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My hold time with the prison felt like hours. When I finally got through to someone and submitted the information they needed to get my background check started, I was ecstatic. I felt like the day would be a good day and the days after it would be even better. Especially after I got to see Trent.
It felt great knowing where he was and how I could get ahold of him. Brayden said the warden of the prison sounded like he had some sort of vendetta against Trent, so I wasn’t sure how much of a factor that would play in me seeing him. But I was ready to face whatever challenges were thrown my way.
What felt even better though, was the atmosphere in the cabin. Nick was there, Brayden was there, I felt like a piece of home had been added to my puzzle again. The aroma of the sizzling bacon in the skillet and pancakes bubbling on the griddle were more indicators. I hadn’t cooked a decent breakfast in a long time, but that morning, I showed up with the works.
After cooking, I set the table, spread out fresh orange juice, plates, napkins; just like old times. The only person missing was Trent, but I even set a place for him too. Call me crazy, but setting his place made me feel like he was on his way home to celebrate with us again. Celebrate what? It doesn’t matter. Every day was a celebration with him.
“Dang, it’s about time one of you woke up. I thought I would have to eat all this food by myself.”
Nick came downstairs and immediately took a seat at the table. He must have smelled the food and succumbed to the growling of his teenaged stomach.
“I thought I smelled something,” he said. “What’s the special occasion?”
“Just wanted to show some love,” I said. “It’s nice to have a home cooked meal sometimes, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Before I could make another move, Nick dug into the spread and started piling loads of food onto his plate. I didn’t mind, it was what I got up early and slaved over the stove for. Besides, Brayden not being up yet, gave me time to talk to Nick about going to visit Trent.
“I’m planning a trip to see Trent,” I said. “Would you want to come with me?”
Nick looked like he’d seen a ghost. I can’t explain his face. He looked surprised, but also like he was trying his hardest to hold back his excitement. I didn’t understand why he was so angry at Trent when he wasn’t old enough to really understand the sacrifices our brother made for us, but I tried to.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Florida is a long way from here.”
“So what. It’ll be a nice trip and it’ll give you a chance to see a different part of the country. You've never been outside of Big Bear in eighteen years.”
“How do you know where I've been?” he sassed.
“Trust me, I know everything. If you’ve been anywhere else, I would know. I'm your big sister and I took care of you most of your life.”
He shoveled food into his mouth while I told him about Florida and all the things there was to do there. I tried to make it sound interesting and fun so he’d be excited about going, but he was so bland and dry, as a teenager who thought he was a macho man would be. I hated it, but I let him put up his front for as long as he could before he decided to come along.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll go. But don't try to make me do stuff I don't want to do. Like hanging out doing girl stuff.”
“Oh, shut up,” I teased. “You never had a problem doing girl stuff with me when you were younger. In fact, you used to love playing in my makeup and writing in my journals.”
Nick tried to conceal his laughter, but he couldn't hold off for too long. After that, he lightened up and talked to me about things he remembered from being a kid. He even talked about the times he remembered Trent taking him along with him to play football or hang out with the boys.
“I came up here with Trent once or twice,” he said. “There were always girls up here hanging out. I used to want to be like him when I got older. You know, the girlfriends, and being the popular guy that all the girls wanted.”
“You’d better slow your roll, Mr. Man,” I said. “Having a bunch of girlfriends is not a good look for a guy. You might think it’s cool and makes you the man, but it’s not fair to girls. You have a nice girlfriend now who seems to really care for you. Don't screw it up thinking you want to be a playboy.”
To my surprise, Nick actually agreed with me. He was a lot more thoughtful than I thought he would be in that department. In a way, I was kind of glad he didn’t take after Trent. At least then I knew he would use his head before he went through with major decisions.
Brayden came into the dining area after a while of Nick and I talking. He'd just woken up and his hair was all wild, and he looked almost as delicious as the food I made. What was strange though, was the look Nick gave him when he sat down at the table and said good morning.
“Good morning,” I replied so Nick didn’t have to. “How’d you sleep?”
“I slept pretty good,” Brayden said. “How’d you sleep, Nick?”
Nick looked at me with a wicked look in his eyes and then back to Brayden. He said good under his breath and looked right back down at his plate of food. Brayden looked at him for what felt like minutes before he grabbed his plate and started to pile food on it. While I was left wondering what their deals were.
Mia was telling me that she found out where Trent is,” Nick glared at him. “She wants me to go with her to see him. Maybe I'll ask him what happened that night, what do you think Brayden?”
I saw a lump grow in Brayden's throat as big as his Adams apple. He couldn’t even look Nick in the eyes when he answered. It was as if they’d had some discussion that I wasn’t present for, and Nick had called him out about something.
“That might be a good idea,” Brayden said. “It might give you some insight on your brother's life before prison.”
