Page 56 of Royal Pain
Chapter 19
Zan
Having a family breakfast has radically changed. Gone are the loud conversations between brothers. And the laughter. The black hole left by our father sucked in our mother too. It’s just the three of us now, mostly lost in our cell phones. There’s not much to say when you’re held prisoner by your thoughts.
“Where you off to?” I say as Kwai heads for the door.
Expecting Kwai to give you an itinerary is a fool’s conclusion. But I’m hoping he’ll use good sense and take into consideration our mother needs us now.
“I’ll be at the lake. I need to get away for a few days.”
That’s a fucking first, telling me any details.
“So we’ll be able to get ahold of you, if needed?” Tarik asks.
“Yes,” he says, holding his stare.
I decide to jump in. Tarik needs backup. “Good. Don’t go missing, Kwai. It’s not the time.”
His eyebrows knit and the muscles of his jaw twitch. “What did I just say? If you need to talk with me, you can! I want to think. Is that alright with this family? Fuck.”
“Don’t pretend we haven’t good reason to doubt you,” I say.
There’s no response, and I don’t have any further comment. Shit. He can be such an ass.Think?More like drink.Sorry brother, but I’m not buying what you’re selling. You probably have a limousine full of young, horny women, planning what they’re going to wear to the party you’re sure to throw. They’re drawing straws on who’s going to fuck you first. We’ve seen this too many times to count.
Tarik and I will hear all about it after the fact. Kwai’s security will talk to one or more of ours. It’s a straight line from them to us. They all like to tell us because up to now, we were a better option than the king. The few times he found out it was not pleasant for anyone. In fact the guards would get blamed for letting it happen, and Kwai would be free to fuck up again.
It was easier for our father to believe, or pretend to believe, his son was not at fault. This way it can be handled auspiciously. All the dirty details come out in the end, when the security details practically fight to spill the dirt. That’s when we take over. We’re the ones cleaning up in the wake of his “just getting away” trips.
Isn’t he getting tired of this shit? Apparently not because he just left the room.
Tarik lays his napkin on the table and pushes his chair back a bit. Just enough to give his legs some room.
“You realize in this frame of mind he could really make trouble?”
From the far doorway our mother’s voice sounds. “Who could make trouble?”
Fuck. Tarik’s face looks like mine I’m sure. Why the fuck weren’t we more careful?
“There’s no use trying to spin it. Just tell me,” she says.
“We were talking about Kwai. He’s going to the lake.”
“The fact that we’re all raw just gives us some pause, Mother. But I’m sure we’re overreacting,” I say.
She looks at us with those mother eyes. The ones that see all and know everything you’re thinking. Sometimes before you do. But instead of her radar raising, she surprises me.
“I’m not going to worry. Kwai’s old enough to fight his own battles. Maybe it would do him good to have consequences.”
She takes her seat. The same one she’s occupied all these years, while the king’s chair sits empty beside her. Tarik looks as shocked as I am at her new take on things. Our mother has always watched over the three of us like a hen, making sure all of her children were out of harm’s way.
But I think the grief for my father has concentrated her focus. For the first time in her life, she’s myopic. There’s only room for the man she loved. Loves still.
“Did I tell you Belinda is coming this week? She’s going to be here for Tarik’s ceremonies.”
“That’s good, dear,” she says with only a portion of her attention on the reply.
I look at my brother who seems as concerned as I.
