The Brother He Loved

“What’s up, little brat? What have you got for lunch today? Did Mummy pack some cookies for you? She did? Well, too bad, you can’t have ‘em. Now hand over your lunch box,” ordered the burly bully.



      “What are you waiting for? Don’t you understand or do you need a good beating up?” sneered his lanky friend, who looked like he hadn’t had a bath in days, months maybe.



Though Alex was dead scared, he tried to muster up all his courage and managed to say out loud.



        “Leave me alone, you mean bullies! Don’t you have anything else to do? Go away or…..”



“Go away or what? Gonna tell Mummy? Go on then. Mummy ain’t here,” said the boys in an evil chorus.



“I said leave me alone!” Alex shouted once again, but this time his voice had a trace of fear.



“Well, well, well. Looks like this little idiot won’t listen to us. How about a nice, little punch? Do you want it in your face? Or in your gut?”



Four out of six bullies closed in around Alex and the tall leader raised his fist in the air, when a voice forced him to stop.

.

“Back off,” growled the voice.



“Huh?” the bully turned around. “What did you say? Did I just hear ‘Back off’? Who the hell do you think you are?”



“I said BACK OFF,” replied the menacing voice again.



“Or what? What you gonna do? Beat me up? Haha. Funny,” the gang-leader sneered and raised his fist once again.



Suddenly, a tennis ball smacked the back of his head. Angered, he turned around to find himself face to face with a handsome, rather carelessly handsome, 10 year old with mysterious grey eyes. It was the boy, James, to whom the voice belonged. He resembled the kid he was bullying a lot, probably he was his brother.



Despite being taller and older, those deadly grey eyes seemed to diminish his strength and he just wanted to walk away. In spite of this awkward feeling he managed to say,



“Oh no, you didn’t,” and grabbed James’ collar.



“When I say back off from my brother, I mean back off,” snarled James, pulling the bully’s hand off his collar.



At this treatment of their leader, five of the other boys steeped up, rolling up their sleeves.

“No, wait,” the leader held up his hand.



He gazed into James’ eyes, trying to intimidate him but the reverse happened and he made up his mind.



“I’m not in the mood for cookies today, anyway. Let’s go, guys.”

And before walking away, he stared at Alex and said,



“Good thing your brother showed up or you would’ve gone home in an ambulance today, boy.”



As the bullies left the deserted street, James went up to Alex.



        “Are you alright? They didn’t do anything to you, did they?” he asked in a concerned older-brotherly tone.



When Alex shook his head, his manner changed at once and he scolded him,



“How many times do I have to tell you not to go roaming around in the streets? I won’t save you next time. Learn to stand up yourself.”



As Alex followed him back home, he thought,



“Why is he so like that? One moment he worries about me, next moment he’s back to being same old James. Weird.”



Little did Alex know that same old James could lay down his life for him. He didn’t express that love, was another matter altogether.



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“Alexander Tennyson! Where is your homework, may I ask?” thundered Mrs. Parker.



“Uhhh, yes, about that, Mrs. Parker….I…ummm,” stuttered Alex.



“What? What story do you have now, Mr. Tennyson?” boomed the teacher.



Alex gulped, his mind racing, thinking of a plausible excuse, when he heard that voice.



“Um, excuse me, Mrs. Parker? Can I come in and talk to you for a moment? It’s important.”



It was James, in the doorway.



“Why, yes. Come in, come in, James. Now, what were you saying?” she said.



“Uh, Mrs. Parker, I was passing by and I heard that Alex hadn’t done his homework. Just thought I’d let you know, Mum’s been ill for a week and she couldn’t help him complete his work. You know Alex is too shy, plus he gets scared when he has to talk in front of a crowd. I hope you do excuse him. I apologize on his behalf and promise that it won’t happen again.”



“Certainly, my boy. Thank you, young man, for informing me. Now off you go,” she replied, smiling.



James turned around to leave. Alex tried to flash a smile of gratitude in his brother’s direction but all he received was a murderous glare.





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“Tennyson! Detention for you, 4 ‘o’ clock, my office!” yelled Mr. Brown.



“But, sir, he hit me….” James tried to explain.



“No buts, mister. I said detention and that’s it,” Mr. Brown barked.



“Sir, Marcus was constantly threatening Maria that if she didn’t help him cheat in the test, he would be very horrible to her. He even stamped on her foot, when she didn’t comply and



kicked me when I stopped him,” replied James, dusting himself off as he got up.



“I won’t hear a word. I saw two 17 year olds fighting in the corridor and one of them was you! I don’t care about your impeccable academic record, I saw you punch Marcus and you’ll have to face the consequences. Get up and don’t forget your detention. Which one is this? Third in the week? Lord, you are aggressive, James Tennyson. First, you pinned Martin to the wall because he was making fun of Mrs. Evans and you swore at Albert because he locked up a junior in the bathroom. How many times do I have to tell you to control your temper and tell one of the teachers when something goes wrong. No one, I repeat, no one has ever caused such trouble,” scolded the teacher.



“That’s because none of the teachers ever listen to me. They’re all scared of Marcus’, Martin’s, Albert’s rich and powerful daddies,” fumed James, wiping blood off his lip.



“Enough! Everybody back to your classes! Tennyson, come with me!” roared Mr. Brown.



Alex was in the crowd of onlookers. He’d witnessed the whole scene. He knew James was right. Walking back to his class, 16 year old Alex thought,





“Whoa, brother. James, you stand up for what you believe is right. You’ve got nerve. I wish I could be more like you. Instead of being so cold with me, you could start teaching me to stand up on my own feet. Well, I guess, you never loved me as your brother, just another boy to be defended.



But that was not the case at all.





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James Tennyson was pacing across the richly furnished office, clearly agitated. The setting sun set the top of the clouds on fire and the rooftops of sky-high buildings seemed to be gilded.



Alex stood nervously beside the couch.



“I still can’t  quite believe it. How did lose the case? I was so confident we would win it. I fully assured my client that there was no need to worry, the law was on our side and he’d get all his money back. There must’ve been some mistake. There has to be a mistake.”



As the older Tennyson shuffled his files on the desk, not getting what to do, the younger one shuffled his feet nervously and finally not being able to hold back anymore, he burst out.



“James, I’m so sorry! There wasn’t a mistake actually. The reason we lost the case was because…..” he gulped, “because I overheard the other lawyer bribing the witnesses. They’re fake, James. The witnesses are fake. The lawyer paid them to lie. The judge knows. He’s a relative or something. The whole system is corrupted. That’s why they won. James, they cheated.



The setting sun had already turned the room a mixture of crimson and gold, and because of Alex’s story, it seemed that James was on the fire too. He shook from head to toe with anger. He was trying to repress it, but his self-control gave way. His voice was low but deadly.



“Alexander Tennyson. I am ashamed to even call you a Tennyson. Not because I  lost the case, but because you didn’t have the guts to stop anything wrong from happening. All my life, all my life, I’ve taught you to be brave and stand for justice. I’ve always set an example for you. I always loved you and I thought you’d grow up and then to stand on your own feet. But I was wrong. You’re a coward. Yes, a coward. Don’t you even dare to call me your brother again.”



And as he said this, he walked out of the room, walked out of Alex’s life forever. And all Alex could do was stand and stare at the brother who, he thought, loved him.



Maybe he was wrong.



                                  ----------------------------------------------------------



       

A couple of years later……



“Hey, James? Have you seen today’s newspaper?” asked his best friend, Leo.



“No. Why? Something interesting?” enquired James.



“Yeah, well, read this. I think you’ll like it,” replied Leo.



James picked up the paper and scanned the article Leo had pointed out.



“Whoa! These people have got some nerve, challenging officials like that. It says here, they prefer to remain anonymous. Well, I’m proud of them. At least somebody’s started to stand up for their rights,” he beamed and as he did, a picture of Alex’s impish face crossed his mind  but he shook his head to clear it.



No, Alex can’t do this kind of stuff, he thought.



“Yeah, you’re right. They’re doing it kinda like you do,” Leo smiled.



James seemed to be smiling too, but thinking about something long gone.





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“Hey,” the man whispered to the person standing in a shady corner. Like his position, his deals were also shady. The ,man with the mole on his cheek, called Elton, took money for false documents for illegal businesses.



“Yes, sir? How may I help you ?” Elton replied as he scanned his latest client from head to toe. He looked alright, except for those stormy grey eyes. They were unusually cal but still put Elton in an awkward position.



“I heard about your…..um….business. I need two passports, tomorrow. Do you think you can do it?” Alex enquired.



  “Yes, well, I’ll need photographs and details, please,” answered Elton.



“Certainly. Why don’t we have a seat …..oh…how about that secluded bench over there, near the trees?” Alex offered with a smile.



The twos men walked over to the bench sat down and Elton started to jot down whatever Alex told him.



When they were done, Alex stood up and held out his hand.



“Here’s half your money, as per your condition,” he said.



As Elton took the money, he felt a gun barrel on his neck.



“Freeze. Stay right where you are.. This is the police. You have been caught red-handed doing illegal documentation. You are under arrest,” came a loud voice, like a siren.



The money fell from his hands as he looked up, confused, to see Alex. What met his sight was mind-blowing. His client, called Alex, was not handcuffed like him. Instead, he stood there, with a devilish grin on his face. The eyes that he suspected earlier, gave him a clear message.



“Nice try, buddy. I’m no shady man. I’m Alex and with the police. Too bad you got caught today.”



The criminal was dragged away while Alex just stood there, gazing out at the beautiful sunset. It reminded him of a lost past, a life he had shared with someone special. A someone who could’ve been proud of him today, but there was no way to know.



Alex remembered how much James loved the blazing sunset and sighed. It was a deep sigh, but still it did not lighten his heart.





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                                “We Will, We Will Rock You!”



The loud speakers blared in the house as Alex busied about with preparing his dinner. He was in a good mood today. All had gone well. It had just rained and the weather was awesome.



He, with the help of his police friends, had captured three dacoits today. Really glad that he had done at least done something good, Alex whistled, when he heard a lock click.



“Probably the landlady,” he thought and poured himself a glass of milk.



Taking his food to the lounge, he plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. About halfway through dinner, his sixth sense told him something was amiss. Quietly, he slid out his revolver from underneath the couch  and tiptoed into the hallway.



“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the grey eyed superhero,” whispered a rough voice.



In the hall, stood three men, clothed in black, armed with knives and a gun.



“Who are you? What do you want from me? How did you get in here, by the way?” shot out Alex, trying to make sense, as the effect of adrenaline kicked in.



“Trusted your little landlady, didn’t you? Well, we kidnapped her husband this afternoon and threatened her into giving us a key to your house. And as far is what we want is concerned, we don’t want much, except for your life, Tennyson,” croaked the fat one.



“You sent five of our partners to jail and that is unforgivable. Usually, murderers give choices but we won’t. You have to die, Alexander Tennyson, tonight. Silenced forever,” leered their leader.



Though Alex, had performed many courageous deeds lately, somehow, the strength drained from his body. His knees were about to buckle, as the killers closed in, but with a sudden jolt, he remembered James. And the thought gave him strength. With all his might, he raised and pointed the gun at one of the men and fired, straight in the head.



For a moment, the other two got confused. They had been told that killing this man would be easy. He couldn’t even stand to protect himself, but it looked like, they had to put in more effort. One of their cronies was down and they had to kill this Tennyson, whatever the cost. He had become too dangerous.



As Alex, still recovering from the magnitude of his action, stood, petrified, he felt a jolt of pain slash through his arm. The fat one had sliced open his forearm and the blood flowed like a river gone red.



The pain further fuelled his rage and with his good hand, he punched him in the face. The killer staggered and dropped the knife. Like a lightning bolt, Alex picked it up and put it to the leader’s neck. The leader had still not recovered from his friend’s death and had his gun slack in his head. Mustering all his strength, Alex raised his injured hand and knocked the gun which skidded on the floor into the kitchen.



Now, it was just him, knife in hand; the leader and the fat one unarmed. He turned to the leader and his mind raced on. He couldn’t think of anything to do. Suddenly, the leader grabbed his arm, twisted it and Alex let go of the knife, howling with pain. Within a second, everything turned around and now Alex was the one with the knife to his neck. Meanwhile, the fat one had wobbled to get his gun.



Alex was cornered.



But he wasn’t just cornered. He was a cornered tiger now and thinking of what James would do in such a situation, he kicked one and punched the other. He bolted towards the door but they were too quick fro him.



He was helpless now.



“Lets’ just get over with this,” rasped the leader and pushed the tip of the knife to Alex’ s neck and beads of blood oozed out.



The fat one advanced and pointed the gun at him.



“ Say your prayers, pretty boy. Get ready to meet thy Lord.”



Not at all wanting to give up, Alex’s body tensed.



“James, I’m sorry. All your life  you taught me to be brave, but I never learned. I always wanted you to be proud of me. I hope you did when you read about us in the newspaper. I’m sorry for all I did and for all I never did.”



He didn’t think he was about to die but his heart welled up with emotion. One last time, he tried to escape and kicked the fat one in the stomach. The kick caused the murderer to pull the trigger and the bullet flew across the hall, sliced through the air and straight through Alex’s heart.



It is said that the brain does not die immediately and that certainly happened to Alex. In the last few seconds before he spiraled into that dark abyss from where no one came back, his last thoughts were about his brother. He imagined looking into those stormy grey eyes and saying.



“I hope I’ve done you proud, James. I was a little late, but I stood up for all that is good.”



A tear trickled down his cheek as Alexander Tennyson’s heart stopped beating and his soul soared to the skies. He had fallen sideways as his head drooped. On his face there was a smile, a grin more like, the grey eyes seemed to be gazing at a picture of James, with an identical impish grin, at sunset, on the wall.





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Far away, James was having breakfast.



“James, James! Read this! Now!” Leo burst into the room and shouted.



“ What is it? What’s wrong?” he questioned, concerned.



“Just, for, heaven’s sake, read it!” Leo said.



“OK, OK. Hold your horses,” James replied as he took the newspaper and started reading the article.



With each word, the color drained from his face.



“No, this can’t be,” he whispered hoarsely, eyes wide.



“Why do you look disturbed? I thought you hated him because  he wasn’t like you,” Leo mused.



“I never hated him. I loved him more than my own life. That’s why I wanted him to be able to defend himself and fight for his rights,” James thought.



The agony ripped through his body as he read about Alex’s murder and despite all the self-control, tears leaked from his eyes. Not wanting Leo to see, he quickly wiped the tears and said what he thought had happened.



“Yeah right, little brat must’ve gone and gotten himself killed. Stupid kid didn’t know how to stand up for himself.”



“Ahan, whatever you say,” said Leo, confused.



Little did James Tennyson know that his little brother had finally gained a backbone.