Silently I Dream of You - Chapter Two
Chapter 2. The new sibling
I’m just about to reach my house and I must confess I’m really grateful for that because I had an exhausting and nerve-wracking day at school. Yes, that horrible thing started two days ago and we’re already flooded with various assignments and homework. It seems that I’m the first one at home which is really weird because I thought that Mum should already be here.
I grab a bottle of water and slump into the couch, my only wish being to fuse with the serenity of the bright living room which on other occasions would surely be boisterous and noisy, but is currently quiet. Luna, our dog, joins me in the relaxation. I don’t even notice, but I fall in a catnap, only realising that I fell asleep when Mum wakes me up by moving about in the room.
“Unghhh, Mum, what are you doing?” I ask in a sleepy voice while leaning my elbows on the backrest of the couch.
“Oh, hello sleepyhead!” she giggles softly, rearranging a few things on the shelves. “Did you forget that our new family member is arriving today?!” a look of horror and disbelief creeping on her face.
I growl with annoyance and if it weren’t for my laziness I would have got to my feet long ago, ha ha! But right at that moment the doorbell rings and I know there’s no escape; I have to face my new sibling. A sudden rush of alertness, and even curiosity, invades my veins as the door opens ever so slowly… I see Sally’s figure and I’m waiting for the appearance of a kid with black hair who is blatting childish things until he/she muddles one’s brains. Sally takes one step to the right, so I’m facing the newcomer and I can’t help but gasp at what I see. My expectations for a kindergarten-aged clone of myself are broken; I wonder if this is not a dream or a joke but the other people in the room seem very real.
I peer curiously at the boy who looks like close to my age and is fumbling with his coat zipper; after half a minute he glances up at me and I realize that he is completely different from us. Mum and Sally’s chattering becomes only a background-noise while I study closely the longish, blonde tufts which frame a face that is shapely, although his cheeks are sunken and his clothes hang loosely on him. Orphanages aren’t famous for huge rations of food, right? No worries, he will gain a few pounds during his stay at us.
Our gazes meet again in the next second and for an unknown reason my heart starts beating faster. I can’t look away from his dusky green eyes which look like they would be always moistened by tears. I can see my reflection in his orbs and I feel like I’m looking into a mysterious lake from a fairy tale. Their colour fascinates me; it’s like the fog which envelops mountain peaks on chilly mornings. Mum nudges me and I collect myself enough to stutter my name and the usual “Welcome to our family!” bla bla. A barely audible voice responds:
“Thank you. My name is Dominic Howard.”
We shake hands and I notice that his hold is quite frail, like he doesn’t want to touch me at all. I hope it’s because we’ve just met for the first time and not because I’m such a repulsive guy. I admit, I look weird, but he shouldn’t judge by externals because he doesn’t shine himself either! Before we can make the next movement, Mum butts in shamelessly:
“Oh, Dominic, dear, we are so happy to have you here! I’m sure you will love your new family because we already love you!” she reaches out to pinch his cheeks (something she usually does to the twins) but Dominic draws away from Mum’s touch.
I narrow my eyes at the weird scene and Mum looks hurt until Sally interrupts the awkward moment. She invites Mum to a private conversation in the kitchen because they also have to finish the paperwork, so I’m left alone in the living room with this weird creature Dominic. I tell him casually to have a seat on the big sofa and he obliges, although he huddles himself up in the corner, trying to take up as little space as possible. Jeez, he really isn’t used to luxury, is he?
I sit down on the armchair opposite Dominic, never taking my eyes off of him and hoping that he will raise his shy gaze from the ground, but I actually find myself almost looking under his fringe and I have to keep myself from reaching out my hand and touch his cheeks. He is playing with something in his hand; it looks like a keychain but before I could distinguish its shape, he hides it in his fist. The silence between us is getting more and more awkward and I shuffle my feet in embarrassment. I open my mouth but I can’t find the right words to address him, so I close it quickly before making a complete fool of myself. What should I start to talk about? School? Nah, boring subject… Asking basic information about him? What if he feels like he’s at an interrogation? Maybe I should find out his hobbies? God, this is extremely sticky!
As I’m looking around for an inspiring theme of discussion, Luna plods into the room, walks up lazily to Dominic, and hops on the couch beside him. The boy instinctively touches the golden fur and Luna, being such a sucker for strokes, cuddles up to him. He dedicates his whole attention to the dog, MY dog; he even puts his head on Luna’s back, holding her tightly. What, is that a small smile playing on his lips?! This is ridiculous, I can’t pry anything out of him and the family pet makes him smile? I pout and fold my arms protectively; in the next moment Mum comes back with Sally who says goodbye to us.
Mum is grinning from ear to ear when she joins us, but I have a bad feeling about it.
“Matthew…” she says, and the tone of her voice proves me right. I know then that she’s going to ask me to do something. Something unpleasant.
“Yes, Mum” I respond.
“Would you show your room to Dominic? You two are going to share yours, isn’t that lovely? You’ll be like real brothers!” Mum chirps joyfully.
I look at Mum with eyes that are widened with disbelief and I form a silent but categorical ‘NO’ with my mouth. I… I can’t believe it! My parents haven’t told me anything about this; we had a kind of agreement that my room would always remain my room and not something that I had to share. For heaven’s sake, I need my privacy!
Mum’s stare hardens and I feel my rebellion shrinking until I surrender completely to her will. I stand up and look for Dominic’s luggage in order to help him with carrying it upstairs but I can’t see anything else other than his backpack and a rather small, green suitcase.
“This,” and I point to the bags, “is all your stuff?” I ask while scratching the back of my neck. Although I had well-intended thoughts I earn a hurt and ashamed look from Dominic and a kick to my shin from Mum. Jesus, what a subtle warning! I grumble a “Come with me” in Dominic’s direction and I hurry to our room. An ironic smirk appears on my face at saying for the first time “our room”… As I open the door, I realize that this idea of sharing the room with Dominic was not a spontaneous one, but rather a very well-planned one. There’s a new bed in the room and because of the space it takes up, my guitars are aggregated in a corner. I can’t help but huff at the inconveniences produced by the arrival of the shy boy who’s still hovering about in the threshold.
I make a sign with my hand and he enters carefully. I silently show him his bed and his wardrobe (which was mine yesterday, thank you very much) and after that, I lead him to the bathroom which we have to share with the twins. Dominic’s sad puppy eyes inspect everything and he can’t hide the wonder which displays in them; although I would appreciate a few words, he keeps being silent which becomes kinda eerie after a while. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something weird about him. Before I could show the twins’ room to Dominic, Mum interrupts my tour:
“Thank you, Matt. I’ll take it over from here, you can go back to sleep until I prepare lunch,” she says kindly and puts her hand protectively on Dominic’s left shoulder. Finally! Without looking back I sneak into my room and find my mobile phone lying on the table. I grab it quickly and send an annoying text message to one of my best mates from school, Chris:
“U were wrong. my new bro sucks big time, u owe me 5pounds >:) mwahaha, loser!”
I don’t have to wait long for his answer:
“Oh, its a boy! :P psssh i don’t trust u, only mah eyz. C u 2morow.”
I might seem a moron to you that I made a bet with my friend but I was 99% sure that I would win that sum of money. I need every penny if I want to buy the new guitar I saw in the music store and bets are the easiest way to make money with no effort at all. Happy that I won the bet but ready to relax, I remember Mum’s advice and find a CD with Tibetan music on it which always helps me to fall asleep, and I’m stumbling to the shelf where I keep it. I tumble over something and in my clumsy and unfortunate movement I dash against the bookshelf.
As a consequence of the impact, a book falls on the ground. Oh, I recognise it; it’s a book which debates esoteric questions. Interestingly, it opens at the chapter about numerology; more specifically, it is explaining numbers 5 and 6. My mind instantly makes the connection: Dominic is the sixth child in the family and the fifth adopted one… I’m curious about everything so let’s see what it says for six: “Six represents harmony, balance, sincerity, love, and truth. Six naturally reveals solutions for us in a calm, unfolding manner. […] Sixes beckon us to administer compassion and consciously choose forgiveness in a situation.” Yeah, right… Dominic and balance are two parallels and if anything, he only brings trouble.
I look at the previous page for the meaning of number five: “The spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us.” Hoho, I don’t need Dominic to notice chaos around me. I laugh at the stupid things enumerated there but the last sentence draws my full attention: “Fives also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes.”
I gulp nervously and push the dark and unsettling thoughts to the back of my mind.
My life will be the same, despite Dominic entering it.
At least I hope so…