The Choice. (The best and worst year of my life.)
Part 3.
The break up.
Stage 1-The plot
A week had passed since I watched and helped Kim with her seduction of my brother Brandon. We watched his reactions during this week and found that while he did continue to see Stella and even moved into the "Serious" stage of the relationship, he seemed more then a little out of sorts and to our delight he was up late nights. We thought he was waiting for the deviless to return.
During this week Kim had become a constant figure at my house. More times then not she slept, ate and hung out here with me. One morning, one week exactly to the day after Kim had finally had Brandon we listened while first mom and then dad and finally Brandon all left for their jobs and got to work.
Kim had dressed in a pair of blue jeans, black combat boots and a T-shirt for the band "Disturbed" and was sitting at my vanity applying her make-up. I was on the other end of the room looking through my closet for something to wear when Kim looked into the vanity at me and cleared her throat.
"I have been thinking more about our problem and we need to tackle it on two fronts." She asked thoughtfully.
"And those would be?" I replied.
"Getting between Stella and Brandon won't be easy. One of the first things we need to do is get his attention on someone else besides her." Kim replied as she applied her eye make-up. "As long as he is under her...well I would say thumb, but I think that covers it. Under her, we don't stand much of a chance."
"We are going in circles again Kim. We know that already." I said sadly. This was looking more and more like a lost cause.
"What if the deviless continues to visit him?" Kim asked softly with a little purr in her voice. "Think about it. Every night. In his bed. In his car. At work. At the shop. He is so fixated on who this woman is, he will forget all about Stella and her bed."
"My god, your a devious one." I mused with a little smile on the corners of my lips. "What do we do about Stella herself?"
"We could always get her to cheat and let Brandon catch her." Kim said thoughtfully as she finished the thick Gothic make-up around her eyes.
"I would rather not hurt my brother in all of this." I mused. "But, letting HER find him with someone else. Now THAT has possibilities."
"But who?" Kim said with a little smile playing on her lips. "I could go for another ride."
"Keep your mind on the task at hand. I think I have the perfect person." I said and flashed her a wide mischievous grin.
The day after I meant to set my plan in motion, but a unexpected event would shake the very foundation of our lives. It almost tore everything we had build apart and would lead directly to the scariest moment of my life, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. Two days following Kim and I deciding what to do the door bell rang and I walked through the living room to open the door and squealed.
"UNCLE RANDY!" I squealed.
At the door stood my mothers brother Randell with his wife Catherine and their two young children. Randy was the tallest of his family at 6'5 with broad shoulders and even in his early forties he had a youthful look about him. He had blond hair now touched with Grey at the temples and the deepest blue eyes. Catherine was a short woman at 5'1, and she looked completely tiny standing next to her massive husband. She was seven years younger, with blond hair and light green eyes. She could have been part of our brood, she looked so much like the Jenson clan.
"Theres my niece!" He roared and pulled me into a huge bear hug and spun me around the living room while I giggled like a little girl.
When he set me down I saw mom standing at the doorway of the kitchen in her black slacks and her nice blouse fresh from work. Mom had a strange smile on her face, it was soft and almost gentle. Her own blond hair was hanging down around her face. Seven years younger then her only sibling.
"Hey Randy." She said softly.
Uncle Randy looked over at the sound of the voice and both he and Catherine smiled wide but before he could cross the room to greet her Brandon came running down the stairs at the sound of Uncle Randy's rumbling greeting for me. Now, anyone else who had seen my massive brother running at them full speed would wince away, but not uncle Randy. Uncle Randy was more then big enough to catch him and stop him dead in his tracks. The two men embraced and I saw my mother smile in that strange way of hers.
And then of course, all hell broke loose. From the door near the entrance to the kitchen where my mother stood my father was standing slack jawed. Had he just stayed in that poise, then everything would have been fine, but I watched as the lines on his forehead began to crease and his lips curled in that mixture of hatred and blind fury.
My father then let out a series of expletives that I won't even attempt to repeat. My mother paled, Catherine stood there slack jawed at the things her husband was being called in front of their children. Randy just stood still with his eyes downcast and took it. The only one who wasn't to shocked, was Brandon.
Brandon turned and locked his eyes on our father and his lips curled back into a snarling expression that I had never seen on his face before. It was bestial, mildly psychotic, and our father should have heeded it. Dad crossed the room and continued to yell profanities and then poked Uncle Randy in the chest and demanded.
"Who gave you permission to show your despicable face here?" He demanded.
Randy lifted his head to answer, but my father had lost all sense of reason. He doubled up a fist and threw a inexperienced punch a punch that traveled all of 6 inches before his hand was covered by the large mitt of my brother. For the first time Brandon and our father locked eyes and something passed between them.
"Walk away Tom." Brandon hissed. "I may put up with how you treat me, but I will be damned if I allow you to treat the one person in this world who always treated me like I mattered that way. This is your only warning."
The tone Brandon used. The force in his words. It sent a shiver down my spine and I would feel the inside of my body heat up. My little brother wasn't a boy anymore. He had grown into a man. Strong. Confident. Proud and willing to defend those he loves. That was the last time I saw Brandon Jenson, as my brother.
Our father stammered a reply that never came and then turned and made a beeline for the office he had come out of and slammed the door. The silence that dominated the room wasn't so much broken, as it was shattered by the sudden exclamation of a 9 year old boy who yelled.
"You are so awesome Cousin!" Jonathan, Randy's youngest yelled.
Jonathan ran around his father and hugged Brandon's leg. His older sister Jasmine giggled at her little brothers sudden exclamation and this, of course, caused everyone else to laugh. Brandon leaned down and picked up Jonathan and held him up with one arm.
All I could do was stand and stare at the man who had finally been revealed to me and think about the world. The rules and the Taboo's. The world told me that what I was feeling is "unclean", that it is a "horrible" thing. Even to the point of being a crime, but I ask now what I asked myself then. Is love a crime? Or is true love blind?
Uncle Randy broke my all consuming thoughts by clearing his throat, but when I looked up he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at my mother. At that moment something passed between them.
"Monica, can you help me in the kitchen?" My mom asked quickly.
"Yeah, I need to borrow your brother anyway." Randy added just as quickly. "We need to find a good hotel in the area."
I gave Brandon one last look as he turned and began to talk to Uncle Randy and Catherine and felt my cheeks begin to flush a bit. This was a whole new side of me, and to tell the truth, I kind of liked it. I was falling in love with him, and part of me dreaded that, but another part of me just smiled and purred like a happy and content kitten.
Once they were gone I turned and followed mom into the kitchen. For a woman who had called me into the kitchen, mom sure seemed like she didn't want to talk. She stood with her back to me cleaning the sink, and then cleaning it again.
"Is there something wrong mom?" I asked.
"Why would something be wrong?" She asked, a bit too quickly for my taste.
"Well, considering your cleaning the same patch of sink three times now and....your face is beat red." I exclaimed as my turned around.
"Leave it alone Monnie. Please, leave it alone." My mom pleaded.
I couldn't put my finger on it yet, but something was definitely wrong in the Jenson household.
-Brandon-
I felt that blind rage at Tom all the way down the driveway. Randy had always been good to me, and I would be damned if I sat by and allowed that to happen. I climbed into the Camaro and took off down the street with the red minivan in my rear view. The drive helped to calm me down, When we pulled up to the hotel and parked Catherine took the kids in to register and Randy motioned for me to take a little walk with him. For a time, he said something until finally he looked over at me and smiled.
"Thank you for stepping in with your father." Randy said softly. "But, next time let me handle it. There are factors involved in all of this my boy, that are far beyond your ability to understand."
"Try me" I said with a little tone to my voice. "After everything he has done to me, I think I deserve to know."
Though he never turned his face to face me, I felt as if he was staring directly at me. Like a guilty child with his hand in the cookie jar. For a time he was silent and then he sighed and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Brandon." He whispered. "I love you like you were my own son, you know that, but some secrets are best left untold. Sorry Brandon."
With a pat to the shoulder Randy turned and headed into the hotel. It was then I realized that I had no idea why they were in town. Uncle Randy avoided coming here like the plague. Something was definitely up.
This was the last moment of piece I would have for the next two full weeks.
