Bonds that Never Cease to Exist

On the day of September 12, 1994 when Rico, Randy’s brother, went missing without any trace. Their whole family was devastated when they learned that Rico went lost. They searched him everywhere but they didn’t found him. Their mother and father didn’t miss a day to find him but then again they failed. They asked every possible person who can take him in but still they didn’t get any clue where to find him.

Randy who knew why his brother fled didn’t utter any words in their parents. Randy can’t blame Rico for his decisions because their parents were not treating them as human. They treated them like an animal who works from early in the morning until evening. As a child, it was normal to make a mistake but for their parents it was not. Every mistake they made was equivalent to one hundred lashes.  

It was awfully hurt but they did ignore it. Their father was always drunk after work and a total womanizer and their mother was kept ranting about it resulting to a day to day fight. As a child, crying was the only thing they can do. When they started to attend school their father was against it. It was another reason for their parents to fight every day. Their father wanted them to worked and forget about school. But both Randy and Rico wanted to learn so their mother fights it with their father. They attended school but they’ve always absent because of their works given by their father. They didn’t played much and attended school because of their parents.

It was two decades since Randy’s brother went missing and up until now they can’t find him. Randy got married and has a daughter now but he can’t find a total happiness because of his missing brother. Their parents separated ten years ago, his mother can’t live with his father because of its bad deeds. 

It was a Sunday afternoon when his mother visited Randy’s house.

“Randy, my son, how are you?” she hugged him. “By the way, I visited your brother’s house and his family. I brought them some groceries also.”

Randy’s forehead creased upon hearing his mother words. “Mom, how many times do I have to tell you that he is not your son?” He exasperatedly sighed.

He knew that his mother will get raged again after hearing his remarks.

“He’s your brother Randy! I found him all by myself. I’m your mother and I know Rico very well so stop saying nonsense things about your brother!” she angrily said and walked out from his house.

He looked at her mother’s back walking away from him. He can’t blame her mother to acknowledged a total stranger as a son. His mother was devastated and the same time guilty about his missing brother. After five years of finding Rico, his mother was bumped into some stranger and mistaken him as her son. She brought it home and presented it to him as Rico but he refused. Her mother got angered and brought the stranger into her house.

She gave everything from clothes, to foods, money and everything she can gave. He got furious because the stranger used her mother but her mother ignored him. He filed a case against the stranger but her mother protected his fake brother.

He closed his eyes. Even though it was twenty years that passed he can’t forget his brother's faced. He tried to find him but the clues he got was misleading him so he stop and wait for the right time.

“I know, one day you will show up to us.” He said to himself.

Out of nowhere his daughter popped out. “Dad I already posted his picture in my account so that my friends can help me to find uncle.”

“Thank you Mae.” He said her thanks.

Her daughter nodded and looked around. “Granny’s here, right?”

“Yes but we ended up fighting.”

“I can’t blame you Dad and also Granny. But I honestly hope that one day, Granny will realized that she’s being used by that fake son of hers. I don’t like him and his whole family acting like mighty.” Mae rolled her eyes.

Randy can’t help but to laugh at her daughter’s statement.

It was Monday afternoon when Randy was awoken from his afternoon sleep because of the consecutive doorbells. He was half-asleep when he opened his gate. 

“What do you need?” he asked.

“Brother.”

Randy totally awakened and stared at awe in the person standing in his gate. He can’t utter any words to say.

“Brother do you remember me? It’s me Rico.” The person was smiling widely at Randy.

“Rico?” he unbelievingly asked.

Rico nodded. 

Randy hugged him. The two brothers cried in happiness.

“It’s really you, my brother Rico.” Randy said again. “By the way, let’s get inside first before we talked.”

They both entered the house with a wide smile. Rico welcomed by Randy’s wife and daughter. They sat comfortably facing each other.

“Rico this is my wife Yna and my daughter Mae.” Rico introduced his family.

“I already knew them.”

Randy faced his wife and daughter with a confused look.

“Randy, I and Mae already knew Rico. When he message Mae saying that he was Rico, I was afraid he was a fake but when we met him last week we confirmed that he was your long lost brother. I’m sorry if we kept it from you. We wanted you to be surprise. As a matter of fact, we hired an investigator to prove that he was not a fake and he brought also some evidences to prove himself. Mae also said that she can feel it, that he is her uncle.” His wife explained.

Randy smiled at his wife. “It’s okay and thank you very much for helping me in finding my brother. Thank you my daughter.”

Yna nodded and his daughter smiled at them. The two left them so they can talk. Silence filled the room. 

“How are you Randy?” Rico was the one to ask first breaking the silence.

“I’m fine and I have a family now. How about you Rico, how are you? It’s been twenty years since you left. I tried to find you but all the clues I gathered were all wrong.” Randy can’t help himself but to cry. “Did you know that I was very worried? Father and mother were very worried about you. They searched you everywhere.”

“I know.” He plainly said.

“You knew? But how?” Randy asked in confusion. 

“I didn’t run away immediately. I followed our parents in searching for me. I did think twice at that time but I know even though they will find me, they will never change. My disappearance was never a key to change our parents’ attitudes towards each other. I’d run away because I can’t stand to see them fighting endlessly. I know I’d been a coward for running away but my young age says it’s a right thing to do. It took me twenty years to have courage to face you again. I didn’t expect for a warm welcome from you either.” Rico cried.

“Idiot. I love you and I’d been always worried about your situation. But where are you these last twenty years?”

Rico told her brother’s whereabouts these past twenty years. He became an orphan after leaving their house. He became a street child experiencing all the sufferings in life but God never left him behind. A couple found him sleeping in the corner of the street. He took them in. The couple who took care of him has no child so they decided to adopt him and became their legal child.

Rico experienced the family he wanted all along. He’s happy at the same time lonely. There’s no day that he didn’t thought of his original family but he shake it away. He became a successful doctor with the help of his foster parents. He will not reach it if he stayed at their house. It’s one of the reasons why he left.

After Rico told his story to his brother he hugged him tightly.

“It’s okay. You’re here now. You’re finally came back home.”

The brothers once again hugged each other. After that they went to their parents’ respective houses. Their mother can’t accept Rico because she only thinks about his found son. Randy and Rico didn’t force her so they moved to their father’s house only to witness their father’s woman sitting on their father’s laps.

Randy and Rico shook their heads dismissing all the negative feelings and ideas. Their parents need to fixed their lives and that’s what they planned to do. The brother who seeks his lost brother was now contented and happy. His lost brother was came back home now.

END