jml297

”Never again!” He swore as he got out of the car. “Never again!”
Excerpt from Prelude to Christopher by Eleanor Dark.

Max rolled his eyes as the car door slammed. He wound down the passenger side window and shouted, “You’re welcome!” to the retreating shape of his brother’s back. He pushed the button to wind the window up before accelerating away, spraying dirt and gravel in his wake.

It didn’t matter how long it was between visits, his brother Ed was always the same. Ed was distant and distracted on their occasional phone calls, and it was always Max who had to make contact. Every few months, Ed would agree to an outing, usually a pub lunch in the local watering hole. Max would pick him up, and all would be okay, just general chat and local gossip. But at some point, Max could see something change in Ed. From being quite engaged and witty, he shifted into a morose mood. He’d respond to Max’s questions with one-word answers, grunts, or nothing at all. Max would mentally back track through the prior conversation, seeking the source of Ed’s change of mood.

But there was no common topic or question. Max wondered if it was due to someone arriving at the pub, but Ed seemed to be well-liked and always acknowledged others who came up to say g’day. With a sinking feeling, Max realised that the common denominator was him. Even after all these years, of decades of living different lives, of families forming, growing, and then shrinking, his older brother could still only seem to tolerate him in small doses.

By the time Max finished his second beer, Ed was usually ready to go. He’d start to mutter about having things to do, and not having time to waste like other lucky buggers. They’d head to the car, with Ed saying goodbye to his mates, then being peevishly silent for the short drive back to his place. Max would chat, or even suggest that a cup of tea would be nice, but Ed would be looking out the window, his mouth drawn into a grim line. As soon as Max pulled up, he’d throw open the door, yanking at the seat belt as he got to his feet.

There were no pleasantries to be exchanged, no gratitude for Max’s time and effort. Just a bellowed “Never again!” as Ed levered himself to his feet, and Max watched him enter his house.

But Max knew that if he gave Ed a week or three, he’d answer Max’s call and agree that a Sunday lunch out was a good idea. Max sighed as he headed home. Ed was hard work, the kind of person who always insisted on being met on their terms. His brother was unlikely to change, and Max wasn’t sure that he really wanted him to either.

This was written to a prompt at my writing group, using a random line from a book as the starting point.

Photo: Kindness matters sign in a cafe