Scott watched this scene with his sister from afar. He too was dressed in a black suit and his sister was in a modest black dress with a veil over her face. The girl was also crying with her face pressed against her eldest brother’s chest. Scott had his arms around her in an attempt to silently comfort her but still watched his brother in the backyard. The dark haired man sighed. “This is going to be hard on him, Adria.”

The thirteen year old looked up at Scott and nodded slowly. Her blue eyes were still wet with tears as she looked out the window of their father’s house. Adria was going to have to face the pains of womanhood alone without a mother to guide her.

Scott’s brother soon collected himself and walked back inside. He held no emotion in his face but his warm, honey brown eyes betrayed his deep sorrow. The blonde walked up to his older brother and said, “Is Kristine here?”

“No. Said she was busy.” Scott replied softly. The sorrow and anguish in his brother’s eyes deepened as he nodded and walked away. Scott watched him go to the other side of the room and sit down in an old, wooden chair. The eldest brother was startled when he heard movement behind him. It came from his father who was walking to the blonde. Scott grabbed his father’s arm and pleaded, “Don’t be hard on him. He’s suffered enough.” His father scoffed and pulled away. Then he yanked his brother out of his chair and pulled him outside. There was nothing Scott could do about his father’s harsh criticism towards his brother.

Adria looked at her brother. “Scott… Dad blames him for mom’s death….”

Scott’s face went pale and his heart rate increased rapidly. “I need to help him,” he said with a splash of fear tinting the tone of his voice. Scott left his youngest sibling and went outside to find his brother with a face that held no emotion, but eyes which burned with pure anger, hatred, and frustration. His father, however, shared no hint of emotion. He didn’t even have anything in his eyes as he softly spoke to the blonde. Scott could not hear what was said but he heard the deep buzzing of his father’s voice. “Dad!” Scott called out. His father stopped speaking and turned to face his elder son.

“Not now Scott. Your brother and I are having a…. needed conversation.”

“Actually, I need to borrow Eli for a second.” Scott persisted. He clasped a hand on his brother’s shoulder and lead him away from their disapproving father.

Gratefulness flashed across Eli’s eyes. “Thank you.” The blonde said softly. The father watched with a scowl on his face as the two young men walked away.

Once they were out of earshot, Scott promptly said, “You need to not let him tell you what to do. You’re a grown adult. You could press charges if you wanted to at this point.”

“And what's that gonna do? Stop him?” Eli growled quietly with furrowed brows and started to walk away. “It would only make it worse.” He added softly.

Scott watched as his brother walked away and then sighed angrily. When was Eli going to understand that Scott was trying to help? As his thought subsided, the dark haired man walked back into the house. The house that he had shared so many memories with his mother. He remembered all of the lively dinners they had when his father was out on a business trip. Scott’s mother would tell so many stories about when she was young, however, she would exaggerate her story often to make it seem so magical (which was very satisfying when they were children and still believed in things like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.).

Scott was brought back to reality when Adria addressed him. “Have you seen Eli?” She asked with worry in her eyes.

“Didn’t he come back inside?” Scott asked quickly. He was interrupted with a loud crash coming from the shed outside. Scott looked out the window. The light was on and the door of the old shed was cracked open. “I’ll be right back,” he said and then left the house through the back door. Scott walked quietly on the soft grass of the backyard and then peeked through the opening. This was their mother’s gardening shed. It had stacks of clay pots along the walls and a wooden shelf with pairs of gloves, seeds, spades, and other gardening equipment in the back corner. The shelf was now knocked over with the top of the shelf resting on the wall on the other side. A couple of pots were broken and Eli sat in the middle of the shed with his back at an angle towards Scott. Eli’s shoulders trembled and shuddered as he clutched a small object in his bleeding hands. Scott couldn’t see his brother’s face but he could already see his expression (his nose would be cherry red and the rest of his face would be blotchy with puffy, bloodshot eyes).

Scott opened the door slowly. He calmly walked to Eli and sat down and leaned his back against him. The blonde caught his breath in shock and then leaned back into Scott. “Just breathe,” the dark haired man said softly. Eli took deep breaths but they were still trembling. He still held an object in his hands and clasped it tightly. “It’s mom’s ring isn’t it?” Scott asked quietly as he turned his head to get a glimpse of Eli’s golden hair. Their mother’s ring was a stunning little thing with a thin silver band and three, tiny emeralds. It had intricate swirl-like details along the side and even on the inside. She never wore it though. Their mother said it was too beautiful and she didn’t want to lose it. His brother nodded, sniffling. “We’re in this together.” Scott said suddenly. “Even if mom isn’t here and dad doesn’t care, I’m still here along with Adria. We’re here for you. No matter what.” He reached over and put a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “Now, let’s get your hands cleaned up.” Scott stood up and lent a hand out to his little brother. Eli looked up at him with glossy eyes. The dark haired man’s prediction about his brother’s face was correct. The blonde reached up and grabbed Scott’s hand. The eldest sibling lifted Eli to his feet and the two men walked back up to the house with their arms around each other’s shoulders.