The Brother

Chapter One

The date was December 15th, 2018.

 Jace was coming back home from the theatre with his father, Robert Cooper. It was 7 in the evening The sun had just set, and the surroundings were filled with a light blue colour because of the oncoming darkness. Streetlights started to turn on, one by one. He turned to look at his father, almost the same height as him, with blue eyes and slightly brown hair, the two qualities Jace felt fortunate to inherit.

“So, how’s college?”, Robert asked. It wasn’t everyday that he would ask his son about his academics. But the Common Entrance Test was just six months away and from what he’d learned from his son’s tutor, Geetha, there was a good chunk of students who have given up most of their hobbies just to spend more time studying for this test.

The walk to home was a long one, and he felt that a conversation with his son would make it feel much shorter. People were still at work ensuring that the streets weren’t crowded, at least by humans. The cows and the dogs roamed the streets just like they usually did.

 “It’s a life altering moment for Jace. He’s done well in his academics until now, but he can’t relax. If there’s anything he should be doing, it should be improving his speed by practising more and more questions. Your son is almost 18 now, he should know that his competitors have started studying since they were 13”, the voice of Geetha reverberated in his mind.

“Well, I can’t say that I’m fully confident about the exam. But, CET is in April. So, that gives me a good chunk of time to prepare for it.” replied Jace.”How’s work? You haven’t spoken about it in some time.”

There was a brown dog in the middle of the narrow road, howling loudly and snarling at other dogs which were on the sidewalk. Jace could see the vehicles moving in a hurry, narrowly missing the dogs while honking at it. He didn’t understand the point of honking at the street dogs. They never budged from their spot even if a truck appeared.

“Don’t tell this to your brother”, Robert said, a little uneasily,”I’m planing on quitting. I think I need to start doing something that I like. Now that Jonathan’s working as well, I think we have enough money till I get a new job.”

Wow. You did not think this through, did you? Jace wanted to say. But he chose not to. He was eight, when he moved to Mysore, with his parents and his brother. Although, he didn’t remember much about his life in New York, he clearly remembered his parents explaining to him and Jonathan about moving to India.

Jace was excited and found this as a perfect opportunity to get as far away from the bullies at school as possible. Jonathan didn’t protest. But he didn’t look too happy. His parents weren’t clear as to why they were moving to India and he didn’t feel like he needed to know why.

“... and guess what happened?” Robert said enthusiastically and after looking at the blank face of his son, he added, “You were lost in your imaginary world, weren’t you? You’ve got to stop doing that. It’s really annoying.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. Go ahead. What did you want me to guess about”? he said and looked at the bar up ahead. There were around 5 people standing in front of a narrow counter, all of them trying to be the next person to get the liquor.

And what happened next was in slow motion, at least to Jace. He heard a screech and quickly turned his head to the left, where the dog was. The dog narrowly missed the oncoming blue pickup truck, which seemed to have lost control and headed in their direction.

He felt like a deer staring at the light from the oncoming vehicle and was too shocked to move. He felt a sudden push to his left, sending him a few feet towards the middle of the road, but clear of the pickup truck. And then he heard a crash. Like a wall being hit with a hammer, only louder. He turned to his right and he saw his father, stuck between the car and the wall of a restaurant, his head resting on the bonnet as blood dripped from his mouth.

Jace jumped out of his bed breathing hard and sweating profusely. His vest was moist with his sweat despite the cool weather of August. He turned to look at the family photo, which he had placed neatly on his bedside table. It had been a little over eight months since his father had died, but every single night, he relived the day in his nightmares. His mother,Clarissa, by the recommendation of a psychiatrist was spending her time in the local mental health clinic. This happened a few weeks after Robert’s death.

For several months, it was just the two brothers, Jace and Jonathan, trying to manage their daily lives. Hoping that things would get better. But all those hopes were shattered, when Jonathan went missing three weeks ago.

A tear slid down the cheek of Jace as he looked at his brother’s smiling face next to his in the photo. They looked so similar, yet so different. The blue eyes, the brown hair were the similarities. But Jonathan’s cheeks looked more hollow and a light beard complimented his jaw line.

He remembered the day his brother went missing. It was three weeks ago, the last week of July. Jace had woken up because of a loud thunder and went to his brother’s room to ask him to prepare coffee while he brushed his teeth. The caffeine used to help him get through the cold of these rainy mornings.

But, instead of his brother, he found his laptop and a note on his brother’s bed. When did this guy start writing notes?, Jace thought and picked up the note.

Dear Jace,

If you’re reading this letter, then I’m far away from the house. I’ve travelled somewhere far where you can’t reach me. I have to set a few things right. I will not be coming back home. I am sorry for leaving you alone, but this is a journey that only I must travel in. I don’t want you to be a part of this. Don’t bother searching because no one will be able to find me.

Love,

Jon.

Jace’s face turned white and he read the note again and again hoping to find a clue as to where his brother was. Finally he reached the phone and dialed the police.

The police were unable to find any leads and there was no news from them. How times change, Jace thought as looked at the photo one more time before changing into a blue T-shirt complimented with a pair of white shorts. He headed to his brother’s room one more time with the hope of finding a clue that may have been overlooked.