Page 55 of Lose to Win: Lost Trilogy: Part 3
“For having the life I thought belonged to me,” he confesses. “My mom got cancer and died when I was really young. Before dying, she tried to find someone to take me in. I think, deep down, she was hoping Blake would come to save her, save me.”
“How old were you when your mom died?” I speak, emotion almost completely butchering my words.
“I was five.”
I do the math in my head.
“Blake was already dead by then,” I tell him. “He died when I was a toddler.”
Sully just nods in understanding and looks away pensively.
“I doubt he ever knew you existed,” I add as an after thought. “I think he would’ve taken you in if he did.”
In fact, I am convinced Blake Adams would’ve done exactly that. After all, he did try to take good care of me even in his after life. I can’t imagine him not doing it for any other child he might’ve had.
“I only found out he was dead a couple of years after I joined the club,” Sully tells me. “I found out by accident. You got drunk and started talking nonsense.”
I snort at that. It is very possible that I did that very thing.
“I realized that your life growing up had not been as good as I had made it out to be in my head.”
“Is that why you hated being called by your first name?”
“Why would I want to be called by the name of the person who made my mother’s life hell?” he asks point blank.
“But how did he do that? He never knew you existed.”
My eyes go back to the screen when Sully doesn’t say anything else. I realize there’s the third item saved in the folder that has his name on it. I double click on it, and it starts playing automatically, my mother’s voice echoing in the room.
“Itold them both to come see you, Bricks,” she tells the other person on the line, and we recognize our former president when he speaks.
“Nice,” he laughs. “I’ll be getting both that fucker’s boys. This is perfect, Elaine. I guess I’ll have to owe you one. In the after life, maybe,” he snickers.
“You owe me one in this life too, Bricks,” she snaps at him. “I am sending them to you so you can save them. I did enough for you, wouldn’t you say? And I still have the video recording of you assaulting Arlene,” she adds.
Both me and Sully are holding our breaths.
“It is in a safety deposit box, and I swear I will send it to the police if you don’t help Lucas.”
“What do you care about him knowing his brother anyway? Just because they share blood, it doesn’t mean shit, trust me.” He sounds incredulous. “My boy is a pussy for example. And he shares blood with me.”
“I thought you had two boys,” my mother starts laughing, sounding unhinged. “Oh, wait. The other one is not yours. This is so great.”
“I thought you called me to help you, Elaine,” Bricks snaps at her. “This is not how you ask for help.”
My mother’s voice changes in an instant.
“I am not asking you for help, Bricks. I am telling you that you have to help. And I am lucid enough right now to go through with my threats.”
“You won’t be soon though.”
I’m not sure she hears that last comment from Bricks. He spoke it low enough, almost as if he was talking to himself. They hang up soon after, and the room falls quiet once again.
“You know,” I start talking first. “Over the years, I considered you my best friend.”
I am a little disappointed when Sully doesn’t comment on that. Him telling me that I am his best friend as well would not go amiss.
“And once or twice,” I continue, “I thought to myself that if I had a blood brother, I wanted him to be you.”
