Say when

1

He stood in the dark office, standing in front of the small window with a wooden shade, looking through the small slots at the city below him... it was nearly midnight but it was just as busy as if would be if it were the middle of the day...

The lights shining brightly all around it.. it was the city that never sleeps or so it was called... and he seemed to be one of them... he stared out the window hopelessly wondering where his life went... his tired mind started to fade to the memory of a happier time, when life... was simple.

"Dylan pass the potatoes to your brother." His mother instructed her eldest son as she sat down at the family dinner table for four...

"Okay Mommy."

He replied sweetly receiving a warm smile from his mother, his shiny blonde hair and green eyes shone and brightened as the nine year old smiled, he was without a doubt the apple of her eye and everyone knew it...

He took a spoonful of potatoes and plopped it down in front of the six year old, whose eyes widened at the massive pile of potatoes in front of him and leaned in whispering...

"Eat it all dork brains or you'll hurt Mom's feelings." He teased...

The kitchen door opened and Dylan straightened up as a tall dark haired man walked in grabbing the spoon of the potatoes and shoveling half the pile off the younger boy's plate and adding it to Dylan's...

"Stop picking on your brother Dylan or I'll make you eat the entire pot of potatoes." He growled out before taking his seat across the table from his wife who was busy reading the daily paper...

He looked at his youngest son, sitting next to him his small body barely big enough to see over the top of the table looking up at his father with his brilliant blue eyes and head full of dark curls to match his father's...

"Derek, don't let him walk all over you like that son, you've got to stand up for yourself... you're a Shepherd."

"Yes, Daddy." He said with a smile..

"James." He heard from the other side of the table...

"Yes my love." He replied looking at the beautiful blonde on the other side of the table..

"What does your weekend look like?" she asked...

"I had a few clients coming in on Saturday but if you had something in mind I could rearrange it." He replied... she smiled sweetly...

"You're too kind, I was just thinking it would be fun to go up state to the country and spend the day fishing with the boys."

"Sounds marvelous my love." He replied... she smiled and heard the telephone ring and stood up walking into the kitchen to go get it...

"Daddy?" Derek asked... he looked at the young boy...

"Yes Derek?"

"Why do you always call Mommy 'my love', isn't her name Carol?" he asked... the man smiled and ruffled his fingers through the thick curls on the top of his head and replied...

"Because son, when you find the woman you love most in this world, you should never miss an opportunity to tell her you love her." He replied...

"Oh." He grinned...

"I'm never falling in love!" Dylan exclaimed "Girls are gross."

"One day you wont think so." James replied with a smile "One day you will find the right one, and she'll take you by surprise, and all you can think about is her."

"I cant wait to fall in love." Derek beamed... James laughed and pinched his tiny nose...

"Lets get you to fit at the kitchen table first son, then we'll find the right girl."

"Ok, daddy." He replied...

"Dad, are we really going fishing on Saturday?" Dylan asked...

"Only God will stop us." James laughed seeing the excited looks on his boys faces...

They finished their dinner talking about their plans for that weekend... only, God did stop them... Friday night James passed away in his sleep from a heart attack... they all took it hard but Derek the hardest...

James was the center of the young boy's world, he took every word the man said to him as pieces of gold weaving them into his character... and now was left with nothing...

His mother remarried a year later to a selfish man that didn't want much to do with the boys, he just wanted her and put up with them for the sake of keeping her around... so Derek tried his hardest to be in good behavior and somewhat look to his older brother for good advice...