SEE YOU AGAIN

SEE YOU AGAIN

The end-of-year winds were blowing with so much gusto it made the trees begin to dance to the rhythm of the breeze. It didn't seem like a pleasant tune, for the dancing trees began to arch their backs, almost as if they would soon break.

The previous night, Ret had told Ban there was something they should discuss. Ret, although of a normal height compared with other young girls of her age, she was missing a few inches, and that made Ban, her brother, make fun of her daily. He was only of average height, but he was tall enough to make fun of several people.

Ret had a glowing skin that would make anyone crave just the right levels of melanin in her cells. She had the smile of the sun that was only beginning to rise. After their routine morning jog, Ban held her hand and took her to catch their breaths under one of the palm trees that lined the beautiful compound. He had them sit on the bench overlooking the flowery-yellow sun that was beginning to poke its head over the horizon.

"How was the run today?" He asked with a smirk on his face. He had made her run farther and faster than they used to. It seemed he took some pleasure in pushing her to do more than she was comfortable doing.

She turned and looked at him, then said, "You are crazy, but you are my brother."

They spent a few moments looking at each other. They were all they had. They had been there for themselves when nobody was. They had grown with only their mom, and now she was no more, so Ban had taken his little sister under his wings. He was her brother and her father.

"What is it you wanted us to talk about?" Ban started after a long moment of silence.

"Ah," Ret said. Her lips broke into the sweet smile that washed away every sadness that clouded his mind.

"You know how you've been pushing me to do better and to break all the boundaries I can break?" The little angel asked.

"Of course, I do," Ban replied.

"Well, guess what," her voice was beginning to grow thinner, her mood was beginning to elevate, and Ban knew this news was so good he couldn't wait any longer. There was no time to take a guess.

"What? Tell me," he said, trying to force a smile.

She knew how easy it was for her brother to lose his patience, especially when she started this guessing game, and she enjoyed torturing him this way. It was one of her ways of having some form of control, not least because he let her do most of the house chores, and this is payback. If he would not clean and cook often, she would get her revenge in other ways.

"I got admitted into a school abroad," Ret announced, her voice at the highest pitch her brother had ever heard. She was glowing, and she was gleeful, and as the sun radiated on her face, it was the most beautiful sight her brother had ever beheld.

He sent his arms around her before he could even finish thinking of the words to say. Sometimes words would never be enough to say a thing, the emotions were saying it all. He held on to her for some seconds, then he pulled out of the hug, his eyes already watering.

"Congratulations, sis" he beamed.

"Thank you, brother," she cooed.

He was thrilled, and she was exhilarated.

"I always knew you were destined for greater things."

"I know that. And I am glad you believed in me, and I am grateful you have pushed me. I love you, brother."

"I love you too, sister."

"Race you to the house," Ret said, already on her feet.

Ban sat in the booth they meet every Thursday. He, Ban, and Morgan would come to the Lazy Lad Bar and spend away the evening catching up on all the activities that took place within the week. Ban was alone today. It was Tuesday evening.

Ban was already nursing a bottle before he ordered for some grilled beef which the waitress held as delicately as the curves that graced her body. She walked from side to side, turning all the male heads in the softly-lit room.

"Hey, Sally," Ban said when the waitress arrived at his table.

"Hey yourself there," Sally said in a flat tone. Ban had been trying to hit on her for as long as she could remember.

"What happened to your cute friend?" Sally asked with a wink. She knew how much it would irritate him when she called any of his friends - except him - cute.

"He's as fine as you left him the last time," he said in a nonchalant tone.

Sally had always enjoyed making him squirm, but there was something about him today that seemed odd. It wasn't normal for Ban to be this dull. He seemed unfazed as to whether she smiled at him or not.

She patted him softly on the shoulders and went about her business. She would come back and ask when her shift was over.

The Language School was located on the outskirts of the city. It was an ultra-modern structure that towered over the other apartments that surrounded it. She had traveled halfway across the world from home, and she was feeling depressed. She needed to see her brother and listen to his stupid jokes. She would repel them when they were together, some would make her laugh helplessly, and some were just plain stupid, but that's what made her miss him more.

He always had some joke to tell, or some stupid rhyme to disturb her hearing faculties with, and although he believed he had a career in music, the only music she thought would be fit for him was simply noise, if that was a genre. His voice was groggy, and his rhymes were, well, trash- for lack of a better word.

After three days and thousands of phone calls since Ret had gone to study Foreign Languages, they never missed a day without talking to each other. The first day the big brother called, he was at the Lazy Lad Bar, sitting silently, thinking of all the memories they had shared with his little sister. He missed her more with every passing second.

Late that Tuesday evening, he called, and she picked on the first ring.

"At the bar again?" Ret asked gleefully.

"Yes. I was just thinking about you."

"Good for you. I was doing the same." Ret said

They kept going for several hours, exchanging doses of laughing, sobbing, encouragements, and rap challenges.

"How are your friends?" Ret enquired.

"They're both doing well."

They both knew he had only two people he trusted enough to bestow upon the title friend.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at the park. I took a walk to clear my head a little.

"Oh. Okay, brother. I am also not in the apartment."

 "Hey, you know what," Ban began saying.

"God! It's not one of those your stupid ideas, I hope."

"No, listen to me."

"Okay…" Ret was a skeptic. She knew how her brother always managed to find ways to surprise her, albeit unpleasantly sometimes.

"Let's do this, you know, like the way I do with my friends."

"You mean you will come over here so that we eat meat every week?" She was smiling.

"No, you sick child," Ban retorted. "Let's do this every week."

"Hello… we do this every day." Ban's voice was growing with the childish enthusiasm he always had when he was either inspired by a truly brilliant idea or a rather stupid one.

"Besides our daily calls, I want you to go to this same place, and I'll go to the park, same time, and then we talk. How does that sound?"

"That's brilliant, brother." She matched his enthusiasm. At least this idea would make it to the top of his 'brilliant ideas' list.

Two years down the line, they maintained that ritual, and it became their family time. They would talk about new things every week even though they spoke daily on the phone. It was a terrific bonding experience.

Ret was waiting for Tuesday. She was excited and couldn't wait to tell her brother the good news.

But he didn't call today.

She kept trying her brother's line, but it kept going to voicemail.

She thought he must have forgotten, or he got busy, but she knew something was wrong.

It was two hours past the time they were supposed to speak. She was standing over by the lake, ready to return to the hotel the scholarship covered, the evening breeze throwing the dark hair into her face, and every other direction.

She dialed Jonah's number, and it connected.

She had only a year left, and then she would return and see her brother. She couldn't wait.

Jonah picked after the third ring. He seemed hesitant to pick up the phone.

When he broke the news to her, her legs gave way from under her. She sat down with a thud, and her head was spinning faster than she could handle. She closed her eyes. It was dark.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that the moon was smiling down on her. Smirking at the news she had just received, gently mocking her plight.

The moon reflected off the water and radiated back into space. She was lost. She was confused. She began to cry.