Don't let the hard days win

 Roxanne was doing her best to be careful around Pan at the apartment. Honestly, she wasn't asking much of him. And he'd seemed to act as if everything was all right. After all, they had made up. Or so it seemed. Everyone was so jolly at the hospital. It was even nice seeing his mom then. 

Usually, his mom was always suspicious of her, she guessed. Oh, the whole family was hard to figure out. It just made her squint tears. Especially, when she wasn't trying to think about his twin brother who had gone off with his dad to South Dakota when he was only eight. All this to think on while she tidied up as if she was expecting someone to drop by, but they never did.

"Why would your parents do that?" She didn't mean to sound so demanding. She could tell it hurt for Pan to speak of him. Naturally, he was being his layabout self reading one of his old graphic novels.

"They never married," he finally said. They just took care of it the way..well, the way my dad said they should. And I don't think mom wanted to." Pan shrugged. "He was so threatening back then." He shook his head as if the thought of his father made him sick. "I was afraid he..he might hurt one of us, or my mom...well, maybe all of us..if he didn't have his way."

"You should have let the police get involved," Rox said as if she would have never let this happen if she'd been his mother. She hugged herself, knowing she couldn't change the past. She couldn't help but to be sad. What if they'd been murdered or something? She shook the thought. Oh, she wanted to keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't. 

Just when she thought she might get a hug from Pan his cell rang. Probably his mom, she thought. He looked to see who was calling and he made a face as if he didn't want to answer it. "What in the hell does she want?" Pan said aloud but finally picked up the call. He told Rox it was Caitlin from work.

Rox heard him sigh as if he would have none of it, but in the next breath, he said, "What? What are you talking about?" He listened more and finally clicked off.

"She says my brother is at her house," Pan looked uneasy. She hugged him tight. "How in the hell did he get there?"

Honestly, Rox couldn't wait to meet Pan's brother.