Journey of Two
TS Forquer

PRELUDE: THE BEGINNING

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness. Filling your guts with food and laughter surrounded by your families and loved ones. Not for me. It's been almost two months since that fateful Christmas Eve, the day that changed my life forever. That's the day I received a knock at the door. On the other side, two Illinois State Troopers gave me the news that my parents and younger sister wouldn't be making it for the holidays. My drink fell from my hands and shattered on the frame of the door as I grabbed the wall for support, tears streaming from my face. I spent the rest of that weekend knee deep in a bottle of Pinot Noir, actually meant to be popped over Christmas Dinner when my little sister Julia announced her acceptance into Yale next Spring. My parents didn't know yet, I was the only person she told. She couldn't wait to tell everyone.

I'm pretty sure my phone rang over one-hundred times that weekend. It probably would have been more if I had put my phone on the charger, but I liked the silence at that point. It gave me a sense of comfort in my time of grief and loneliness.

Their presents are still gathered in the corner. I haven't found the courage to move them, or even open mine. I moped around in my pajamas for the rest of my Christmas Break... or at least I tried to. My friend Brian Hodges came pounding on the front door of my apartment a little after three in the afternoon. I was attempting to do the dishes, staring blankly out the dirt-spotted window that overlooked my second-story balcony. I cautiously walked to the door, moving my hands slowly toward the lock I laid my forehead on the back of the light brown metal door and took a deep breath before opening it.

"You scared me half to death Brian." I said, turning around to make my short stroll back to the kitchen.

"Nobody has seen you for days Tab. I was starting to worry about you. Hell, everyone is. I'm just glad to see you're okay."

His words soothed me. They always have. Ever since we were kids in middle school, Brian has always said things to show somebody cares. I turned around in front of the sink, placing my palms on the edge of the counter and looked up to see him, wrapped in a cream colored sweater and earth-toned scarf that seemed to compliment his chiseled biceps. He flipped his hair with his hand and continued,

"I'm so sorry for what happened. I wish I could do something to take away all the pain and make you smile, if only for a moment."

That smile of his always had a way of warming me up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an official envelope.

"I almost forgot!" He said with an anxious grin.

Grabbing the small white letter, I saw the stamp in the corner,

"McHowell's & Jefferies: Attorney's at Law"

Just like that, my stomach dropped again. Brian placed his hands on both my hips and pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. It felt like I had my head in his chest for hours before I handed it to Brian and made him open it.

"You've always been too shy to do things yourself Tab," he joked.

"Shut up and open it!" I laughed, slapping his shoulder and wiping the final tear from my eye.

He opened it, studying the paper for a few moments, letting out subtle facial expressions and gasps every few seconds. The look on his face as he flipped to the next page made my heart race.

"WHAT IS IT?" I shouted, trying not to snatch the letter.

"You should read this yourself Tabitha."

He handed me the paper, took a step back, and placed his hands in a prayer formation over his mouth as he waited for me to read.

It was documents mostly concerning the death of my family. The life insurance of both my parents and their Wills. But what shocked me, what made me read the same line six times, what made me stare Brian so blankly in the face, was a line that changed my life forever:

"In

the death of Julia Marie Starnes, daughter of Steven and Heather Starnes, the estate of Steven Walter Starnes shall be inherited to the person Michael James Clawford, son of Steven W. Starnes... All financial earnings left by the deceased Steven W. and Heather

L. Starnes shall be inherited to the person Tabitha Nicole Starnes as the Financial Executor..."

It was all gibberish to me. Brian has studied law most of his life so he was able to dumb it down for me. He pulled a chair away from my dining room table and placed it at my heels,

"Take a seat," he said.

He continued to tell me that I had a brother, or half-brother maybe, that was inheriting the estate left by my father. My heart stopped for what felt like minutes as I stared at the kitchen floor, taking in the news I just received. Then, all I could do was smile,

"I'M NOT ALONE! I'M NOT ALONE!" I shouted, grabbing Brian by his shoulders and jumping around in a spree of happiness. From the moment I was given the news of my family, I was crushed by the overwhelming sense of loneliness that loomed in my future. Now, I have someone I can confide in, and get to know and share my life with a piece of my father.

My mind started racing about what my new brother Michael may look like, if he resembled my dad at all, or what his laugh sounded like. I grabbed the papers from the countertop, headed back to my room, and placed my phone on the charger so I could do a little research.

---

CHAPTER

ONE: FINDING HOPE

The smile on Tabitha's face as she awoke, slowly shaped itself into a look of slight disgust as she realized her father had kept this secret from her for so long. How could he hide another child from the family? Her mind wandered, wanting to find out if her mother knew anything of her brother Michael. Tabitha placed her feet on the floor, stretching her arms above her head, she yawned. Her perfectly toned bronze skin, shimmering amber colored hair, and pearly white smile instantly made her the attraction of any room she entered. As she stood and made her way to the bathroom, she noticed a foot hanging from her couch. Brian stayed the night. She smiled and walked into the bathroom to start her morning.

Brian woke up an hour later to the smell of bacon and eggs drifting through the apartment. He rose to his feet and yawned in between the words, "Good morning Tab. How are you feeling?" grabbing a small piece of bacon from the plate on the counter.

"I'm alright. I mean I'm happy I have a brother out there, somewhere, that I can get to know and share things with. I'm just a little upset, okay a lot upset, that my father kept this secret for so long."

Flipping a pancake over, she continued,

"How old is Michael now? What do I even say when, and if, I meet him?"

Brian placed his arms around Tabitha, sneaking another piece of bacon from the plate. "I'm sure you two will hit it off, and get to know each other as if you've never spent a day apart."

Those words made Tabitha smile again. Brian always made her happy when she needed it most. She gave Brian a hug and turned around to flip the last pancake.

"Annnnnd, breakfast is served sir." she said with a laugh. Tabitha grabbed her laptop and a plate of food, sat down at the dining room table and started searching for her brother on social media.

An hour passed. Her plate was empty, but she kept running her finger through the stream of syrup while she typed his name for the thirtieth time.

"Here is a Michael J. Clawford in Texas. Says here that he is twenty-seven years old. That would make him four years older than me," her focus shifted to his profile picture. "He's handsome! He does look a little like my dad too. Brian! I think this is my brother!" His profile picture was him wearing a cowboy hat, torn-up blue jeans, and had a rope hanging over his shoulder with a beer in his other hand.

Tabitha got so excited, she bumped the table and her plate shattered on the hardwood floor. Brian immediately grabbed the broom and cleaned up the mess while she moved her studies into the living room.

"About

Michael J. Clawford:

Born

in: Marfa, Texas

Lives

in: Archer City, Texas

Born:

March 17th, 1991

Works

at: Lone Star Ranch and Bar"

Tabitha immediately searched for "Lone Star Ranch and Bar, Archer City, Texas" to get an address and see how far away she was from changing her life forever.

"Thirteen hours and twenty-seven minutes from Rockford, Illinois to Archer City, Texas," she mumbled aloud. "That's not too bad actually. I mean, if we fly anyway."

"We?" Brian choked on the last slice of bacon. "You want me to come to Texas with you?"

"Of course!" Tabitha said. "I can't do this alone. He could be some major creep and I need you there with me in case anyone tries anything."

Brian nodded his head in agreement. "So when do we leave?"

Tabitha shot up off the couch, "Really?! You'll come with me? Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Brian! You're the best!" She kissed him on the cheek and skipped to her bedroom to start packing.

Brian grabbed her laptop and started searching for flights to Texas.

CHAPTER

TWO: THIS TOWN

"This is my first time flying. I'm not scared. Mommy says it's just like riding in a car, but with a lot more people." said a little boy sitting across the aisle from Tabitha and Brian.

The plane took off a few minutes later.

"Four hours until we land! I'm so excited. Are we there yet?" Tabitha was smiling from ear to ear almost the entire way there.

Brian's anxiety was on the edge of crippling. He tried not to let it show, to be there for his best friend, but planes have always scared him, ever since the uncle that helped raise him died in the attacks in New York City. Tabitha grabbed his hand to help calm him. He shot a quick, meaningful smile in her direction before continuing his internal battle. The stewardess brought over a bottle of water and small bag of cashews to try and appease his anxiety, to show him that everything was okay.

It wasn't until an hour into the flight that Brian was able to calm down and enjoy the remainder of the trip. As long as Tabitha kept the window closed, Brian was comfortable for the rest of the flight.

---

They landed a little after lunch time. The warm Texas weather was a big change from the freezing conditions back home. The two of them grabbed an Uber, and rode it to the bar. Tabitha was extremely nervous the entire way, rubbing the palms of her hands against her faded blue jeans.

As they approached the bar, Tabitha started second guessing her decision. She sat in the car for twenty more minutes before Brian convinced her to get out.

"Come on Tab, we've made it this far. It's literally RIGHT there. Let's just walk inside like normal customers, order some food and drinks and see what happens."

They walked in, Brian was guiding her inside, a bit of a reassurance so she couldn't change her mind again.

"Just two?" asked the short, bubbly hostess just inside.

"Yes ma'am" replied Brian. Tabitha giving a nervous head-bob, her way of saying yes.

Maria, the hostess, walked them to their table and laid out the menus and silverware.

"Is Michael working tonight? Michael Clawford?" Tabitha asked with a quivering smile. She pulled out her chair and sat down.

"Hmmm, I think he comes in at two. Want me to tell him you're here?"

"No ma'am, we'll just wait for him to show up." Tabitha responded quickly, grabbing her drink menu.

"Your server will be right with you." Maria said as she placed drink coasters in front of them with extra napkins and a basket of bread rolls. Brian immediately grabbed one and dipped it in the small container of butter.

"How long until he gets here?" Tabitha asked, scanning the room for someone resembling her stranger of a brother.

"Well, she said he's supposed to be here at two. It's 1:37 now, so I would say any minute now, he should be walking through that door, or that door, or whatever door he usually comes through." Brian said, pointing at different doors around the bar.

"I think I'm gonna be sick. Where's the bathroom?" Tabitha stood up quickly, searching for a "Restrooms" sign. She jogged toward an opening at the back of the bar, hoping for a bathroom. No luck. The only good thing was an exit between the kitchen and managers office. She threw the door open, holding her hair back for the onslaught of vomit making it's way up her throat. She heaved. Her eyes started watering, and her stomach ached.

"You alright Miss?" said a strong country voice from her left.

"Yeah, my nerves got the best of me. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here and I..." Tabitha wiped her eyes and glances to her left. "I'm feeling much better now. Thank you."

The man was buttoning his shirt. He smiled and opened the door for Tabitha to let her back inside. She quickly scurried back to her table to find Brian, who had already eaten all the rolls and ordered their drinks.

"I was just outside, and bumped into him!" Tabitha said with wide eyes.

"He's here? What did he say? Did you tell him who you were?" Brian asked, taking a swig of his dark-colored beer.

"No, I got too nervous and just ran back inside. He saw me throwing up, I didn't want him to think I was just some drunk slut or something."

"I'm sure that's exactly what he was thinking Tab," Brian said with a laugh. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. I didn't think this far. I just knew I wanted to meet him."

Tabitha found herself searching the bar, staring at her brother as he worked. Their eyes met and she forced her head down.

"Oh shit, he saw me. What do I do Brian? What do I do?"

Brian was laughing so hard he almost fell backwards out of his bar stool. The couple of drinks he already had, probably weren't helping either.

"Ya know, some folks might think you starin' at em means you have a thing for em. Is that what I should be thinkin'? The strong, raspy, country voice from earlier said from behind.

"Umm, no. I mean, yes, but not like that. I just... Ummm, Hi, I'm Tabitha. My friends call me Tab." She laid her hand out, and he grabs it, gently kissing the top of it.

Tabitha jerks her hand back quick and Brian couldn't help but laugh.

"Umm, this is, I just... I'm your sister!" Tabitha yells. The bar went quiet and Michael stared blankly at her.

"You're my what?" He asked, confused.

"Sister, well, half-sister actually. Your father Steven Starnes was also my dad. He passed away in a car accident along with my mother and younger sister. I got a letter in the mail from the family attorney saying that I had a brother, you, and I decided to come down here and meet you. Surprise, here I am."

"I got a letter too. I never knew em, so when I found out he died, it didn't really affect me except for the fact that I would NEVER get to know em now. The letter I got mentioned I would inherit his estate and that his daughter would be in charge of all his financial stuff, and his money. I take it that's you?"

"Yeah. I'm not really sure what all that means now. But I was thinking we could get through this together. You know, if you want." Tabitha said with a hopeful smile.

"I'll tell ya what. Gimme your number, I'll text you after work and see what we can do." Michael pulled out his phone and handed it to Tabitha.

"That sounds good to me." She responded as the waitress came back, ready to take their orders.

"I'll leave ya to eatin' and enjoyin' the food here. I'll text ya later."

CHAPTER

THREE: YOU KNOW NOTHIN'

The only motel in Archer City and it was old, dirty, and smelled like moth balls. Tabitha and Brian were finishing getting ready for the meet-up with the estranged Michael.

There was a knock at the door.

"That must be Michael. I'll get it." Tabitha unlocks the motel door and lets him in.

"Howdy," Michael tips his hat and takes a seat on the red plaid couch in the corner. "Ya'll almost ready?"

"Yeah, Brian's ready, I'm just finishing up my makeup and then we can go."

"Sounds good. Tell me about yourself though. I'm curious to know you Tab." Michael let out a crooked smile.

They spent the next twenty minutes talking about birthdays, zodiac signs, favorite foods and movies. When Tabitha finished her makeup, they got in Michael's lifted truck, and drove to a local steakhouse for dinner.

"Our flight leaves tomorrow. So we have a little time together." Tabitha said, cutting into her medium-rare steak.

"That's good. We have so much to talk about. I'm sure these next two days are going to be so much fun," Michael responded, pouring gravy over his mountain of mashed potatoes. "So tell me about you Brian. Why are you here on this journey?"

"I'm just here for moral support. Couldn't let my best friend go on a trip like this alone."

"You must be a really good friend to do something like that for her." Michael says, taking a spoonful of his potatoes.

"The best!" Brian replied with a smile. "I need to use the restroom. Any idea where it's at?"

"I'll show ya', I need to go too anyway." Michael replied, standing up and guiding Brian.

Michael opened the bathroom door, letting Brian in and closing it behind them. He pushed Brian up against the wall.

"What the hell bro?" Brian yelled, holding his elbow.

Michael grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the stall.

"I'm gonna have to ask ya' to leave her alone. She's mine." Michael pushes Brian into the stall and slams it shut behind him.

Brian swings for a punch, hitting Michael right in the forehead. Michael pushes Brian's head into the wall, blood running out of his nose and the cut on his cheek.

"If you try and tell her I attacked you, I will kill you. DON'T. TEST. ME. Now come on partner. We have a dinner to finish."

Michael throws Brian's arms over his shoulder and helps him back to the table.

"Oh my god, what happened to him? Brian, are you okay?" Tabitha asks frantically, grabbing some napkins to help clean his face up.

"Yeah, he's fine. I guess he had one too many to drink and fell in the bathroom," Michael replied. "Ain't that right Brian?"

Brian paused for a moment, staring at Michael. "Yeah, I guess I don't know how to handle my alcohol."

"Hold this under your nose Brian, it's bleeding," Tabitha dipped a napkin in her water and handed it to Brian. "I think we should go and get you to bed."

Michael signaled for a server to bring their check, he placed a hundred dollar bill on the table and helped Tabitha get Brian to the car.

The ride back to the motel was quiet. Brian stared out the window the entire way, and Tabitha tried striking up conversation with her brother. Michael pulled in the parking lot, parked his truck and opened the back door to let Brian out.

"Remember what I said." Michael whispered in his ear.

Tabitha dropped her purse getting out of the truck. She started picking things up while Michael took Brian inside. Closing the door behind him, he closed the curtains and threw Brian onto the floor, and kicked his stomach. Brian was choking on every breath, holding his stomach and gasping for air. Michael picked him up, placed his forearm around his neck and squeezed, tighter and tighter. Brian kicked and clawed behind him, reaching to free himself, until his body went limp. Michael placed his body in the bed and covered him up.

He heard the door of his truck close. Tabitha was getting closer.  Michael opened the door just as she was about to put her door key in.

"Brian fell asleep pretty quickly. What'ya say we leave him to rest and we go out for a little while. Figure out what we are gonna do?" Michael asked, placing his hands on Tabitha's shoulders.

"Sure Mikey, that sounds fun." she replied, peaking her head through the motel window, trying to see Brian sleeping.

Michael ran to his truck and started it back up. "Come on sis, let's go."

Tabitha smiled and jumped into his truck.

"So, where's your mom at?" she asked.

"She hasn't been in the picture for a while. It's just been me for a few years now." Michael replied with a smirk.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like you've been all alone out here."

"It hasn't been too bad actually. I meet some pretty cool folks every now and then." Michael laughed.

"Oh yeah? Would I happen to be one of those people?" Tabitha asked with a smile.

"Definitely." Michael said, shooting a glare in his sister's direction.

CHAPTER

FOUR: THIS IS IT

His front door always squealed when he opened it, that ominous howl from the hinges as they entered the third floor apartment.

"I've been meaning to get that fixed." Michael said, removing his key from the front door.

"It's fine. I didn't even notice really. But I'm sure WD-40 would fix that."

"You're funny, you know that Tab?" he said, pushing some hair away from her face.

Tabitha chuckled and took a step back. "Thank you." She turned around and took a seat on his leather couch. He had deer and other animals displayed as trophies on his walls. Their dead carcasses staring at her left an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Nice place you have here." she said, continuing to look around the apartment.

"Thanks, it needs some work, but it's just me so I don't need nothin' too fancy," He walked to the back room, and then to the kitchen to get some drinks. "Anything in particular you want to drink sis?"

"Anything is fine by me." she replied, rubbing the material on the couch.

Michael walked into the living room. He saw her long brown hair flowing down her shoulders and paused for a moment. He took a few steps closer and pulled the blade from his pocket.

He couldn't help but smell her hair.

The lavender scent gave him comfort in her final moments.

Her blank stare into the ceiling made his chest warm.

Her eye, a souvenir.

***********

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