The Last Option
Chapter Fifty-Five: I Love You, Brother

"He was very affected by your departure," said Ma Lucille, referring to Bryan, as she returned to the living room with Bernard. "The first days he was crestfallen and sad, but little by little he got over it, until he overcame it."

"I didn't know it was going to affect him so much," said Bernard. "The problem was you were radically opposed to my relationship with Margaret. We had to do that in order to be together. I'm sorry that after four years Bryan still hasn't gotten over it."

"Five."

"Five what?"

"Five years, you and Margaret left almost five years ago."

"Well, I'm not counting right, ma. As I told you, we had no other option to be together."

"And how did it go for you, by the way?" Lucille asked suspiciously. "Since I see you're not with her, what happened to her? Where is she?"

Camilla had heard what Lucille had asked Bernard, and she thought it best to leave them alone to talk about Margaret.

"I'm going to see how the children are," she said, getting up and going toward the stairs. "What is Candance's room?"

"The one on the far right," Lucille answered.

Camilla went upstairs and Bernard waited for her to go answer his grandmother's question about Margaret.

"Margaret is dead, ma."

The old woman looked at Bernard in surprise. She didn't expect to hear such news.

"I'm so sorry, son. What happened?"

"She died giving birth to Nathan."

Lucille looked down for a moment, then took Bernard's hand in hers.

"I'm really sorry, son," Lucille started walking towards the kitchen, taking Bernard by the hand. Once there, she began to prepare the coffee. "I've been through a lot these last few years, ma. I have a lot to tell you."

"Well, we've got plenty of time, son. And that's why I'm making coffee. You must update me."

Bernard and his grandmother spent the next two hours talking about everything that had occurred over the past five years for both sides. Bernard told Lucille all about his and Margaret's efforts for a better life, from their early days in New York and their occasional sleepovers in shelters and even on the streets, to their odd jobs and how they achieved some stability when they arrived in Thomas and Laura's neighborhood, and finally when they met Nathan Hicks and his wife Norma. Bernard told her about them and their efforts to become parents, and the sad end they had two years ago.

As for Bernard's family, there were no major events, the most relevant being about Candace, and how she came to the family. Seeing he had a daughter, Bryan had to finish assuming adulthood and dedicate to supporting his family, which was made up only of his grandmother and his daughter. He worked from sunrise to sunset to give his loved ones what they needed, and decided to put aside for the moment his intention to study for a university degree. He would have liked to study to be an accountant, but seeing Bernard had left, he had to postpone it, and hence he was partly annoyed with him.

"So Nathan is the son of your former employer," Bernard could detect a hint of disappointment in his grandmother's voice when she learned the child was not biologically his, "and now he, his wife and Margaret are dead. There's no one to take care of the baby."

"That's why I have him with me, ma. It was either that or leave him to the government, and I had no heart for it after the way his father behaved towards us. I owed him, and I still do."

"He plans to keep looking for a way to make the child inherit his father's," Camilla said, who was with them after leaving the children asleep in Candace's room. They were chatting in the living room, and this time they were sharing a red wine that Lucille brought out to celebrate Bernard's return in her own way.

Bernard had deliberately left out the episode with Duncan, and how he and Anthony almost died that night.

"Well, I'm with Bernard," Lucille said. "Denying a child what belongs to him is to have no heart, and that aunt he has living in luxury and traveling the world should not have it by not recognizing him as her nephew and not taking care of him." "Nathan Hicks' lawyer and I tried through family court to get him recognized, but all doors were closed to us."

"I'm sure you'll find a way, son. You've always been a very determined man to accomplish what you set out to do."

"I hope so, ma. I hope so."

"Although I think he's been a bit obsessed with it," Camilla commented; Bernard gave her a "say no more" look, thinking maybe she might let it slip about his incident with Duncan.

"I know Bernard very well," Lucille said, "and I know that what he has is determination to achieve his goal, and not obsession."

Camilla could say no more after Bernard's look. Deep inside her, she also hoped he wasn't obsessed with the subject of the Hicks and the baby.

"As I said, it's a promise I made to my friend," Bernard said, "and God willing, I'll keep it."

At that moment, they heard the door open, giving way to Bryan, who, without seeing those present, hurried to the stairs and quickly climbed them, reaching the second floor. Then a door slam was heard. "Do you think I should talk to him now?" Bernard asked his grandmother.

"That's up to you, son. You can talk to him now, or tomorrow. His room is the first on the right."

Bernard got up, leaving the wine glass on the coffee table, and headed for the stairs. He went up to the second floor and knocked on Bryan's bedroom door, who didn't answer. He knocked again and again got no answer. "Bryan, please, we need to talk."

"I have nothing to talk to you about!" Bryan shouted from inside. "Go away!"

"I won't do it, Bryan. I'm not leaving without talking to you first. Please."

Bernard fumbled with the doorknob, but it was stuck. He decided to speak from there, hoping his brother would listen to him.

"I know it was a mistake to have left like that, Bryan. I was selfish, thinking of myself only. After all these years, I've realized this and that's why I came. I came to apologize. Maybe things could have gotten difficult when I left, but-" "Difficult?!" Bryan shouted from inside. "You don't know what we went through when you left!"

"You're right," Bernard lowered his voice a little, but loud enough for his brother to still hear him. "You're right, and I repeat: I've come to try to make things right."

Bryan looked like a caged tiger pacing back and forth across the room. He felt a mixture of emotions that he couldn't control; even though deep in his heart he was glad to see Bernard again, and to see him well, he couldn't control the annoyance he felt because of he had done either. Somehow he felt hurt by the brother he once looked up to when he was a child, and whom he loved very much.

"Do you think that by coming just like that, you'll make amends?"

"I just want that chance, Bryan, please. Give me a chance to make it all right. I also have a son, I want you to meet him. I want to talk to you about a lot of things. Please, let's leave all the mistakes behind, and start again." "It's not easy to do that, man, it's not easy," Bryan felt like crying now. He wanted to go out and hug his brother, but the pain wouldn't let him.

"Come on, man. Just one chance. I love you so much, brother. I don't want us to go on like this. Please!"

Bernard leaned his forehead against the door. The wine was beginning to affect him a bit and he didn't want to stand there any longer. He would try to please his brother the next day, it was late and he wanted to sleep. "We'll talk tomorrow, brother."

Bernard turned around and headed for the stairs. Before he got there he heard Bryan's bedroom door open. He thought he was giving him access, and when he turned around he saw him standing in the middle of the hallway, looking at him expectantly. He was going to say something to him but he wouldn't let him, taking three hurried steps towards him and hugging him tightly. Unable to help himself, Bryan began to sob. Bernard also felt his eyes fill with tears, as he also hugged him tightly.