Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Neeky

I don't know who called my brother, whether it was Miss Karen or Papa Robert. But whoever did was going to get a piece of my mind. I wanted Ryan to stay as far away from Neo as possible. I knew he was still grieving his brother and my brother didn"t have anything to do with his death, but Neo didn"t like my brother at all.

It was a few weeks after I returned from the hospital that he showed up out of the blue. He knew the locations of Papa Robert's houses and according to him this was his first stop. What upset me more was that he arrived with a man.

"Hey sis, I hear that yuh sick. You feel better?"

"You shouldn"t have come, Ryan."

"Why? Yuh no miss me?"

"Come mek we talk inside,"

Ryan and his male friend followed me into the house where it became so uncomfortable. Neo and Papa Robert had gone to the store to get groceries while Karen went to the local butcher. They could arrive home any minute and I wanted Ryan gone by then, but he was with a guest. I couldn't tell him to leave just so. Karen and Papa were neutral in this situation, but it was Neo I was afraid of.

"Sis, you look like you don"t want me here," he remarked.

"Ryan, I wish you never come home yet."

He seemed disappointed by my words. "Miss Karen called me. Yuh sick so I had to come. Yuh is my only family."

"Ryan, I know I'm yuh only sister, but you have cousins in the country."

"Those cousins don't mean a thing to me, Sis. It is you who I love. Yuh my only sister, the one that was there for me when our parents died."

The SUV pulled up into the yard and I began to panic. I didn't want an argument between my brother and the man I loved, and I didn't know how I would diffuse the situation should it arise. I was still grieving the loss of a child and I didn't want to have to deal with this petty matter. I knew people thought I was acting, that I couldn't miss my baby because the pregnancy wasn't old enough. They didn't understand. I didn't understand it. All I knew was that my heart ached each time I thought about it. I felt empty.

"Who dat?" My brother peeked through the window and inquired. "Is which white man dat?"

I didn't say anything as we waited for Papa and Neo to come inside. They brought tons of groceries. The showoff that Neo was, made me chuckle. He'd been spoiling me since the day I arrived from the hospital, and I was loving every minute of it. But today might be the day that he decides to go home to leave me because of Ryan.

Neo came through the door, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Ryan. Ryan looked confused as he stared into the eyes of the white man, as he called him. Neo said nothing, carrying the groceries to the kitchen where he set the bags on top of the counter.

My heart thudded heavily, my ears rang, as my nerves threatened to throw me to the floor. Neo returned to the living room and walked right up to my brother.

"So you are the slut who broke my brother"s heart." That was said with much venom.

"Huh?" Ryan uttered before realization dawned on him. "Neo?"

Reeling back a few steps, the back of his legs hit the coffee table. His friend who had taken a seat in an armchair watched with some amount of fascination. The drama unfolding before him must be out of Hallmark.

"Darn right, I am. How could you break my brother"s heart? Who the hell are you to dump a DeLuca?"

"I … I … I," my brother stuttered.

"Do you know who the DeLucas are? We are the kings of Italy. We don't only command Italy but commission many cities around the world. Put aside his family name, how could you have deluded a doctor? Answer me now!"

Tears pooled in Ryan's eyes as his partner watched him with some amount of dissatisfaction. Ryan tumbled to the sofa and held his face in the palms of his hands while bawling is heart out.

I took a hold of Neo's arm and tried to pull him away. "Babes, don"t do this please. He's the only family I have in the city."

"You have my uncle, you have the Kings, and you have Miss Karen."

"Neo, he"s my brother just as Nino was your brother. I don"t love him any less than you loved Nino."

A sigh left his lips, his shoulders sagging. "I had to get it off my chest. I couldn't bear the thought of my brother dying alone out there. I couldn't bear the thought of my brother dying with a heartbreak."

"I'm sorry," Ryan cried, his words coming through bursts of tears. "I loved your brother, I truly did. I just didn't deserve him. I wanted him to have better than me."

"He didn't want better than you, Ryan. He wanted you, just as I want your sister. When it comes to love, there is no better or worse person."

"What?" he asked through hiccups, trying to stop his tears.

"Yes, I love your sister just that she loves me. My brother loved you and you said you loved him too. What more did you want?"

The man who had been watching silently stood and walked out. Ryan went after him and there was an argument in the yard. They squabbled for about ten minutes before Ryan returned, his countenance dejected.

"He's gone. I shouldn't have brought him here," he mumbled.

"No, you shouldn't," Neo voiced.

"I didn't know you would be here Neo."

"It doesn't matter, but you bringing home a man to your sister, a man you are not serious about, is inconsiderate."

"I was hoping we could get serious."

"Do you love him?" Neo demanded, his tone like a father. Ryan looked away, fidgeting with his feet. "Do you?"

He kept his head down, answering in a quiet manner. "No I don't love him."

"So you're just using him for money … to get ahead?"

Ryan did not reply. I could see the embarrassment that swept over him. I stepped between them and tried to diffuse the situation. "Stop now. Stop arguing now please."

Neo stepped away and walked through the door. I took Ryan's hand and sat on the sofa. His hands were shaking, and the crying started again.

"I'm sorry Sis. I didn't mean to hurt Nino. I just thought that maybe he could do better than me."

"I love you Ryan, but Neo is hurting. He lost his only brother suddenly, who was murdered in the streets of Italy after leaving Jamaica, because he was hurt by you. And you are partially responsible for that. But you are my brother, and I will always protect you. Nevertheless, I love Neo and I do not want to lose him. So, you and Neo better work out your differences or I'm leaving Jamaica, and no one will be able to find me."

"What the fuck are you talking about, woman?" Neo's voice thundered. He'd never raised his voice to me before. I jumped. "What did you say."

"I …," my mind went blank, so I said the first thing that popped in. "Nothing. Just go make me something to eat."

"You better watch that mouth of yours and stop talking nonsense." Neo pointed a finger at me before heading to the kitchen.

I nudged Ryan. "Go help Neo."

"I don"t need his help," I heard from the kitchen.

"Yes, you do." I prodded my brother. "Go on, help him make me a sandwich."

There was no argument coming from the kitchen, and for that I was thankful. I didn't want to have to threaten them for them to behave. But that was the only thing that I could think of saying at that moment. I knew neither of them could bear it if I left and I was keeping that option open for now.

The tension in the house was palpable, and it was making me uncomfortable. To make the situation better, I called a family meeting with Papa Robert, Karen, Neo, and Ryan. I told them that I was not fully recovered, and I needed a happy environment. Neo and Ryan were not making that possible for me.

The look on both their faces told me that they felt guilty about what transpired. I made the both of them promise in front of Papa and Karen to work out their differences, to get to know each other and maybe, they would like each other just a little bit.

I knew that was a long shot, but it was the only thing I had, except for threatening them to leave. If this didn't work, I would pack my bags and run away somewhere until they worked out.

As the days went by, I could see them struggle to get along. I did nothing to help them along as this was their battle. Uncle took it upon himself to invite both of them out for a boy"s day. That gave me the house to myself where I could relax and enjoy some reading.

When they came back, I could see some changes in their demeanor. Uncle was smiling from ear to ear, my brother, and the man I loved were silent but not tense.

Over the next few weeks while Ryan was there, they worked hard to get along, even going out together alone. By the time Ryan was to return to Montego Bay where he resided, he and Neo's relationship got better. They were not yet the brothers that I wanted them to be, but they shook hands and smiled at each other when Ryan departed. That was much better than I expected. I relaxed now that I had my brother and my man getting along. I couldn't ask for more.