Over the last ten years John and Tommy had mostly drifted apart, with periods of high contact which always started with promises to stay in touch but somehow they always ended up drifting apart.
After the positive court adjournment John told Tommy that he intended to stay a few weeks and work from out in California to spend some time with him.
They headed to the Neptune Restaurant, a restaurant they had frequented on his trips to visit Tommy. Although John wanted to try something different to kind of get on better footing or position a more positive future, but there was no time to research that and he did not know how Tommy felt about a change.
They said their goodbyes to the attorney and to Alex Hart, thanking him for his excellent work. They had invited Alex to join them but Alex declined sensing some hidden tension between them and leaving them to be alone to work things out.
John had been thinking about all the fire drills that involved Tommy in some way, going back to when they were kids – Tommy was being chased by the cops for stealing candy bars. Boy were Mom and Dad upset with him and grounded him – as if he could be grounded!!! It was a childish prank really and not much was done in the way of remediation. Not even a trip to the store to pay back and apologize. That was the beginning of his living on the edge, in John’s view.
John knew his standard career advancement and quick rise to the CFO of a major bank had been a culmination of great achievements, he had a wonderful wife and two kids, a son and daughter ages 10 and 12. But now what was next, somehow he had lost his sense of adventure and was not seeing anything exciting now or in the future. Tommy seemed so care free and had aged much less than John had now that they were in their early 40’s.
When this latest crisis came up and this one was a doozy, John sat down with Abigail as they did for a long time trying to sort out the disenchantment he felt and loss of adventure. Abigail encouraged John to visit his brother soon after this real crisis was over as it threatens to put your brother in jail. Abigail said maybe it is time for both of you to put the past behind and move forward and maybe even get Tommy to move here to get close to his nephew and niece. Seeing him once every other year is not good and for Tommy or our kids. Abigail continued – maybe he could be part of opening an East Coast branch for Pepperdine or get a positon at another university.
John began to think of the first major crisis which was when Dad was badly injured when a small plan he was in crashed on take-off. He became wheelchair bound after numerous surgeries. Tommy was close to their Dad and John was close to their Mom. Mom did not handle the sudden change as well as Dad did. She had an affair with Sam who lived behind the Applebee’s home. It ended almost as quickly as it started when Sam and his wife moved away to Canada a few weeks into it. Sally confessed to Hechter and begged for forgiveness. Tommy felt that Sally should move out and let the men stay together and helping their Dad.
When John and Tommy were kids Hechter worked for the CIA and had frequently travelled to the South American countries to track down drug trafficking. He had been heading for one of those assignments when the two seater he was traveling to Venezuela crashed on take-off injuring the pilot slightly but injuring Hector very severely.
This led to more tension as John felt sorry for their Mom and felt they should stay together as a family.
Sally and Hechter went to therapy and Sally accepted Hechter’s disability and came to embrace it. It was a long and difficult process but Sally and Hechter got a spark back in their relationship after about a year in therapy. John saw that as victory while Tommy felt it was a failure.
So the twins were never tied together at the hip as they say.
Tommy went more on the wild side being carried home drunk or with a young girl at his side. John towed the straight and narrow and kept to the books and never drank at a party.
How could two twins that grew up together be so different?
John told Abigail that if you took the good parts of each of us you would have an outstanding citizen and person. Abigail laughed at him and she said that we are all different and each of us is a package and with a mix of the good and bad, the friendly and shy, the rich and poor. She also said life is precious and we have only the family we have and there is nothing like that bond.
John agreed and said that he could work from California for a few weeks and maybe set things on better footing for the future, there is nothing I would want more than to have him be part of our family. Abigail said then why don’t you just tell him that?
John was nervous as they went into the restaurant. They ordered their typical drinks, John a scotch on the rocks and Tommy a Banana Daquiri. John went right into it, John said I have been floundering for quite a while, I feel I have lost my sense of adventure, I do the same thing every day. Tommy rolled his eyes and then said I am sorry John, you have been my role model for so many years, you have attained great things and have a wonderful family. I have nothing, just a few friends. Floundering, that is what I have been doing my whole lifetime.
John started to cry… Tommy looked in wonderment. Why are you crying?
I have been talking to Abigail for over two years about my disenchantments, I want to be more freewheeling like you. Tommy started to laugh and that got John laughing too….
John said – This is wild we have drifted so far apart and we have come full circle that we are happy and unhappy at the same time. Tommy said that he has seen many students over the last 12 or 13 years and has learned that true happiness comes from accepting where you are today. John thought and thought, you know that sounds like a good start.
But what about adventure what can I do to get that spark back like when we were kids surfing without a care in the world.
Tommy said he had started riding a bike about 10 years ago and had also started running off and on. How about we set up a little competition you on the east coast and me on the west coast who can finish a 5K race faster or with a better pace?
John said that is funny about 5 years ago I started riding a bike and just last year I ran a mile and half around the neighborhood.. I never thought of that as an adventure.
Tommy said well the west coast will do that to you, everything is an adventure out here or at least to me. Tommy said it is kind of a mind-set.
John then asked Tommy what he thought about relocating to the east coast to be closer to John and his family…. Tommy’s eyes brightened up and said he is not sure how but he had been thinking of that off and on. Tommy said I have to settle this payment plan for the pension loan I took, hopefully the money I had to give to get on probation will come back soon.
John said he could loan him money if it was needed.
Tommy said he does not need much and with his savings and pension fund he had enough to even take an adjunct at a university back there.
John said “I feel so much better to even think of the possibility of you being close to us. Let’s not get bogged down in the details we need to get ourselves onto solid ground.” Tommy nodded and said let’s see about dessert”