’t come with him because of her pregnancy, I was super excited to have a new sister, yet I was so concerned and worried for Marie, I kept in touch with her. I avoided Theo and Elliot, although he is coming to dinner, I wasn’t in the right mind, I just kept thinking of Marie, and Theodore. I cannot imagine the pressure he is living it, since I knew about their family from my father, in a surprising way. A day earlier, he asked me.

“Kate, where are you going my child?

-I am going to Marie’s, we have a…project to work on for high school.

-Who’s Marie? He asked curiously.

-Sean’s daughter, said grandma.

-Poor thing. Is he still an alcohol addict?

-Unfortunately, yes.

-And his kids live by themselves?

-No, Damian took care of them, until Theodore, the elder child reached his early 20s and started working, he had to work to bring money to his sister and his uncle as well, Damian was diagnosed with pneumonia.

-What about Pamela?

-She left them when they were younger than this, I guess 4 months after you and Hazel left to Norway.” Said grandma Amelie.

I took the chance and sat next to dad.

“Can you tell me more about them daddy?”

Meanwhile at Theo’s and Marie.

Marie’s POV.

I was in the kitchen having my breakfast, when a sleepy Theo came in. I couldn’t talk with him last night; I fell asleep early because of the power of my drug. I felt fire coming out of my lungs.

“Morning. He said, while searching for something to eat from the fridge.

-Morning to you too, brother. Can we talk?

-Sure, what’s up? He was totally chill. Cool.

-What are you doing?

-What do you mean, he said vaguely, with a bread toast in his mouth.

-I mean with Kate.” He removed the toast and sat to the island counter of the kitchen in front of me.

- “What about her?

-You never let anyone into your private atelier.

-So?

-Do you love her Theo?” I waited for him to reply. He seemed disturbed, yet sad.

“I don’t.

-You are lying. You do.

-No, I can’t stand her near me, how come love her.

-You love her but you cannot do anything because of Elliot, don’t you?”

He stared at me for a second, then he took his bread and went to his room upstairs, leaving me with an unreasonable question. I followed him upstairs.

“You don’t leave me like this Theodore, do you love her?”

He looked at me, and took a deep breath.

“What do you want Marie?

-I want to know why are you acting like this around Kate.

-I love her, here I said it. What are you going to do? Go tell her, she will think you’re insane. Yesterday, we fought, I was out of my mind and I hurt her. That’s what I always do.

-Why didn’t you act before she met Elliot?

-I discovered my feelings for her too late.

-How?

-I was burning every time I saw him lay a hand on her, why did you think when I told you, I wanted to kick my best friend’s ass because he kissed his girlfriend. The day at the thanksgiving dinner, I was trying to forget about it, with Sophie, I don’t love her.

-Do you think Kate was jealous?

-why would she be jealous, she has Elliot, he’s perfect.

-You’re better than him in every aspect.

-I am a big mess, Marie, you know that. I have anger issues and I can’t control myself anymore around both of them. I cannot betray my best friend.

-I am sorry to hear this. You deserve the whole world, for what you did to me, to uncle Damian, even to my abusive father, I love you in every detail of you Theo, you’re my hero big brother. I hope you can pass those feelings. Give me a hug”.

He has been through a lot since his childhood. Our dad was an alcoholic gambler, he used to be a manager of a construction company in the city. He became alcoholic when he lost his job after the company closed. He visited every bar, drank till he passed out and was thrown out of the bar in the early morning. I was a one-year-old back then, I don’t remember any single thing of this, but our uncle Damian told us the truth, when we became older.

My mom, Pamela, used to pick my father, she tried to start it over with him, but he loved alcohol more than he loved her. He always ended up by beating her, sometimes, passing his limits and r****g her. Until one day, she couldn’t handle it anymore and left the house, us, with a cruel, evil, monster of a father that was forced to leave us , because uncle Damian stopped him from seeing us. I was raised by him and Theodore, he worked hard for us, he occupied a position of a salesperson at day, and at night, he worked a night shift to bring an extra money to us. He had a wife, Laurie, Damian respected her, she was infertile, Theodore and I were her miracle. She treated us better than my biological mom did.

Why were Damian and Laurie were better than my original parents?

My parents were egoist, selfish, they loved themselves, they threw us to the world naked, no defense, to face everything helpless, just to live their own lives better than we do. I hated them, much. Theo never told me how he felt. But he sacrificed a lot, he started working after school, when uncle Damian fell sick. He took responsibilities bigger than his age. He was a hard worker, smart and a caring person. But for people?

He is this mysterious, proud boy, that he was mostly misjudged, only Elliot and Matteo got to know Theodore well. My brother was like a coconut, hard on the outside, yet so soft on the inside.

Ding dong, the bell, I went to get it. It was Elliot.

“What’s up, Marie!

-Hey Elli, nothing much, come in. Theo is upstairs. Come on in!

-Thank you, he said and passed across the room, then he stopped, hey Marie, I need your help with something, what can I get for Kate, you know, I don’t know what she likes.

-White flowers, souvenirs, something to always remember, she is addicted to necklaces, she loves accessories!

-Thank you dear, he said and went upstairs.

Elliot went upstairs, he didn’t find Theo in his room, he went to the atelier room.

Elliot’s POV.

I went into the atelier, it was messy as always, I looked for Theo in this large room, he was everywhere in his paintings. I was already in the room, but he didn’t notice me, he was busy throwing colors into a big painting, it seems like a girl’s features, unclear ones. He was wearing headphones, he was agitated. Colors were covering his tank top, his biceps.

I came closer, and stood next to the painting, he noticed and removed his headphones.

“Hey, Leonardo today is dominating you, who are you drawing?

- No one, its an abstract one, I just am feeling off, do you have any plans for today?

- Yes. I want to buy Kate a gift, since she invited me over for Christmas dinner with her family, tonight, her father is here too!

- Nice, uncle William is back in town, I should go and greet him.

- Theo, focus! You should help your best friend.

- Fine, let me take a shower and change into something better, I am meeting Sophie later. I guess Marie downstairs made some cheesecake earlier today, you love her desserts.”

I didn’t wait for him to continue his sentence, I ran downstairs, when I heard cheesecake.

“Marie, Theo told me you made some cheesecake.” I stopped, my cheesecake was here too, Kate was with Marie. Her chestnut colored hair was flowing naturally on her shoulders, they were laughing together, her smile? How can I not melt.

“Babe! You are here!” she came forward and kissed me on the cheek, I kissed her too.

"I... Theo and I are going out, but first I came to have some cheesecake that Marie made with love.” I didn’t want to tell her about the gift stuff.

"sure Elli, hold on.” Said Marie.

Marie went to the kitchen. Kate took the chance and approached me, she hugged me and started teasing me with her kissing me on the jawline, she once told me she loved the height difference between the two of us. I hugged her waist and played her game. We were flirting for few beautiful moments when Theo came downstairs, he cleared his throat. Kate pulled away immediately, I noticed her blushing. She is so cute, yet bold.

“let’s go, I have something urgent to do after our little go out, Sophie needs me.

- Morning to you too, said Kate.

- Hi, spoke Theo to Kate, then looked back at me, lets go. He said

- But the cheesecake! Screamed Marie.

- Later Marie, later. Said Theo who grabbed me by the shoulder and led me outside. I couldn’t have my piece of cheesecake.

“How mean you are, Theo, I couldn’t have my cheesecake.

- The dessert or the girl?

- Both you i***t.

- No problem, I will get you a cheesecake on our way, but for Kate, you’re seeing her anyway everyday, you can have your romance s**t tonight.” He mocked me.

After a small ride to the town, we went to the jewelry store. There, I saw so many options that I was lost to choose between two necklaces.

A 3 necklaces golden set, the first was a chain, the second had a pearl and the third had butterflies, and the second choice, was a simple necklace with a bracelet, it had few golden balls as a decoration, I loved it simplicity.

As for Theo, he chose a nice necklace with a cherry in the middle.

“This is for Marie, she has done so much to me, what do you think, Elli?

-Its beautiful, can you help me choose for Kate? I am lost between these two. What do you think?

-No, none of them, go with that one with a little moon in it, she is into astronomy, I guess.”

I looked at the beautiful necklace Theo chose, it was simple yet sophisticated, a golden necklace of a moon tangled into something like herbs ropes, on the ropes were some little pearls that shined like stars.

“I love it! Thanks bro! I will take this one!” I told the seller.

Theo got a sudden call, he had to leave me alone, I went to the café next the jewelry store, it has opened recently, and it seemed like a nice one, I ordered some coffee, and I opened my phone through the files of my university, hoping to get the date of me moving to continue and work in New York, when the waiter gave me a coffee, I looked around, hoping to see any one I know, and for my luck, at a further table, there was Pascal, Marie’s boyfriend, and he was with a girl, she was wearing a hoodie, and she put the cap of the hoodie on her head I couldn’t recognize her, she removed it and held Pascal’s hand, this isn’t Marie, Marie is at her house with Kate. Let me be more sure. I called Kate.

“hey babe, miss me already? She said

-Hi baby girl, are you still at Marie’s?

-Yes, is there anything wrong?

-No, I sighed, I just wanted to let you know, I am so excited to meet your parents tonight, bye love.

-I am excited too, bye, love you!”

This is not Marie… Pascal is cheating on Marie, come on, turn you unknown girl. I want to know who the hell you are.

I kept watching them carefully. Until the girl finally, turned her head.

“s**t! Is this… Sophie?!”