Death is only the Beginning (EDITING)

Before the Outbreak

Saturday, Mid-August
10 miles from the city limit of Boston
Lake Massapoag

The lake was active today. I noticed speedboats sailing through the mild waters, some people even water skying with the occasional flop into the water. My brother and I are close to the beach at the north part of the lake where people were swimming or sunbathing or just lounging on their beach towels. I notice kids building in the sand or skipping rocks along the lake. We, however, were fishing. Something I told myself I would never do recreationally, but my brother convinced me of otherwise. His dinky boat only seated four and his wife and 15-year-old daughter politely declined my brothers offer and instead chose to lounge at the beach. So, it was just me and him. He did that intentionally to get us alone as he and I know his wife and daughter love fishing about as much as I do. 

Even though it was still summer in beautiful Massachusetts, the weather was rather chilly for me, so I decided to wear my red fleece jacket, jeans, and black wool cap despite the judging glances of my dear brother who opted for a simple t-shirt with the Boston Red Sox logo on it, shorts, and sandals. If we were to stand next to each other one wouldn't see that we are related let alone brothers. I kept my dirty blond hair military short with the sides buzzed and the top short and my facial hair of the same color to a neatly trimmed goat-t. A trim that my male workmates mocked at as they have let their beards grow out. My brother on the other hand kept his face clean shaven and his black hair at shoulder length which he tied back to a ponytail. He thinks it looks good on him but neither I nor his wife like it and I've heard her complain multiple times to get that 'darn' hair cut already. 

"Tell me John," My brother asks as he casts out his fishing line for the 16th time today, "when was the last time you and I hung out together? Just the two of us, no wife and kid, no girlfriend or those work buddies of yours."

"Hmm," I mutter, trying to think when exactly that was. 

"Don't know?" My brother nudges at me, his bright blue eyes fixated at mine with his eyebrows extended to his forehead and his lips forming a sly smirk across his face. I swear, every time he makes that face at me, I want to knock that smirk off his face.

"Hold on Mike. I'm thinking," I said, my hazel green eyes glaring back at him while leaning back against the railing of his dinky boat, before I rested my thumb and pointer on my chin as if that would help me find the answer.

When was the last time we hung out just the two of us? Christmas three years ago? No, he spent most of the day in the kitchen and shoving Karen's relatives in my direction, so he didn't have to interact with them. Mom made a huge fit with Karen's mom over the Christmas decorations, dad was a no show and Karen's dad fell asleep on Mike's sofa. Rebecca invited her boyfriend at the time over, of course not mentioning that to her parents so that escalated briefly before he was thrown out by Karen and Rebecca locked herself in her room. Mike must have been up there for nearly an hour trying everything to either convince her to come back down or make it up to her. I don't really remember anything else as that was over two years ago. Shortly after I was deployed to the Philippines and got back almost a year ago, but work has been keeping me busy.

"I don't recall. I would say three years ago at your house during Christmas but, you never had a moment of free time that day. Tell me then. When was the last time just the two of us hung out?"

He grinned at me as he rested his pole against the railing of his boat.

"Aye but it was Christmas three years ago. After that big fight with Rebecca and I failed trying to get join us Karen went up while her mom finished dinner and Paul was snoring down a forest on my couch. You decided to step outside for a smoke, and I joined you," he said looking at the calm lake.