Intermission Adaeze & Ogun

We were sitting on one of the benches for the train, riding with the caravan. I was sitting with Esther, while a few steps away, Carter and Adaeze were chatting with an older couple.

"Young lady, you look positively happy. Are you expecting?" The old woman asked boldly.

Adaeze blushed. "Heavens no! I just never thought I would have someone propose to me. Ever."

Carter scratched his nose awkwardly. He looked to me for help, but I just looked away. I wasn't sure what he needed help with anyway.

"Besides, helping raise my brother doesn't make me feel rushed to have any kids of my own."

The old man scowled. "That brother being the punk out there? Maybe it's for the best you don't have any."

That earned him a punch from his wife. "Stop that you old fool!"

"He wasn't always like that. I think it's honestly my fault."

Back when they were kids they still lived in Nigeria. It was wonderful everyday with their friends and extended family. Their mother decided she wanted to become a nurse in America though, so their father picked everything up and moved them. They were still happy, but it wasn't the same. Their father became a police officer, and their mother started going to college.

Ogun started telling people that his father was a warrior of justice, and would pretend he would grow to be his successor. He would watch how he said things, eventually deciding that he needed to preserve as much of his Nigerian speech and accent as possible. Whenever a kid was being picked on in the neighborhood, he was there to fight the bullies off. If the old lady next door needed help, he came running.

One day when I was eighteen and he was eleven, our parents went out for a date night. I was home watching him, when a breaking news report flashed on my phone. It had been four hours since they had went out, and here I was looking at an accident coverage. A semi has crossed four lanes on the highway, obliterating three cars. Our parents were in the first.

I didn't know what to say to my brother. I didn't know what to do at all. Thirty minutes later there was a knock at the door. The police had come to let me know my parents were gone.

I called my uncle back in Nigeria, asking him what I should do.

"The best you can do is honor your parents."

It wasn't the most helpful words, but I took them to mean that I should care for my brother. I was planning to go to college, but I prioritized getting a job to take care of everything. I soon realized one job wasn't enough, so I got a second.

Ogun didn't take their loss well. He obsessively followed the entire case. The semi driver was charged, and then later the charges were dropped. Apparently his brakes weren't functioning properly. The lawyer who was suing on behalf of one of the other families took money from the driver's company and left the case. The family couldn't afford a new one so the case was thrown out. 

I should have talked to him about it, but I was too tired whenever I got home. I turned down men who were interested in me for his sake. Maybe another male role model would have helped him pull himself together.

When I learned he developed a friend group, I figured they would fill in for the things I was lacking. I assumed too much from people his age.

I realized my mistake when I read notes he had taken on a bunch of magic types and that they were going to do it all at once. I tried to speak reason to him, and thought he listened, until I noticed he was gone and not answering calls on the date he had marked.

I'm here now because of my failures.

When Adaeze was finished, I felt bad for hearing all of it. Ogun was my friend. A piece of my chosen family. I didn't do my part either in making sure he was ok.

The old man cleared his throat. "Young lady." His eyes had a serious, honest look to them. "You made your parents proud."

"Huh?" Adaeze was confused.

The old woman giggled. "What this old codger is trying to say is you did your absolute best with no experience. I don't know what some of what you just said means, but I can understand that you were put in a very tough spot. When you play cards, if you have a bad hand and you still don't absolutely throw the game, that is quite respectable." There was a glimmer in her eyes too. "You said you failed?"

Adaeze nodded.

"Wrong!" The power in her voice startled everyone, even her husband. "You had experiences. You have to remember your brother is a person too. They make decisions. And you can't control which ones those are. All you can do is wait for him to come back to the straight and narrow, offering him a hand every so often so he knows he's welcome back."

Adaeze began to cry, and Carter brought her in close.

Maybe I hadn't extended my hand enough. Maybe none of us have. We were too busy not trying to upset him, that we didn't pay attention to him enough.

Next time I got the chance, I was going to extend my hand as far as I could.