“Are you both ready to order?”
Solomon glanced at his brother. “If it’s not going to take long, do we need to eat anything?”
Simon turned to the waiter. “Let’s just have all three of your happy hour appetizer specials and that’ll be it.”
The waiter took up the menu. “Sounds great. Those will be out soon.”
Solomon waited until the man was out of earshot to speak. “What’s going on?”
“That is exactly what I want to hear fromyou, big brother. It’s been seven years—”
“The number of completion.” Solomon’s smile was tight, but he couldn’t stretch it any further. The relaxing jazzy music in the background seemed an odd match for the tension in their words.
“It’s time for you to step back into the role that I’ve been helping cover for you. Because in those conversations at Mom and Dad’s, it didn’t seem like I’m going to get my brother back. Instead, it feels like I’m going to be stuck.”
Solomon wanted to say something that would reassure him, but he really didn’t know what to say because he really didn’t know what he was going to do either. “I told you all to give me time for this board test. Just let me finish this all the way, and we will go from there.”
“You said that when you graduated. Our main office in New York needs you.”
Simon looked to the side, clasping his hands together. When he turned back, Solomon saw hisbrother, the one that always looked up to him, the one that depended on him. The one that had the most to lose when Solomon went off to boarding school.
“Ineed you.”
“I know, but things change.”
“Our plans aren’t supposed to.” Simon raised his voice. “Not in this family. You know that it’s been my plan to move to our Los Angeles branch.”
“Because you wanna be out there where the action is.”
“And why not? I hate the cold.”
“Then move down here.”
“I’m not built for this town either.” Simon huffed. “It’s always held a special place in Mom’s heart, but the only reason why I’m here is because of Cousin Chike’s wedding and Pops wanting us to do all our work from here while we’re together. And because the time is coming to pass the baton.”
Solomon fiddled with the seasoning near the centerpiece. “What if I don’t want to take it?”
Simon pressed his hand flat against the table. “It doesn’t work that way. You are the big brother. You’re the one that’s supposed to do what’s expected, and I’m the one that should get to—”
He stopped as the food arrived. Thank God for that timing.
The waiter set out the platters of turkey-sausage mini-quiches, bacon-wrapped asparagus with honey drizzle, and seasoned Ritz crackers topped with jerk chicken bites.
On cue, they bowed their heads. “Thank you, Lord, for this food. Amen,” Solomon said, his heart in opposition to his efforts to remain calm.
Breathe.
“So, what you’re telling me, Simon, is that as the oldest, I have to follow the path, and you and Nneka can be free to do whatever you want.”
“Yes, because that’s what we’ve been doing with Mom and Dad while you go out and pursue this silly sidestep of ...physicaltherapy? At the very least, you could’ve done the full doctor thing. Become a respected surgeon. Worked as the company MD. Make this time worth it. But what place do we have for a physical therapist?”
His words almost sounded like curse words.
“Everything changed after you came back from boarding school, why?”
Solomon watched the steam lift from their food, praying none was rising from his head. None of them understood how much pain he’d been in. How alone he’d felt after his high school injury. “I don’t need to get into all that right now. Yes, I shifted my plans, but I said that after I passed this test”—he glanced at his Apple Watch—“coming up in a few weeks, we would talk about it. But what I do shouldn’t impact whatyoudo. Just move if it means that much to you.”
Simon scoffed. “You know our parents don’t trust most of the staff in the New York office to take on what they trust us to do.”
