The Better Brother

Finally, I gave up and grabbed my phone. I called Andrea and closed my eyes, listening to the ringing and letting it comfort me.

“Hey!” Andrea said when she answered. “How was dinner last night?”

“Can you come over?” I asked. “I know you have to work today, but—”

“I just got off,” Andrea said. “I can be there in an hour.”

“Thank you.” I sighed, r

elieved that I would soon have my best friend to help me make sense of everything.

“What happened?” Andrea asked nervously. “Was dinner that bad?”

“It was…” I tried to find the right words, but just like with my writing, nothing came to mind. “I’ll fill you in when you get here. It’s too much to explain over the phone.”

“Okay,” Andrea said. “I’m on my way.”

***

An hour later, there was a sharp knock on my front door. I ran through the entryway and wrenched open the door to see Andrea standing on my front porch. She smiled and let herself inside, holding up a bottle of wine and waving it in the air.

“You sounded really upset on the phone,” Andrea said. “So, I thought wine was in order.”

“You thought right.” I nodded eagerly and hurried into the kitchen to get us glasses.

Andrea poured us each a good amount of wine, and then we settled in on my couch. She didn’t speak at first. Instead, she watched me closely while I sipped my wine and let the alcohol embolden me slightly.

“Dinner was a fucking disaster,” I finally said.

Andrea nodded. “I figured that much,” she said. “But why? What happened?”

“Well,” I said. “Do you remember me telling you that Michael was adopted?”

“Yes,” Andrea said. “A weird coincidence considering everything that happened with Joshua.”

“Not so much,” I said with a dark chuckle. “Not even remotely a coincidence actually.”

Andrea frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Michael is Joshua’s brother,” I said. “The very same brother I spent months trying to find two years ago. The very same brother that Joshua never wanted me to meet.”

“You’re kidding.” Andrea stared at me blankly. “This is a joke.”

“I wish,” I said. “It feels like the universe is playing an elaborate prank on me or something.”

“You’re serious?” Andrea asked. “You’re not screwing with me right now?”

“I’m serious.” I stared at her to let her know this wasn’t a game. “Michael and Joshua are brothers.”

“Holy shit.” Andrea shook her head and took a long swig of her wine. When she swallowed, she looked at me with narrowed eyes. She still didn’t want to believe me.

“It’s crazy,” I said. “I know.”

“It’s more than crazy,” Andrea said. “It’s like Shakespearean or something.”

“That’s a little dramatic,” I said, though Andrea wasn’t wrong. I’d been thinking the same thing since I first saw Joshua sitting in the restaurant.

“This is dramatic!” Andrea said. “I can’t believe it.”