To Force a Change

- To Force a Change -

Jason Sedgwick chewed his sausages, his thoughts on nothing more than the sound of squishing meat. He sat at the kitchen table, round, wooden and dirty as hell. You knew things were bad when you found yourself eating between used wrappers and the contents of a vacuum bag. Jason paid no attention to the squalor.

His older brother, Chad, sat next to him on the kitchen bench, talking on his mobile. For some reason that irked. Why did he just come in and sit right there? Jason thought between bites. He’d done nothing but chat away this whole time. Go back to your bedroom!

All too suddenly, Chad’s call was over. He didn’t even say goodbye, just sat there for a moment with shoulders slumped, looking at something beyond the front window in the lounge room. Somethig was amiss. Who was he talking to?

Then he was there, standing right in front of him, arms folded menacingly. Jason swallowed.

“You smoke too much, little bro” was all he said. The accusation was straight-forward, but something about Chad was not. He seemed... on edge somehow.  It was several awkward moments before he spoke again, softer this time.

"I’ve known for a long time that it would get to this point, but it's time you made some changes. It was bad enough when you took up pot in the first place, but growing, and selling?. Now you're setting yourself up for a fucked-up rest of your life. It's time to make some changes."

At first, all Jason could do was gape. This was hardly the first time he’d been criticized for the life he’d chosen to lead. Awkwardness gave way to anger, and he pushed back the half-finished meal and stood, ready to give his older brother an abusive piece of mind.

Chad punched him, a viciously hard swing that sent him straight back into his chair. Warm blood began its descent down his chin to drip into his lap. Pain blazed, followed by numbness.

“You smoke too much,” Chad repeated. “I hit you to make you remember it.”
Jason opened his mouth, and pain shot down his spine. His jaw was broken. The pain was soon forgotten though, severed by Chad’s next words.

“Mum knows everything, Jason.”

There was a moment of pause as Chad leaned to see out the front window for a moment, as if searching the street. It wouldn't be long now, he thought. Chad turned once more to his little brother, bleeding and looking up at him contemptuosly. Despair clashed with conviction, but Chad knew what to say next. He'd planned for this. He fixed Jason with a stern gaze.

“If you don’t change, than changes will be forced upon you. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

The front door opened so suddenly that Jason failed to acknowledge it, until two uniformed policemen stormed through the door. His heart raced. For him, the recognizing of that badge was the recognizing of his future, and how pitiful it would be. He envisoned the small forest of marijuana in his garage. His mind worked frantically for things to say, for excuses. Changes will be forced upon you. Chad’s words echoed within the pain that threatened to tear his head asunder. For Christ's sake, think!

The men were calm, trained. One reached for his torch as he approached. The other unbuckled some handcuffs. “Neither of you boys move!”

Jason went rigid. There was no point to moving, nothing worth fighting for. He would be taken to prison. His life was ruined. He was defeated. He briefly wondered who had turned him in, Chad or Mum?

The policeman with the handcuffs spoke. “Chad Sedgwick, you are under suspicion for the murder of Gary Dunhill, and the attempted murder of Elizabeth Sedgwick. You will come with us for questioning, immediately.”

Jason’s head spun. His emotions coursed out of control. Chad. He made himself look at his older brother, searched the haze of tear-streaked vision for a face. A murderer. Chad returned his gaze with an expression of solemnity. And something else... harder to place. It was confidence.

Confidence in him, Jason knew.

Chad was escorted through the front door as Jason let out the breath he'd been holding. The door closed, leaving behind silence and a straying surrealism. And a truth.

Jason would never smoke again.

The End
Nick G