CHAPTER 47: FAMILY REUNION

The living room was awfully quiet, except for the occasional rustling of pages and the distant hum of the refrigerator.

The house, once filled with warmth and laughter, was an empty shell of its past. The lights were dim, and the air was heavy with an unspoken sorrow that had settled in over the past month.

Maximus’s mother, Rosetta, sat by the small table near the window, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of a ceramic cup.

She was a beautiful woman, though the years had started to show in the fine lines around her dee set eyes.

The light from the television flickered across her face, but she wasn’t watching it, her gaze was fixed on the window as she was emersly lost in thought.

It had been a long time since she had last seen her son, way too long that she couldn’t possibly know what he looked like or the type of man he had become.

On the large couch in the center of the living room, maximus’s father, Jamal, lay with a book drooped over his face.

He had fallen asleep that way, his chest rising and falling in a steady pace, his breathing slow and deep.

The book he was reading wasn’t particularly interesting to him, he just used it as a means to pass time.

Rosetta sighed and set down her tea. She turned to glance at her husband, but she already knew what shed see, a man who tried to move forward, who had tried to let go of the pain, but who still carried the weight of their sons absence like a shadow over his shoulders.

"Daddy..." a tiny voice spoke, barely above a whisper.

Jamal groaned softly, adjusting the book on his face before lazily lifting it off.

His vision adjusted, and he looked down at the little boy standing beside him.

It was Percy, the youngest of the family. His dark eyes shimmered with hope, his tiny hands clinging onto his shirt as he looked up at him.

"Can we visit big brother Maximus?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. His voice was soft, innocent and completely unaware of the storm that lay between Maximus and the rest of his family members.

Percy had heard he had an older brother but has never really met him in person, due to the fact that he was adopted, Maximus and Percy have never met before and Maximus has no idea of his existence.

Jamal’s heart clenched. He reached out and gently ran his fingers through his neatly braided hair.

"Percy..." he murmured, his voice still rough from the rough sleep he just had.

Rosetta glanced over from her chair, her lips pressing into a thin line. The tension was almost immediate, even without words.

Casey, who had been sitting in the corner of the room with her phone in hand, let out an audible sigh.

"He’s not going to pick up," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

She had tried calling Maximus over and over for quite some time.

At first, it had been anger that drove her to keep calling, frustration at the way he had cut them out of his life completely.

But then, anger had been replaced with sadness, and sadness had been replaced with something far worse... acceptance.

He wasn’t coming back.

Not after everything that had happened.

Her fingers hovered over the dial button again, hesitating. She already knew what would happen. The call would ring, and then it would go to voice mail, just like the usual.

And yet, she still pressed it.

The phone rang.

A couple seconds went by, then she sighed, about to lower her phone down in retreat when it happened.

Click.

The sound of a car engine rumbled though the phones speaker.

Casey’s breath hitched.

"Maximus?" she said, almost not believing it.

His voice came through, firm but quick. "I’m coming now..."

Then, the call ended.

Casey stared at her phone, her hands frozen in place. Her heart pounded against her chest.

Rosetta had already stood up, her face a huge mix of shock and something she hadn’t felt in along time... hope.

Jamal sat up straight, his tired eyes sharpening as he looked at casey.

"What did he say?" he asked, his voice carrying an edge of urgency.

Casey swallowed hard. "He said, he’s on his way as we speak..."

Percy’s face brightened instantly. "Big brother Maximus is coming home!!!"

No one responded to his ecstasy..

Jamal ran a hand down his face, exhaling heavily. Rosetta pressed a hand against her chest, steadying her breathing. Casey gripped her phone tightly, her pulse still racing.

For the first time in years, maximus was coming home.

»»»«««

It had been a while since he had drove through these roads.

The trees lining the sidewalks still stood tall, their leaves rustling softly in the cool night air.

The houses all looked the same. Modest, well kept with warm lights glowing through curtained windows.

His childhood home was just up the street.

Maximus slowed his car as he approached, his hands gripping the wheel a little tighter than before.

The house looked just like he remembered it.

The porch lights were on, casting a soft yellow glow onto the small front yard. The curtains were drawn, but he could make out shadows moving inside.

The driveway was still cracked in places, the same way it had been when he was still a kid, and the old oak tree in the front yard still stood, it bre branches stretching towards the sky like it was waiting for spring season so as its leaves could sprout.

He pulled to the curb, not the driveway and put the car in a parking spot.

For few moments, he didn’t move. He just sat there, his fingers tapping absent mindedly against the wheel as he stared at the house.

His heart was beating a little faster than usual. Not out of fear, but anticipation.

He had spent so much time avoiding this place, and now he was here... willingly.

With a sharp exhale, he pushed the car door open and stepped out. The cold night air hit hime instantly, sharp and biting against his skin.

He turned to face the house, and right there standing outside the house, on the porch, were all of them.

His family members.

His mother, his father, casey and a little caramel skinned boy with braids peeking behind Casey’s arm, his wide eyes fixed on him like he could not believe he was real.

They were all there, waiting for him.

The night air was cold, thick with an eerie silence that neither the wind or the constant rustle of leaves could break.

Maximus stood stil, his breath steady and his expression very much unreadable.

The headlights of his car ast long shadows over the pavement, illuminating the small suburban home.

His family stood there, lined up like statues frozen in the sahara.

His father was standing with his arms crossed, his face impassive.

His mother, an older yet strikingly beautiful woman, had her hands clasped in front of her as though unsure whether to reach out or keep the distance.

Casey his immediate younger sister, stood slightly behind rosetta, her phone still gripped tightly in her hands, as if she hadn’t processed the fact that maximus had actually answered this time.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then, a small gasp broke the silence.

A blur of movement shot forward, and before maximus could fully react, a tiny pair of arms wrapped tightly around his leg.

"Big bro! It high time we met!"

Maximus’s serious expression disappeared instantly as he looked down at the boy hugging him so tightly, as if he would run away.

He was as surprised as can be, he had never seen Percy before, he was never informed that his parents adopted a new son. He reached down, scooping him up in one fluid motion, effortlessly lifting him into his arms. He then proceeds to hug percy chest to chest, simultaneously giving his mother and father a puzzled look.

Regaining eye contact with the little boy, meeting his big round eyes that were full of innocence. "Is that your car?" he asked, pointing to the sleek Dreamweaver parked behind maximus.

Maximus smirked, "Yes, its mine."

His mouth fell open slightly in awe. "It looks like the ones in my toy collection!"

Maximus raised an eyebrow. "So what, my car looks like a toy?"

Percy shook his head rapidly and giggled. "No, it way cooler!!"

That tiny exchange gave Maximus all the information he needed concerning Percy. This was his little brother now, one that he didn’t know of up until that very minute.

Somehow, Percy’s actions loosed the tight atmosphere and rosetta exhaled quietly, her posture relaxing just a fraction.

Casey shifted, unfolding her arms, but her lips were still pressed together. She was clearly holding something back.

Maximus adjusted percy in his grasp and glanced towards the front door. "So, are you guys just going to stand here all night?"