The Guard To My Sanctuary - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

I felt an enormous amount of pride as I stood in front of the television my high school diploma in hand. It felt like I was so much closer to people who had started the rat race without all of the complications that I had to drag along with me. Nobody in the room could tell me shit about myself at that moment, I felt like the male version of a hybrid Beyoncé and Rhianna, both of whom I've grown to adore. I don't know how but in under a year I managed to prove that I was intelligent enough to get my diploma due to my hard work and love for reading books with facts in them. My Dad was so proud of me and kept telling people that he knew I could do it like the stereotypical black parent which was enough to make me walk around with a permanent blush. He explained to everyone that I was in gifted classes since pre-pre kindergarten when they had me in private school. If anyone let him tell it I was destined to excel before everything happened. He was so elated that my situation didn't deter me from coming back stronger and picking the educational ball up where I left it and carrying it to the finish line. At one point earlier in the day he wanted to throw me a mini prom to celebrate the event but thankfully I was able to talk him down from that ledge of potentially embarrassing photographs of me and Marco in front of the mantle smiling like lunatics in the middle of the house. My brothers took it upon themselves to handle the celebrations and threw me a little dinner to celebrate my accomplishment even though in the big picture it was just a high school diploma which was like the most basic requirement for success in our society. I could tell that Alder had ulterior motives for setting up the dinner and knew that he would be coming to me with the question he had to ask sooner or later. It was in his eyes and he was being way too nice to me. I had even tripped earlier and he didn't make a joke which was a dead giveaway.
Marco couldn't stop smiling at me as we sat at the table eating and sharing stories about the past. I loved hearing about my brother's lives while I was gone they were reluctant to tell the stories around me but I actually genuinely liked hearing them. It was depressing at first but I also didn't want to feel like there was such a big gap between us all so while I was hearing the stories felt like that metaphorical fissure was closing ever so slightly with every word.
"So Dad walks up the stairs and Alder's room is locked and all you can hear is music playing loudly because he is a whole entire dumbass that doesn't know how to be discreet. So Dad tells me to knock on the door and say that it is me and I do it because it's not like I'm going to risk my life and tell him no. So Alder opens the door all sweaty and you could smell the weed on him, but this is after like my twentieth knock. The moment he opens the door  Dad barges into the room and on his bed is this Latina tied to the bed with some neckties and if I'm remembering correctly braided shoelaces spread out with a blindfold on. She had whipped cream covering her um... unmentionables," Pine said remembering Cartier was in the room even though she was playing on her iPad not paying us any mind," I've never wanted to be removed from a situation so bad in my life. I learned way too much about my brother that day. So anyway moving along past that, Dad flips out and just starts cussing Alder the hell out and he unties the girl and locks her in the bathroom till her parent's come to pick her up which would have made me die from embarrassment. Her mom speeds into the house just so she can beat the hell out of her half naked ass on the front lawn of the old house. Everyone in the neighborhood is watching and I'm doing my best not to die from laughter. Then Alder has the balls to start laughing like he skating on thin ice at the beginning of summer. Dad snapped and just starts beating the hell out of him along besides the girl with her mom I mean Dad was boxing this nigga and that's how we have this picture of Dad knocking Alder out," Pine said holding up a picture of Alder sprawled on the ground half conscious with a set of knots in his forehead. I started laughing harder than I should have which caused everyone else to start laughing.
"Haha, great story. How about we talk about that time you," Alder began.
"Al calm down you're so sensitive, it must be your time of the month do you need to borrow a tampon," Thalia said rolling her eyes at her spouse.
"So Elm do you know if you want to go to college or not," Cindy asked. She had been coming around more often which was fine with me since she was nice and had a calming personality.
"I do want to go to college, I just don't have any idea what I'm going to study so I'm holding off enrolling. I don't want to waste money especially with the babies coming," I said honestly.
"There is no need to rush into anything right now. You are going to have so much going on for the next few years so take your time," My dad said to me.
"Do you have any interest," Pine asked
"Well I have some in mind I read a lot of Wikipedia pages about different careers. I like architecture but I don't know if I want to do all of that math every day. I also like history but I didn't have a high school experience so I doubt I'd make a good teacher plus I don't like teaching things to people, I didn't have that kind of patience. I'm really interested in anything that has to do with babies, raising babies, keeping them alive, so maybe something in that field. But that may also be a phase because I hate the smell of blood," I sat there thinking so hard my head started to throbbing.
"Calm down Honey it will all work itself out," Marco said and kissed my temple.
We all talked for about two hours before Pine and Cindy both had to head to their homes. Pine had a deadline to meet for some part he was helping on and we all wished him luck while Cindy had to prepare some information for a difficult client and would be pulling an all-nighter. We all started to clean up the mess while my Dad went upstairs to pack his bad since he had special training he had to go to over the next three days in Los Angels and would be gone. That meant it would just be me and Marco for most of the week. Marco had finished packing his place up and officially moved into my room five days ago. He had no idea what to do with his time while he was on terminal leave. He would wake up at five in the morning and proceed to go on a four-mile run and then use my Dad's weights in the backyard facing porch for almost two hours. He still had a getup and go mentality. We had visited a few houses and I found a really nice one I liked but I wasn't too sure on the price and it only had four rooms. Marco wanted the fifth one for a game room and was adamant about it while I thought it was more practical to have a guest room. I had no idea if his VA loan and his mysterious savings account would allow us to stay close to my family but he seemed sure of it. I had just gotten finished putting all of the good dishes in their spots in the cabinets when Alder came over to me with a cheesy smile and open arms. Thalia was rolling her eyes at him as she was walking just a few paces behind him.
"Hey my favorite little brother," he said forcefully bringing me into a hug.
"Hey my fakest older brother," I said with a smile.
"Aww, why you gotta hurt me like that," he said fake hurt clutching his heart.
"You have thirty seconds to ask me whatever you are going to ask me before the answer is an automatic no," I said looking at him. I really just wanted to get off of my feet.
"What makes you think I want something from you maybe I just want to have a moment with my Darling brother," he said mock offended.
"Twenty seconds," I said in response. Marco walked over to me and looked at us funny before shaking his head and walking away.
"Oh my god you are so damn difficult," Thalia said.
"We were wondering if you would mind babysitting your niece for tonight and tomorrow. Alder has a pitch he has to make in San Diego and I have a lot of work I'm behind on for school and I need a day of peace and quiet to get it done, "Thalia asked me. Thalia was working on becoming a Certified Accountant while trying to raise Cartier at the same time. I thought what she was doing was commendable and a blueprint of what I was likely to be doing in a few years.
"I know it's a lot to ask but you can think of it as practice for when yours come. Cartier loves you and Marco and shouldn't give you two too much grief. I wouldn't ask if we both really didn't need help. We asked Pine but he has his work to get finished and your Dad will be gone. My family lives in Arizona and my mom would take any chance to throw me not being able to handle both in my face," Thalia said and I was about to talk but Alder stopped me and began speaking.
"Plus we would owe you a full thirty-six hours of babysitting," Alder added on top of Thalia statement.
"I was going to say yes before you added that on. You know I'm having triplets right so that means I can just leave them with you for thirty-six hours. You should have waited for me to speak. Anyways I'd love to spend time with my niece even if it wasn't for anything in return," I said with a smile. Marco walked in with Cartier holding onto his neck giggling and smiling as he walked.
"Giant," she said in her little three-year-old voice.
"What's going on," Marco asked twisting Cartier around so he could hold her.
"I just agreed to watch Cartier for tonight and tomorrow. They are busy so they needed some help," I told him they walked to the refrigerator and grabbing the gallon of apple juice and started drinking from it. It was mostly water but it tasted enough like something else that I was able to drink it without any problems.
"Oh that should be fun almost like training before the big show," Marco said and started playing with her cheeks.
"Oh thank you so much," Thalia said relieved.
"Yeah thank you guys, I need to go and get some rest before the flight, She has everything she would need in her room. She's allergic to cherries and will probably try to sleep in the bed with you guys because she's scared of the dark," Alder said then put some money down on the counter and grabbed Thalia and pulled her to the door after they kissed and said goodbye to their daughter who didn't seem to mind or have any ounce of separation anxiety in her.
"Well, I guess we have a toddler for the night."