First, Best and Always

Chapter 5 – Confrontation and Realization

His first visit back to the house after she’d ousted him was awkward to say the least. He was afraid to say too much for fear of saying the wrong thing, afraid to get too close for fear she’d balk and send him packing again. And all the while the twins were “hovering” close by, looking for any sign that he’d said or done the wrong thing to their sister. When he walked through the door that first time back Craig stopped him with a firm hand grabbing his upper arm and warned him….with an eye to eye stare would have stopped a moose in it’s tracks, and a private whisper in his ear, no longer brother to brother, or father to son, but man to man, something just between the two of them. Vin quietly nodded and memorized it, he knew one day he’d need to repeat it, if only to himself.

Oh yeah… he’d walked on eggshells that day and for many days after that. But they were past that now, all of them thankfully, and he’d made major headway with Raven towards putting their relationship back together, he didn’t know if it would ever be the same as it was, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to fuck it up again on a humble.

“So” he thought to himself, “little miss flight attendant, you stay over there and I’ll stay over here, and never the twain shall meet.” Before the thought had even cleared his head he could see her approaching. He turned in his seat crossing his legs defensively and gazed out the window.

“Flying solo today Mr. Diesel?” she asked suggestively.

He never looked up, he never turned around, just stared out the window and visualized the disappointment on Craig’s face, the rage in Chris’ voice and Raven’s tear filled, disbelieving eyes…then in his best ‘back off’ tone, he repeated the phrase he’d memorized…

“Think it’s a joke and it ain’t.”