My Boyfriends Brother

Chapter 14 Mathew’s Madness

I wasn’t sure what was happening between them. They seemed too…comfortable with each other. They’d never hung out together before. Mike was always the third wheel. I hate to call it like it is, but it was true. Any time the three of us got together he always seemed to be standing on the sidelines. Even when Sierra would insist on her “family dinners” with just the three of us. She would always try to get him to join the conversation but he usually stayed pretty quiet, letting Sierra and I guide every conversation. My death must’ve really f****d them up if they’re getting this close. Sierra knows I’m still here, right? s**t, maybe she doesn’t because I disappeared again.  

I watched them with jealousy as they were eating breakfast. Careful to not let her see me. Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about anyone else seeing me considering I’m a ghost. I figured out my brother couldn’t see me as I was seated behind Sierra but in full view in front of Michael. He kept staring at her. If I didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt, I’d say he was staring at her the same way I used to; like he was in love. No, my brother would’ve told me if he felt that way about her. He’d never keep something like that from me. He knows how much I love her…then why does it seem like he is?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped at the touch because I couldn’t feel the living’s touch. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that it was Ezekiel. Returning my gaze back to Sierra and Michael.  

“What do you want, old man?” I hissed quietly. 

“My boy, why do you sound so filled with hatred?” he asked in a low voice, as he followed my gaze he noticed I was glaring at their table. “Ah, I see. Is this your love and?”

“My brother.” I spat. 

“Then why do you look at them this way?” Ezekiel asked. 

“You can’t see it?” I said as I pointed towards them. “They’ve been…flirting or something,” I huffed. 

“This is good,” the old man stated. I turned my head towards him with a shocked expression. He looked from Sierra and Michael’s table to my face and said, “This will help her to let you go and move on and in turn help you pass on as well.” 

“But that’s my brother!” I shouted in a whisper. The many years this old man has spent dead must have made him go insane. 

“My boy, wouldn’t you prefer your brother to be with your love instead of a stranger you know nothing of?” 

“No…no…I just…they can’t be together. It is wrong—on SO many levels,” I told Ezekiel and he gave me a sympathetic look. 

“Listen here my boy, you are no longer alive and capable of being a part of her life. You should wish her and your brother well. Give them your blessing,” he said while patting my back.

“You have to be joking,” I scoffed. “Give them my blessing? Yeah better chance in hell.”

“My boy, haven’t you realized this is your hell?” my eyes widened at that. 

“What are you saying? THIS is hell?”

He laughed and responded, “No my boy, this is not hell. However it will become your own personal hell if you do not move on. Doomed to repeat your death every night and watch her fall in love with another man. Would you not say that is hell?”

I couldn’t respond to him because just as he finished speaking, Sierra put her hands on Michael’s. I couldn’t help but feel the fury rise in my chest. I got up and started to walk towards them wanting to punch my brother square in his face. He shouldn’t get to touch her! I can’t touch her anymore but that doesn’t give him the right to do it now!

All of a sudden a waitress walked through me, stopping me in my tracks. Right. I’m a ghost. Can’t punch him even if I tried. He couldn’t even see me. I watched as the waitress handed the check to Michael and he looked at Sierra and smiled, pulling out his wallet. I felt Ezekiel’s hand on my shoulder again, trying to turn me around. 

“I think it’s time we leave, my boy,” he spoke sympathetically. 

Ezekiel and I were walking down the sidewalk as people continued to walk through us. I began to try to move out of the way and say “excuse me” but quickly realized it didn’t matter. Ezekiel acted as if they didn’t exist and kept walking. So I tried to do the same. 

“Are there other ghosts around here?” I asked Ezekiel. 

“Oh yes, my boy. There are many lost spirits in this world trapped, wondering around, looking for answers. There are deaths happening every day. You can’t expect there to be no other spirits around us.”

“Where are they?” I asked.

“Everywhere,” he stated.

“Can you be more specific? You’re the only ghost I’ve seen.”

He chuckled and said, “My boy you haven’t been looking then.” He continued walking as I stopped. 

I began to look around the streets. Across the street was a young boy, maybe 10, wearing a blue striped shirt and shorts. He had long white socks on and brown shoes. He was skipping through the people. Aimlessly humming to himself as if he were playing a game. No he was kicking a ball around, just then a small yellow ball came out from under his feet and rolled into the street. The boy ran after it and just as he ran into the street a car came out of nowhere and drove right into him. I ran over to the scene and just like that the car and the boy along with the yellow ball, were gone. Then I heard the humming again, this time farther down the sidewalk. It was the boy again, kicking around his ball. 

I reached up and grabbed the hair on my head. Panicking at what I just witnessed. Then I looked to my left and saw a woman, middle aged, wearing nothing but a hospital gown. She was following a girl who looked to be around my age and appeared to be the spitting image of the ghost following her. “A mother watching over her daughter…” I thought aloud.

I looked to my right and saw two homeless people, a man and a woman, sitting against a wall of a building. Everyone was just walking right through them. Literally—walking through them. They kept holding a cup out but no one saw them. Did they even know they were dead?

“You see them now, my boy?” a familiar voice said behind me.