Chapter 8 - Three

I was never fond of traveling, but on my way to St. Albans, I felt that good thing will happen, it's been 10 months since I last visited this city. Last Christmas was celebrated in my Grandma Wilma's house at Hampstead, London but I didn't get a chance to visit here.

I arrived at 7PM, I saw Ellie outside, playing or I think he's destroying his toys, Ellie is only 3 years old, he doesn't pretty aware of what's going on and I think he doesn't even know yet that I'm his brother. I'll do a hard stare at him, let's see if he will get scared if he notices me.

"Hey..." he recognized me but he forgot my name. I just continued to stare at him until he gets scared. Now he's scared and rushing to go inside leaving his toys. He came back crying with mom.

"Hey mom". I greet

"Junior, it's you!" she said while hugging me. "Thanks goodness you came, it's been a long time since you last visited here." she added.

"Mom, he scared me." Ellie said while wiping his tears.

"He's your brother, you don't have to be scared." mom said while carrying him. "Come Junior, Granny is inside waiting for you."

I saw Granny in the kitchen, she's the one who is preparing the food. So I rushed to hug her and help her at the same time.

"Billy! Come down, William is here!!" mom shouted at Billy's room upstairs.

"I'm glad you came Junior, I expected that you will not come" Granny said in a low voice.

"Mom said that you're expecting me, she lied?"

"Maybe." Granny just laughed.

"William!" Billy rushing towards me. "You came." he added.

"Where's Uncle Willie?" I asked.

"He was tasked to document the massacre at Scotland, he's away for 3 days" mom said while designing her own cake.

"William, can you come with me at my room for a bit? I have something to ask." Billy begged me to come to his room

I hesitated and didn't respond.

"Give him a chance.." said Granny Emma while holding my hands.

"Okay...what is it your going to show me?" I asked while following him to his room.

When we got inside his room, he immediately opened his laptop and showed me something, I thought he's gonna show me his crush or anything stupid, but actually not.

"I noticed this in past few days." he said while showing me a footage on their CCTV outside the house with a same man just observing their house wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses.

"What'd you think his doing?" he asked.

"I,.. I don't know.." I stumbled.

"I was gonna confront him, but I have a feeling that he's a bad guy."

"Did you told your Mom and Dad about this?"

"Not yet, but I don't think they're not gonna believe me."

"For how many days you think he's been wandering around here?"

"A week maybe, but he didn't harm nor bother us so far."

"He's up to something maybe."

"I guess, who do you think he works for?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

Mom called us that the feast is ready and we went down to the dining room.

"Try this salad Junior." ma'am reached a plate of salad on me.

"It's delicious, who made this?" I asked.

"Of course it's your Granny...You know I don't have talent in culinary." Mom laughed. "Anyway Junior, you can sleep here tonight." Mom added.

"No Mom, I already planned sleeping at Hampstead, it's been a while since I didn't slept there."

Before I left, mom took me to the near coffee shop, she knew I love coffee, she wanted to talk about something.

"Happy Birthday by the way Mom" I said in a little smile, I didn't get to say that to her in front of her sons.

"Thank you so much Junior, I'm really glad that you came all the way here from Cambridge." she said while holding my hands. "Junior, I know that I never get to witness of what you have been doing in your teenage life, I didn't know what your favorites, except coffees, it's obvious, you really inherited that from your father. The bottom line is, I just realized that after your dad passed you on Grandma Wilma, I'm also losing my motherhood on you, I was so selfish, I was too focus on hatred and pain, total confusion wrapped me".

"Mom, is it about Dad?" I asked.

"I think it's time that you should know about this..."

"About the truth of how you break up? I know it already Mom"

"What?" she was confused

"Dad already told me about that few weeks ago. Guess what, he never told you about how he met Princess Irina."

I told mom about why Dad suddenly married Princess Irina. She shedded tears and cries.

"I never said that we will end it all. I was so excited about our wedding, finally the only man that I love will be officially mine forever, I could forgive him about Lucius, we could have fix it, we promised to accept each other of what and who we are. And I loved him just as he is, but I was late. I looked for your Dad after I saw him with Lucius at the garage, so I went to your Grandma Wilma's house at London to see if he was there, but the only person inside was your Uncle Willie who is my friend at work, I just told him that me and his brother had a little misunderstanding."

I started to get emotional but I'm holding my tears.

"Weeks had gone pass, still have no contact on your Dad, I didn't go to work, I just cried and cried, whenever I look at your innocent face is like a piece of my heart is falling. Then a few weeks later, it was announced that your Dad is marrying the Prime Minister's daughter, it feels like the world is crushing me that I can't take it anymore, I left you at your Grandma Emma, said I was just having a little vacation, the truth is I already wrote a death letter and I put it on your purse. I wanted to commit a suicide, I know, it sounds stupid, commiting suicide because of a guy, I thought that way too before, but it's different when you finally experienced it. Thinking of how big your plans with the man you loved with your whole life. I went back on the house we used to live before at Haverhill, I was about to jump and hang myself there when your Uncle Willie arrives, he said he's been following me after me and his brother broke up. He stopped me and confessed that he has feelings on me and I gave him a chance to heal me. When I got back at your Grandma Emma's house, you're not there anymore, Mom said that your Dad took you and handed you at his parents, I always respect his choices, so I didn't go after you because I know you'll be in the better hands of your other grandparents." she said while crying.

"Mom.. you still love Dad?"

"I'm trying not to, he's now my brother-in-law right? You still remember the day of my wedding with your Uncle Willie?"

"Ah yeah, when I knocked down your giant cake. You were already pregnant with Billy that time right? That's why you're mad at me."

"Yes, I actually didn't get mad by that, it's because I never invited your Dad in my wedding but he still came with Princess Irina and their newborn baby who is Jim. It broke my heart, I was so uncomfortable that day, Willie noticed that said that I have to pull myself together."

"But you didn't, I saw you crying at the back alone. I was a child that time, I have no idea what's actually going on, I thought that you were crying because of the cake that I wasted."

I'm trying to make mom laugh because I can sense that she is in deep pain inside.

"I always imagined what life we could have been if your dad didn't run away that time." now she's crying hard.

It affected me so some tears dropped on my eyes too, I feel sorry for Mom so I hugged her.

"It's okay Mom, there's nothing we can do about it, the important thing now is we have to accept what we have today, like Uncle Willie said, you have to pull yourself together, you still have two sons to raise."

"Three..."she said while kissing my forehead.

I don't know why I cried but it sounds so touching and hurt at same time.

I said goodbye to her and went straight to London, but on my way outside the coffee shop, I saw a suspicious man outside who wears black leather jacket with sun glass and it's midnight, I looked at him but he keeps avoiding my eyes. Anyway, I must continue because it's exciting, I didn't told Grandma and Grandpa that I will come tonight, I'll surprise them. St. Albans and London is just a half hour drive by a taxi especially at late evening and Grandma's residence is at Hampstead so I arrived faster than I imagined. When I arrived outside, I noticed Dad's car at the garage, so I hesitated to knock the door, but Dad opened it before I was about to knock.

"Junior, you're here, what a surprise." dad said in his annoying accent. "Mom, Dad, look who's here...." he opened the door wider so that Grandma and Grandpa can see me, they are sitting in the couch watching television.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him

"I lived here before you were even born, so I'm the one should ask that, so, what are you doing here? And it's late."

"Okay I'm going". I said while turning back but he stopped me anyway.

"Come inside Junior, it's cold out there." Grandpa said while eating peanuts .

"Don't tease your son like that.." Grandma spanked Dad's hips while she is hugging me.

"How you guys are still awake this late?" I asked.

"Your Uncle Willie texted us to watch the documentary he wrote regarding the massacre at Scotland last week."

"When did Dad arrived here?" I asked Grandma while I'm still stuck at her hugs.

"Just this morning actually, me and Irina had a little fight." Good thing I'm on a leave, I can run away from stress." Dad interrupted while drinking coffee.

"You should talk with her about it William before it gets bigger." Grandpa advices dad.

"I know, I know, I'll go home tomorrow." dad replied. "So what brings you here Junior?" Dad asked again.

"It's Mom's birthday if you still remember, she invited me to her little dinner with her sons and Grandma Emma."

"Oh, I forgot, I should have gone to St. Albans since Willie is not around and greet her at least."

"Grandma, you should let go of me now, I'll make a coffee for me" I said to Grandma while trying to unstuck my neck on her arms and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

"Junior, why don't you tell your Grandma and Grandpa about your little girlfriend?" asked Dad while smiling implying that he's trying to corner or tease me.

How the heck did Dad know about it? Shit I remembered I told him about it before confessing to Eliza. Grandma was surprised and Grandpa laugh.

"Really?? Our Junior already have a little girlfriend? Good lord, when can we meet her? You should invite her here." Grandma said with excitement.

"Nah, she's a busy person." I said while stirring my coffee. "We even hardly date because of our schedules." I added.

"Oh really? You kids are too young to focus on your future, you should hang out more, someday you both will regret that you never get to enjoy your youth together." Dad said while drinking coffee.

"Your Dad is right Junior, live the moment, if possible, introduce her to us, bring her on my birthday next week." said Grandpa.

Yes, he has a point, I should bring Eliza at Grandpa's birthday next week.

"Okay, I'll try." I said while sitting in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa watching TV while dad is in the chair beside Grandma.

She held Dad and my head close to her both sides and embraced us.

"Mom, what are you doing?" dad asked while his head is stuck at Grandma's right arm and I'm also stuck at Grandma's left arm.

"Oh my two Williams." she said while rubbing our hairs.

When we are about to sleep, Dad already headed first to my room.

"You sleep on your Uncle Willie's room, this is my room before it was passed to you, when we are at this house, I'm in charge in this room you got that?." he said in his annoying accent again.

"You don't even like those posters" I pointed the posters of my favorite bands. "And that Doraemon pillow is mine, and you don't like cartoons."

I was completely annoyed that he turned my room into a mess, the pillows aren't organized anymore.

"Who cares? People don't get picky when it comes to needs, now shut the door, I'm tired and sleepy already" he said and turned around then looked at his phone.

"You're the worst" I said and closed the door.

I went to Uncle Willie's old room next to mine, he's room is just simple, no design, no colourful things inside, just a bed with a table. I found two boxes below the bed, I got curious and opened the first one. It was his old toys, I didn't know that Uncle Willie is good at keeping old things. I opened the other box, this time it's his old notebooks, but this is no ordinary notebooks, what is written inside is not lessons and school related but his original copies of the stories he wrote, there are some old photos on it, it was Dad and Uncle Willie at the amusement park, damn I feel like I saw myself in the old photos of Dad, Uncle Hugh is right, me and Dad are really look alike.

There was this another photo that caught my attention, it was an old photo of Mom and Uncle Willie, but I think they are in their student uniforms here, how cute, I didn't know that they were actually classmates at University of Cambridge before. Uncle Willie knew Mom first before Mom and Dad meet each other, this is an interesting topic if they talk about this. In the middle of fun viewing old photos, I can hear Dad talking someone on the phone, I can hear it because the wall that separates the two rooms are wooden and thin, so I slowly put my ear close so that I can hear clearly.

"Yes, let's go there tomorrow, I missed going to the British Museum, I last been there was 17 years ago" Dad said to someone who he talks at the phone.

"Then let's have lunch together, I will ask them I will report only half of the day." said the man on the phone, I'm guessing its Lucius because of the low but scary voice and very English accent.

"Sounds good, see you tomorrow, good night. Sweet dreams Fusspot" said Dad while giggling

"Sweet dreams too Ultra Fusspot" replied Lucius while laughing.

God their gross, aren't they too old for this? Fusspot huh? I'm planning to go with them, yes, that's it, I will ask Dad tomorrow to go with him, he will agree, I'm sure with it. I want to know about this Lucius and why Dad is so crazy about him.