Swing

Following a young boy building a tire swing

• Short story

								
My brother and I in the backseat of the car, while he has his headphones on, I listen to mother talk about her friends at work, father focused on the road only answering in moans.
I looked out the car window watching trees pass by, I couldn’t help but to wonder what this new house looks like. 
Mother said it’s going to have a porch that wraps around the house and a big open field. She told me that if things go well, we just might get a dog. 

It only took a couple hours, felt like days, but here we are. I hopped out of the car and the first thing I saw was a big oak tree. I ran to father and asked if we could have a tree house built. He gave me a smile and nodded. Brother got out of the car, I ran towards him to tell him the news. I was too excited to noticed that he wasn’t happy

This was it, The New House, mother gave father the keys. He walked up to the door and one click, it opened. I ran in and saw stairs and a window at the top, sunlight casting over. I turned left to the living room, only a few furnitures the other owner left. I went to the next room, which was my personally favorite, The tv room, there was a slightly filled bookcase, but I never went near those books with a tv in the room. I pushed opened a swinging door, through a hallway, another singing door and the kitchen. I didn’t really know what I expected, just cupboards and a fridge is all I knew. The dining room I did expect a little more, like a dining table for starters. The family spent a few nights either on the ground or the very old furniture until our moving truck came.
I reached the entrance area, and up the stairs I go. 

First door I saw was the bathroom, took a quick peak, but not long enough to describe, but it was a bathroom. Right of that door was my brother’s, and right of his was mine. I ran in, it was quite medium size, but I made it work. Left of the bathroom was Father’s office, and of course, Mother’s and Father’s bedroom.

A few months pasted, and I still don’t got that tree house, Father said he was gonna build. I spent day after day asking him, it was always the same answer, “Soon”. I stopped asking after two months, but I still bring it up with a couple friends.

My brother actually got happier once school started. He got a job over the summer, he still works and I always wonder how he could do it. I was always tired after school, but it was his last year of school so maybe that was the motivation.

Everything was going great, especially with my birthday coming up. Mother told me that I couldn’t have a party, but I was getting something special. First thought was the tree house dad told me he was gonna build. I was too excited to sleep or focus in school for the next couple of days.

The day finally hit, I looked outside at the tree, nothing. I was disappointed, but I still had the whole day. I ran down stairs to see Mother and Brother putting up decorations. Mother saw me and said the obvious, “Look at the birthday boy!”
I asked where father is, but Mother didn’t look happy after.
She avoided the question by asking if I saw the cake yet. I smiled and ran to the fridge to see the best thing man has created. A two layer chocolate cake with sprinkles.
Everything was great, Mother was making lasagna, Brother was gone for awhile, but once he came back he told me to come outside, he put a blindfold on me and guided me to the oak tree. He asked if I was ready and took the blindfold off. I smiled and ran and hopped on to a freshly built tire swing. Apparently he got the tire from his job, I still didn’t know what he worked as, but it was the best thing ever. I spent a good few days on that tire swing.
It was the start of the tree house I thought. Mother called us back to the house to start dinner, I hugged him and ran off. I saw Father pulling in with his work clothes on. I never found out why mother avoided the question. 

Mother pulled out the cake from the fridge, while dad started to put candles in and light them.
The song started, I blew the candles out, and I got my present mother bought me. It was a comic book about a bald man in a wheelchair. My best guess was her work friends told her that I would be into it, so that’s what she got me.
I still got the comic, just haven’t been opened.

After the best week of my life, led with one of the worst. I woke up one Saturday morning while it was raining, I could smell the wet dirt and it’s still one of the amazing smells out there. I saw my brother getting ready for work and my mother handing him an umbrella. 

“Be careful, it’s really raining hard out there.” She told him.

He left and well… 

That was 5 months ago. 
Today is the day that was supposed to be my brother’s graduation day. Every student was making memories out on a field at school, while my family was at a grave, replacing flowers. 

The tire swing is still on the oak tree, but I never go near it. I’m afraid that if I do, it’ll break and Brother isn’t here to fix it. 
We keep brother’s room as it was when he left that day. I did steal his headphones and his iPod,
I never add songs or delete any, it’s best that I listen to everything he has ever listened to. 

There is a constant fear in the back of my head now, what if I don’t make it my graduation day. 

I still got 6 years, only time will tell.
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