“Look, I’m sorry, Jake. I’m not trying to be difficult. I promise you, this won’t go unrewarded.”
“Unrewarded?” he asks with a spiked brow.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ll pay you if you just get my stuff for me. It’s been a long day—”
Jake’s cheeks flush red; his eyes narrow, staring at me with cold, hard enmity. “You think I want your money?”
“Oh, no…I didn’t mean to imply—”
He doesn’t wait for a response. He gets to work, grabbing my bags and flinging them into the truck bed.
My jaw gapes open, but no words come out as I watch my brother plow through my bags, tossing them into the back of the truck. He launches one, and it goes clear over the bed, landing on the ground on the far side.
Mitch is laughing from the door of the plane, pointing and yelling for the pilot to come see.
You’re getting exactly what you deserve. You abandoned them—abandoned him.
Being two years older than I am, Jake was ever protective of me while growing up. Even though he annoyed me to no end as a teenager, we were close, while still having our sibling struggle. Now, all we have is struggle.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
I grab a bag, whip it to the side to gain momentum, then launch it toward the truck. It hits the tailgate and falls to the concrete.
And for the first time since our reunion, Jake cracks a smile. I don’t care that the bag is worth ten-thousand-dollars, that smile means more to me than anything packed in it.
Together we make short work of the remaining luggage, then go back for the pile I had previously been working on.
“It’s not going to all fit,” Jake says.
“I can see that.”
“Are there any bags you absolutely need?”
“I’m sure there are, but since I didn’t pack them, I’m not sure which ones they would be. Can we call an Uber?”
He looks at me as if I’ve gone mad, and I realize there probably isn’t one in a place this rural.
“Never mind.”
The wind picks up, my hair flying free. I hate to admit it, but it feels good. I feel rejuvenated. Something about being home feels right.
The plane comes to life, positioning for takeoff, and I realize just how terrified I am to really be alone with my brother.
Jake looks up at the sky. “We can’t stay long. Storm’s a comin’.”
I can smell it in the air, the heavy, earthy scent that accompanies a downpour. Hot tears well just beneath my lids, threatening to spill out. I try to blink them away, hoping Jake won’t see them.
“Fuck! I can’t believe this. As if my day could get any worse,” I finally vent.
“We’ll just take them over to the side of the shed and come get them tomorrow.”
“If they’re even still here tomorrow.”
“Ali, nobody around here travels private. This is mainly for crop dusters. Your stuff will be fine.”
With no other choice, I grab a bag and wheel it over to the shack. It takes a few minutes to get the rest of my luggage piled into position, but before I’m finished, monsoon-levels of rain start pouring down.
Jake turns to me, his face once again a stoic mask. “Let’s get you home.”
