talk about a life
all grown up : chapter 13
Well, if you read chapter 12, you’re bound to understand this a little better.
So we’re back to where we were, Trunks is 19 and is going around telling all his friends he’s now better. And of course, one of these friends is Marianne.His going about his way towards the orfanage, talking to himself
-Ahhh, here I am at the orfanage, dear Marianne, you’re going to be happy.
As he went in, the place hadn’t changed, and neither had Marianne seemingly.
-Helloooo, anybody there?
-Just a minute, I’ll be right there sir I...oh my god, Trunks, is that you?
-You bet ye!!
-Ohh gods, come here and give me a hug!
-Hey, I’m sorry I wasn’t down here for some time, but I was, well...
-Don’t apologize, it’s free work, and nobody ever helped me as much as you did.
-Nooo, you’re exagerating. So how have you been?
-Oh no you don’t, you first, I haven’t heard the sound of your voice in years. Just because you’re twice my size and handsome as devil doesn’t mean you get the run of the place!
-Ok, don’t get all rumbled about nothing. Say, so you really think I’m handsome?
-Stop making fun of me!
-Ok, ok, you win.
And Trunks told her all about the last few years and what happened. Marianne went from suprise to suprise, she couldn’t believe her ears. Finally, her turn came to give some news.
-So, how have things been lately?
-Oh, pretty much ok, although something terrible happened last month.
She turned pale, what ever it was, it had shaken her up pretty bad.
-You don’t look too well, daijobu?
-I’m fine, really, it’s just......do you remember Laurent and his little brother Tomas?
-Yeah sure, they came in just before I got sick, I remember, I used to try to get Tomas to talk, but Laurent wouldn’t let me, and I had this fight with him later, when I was sick. By the way, how’s his arm?
-His arm went fine dear......but, well, Laurent .....last month.....he committed suicide...
-What, where? At his foster parents home or something?
-No, they were never adopted, after that fight he had with you, Laurent became calmer, he started, well, thinking about stuff on his own, he was getting as introvert as his brother who on the other hand became very ..well...moody . And Tomas, Tomas somehow seems to think his brother’s death is all your fault.
-My fault? How could it be my fault, I didn’t see them in 5 years!
-I know, but he won’t speak to us, he just keeps on saying to himself it’s you.
-Do you think I could have a word with him?
-Don’t get angry, he’s a 16 year old boy who just lost the only person he ever had.
-I’m not about to get angry, I just want to know what I might have done.
As Trunks goes through the halls, he says hi to the kids he sees, most of them remembering him from before, and finally gets to where Laurent and Tomas used to stay. Tomas is by the window, looking outside with a vague look , an empty look.
-Hey Tomas, how are you doing, it’s been a few years hasn’t it.
Tomas wipped his head around to face him, his eyes wide starting to fill with anger.
-YOU.......WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
-Hey, chill out, I’m not here to hurt you or anything.
-JUST LIKE YOU WEREN’T THERE TO HURT MY BROTHER? YOU KILLED HIM!
-I did no such thing, I haven’t seen him in years, why would I kill him anyway?
-JUST BECAUSE........BECAUSE!! I’M SURE YOU DID IT FOR SOME REASON , BUT I DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE.
-Come on now, calm down. Why are you so sure I killed him?
-BECAUSE HE SAID SO!! HE TOLD ME IT WAS YOU!!
-So what you’re saying is the dead can talk? I mean I know I can talk to them, but I didn’t know you had learnt instant displacement.
-No, I can’t talk to the dead, he told me before he jumped...
-He jumped? And you were there?
-He......He.........
Tomas was crying hard, as expected, the memory of his brother’s death was to much to handle, in years his brother had been his sole family, no foster family being able to quope with the 2 boys for more than a week as they went out of their way to get rejected.
-Look, Tomas, I don’t know what your brother told you, but I never wanted him dead.
-If you hadn’t.......if you hadn’t....
The sobs were overtaking him as he found it hard to speak.
-If I hadn’t....?
Trunks tried to hug him, get him to feel better and maybe tell him what was on his heart.
-DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!
His try got Tomas to put himself back together, he was still crying but his look was hatefull and determined.
-If you hadn’t humiliated him that day........if you hadn’t broken his arm, he never would have jumped!!
-What, but , he jumped 5 years later, how can that have anything to do with it?
-You really want to know? I’ll tell you how he was for 5 years after that!
-Ok, that’s good, calm down, let us sit , and you can tell me exactly what happened, then maybe I’ll understand this a bit better.
Tomas’ look hadn’t changed, his eyes were locked onto Trunks as he sat on his bed, as far away possible from the chair Trunks sat on. Then slowly and with a shaky voice, he started to tell him the whole story.
As he went along, he told Trunks that after the incident that had accured years back, Laurent had started closing up on himself, he was trying to understand what Marianne had meant when she said Trunks was trying to help him. He would pay little attention to anyone except his brother and every evening as he tucked him in bed, he was distant, in deep thoughts. Apparently, as the years went by, the situation didn’t get any better, when they were taken in by foster families, they would soon be sent back, the parents were unable to quope with Tomas’ outraged behaviour and Laurent’s non-behaviour, together, both the children were so unrewarding no couples could bare to keep them without getting slightly depressed, and there was no question of seprating them, which was the only occasion on which Laurent’s violent behaviour would spring up next to his brother’s. The situation was classified as unsolvable by the authorities, shrinks came and went, not figuring heads or tails out of it and soon the 2 brothers were almost disregarded by the system, they wanted no one , and no one wanted them, they were left alone. As he grew, Laurent would spend more and more time peering at the window, sitting on the ledge and looking at the stars with a frown of incomprehension, something he couldn’t understand was plaguing him, or maybe he could understand it , but he didn’t know what to do with it, as he didn’t say anything about it, Tomas was unable to explain this to Trunks. As Trunks asked him if anything unusual had happened the day Laurent...died, or at least some days before, Tomas looked at him with suspicion, then, seaching his own memory, he recalled an incident.
-I remember, that day, there was a lot of moving around in the morning, 2 kids had to be taken to hospital, they had had a drug overdose or something, and 1 kid was taken off by the police, me and Laurent were watching by the window as he was being taken away, I remember Laurent had a strange look about the guy, he was the one who had sold the dope.
-Hum...anything else?
-No, not until Laurent..........nothing else.
-Look, I know this is hard, but since you were there, would tell me how it happened?
-Why don’t you ask the cops, they asked me all about it!
-Please?
-Fine, like that you’ll see it’s your fault, he said so!
Well, that evening he was sitting on the window sill, as usual, but he had a smile on his face, that wasn’t normal, so I asked him what was up.....
-Laurent.....why are you smiling?
-Hey little brother, sit down a little.
Tomas sits on the bed next to the window.
-You know what T.? I think I finally got it.
-Got what?
-I’ve done some pretty bad things in my life haven’t I?
-Well, not really you.....
-Don’t kid yourself, I did, and I shouldn’t have. You know, if I hadn’t been so mean at all these folks trying to help us, you and me might have a home by now.
-But I thought you didn’t want a home, because these people couldn’t understand us?
-Actually, I didn’t want a home because I was selfish, I didn’t want to share you. You know, if someone took good care of you, you could actually do something good with your life. Me , it’s too late, I’ve spent the last years dragging you down with me. But you know what I realized today? At least I’m not as bad as the guy that went of with the cops today, or those 2 guys in hospital.
-What do you mean, you’re not bad at all you....
-You know Tomas, I want you to promise me that you’ll try and lead an good and honest life, and that if one day you’re given the opportunaty to do so, you’ll take it. Can you promise me that little brother?
-But I’ll have a good life with you...
-Can you promise me that?
-Yes.......I promise.
-Good boy.
Tomas was patting his brother’s head with a gentle smile on his face.
-Do you remember that kid, Trunks? The guy who beat me up that day 5 years ago?
Laurent was watching his brother with intense eyes and that same gentle smile.
-Yeah...
-Now that I understand why, I’m glad he did it.......
-And then........he looked at me.........and he let himself fall from the window, 5 stories down.
-.........
Trunks was amazed, but he was starting to understand why Tomas thought it was his fault, and why Laurent had atually decided to put an end to his days. As he decided to leave Tomas to his grief at the moment, he decided to pay a visit to heaven , as he could the same way Goku used to do it.But not just yet, first he went home and had a long talk with his mother and father about this idea in his head.
End chapter 13
I know, it’s depressing, again, but it gets better, read the next chapter to know what this idea of his is.
disclaimer: all dbz caracters belong to Akira Toriyama and all fictionnal ones to me
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