Tea Time With Dom

A brother's loyalty is eternal

I sipped my tea and waited for Dominick to die.

Earl Grey is such a soothing blend, he used to say. I never could agree; ginseng green has always been best for me. So I fed my soul with ginseng as Dom's soul prepared for the hereafter.

The monitors blinked more slowly, whirs and clicks stopped. After about twenty minutes, the nurse appeared in the doorway: "He's gone. I'm sorry for your loss."

I stood and leaned over him, kissed him on the forehead and took his hand briefly. "Go easy, little brother. Tell Mom and Dad I'll be along directly. I just need to pay a visit Mr. Lansing first."

I'm getting too old for this, I thought. Mom and Dad, together. It wasn't even a drunk driver, just a cop looking down at his fancy-dancy little onboard laptop. ("No sir, I'm afraid 'distracted driving' doesn't apply in this case; our officers are trained for this.") Then Jerry, my older brother. He had always been Dad's favorite, and when Dad went he took Jerry's heart with him. Ten weeks later, Jerry was found hanging in the in his living room closet. There was no note. None was needed; we knew why.

Now Dominic. But there was something that could have been done for Dom.

I took the worn and wrinkled picture out of my pocket. Three people peered at me from a faded Polaroid. Two of the three faces had been scratched out: Mrs. Hagget and Huey M. The only face left made my blood boil and run cold at the same time. Mr. Lansing.

Pretty soon one of us would be joining Dom.

"Rest in peace, little brother; the rest will be in pieces." With that, I finished my tea and left the room.

Ginseng really is calming.

NOTES: ▼

Word Count: 300
Submitted for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" 
Prompt: Use the phrase "I'm too old for this"