Reminisce

"Dad, Dad, look what I found" Pandora ran towards her father with a sea shell in her hand. Danny Keaton sat on his yoga mat on the beach while watching his husband, Oliver James, and their daughters, Pandora Keaton James and Alison Keaton James, have fun at the beach.

~~~

"You're not my son; I don't ever want to see you again" These words kept popping up in Danny's mind anytime he had a lone moment. These were the words of Mr Robin Keaton, his father, upon the discovery that Danny had an unconventional relationship with a man and did not heed the admonition of his parents to end the relationship with his then-lover Bryan.

" I am sorry, Mother, but this is my life; this is my reality; I couldn't come clean because I feared you all would judge me because I am different." His mother, Lizzy Keaton, was already worn out from sobbing. She loved her son regardless of the circumstances, but she wasn't ready to accept his choice of affection. " why? Why? Why?" She asked Danny, hoping that this was a bad dream and she would soon awaken from her slumber. But it wasn't; Danny was right there before her, telling her how it started, how this is the kind of love he desires, asking her for her blessings. " I am your son, don't see me differently because of my decision"

" I see you differently, my son", she responded. " but he's a person; he deserves to be loved, and I deserve to have a choice." Lizzy couldn't bear the thought of her only child being caught in such an entanglement. How did this happen, when did this start? Why didn't I see it coming? How can he say he was born this way?

"I don't want to ever set my eyes on you again", bellowed Robin Keaton, who couldn't bear the sight of his son any longer.

Robin always looked forward to passing on the family wealth to his only child and son Danny, who would, in turn, pass it on to his children as this has been the family custom. With the twist of the event, it seemed the circle ended with him; how was his gay son going to bring forth children? This he wondered. "Father," Danny said with tears in his eyes, " shhh, I have heard enough, I don't wish to hear any more of it, please leave this household hold" Although, Danny was the son of a billionaire, he wondered how he would survive without the family he has known all his life, Danny wasn't impecunious since he was being placed on stipend while he worked in the Keaton's company and also had access to the family's Safe. This wasn't the life he envisaged, he intended to conceal his other life from his family, from his wife.

Mira sat there the whole time silently. The atmosphere of the moment was intense and pervasive.

Danny's phone rang, and he hesitated to pick it up; however, on second thought, he answered. "Hello", it was Bryan's older sister, Michelle; Danny could recognize her voice. "Hello," she said again. " Bryan is —I don't know, no, it's not true, it can't be" Her words were incoherent, and Danny couldn't make sense of the phrases she uttered amidst tears. " what is it?" He finally found his voice to ask, "What did Bryan do?" He asked. Everyone in the room looked at him in confusion, trying to make sense of the conversation he was having with the caller. "Dead!" He screamed, " No! It can't be" "Yes he is " Michelle responded while sobbing. " they killed my brother, they have taken him away from me and it's because of you"

He clutched his phone tightly. The words crushed Danny's soul. His body went cold, every muscle locking in place as if bracing for impact. Bryan was dead.

Danny's legs gave out, and he sank to the floor of the living room his back pressed against the wall as his mind struggled to process the news that was conveyed to him. He could feel the tears welling up, but they refused to fall, trapped somewhere deep within him, engulfed in disbelief and shock. He had just seen Bryan yesterday, laughing and full of life, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief as they talked about their plans for the weekend. How could he be gone?

The world didn't make sense anymore. Everything felt wrong, out of place, like a puzzle that had been scrambled up and forced together in a way that didn't fit. Danny's thoughts raced, surfing through memories with Bryan and the horrifying reality of the present. It was as if his mind couldn't decide where to focus, caught between clinging to the past and trying to comprehend the impossible present.

A cold numbness began to creep over him, dulling the edges of his grief. He stared blankly at the wall, trying to remember to breathe. Minutes passed, or maybe hours; time had lost all meaning. All that existed was the loud and deafening silence and the weight of the words on his phone.

Finally, his wife moved to his side, enveloping him in her warm embrace. His mother stood there staring, trying so hard to comprehend the whole scene while his father walked out of the living room."What happened?" Mira whispered, her voice trembling despite her efforts to keep it steady. There was a pause, and in that pause, Mira could hear Danny's shaky breath, the struggle to keep it together. "I don't know, who could have done this?" he muttered

Danny squeezed his eyes shut, a fresh wave of grief crashing over him. He could picture it too vividly—Bryan's apartment, the one they'd spent countless nights in together, filled with the remnants of their shared life. The thought of Bryan lying there, cold and lifeless, was too much to bear.

Danny swallowed hard, his stomach churning. The thought that someone could have done this to Bryan, that someone had taken him away so brutally, was like a knife twisting in his chest. He has never felt this pang of pain. He was losing himself and his family, and now he had lost Bryan. Everything was happening so fast in the twinkle of an eye. Anger flickered through his bloodstream. It was a cold winter night but he was sweating profusely and shivering at the same time.

"I can't believe this," Danny whispered, more to himself than to his onlookers— Mira and Lizzy. "I just saw him. How can he be —gone?"

"I know." Mira struggled to hold back the tears swirling in her eyes as she watched the man whom she loved grieve his lover's death. "I don't understand anything; everything seems unreal ", she whispered.

But it was real. As much as Mira wished she could wake up from this nightmare, it was indeed her reality, this wasn't the life she dreamed of.

"Do you need anything?" Lizzy asked, her voice thick with concern. "I'm here for you no matter what "

Danny shook his head, "I don't know what I need," he admitted, his voice tender and broken. "I just… I don't know how to do this."

The thought of his life without Bryan was like living in a dark abyss,

"I need to go," Danny said suddenly, "I just… I need to get out of here."

"To where ?" Mira asked her husband as her lips trembled and her heart constricted. She was overwhelmed by so many emotions: anger, betrayal, jealousy, and love.

Danny mumbled an inaudible response.

Danny had no destination in mind, no plan. He just needed to run, to get away from the suffocating silence that was crushing him from all sides. The door slammed behind him as he stepped out into the night, the cool air hitting his face like a slap. For a moment, it felt like he could breathe again.