Cranky Brother Daniel
Daniel, arrived late Sunday night, around midnight. He looked a bit red-eyed and he didn’t seem at all happy.
“You up still?”
“Sure.”
“Can I come in?”
“Can you come in? Why so formal?”
“Don’t piss around, Josh.”
“Come in.”
He harrumphed past, which was out of character for Daniel. He was definitely out of sorts.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, clearly, I can see that.”
“Everything is fine, I just need somewhere to crash for tonight?”
"Sleep?"
"Yeah."
“Sure,” I said. “Fine with me.”
“Thanks bud.”
He headed up the hallway in front of me to the lounge room.
“And we can play these nothing-wrong-with-Daniel games all night, if you like, or you can just tell me up front what the problem is?”
He turned to look at me by the coffee table. “You got any pot?”
“Yes… but don’t change the subject.”
“Is Steve coming over?”
“No, it’s past midnight, he’d be here already…”
“Where’s the pot?”
“Tell me what’s wrong first?”
“Don’t be a fuck, Josh! Roll me a joint.”
“Okay, okay. Keep your shirt on.” Wow! Whatever it is, it’s probably major. My happy bro doesn’t usually snap at me. Tread lightly, I said to myself. Pissed off straight boy, not something I see very often.
We both sat down, I got the gear. Daniel threw a packet of cigarettes at me.
"For the mix."
"When did you start smoking, again?"
"I didn't."
I broke a cigarette into the bowl and grabbed the gunger. "So, good day?"
"Less of the fucking yap and more rolling will ya!"
"I can multi-task, you know, gay man, girl's brain..."
"Shut the fuck up, Josh!" He lay his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.
Okay, I'd had enough. That's enough. I put the dope bag down.
"Daniel?"
"Yep?"
"You know, I don't care if you don't tell me what's wrong..."
"Yeah, I can see that."
Big breath. "But, you can at least pretend there is nothing wrong, if you don't want to tell me, by being something vaguely resembling pleasant."
"Okay. Fine. No talking, I'm happy with that."
"That's not what I meant."
"I broke up with Claire, okay. You happy now?"
I opened and closed my mouth. I picked up the dope bag and pulled out a bud. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Jesus, Josh. Do I sound like I want to talk about it?"
I dropped the bud in with the tobacco and ground it up, in silence. I rolled up the roach and put it in the machine, I poured in the tobacco and licked the gum on the paper. I shut the machine and the joint popped out.
I handed the joint to Daniel. "Here." He took it. I handed him a lighter. He lit it and drew in deeply on it.
"You better roll yourself another one... if you want any."
I rolled myself another joint and we sat on our separate couches smoking in silence. The room filled with a cloud of smoke, blue in the dim lighting. Well, it may not have been blue, that may have been my imagination. I lay my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. It was well past midnight and I was suddenly feeling like I didn't have the energy to ask any more questions, anyway. Cool with me, let's not talk.
I inhaled the joint and quickly found myself feeling really stoned. I could hear Daniel moving, but I kept my eyes closed. Then the mulli started to grind another mix. It sounded like a knitting machine in 1900 industry, or the broken spokes on a bike clicking as the wheel turned, or the weather vane on top of the chimney turning in the cool night air.
"Do you want another joint?" Daniel said, soft and low.
I wanted to say permission to speak, but I didn't. "Sure," I said sookily. I couldn't help it, I'd turned. Unfairly, I grant you, but I had.
"Here."
I took the joint and lit it and closed my eyes again. I heard Daniel light his. We sat in silence and smoked our second joints.
Then I heard Daniel move. Then my couch moved too.
"Come here."
I opened my eyes and Daniel was sitting next to me. He puts his arm around me and hugs me. "Sorry." He tousles the hair on the top of my head.
I didn't speak.
"You know you're my special guy." He turns my head and kisses me on the forehead. I lay my head on his shoulder. I lay there and breathed him in. Daniel scent, it is one of my early memories of another person. It took me back to my unlit bedroom. It felt good.
"I've been screwing a chick from work. Claire went through my phone and found or texts."
"Number one rule of fooling around..."
"Tell me about it."
The room was silent, except for the crackle of the open fire. It was still. The rest of the world faded away.
"How's she?"
"Last report, screaming at me from the front door, something about never wanting to see me again."
I clicked my mouth in appreciation of the gravity.
"I had to tell her everything, it's been going on for six months."
I didn't respond, I let the silence of the room speak for me.
"She's pretty pissed off."
"Do you think she'll come around?"
"It wasn't the first time."
"Really?"
"I was kind of on probation."
I didn't know about that. Maybe, I had been neglecting my brother? How long had it been since I'd seen him? A while. Usually, we talk when mum or dad make some family decree, but they've been away lately.
Again, I fell asleep in my brother's arms.
“You up still?”
“Sure.”
“Can I come in?”
“Can you come in? Why so formal?”
“Don’t piss around, Josh.”
“Come in.”
He harrumphed past, which was out of character for Daniel. He was definitely out of sorts.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, clearly, I can see that.”
“Everything is fine, I just need somewhere to crash for tonight?”
"Sleep?"
"Yeah."
“Sure,” I said. “Fine with me.”
“Thanks bud.”
He headed up the hallway in front of me to the lounge room.
“And we can play these nothing-wrong-with-Daniel games all night, if you like, or you can just tell me up front what the problem is?”
He turned to look at me by the coffee table. “You got any pot?”
“Yes… but don’t change the subject.”
“Is Steve coming over?”
“No, it’s past midnight, he’d be here already…”
“Where’s the pot?”
“Tell me what’s wrong first?”
“Don’t be a fuck, Josh! Roll me a joint.”
“Okay, okay. Keep your shirt on.” Wow! Whatever it is, it’s probably major. My happy bro doesn’t usually snap at me. Tread lightly, I said to myself. Pissed off straight boy, not something I see very often.
We both sat down, I got the gear. Daniel threw a packet of cigarettes at me.
"For the mix."
"When did you start smoking, again?"
"I didn't."
I broke a cigarette into the bowl and grabbed the gunger. "So, good day?"
"Less of the fucking yap and more rolling will ya!"
"I can multi-task, you know, gay man, girl's brain..."
"Shut the fuck up, Josh!" He lay his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.
Okay, I'd had enough. That's enough. I put the dope bag down.
"Daniel?"
"Yep?"
"You know, I don't care if you don't tell me what's wrong..."
"Yeah, I can see that."
Big breath. "But, you can at least pretend there is nothing wrong, if you don't want to tell me, by being something vaguely resembling pleasant."
"Okay. Fine. No talking, I'm happy with that."
"That's not what I meant."
"I broke up with Claire, okay. You happy now?"
I opened and closed my mouth. I picked up the dope bag and pulled out a bud. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Jesus, Josh. Do I sound like I want to talk about it?"
I dropped the bud in with the tobacco and ground it up, in silence. I rolled up the roach and put it in the machine, I poured in the tobacco and licked the gum on the paper. I shut the machine and the joint popped out.
I handed the joint to Daniel. "Here." He took it. I handed him a lighter. He lit it and drew in deeply on it.
"You better roll yourself another one... if you want any."
I rolled myself another joint and we sat on our separate couches smoking in silence. The room filled with a cloud of smoke, blue in the dim lighting. Well, it may not have been blue, that may have been my imagination. I lay my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. It was well past midnight and I was suddenly feeling like I didn't have the energy to ask any more questions, anyway. Cool with me, let's not talk.
I inhaled the joint and quickly found myself feeling really stoned. I could hear Daniel moving, but I kept my eyes closed. Then the mulli started to grind another mix. It sounded like a knitting machine in 1900 industry, or the broken spokes on a bike clicking as the wheel turned, or the weather vane on top of the chimney turning in the cool night air.
"Do you want another joint?" Daniel said, soft and low.
I wanted to say permission to speak, but I didn't. "Sure," I said sookily. I couldn't help it, I'd turned. Unfairly, I grant you, but I had.
"Here."
I took the joint and lit it and closed my eyes again. I heard Daniel light his. We sat in silence and smoked our second joints.
Then I heard Daniel move. Then my couch moved too.
"Come here."
I opened my eyes and Daniel was sitting next to me. He puts his arm around me and hugs me. "Sorry." He tousles the hair on the top of my head.
I didn't speak.
"You know you're my special guy." He turns my head and kisses me on the forehead. I lay my head on his shoulder. I lay there and breathed him in. Daniel scent, it is one of my early memories of another person. It took me back to my unlit bedroom. It felt good.
"I've been screwing a chick from work. Claire went through my phone and found or texts."
"Number one rule of fooling around..."
"Tell me about it."
The room was silent, except for the crackle of the open fire. It was still. The rest of the world faded away.
"How's she?"
"Last report, screaming at me from the front door, something about never wanting to see me again."
I clicked my mouth in appreciation of the gravity.
"I had to tell her everything, it's been going on for six months."
I didn't respond, I let the silence of the room speak for me.
"She's pretty pissed off."
"Do you think she'll come around?"
"It wasn't the first time."
"Really?"
"I was kind of on probation."
I didn't know about that. Maybe, I had been neglecting my brother? How long had it been since I'd seen him? A while. Usually, we talk when mum or dad make some family decree, but they've been away lately.
Again, I fell asleep in my brother's arms.
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