Half-Brothers

The bar stank of beer and body odor. Peanuts littered the floor and football constantly played on the television above the bar. Thomas’s nose scrunched up at the look of the place. Why Sully had chosen this as a meeting place he did not know. Thomas located his half brother sitting in a bar stool surrounded by many men of his caliber. They, most likely, were all truck drivers like his lower middle class relation. Some had close-cut five o’clock shadow, others had full grown beards, and all of them wore old torn jackets that should have been replaced years ago.1

“Tommy!” Sully exclaimed, it was clear to Thomas his half brother had been drinking.2

“Sully,” Thomas responded, “I got your telephone message. Are you alright? The message seemed urgent.”3

“Yes, it was urgent Tommy.” Sully hiccupped. “Talking to all my good buddies here, I got thinking. We don’t spend enough time together.”4

“I see you on holidays and every first Saturday of the month.” Thomas replied. Though Sully was blood related the two never really acted like brothers. Thomas had taken after his father, and Sully had taken after his paternal influence. At holidays with their mother the day either ended in an argument, a physical fight, or their mother sending them out of the house. Sully was almost never sober, and usually got very aggravated he was “under the table”. 5

“Yes, yes I know! But we need to spend more quality time together!” Sully motioned to one gray haired man beside him, “Johnny goes to his nephew’s football games with his brother,” and pointing to another gruff looking fellow, “Michel plays poker with his step brother and close friends.” Sully got up and wrapped one grubby hand across Thomas’s shoulders, “Us, we need to take a road trip.”6

“A what?” Thomas’s hands had tightened around his brief case; this was very unusual of Sully.7

“A road trip, you know across the state, or two states, or the country! We can take my truck, the company won’t mind!” Sully lost his balance momentarily while flinging his arms around so rapidly. 8

“I can see you’re excited about this Sully but, I have so much work to get done, and with Christmas coming soon I have to think about my children and-”9

“Christmas is three weeks away,” Sully cut of Thomas’s excuse speech. “You have plenty of time, and I know you must have plenty of vacation time at your job. Can’t you just take a week off to spend some brotherly time with, coincidentally, your brother?”10

“It’s snowing outside,” Thomas rebutted, “You can’t just expect me to put all my work aside, and go out driving in this horrible weather.” Sully’s face had begun to take on that faint redness as the anger built in him.11

“I already said we’d take my truck.”12

“It’s impossible for me on this sort of notice.” Even though it would be impossible for him to go on any notice because Thomas refused to spend a week in Sully’s rusted 18 wheel trailer. However, Thomas never thought he’d be thankful for a bunch of drunken middle aged men. They could sense Sully getting angry, and though their speech was slightly slurred they were able to calm Sully down from his slowly boiling anger. 13

Thomas had started to calm down, his shoulders relaxed, his hands stopped sweating, and his fingers loosened on the handle of his brief case; but then his ears heard a word he knew all too well from his profession, compromise. He did not know what to do or what to say. All of a sudden he was being bombarded with questions about when he could go, where did he want to go, and encouraging words not to worry they can make it work. Thomas was frozen like Ralphie in the Christmas Story when confronted by Santa Claus. (A football? What’s a football?) Before he knew it he was nodding his head to go on a road trip across Arizona once spring came along. Then just like little Ralphie in a Christmas Story he regained his voice when it was already too late. 14

“Wait!” Thomas blurted, “I’ll go,” he paused not believing what he was saying, “but I have to drive. We’ll take my car.” His motion was passed by thunderous applause.15

April came around much quicker than anything; much like most things dreaded appear too soon. Thomas was still wracking his brain trying to figure out why he agreed to this ridiculous road trip. He could have simply not taken the vacation time and told Sully he forgot to ask for the time off. He could have just walked out of that bar months ago, and forgot the whole thing. Yet for some reason he felt compelled to do this for his younger half-brother. 16

The sky was gray, filled with clouds, and a distant thunder was heard. Thomas turned up the volume on the radio listening to an interesting NPR section by Tom Ashbrook. The tragedies around the world made Thomas feel better about his life. Of course none of his problems could even compare to those in Georgia or Kuwait but he could forget about his upcoming adventure for a little while.17

Sully’s house was small, old, and the paint was chipping. Thomas almost drove away because he did not see any lights on through the windows and he thought maybe Sully had forgotten and was sleeping off a bad hangover.18

Thomas practically hit his head on the roof he jumped out of his leather seat so high. Sully’s hand had come out of nowhere, hitting the glass of the passenger window. Sully opened the door and fell in. One hand was in his coat pocket and the other and tucked under his jacket. Sully was never really one to be trusted when he was drunk and his red face and unbalanced appearance made Thomas nervous. However, what worried him most was the hand in Sully’s jacket and the way he appeared as if from the air. 19

“Why weren’t you in the house?” Thomas asked.20

“I was getting some beers for the road.” His hidden hand removed a six pack of beer from beneath his jacket and he plopped them on the floor between his legs. Thomas still looked confused and Sully pointed behind them. Turning in his seat Thomas saw an old shed just as run down as the house.21

“Got an extra fridge in there.” Sully confirmed.22

“You didn’t bring any change of clothes?” Thomas asked a bit shocked because the clothes Sully wore could be cleaned already.23

“Plahhh!” Sully said. “We’re only gone for a week. I don’t do laundry every day you know!” Thomas put the car in drive and took off down the road. Lightning struck the ground miles ahead of them and, as if it had parted the heavens, it began to rain.24

Thomas was disgusted at the fact that they had been driving for ten minutes and Sully had already chugged two beers from his stash. What made Thomas more upset was that Sully discarded the empty cans, not by putting them back in the cardboard box they came from, by tossing them into the back seat. 25

“Maybe you should save some of those for later.” Thomas suggested trying to keep his car as clean as possible as well as keeping his half-brother from vomiting all over his dashboard. 26

“Nah,” Sully hiccupped. “We can just buy more on the road.”27

“You know that isn’t healthy for you.” Thomas persuaded.28

“Oh, of course you would know that!” Sully fussed, making fun of Thomas’s occupation was not the thing he should have been doing. 29

“I just don’t want what you’ve already drank to end up all over my car.” Thomas was beginning to get aggravated at Sully’s lack of respect for his elders (Even though he was only four years older than Sully, he was still the older, more successful brother.). 30

“Why do you hate me so?” 31

“What do you mean? I don’t hate you.” Thomas’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. 32

“We’ve never gotten along, and it’s all because of you!”33

“What are you talking about? Your alcoholism is what brings around every argument because you have no senses when you’re so tipsy. It’s only then that I argue because I’m trying to knock some sense into you!”34

“Mother always loved you best!” Sully stated changing the subject. The rain had started to fall in a steady pour; Thomas turned up the speed on his windshield wipers and tried to concentrate on the road. 35

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Thomas said. “I’m turning around, this was a crazy idea.” Putting the car in reverse he turned his head towards the back window only to be greeted by the barrel of a small revolver.36

“What is this?” Thomas asked almost panicking.37

“You never cared about me!” 38

“What do you mean I always care about you?” Though that was a lie he knew the truth would never save him. “You’re drunk and you need to calm down.” Sully shook his head violently. The gun shook in his hand; Thomas had that gut feeling all along that Sully had something in that jacket besides the six pack of beer. “Didn’t you want to go on a road trip?”39

“I did, but seeing your prideful ways saying ‘we can only take my car.’ The way your squirm when I drink beer and throw the can away disgusts me as much as I disgust you. I’m done with being your relative you obviously don’t want me!”40

“Let me just drive you home and you can just relax and sleep all this off!” Thomas’s voice shook and his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest it was beating so hard.41

“No, I won’t go home,” Sully paused “and I can’t go on with you!” 42

Sully pulled the gun away from Thomas’s face and placed it on his own temple. The burst of thunder made Thomas blink for a second, not realizing Sully had shot himself at the same second the lightning struck the side of the road. Blood dripped from the floor of the car as it flipped upside down from the force of the lightning bolt. Thomas cried and screamed out of fear and sadness. He had remembered reading the local newspaper a few weeks ago that Arizona was the worst state for driving because of all the drunken people on the road, he guessed he was right. 43

That was the last thing Thomas remembered as his head hit the steering wheel.44