Chapter 4 - The Collision Course
The day after Christmas dawned bright, cold, and blindingly white. I was sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of black coffee when my phone rang. It wasn’t a text this time; it was a direct call from my brother Luke.
I let it ring out. It went to voicemail, beeped, and immediately started ringing again. On the third try, I swiped to answer, holding the phone a few inches from my ear.
“Aiden! What the hell is wrong with you?” Luke’s voice blasted through the speaker, frantic and furious. “Do you have any idea what kind of stunt you pulled yesterday? Mom is crying, Aunt Linda is threatening to call a lawyer, and Clara is locked in her room!”
“Good morning to you too, Luke,” I said, taking a slow sip of my coffee. My voice was dangerously steady.
“Cut the crap!” he shouted. “Where are the envelopes? Clara said you had stacks of cash in that bag! Are you seriously withholding Christmas gifts because Mom gave you a mug? Are you that petty?”
I let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Petty? Luke, I spent three thousand dollars on those envelopes. Money I earned working sixty-hour weeks while you guys treated my bank account like an open ATM. I brought them to share, not to be treated like a doormat while you all unwrap thousand-dollar electronics bought with money I practically subsidized.”
“We’re family!” he roared, the sound of an engine revving in the background telling me he was already in his truck, likely driving over to my place. “Family helps family! That’s how it works!”
“No, Luke,” I said softly. “Family respects family. You guys just use me. And by the way, if you’re driving over here right now to scream at me, save your gas. You’re going to need every drop of it when you check your business account this morning.”
Silence stretched across the line. I could hear his heavy breathing.
May you like
“What are you talking about?” he whispered, his tone suddenly dropping an octave.
“Check your balance, big brother,” I said. And I hung up the phone.
