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It was after the end of summer when Eberechi Eze returned to the suburbs of Greenwich. He returned in the same old truck he'd left in, on a cold dawn foreshadowing the winter to come. Inside the truck was a single, not-so-large duffel bag.
Before noon, everyone in the village knew that Eberechi had returned. Rumors traveled fast in a place like this. More gossipy people would even ask Eberechi directly, "Where have you been all this time? Summer is already over."
Eberechi replied, "Summer isn't over yet." He said that even though everyone had already pulled out their sweaters for the fall.
Just as everyone knew that Eberechi's favorite season was summer, his private life was also a public property of the village. The fact that his father left town with a French woman on his son's third birthday has haunted him for some time, perhaps his entire life.
Eberechi's mother never mentioned her husband's infidelity. The last thing she knew of his biological father was that he had a son with the woman. But the idea that there was a "family" he didn't know existed had a place in his mind throughout Eberechi's life.
His biological father finally made a contact when Eberechi became an adult. He didn't have Eberechi's phone number, but he did know how to search for his son's name on Facebook. Looking at the Facebook message with all the wrong spellings, Eberechi wondered if he should meet his irresponsible father who hadn't been there for him his whole life. His friends said he might be asking for money. Eberechi said it couldn't be, but deep down, he thought they might be right.
Fortunately, that didn't happen. Instead, his father handed him a wad of cash. He apologized for the small amount of money. 'It's too short for 15 years of child support,' was on the tip of Eberechi's tongue, but he held it back.
His father was full of excuses for his life. Although he never mentioned it directly, he had apparently broken up with a French woman. Since he had run away from Eberechi's mother without divorcing her, he could not have married her. Of course, even if he had remarried, it was clear that this man would not have been able to maintain a proper marriage, a proper family.
At one point, Eberechi asked impulsively, "Have you been good to the kid?" The father's eyes narrowed.
"The kid?"
"My brother."
The word "brother" came out of Eberechi's mouth more naturally than he expected. His father's mouth twitched, but the words, 'I've been good to him (unlike to you),' didn't come out immediately.
"What's his name?"
"......Michael."
"Michael Eze?"
Eberechi's father shook his head.
"You're the only one who took my last name, Eberechi."
Eberechi replied, "No one calls me like that, not even my mom." And then he stood up, feeling like he was going to lose his mind the longer he talked to this man. He heard his father's voice calling his name again, "Eberechi," but he didn't turn around.
'Eberechi is a good boy,' everyone said. And everyone knew the omitted words, 'for a fatherless child.' However, Eberechi was markedly better than almost anyone with a father. This was partly because his mother worked tirelessly to raise him right, but it was also because of his innate nature.
He was inherently a people person. He rarely turned down a request and was eager to please others. As Eberechi grew into adolescence and his body grew larger, this affectionate nature began to create unexpected problems. People fell in love with him unexpectedly, even when he didn't intend to. Not wanting to disappoint them, he more or less lived up to their one-sided fantasies. The ending was always the same. "You seem to be playing with me," Eberechi couldn't help but chuckle at the 'breakup' notice he received one day. People were literally playing with him this whole time.
The only thing that could give him a real sense of belonging was his blood family. He loved his mother, but it wasn't enough. Eberechi thought about his half-brother, whom he knew only by name, and one day he made up his mind. 'I must find him.'
The French woman had taught French in the village until shortly before her runaway, and it wasn't hard to find someone who knew her name. The woman who lived across the street from Eberechi's house had also learned French from her. One day, when he came to visit her, she pored over the family ledger she had kept for so long and found the woman's name in one of the rows. Eberechi stared at the name for a long time.
For Eberechi Eze, the name Michael Olise was rather his imagination than a real person. When he searched for him on Facebook or Instagram, he couldn't find him. Maybe Michael didn't have an account, maybe he didn't use his full name. Eberechi knew that the woman was from Marseille, but that fact didn't help him find Michael.
It was a TikTok video that flashed across his feed that led him to Michael. At one point, Eberechi believed it was fate that allowed him to find his brother through such a coincidence. That idea hasn't changed since that summer, but there's something he didn't know then: fate doesn't always go in the right direction.
Anyway, Eberechi wrote and rewrote the DM.
Hi, Michael. My name is Eberechi Eze, I'm from Greenwich, and I really hope you read this message.
Yesterday, I saw your video in the for you tab, and I saw that your name is Michael Olise. And that you're from Marseille. We look quite similar too (check out my profile picture). Putting those together, I think we must be brothers with the same father.
I've been looking for you since the moment I was told I had a brother. If you're uncomfortable with this message, feel free to ignore it. Otherwise, I look forward to hearing from you.
Less than an hour later, the notification ringed.
When he saw Michael for the first time, Eberechi knew he would never forget this moment.
Covered in a hoodie that must have been at least two sizes too big for him, Michael kept his head down and looked at his phone, occasionally glancing up to check on passersby with an uneasy gaze. It was a familiar gaze to Eberechi, the one he'd seen countless times in the mirror. In Michael's eyes, there was a shadow of loss that he didn't even know what it was for.
Eberechi thought he could erase the shadow, that it was his duty as an older brother to do so. He strode to Michael's side.
"Hi."
Michael stared at Eberechi. His English fine when Eberechi DMed him, but maybe he might not speak english..... Then Michael blurted out, out of nowhere.
"......you look like my dad."
Though Eberechi himself did not like to admit it, he looked exactly like his father, so he could not deny Michael's statement. Michael's face, on the other hand, bore no resemblance to his (their) father's, but Eberechi could recognize the way his eyes squinted when he spoke, and his accent, which was not quite French, but familiar to Eberechi.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Well, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. The place where you live...... might be hard, right?"
"My mom would faint if she saw you."
Eberechi thought it was obviously a joke, but Michael visibly shrank back.
"My dad's relatives live in Newcastle. Why don't we go there?"
"Where is Newcastle?"
"Its....... Wait."
Eberechi opened the Maps app.
"We're here now and....... Newcastle is over there."
Michael frowned, and Eberechi handed him his phone. Their fingertips touched.
"I'm not sure, but it seems pretty far away."
"Well, there's plenty of time."
As he said this, Eberechi looked at Michael.
"You are an adult, right?"
Instead of answering, Michael showed him his passport. He was three years younger than him, but he was still an adult.
"You know how to drive, right?"
On the way to the parking lot, Michael was visibly flustered by Eberechi's question.
"Oh, you're a passenger princess."
"......I think I can do it, I just don't have a license."
"No way I would hand my beast to an unlicensed driver."
The "beast" in question was an old but well-maintained pickup truck. Eberechi, interpreting Michael's silence in his own way, spoke up.
"It's not a Rolls-Royce, but it's not bad for a truck. And it makes money when you're in a hurry."
"I didn't say anything......."
"Oh, well, that's good."
Eberechi grinned. Michael didn't say anything in response and climbed into the passenger seat.
Michael shook his head when Eberechi said, "You can play whatever song you want." But even though it took over five hours to get to Newcastle, the silence wasn't awkward at all. It wasn't like when he was driving with the other boys. They didnd't have to play hip-hop with vulgar lyrics to not be bored.
Of course, it's not that they didn't talk at all. They talked about how they lived before they met each other. Mostly Eberechi would ask questions, and Michael would answer. Whenever they were stopped at a traffic light, Eberechi would look at Michael in the mirror, and their eyes would meet.
Arriving in Newcastle, they headed to Aisha's house. Aisha, Eberechi's and Michael's aunt, was surprised even though Eberechi had called ahead.
"You guys don't look alike at all. Does he even speak English?"
"He does."
"I think he's better than me," Eberechi joked. Aisha shook her head.
Despite her words, Aisha was kind-hearted. As she fed her two nephews a proper Nigerian meal, she asked.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Well, I don't have any specific plans."
"Are you going to find Rotanna?"
Aisha's words made Eberechi pause for thought.
"I don't really want to, unless that's what Michael wants."
"I don't want to look for him."
When Michael spoke up, almost for the first time, both Aisha and Eberechi looked at him. Michael didn't explain further.
Aisha's house wasn't very big, and she couldn't give them each a bed. The bed, which had felt spacious when Eberechi was a child, was cramped for two grown men to share.
"I might snore."
"......Yikes."
"At least I won't kick you. What about you, are you a light sleeper?"
Michael shrugged at Eberechi's comment.
"I've never slept with anyone before."
"You're lying."
"Lying?"
"A good-looking kid like you didn't have a girlfriend until adulthood?"
"......."
Instead of answering, Michael turned his back and lay down. Eberechi, who had been laughing for a while, said, "Good night." At his words, Michael mumbled something inaudible.
They couldn't stay at Aisha's house forever. As much as she cared about eberechi, a woman living alone didn't have a generous budget.
"Now, where do we go....... Wait, are you sleeping?"
"......because I couldn't sleep at night."
"Is that because I snored?"
"No, you didn't snore, I just couldn't sleep."
Eberechi clicked his tongue to Michael's answer.
"You can sleep on the way."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm still thinking, but we're not going somewhere weird anyway, so you can sleep."
"But if the passenger sleeps......."
"How many people do you think I've put in that seat? Just sleep, Michael. Listen to your brother."
"How many people?"
"Uh-huh."
Michael's gaze, which had been lingering on Eberechi's face the entire time, dipped down and then up again. There was an indescribable feeling in Eberechi's mind, but Eberechi didn't comment on it.
As they headed south again, Michael slept soundly. Only once, about halfway through, did he wake up shivering, probably because the air conditioning had made him too cold. Eberechi pulled over to the side of the road, rummaged in the back, and pulled out a blanket that hadn't been used in a long time. After putting the blanket over him and turning down the AC, Michael fell back asleep.
When Michael woke up again, the driver's seat was empty and the door was unlocked. Michael opened the door and got out. It was a sunset so unrealistically beautiful that he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming. The sea was in golden light, sparkling endlessly. Michael walked along the beach. Eberechi looked back at him.
The wind blowed and Eberechi's braid swayed. Michael had hated the wet and salty breeze so much in Marseilles, but for this moment, it was special.
"Michael."
Eberechi called his name, but Michael hesitated. He didn't want to disturb this perfect sight, and Eberechi, who wouldn't guess what he was thinking, approached Michael.
"I know you've seen a lot of sea....... but I still wanted to come here."
"With a family," Eberechi added. At those words, Michael felt something surge inside him. The corners of his eyes burned.
Being by the sea, they could hear the waves from the nearby pub. As they ate fish and chips, which were not particularly flavorful, Michael spoke more than he had ever spoken before.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Michael talked about how lonely his father's absence had left him as a child, and Eberechi didn't think he would have said this if it was daylight. At one point, Michael began to rant about the scumbag men his mother had met (including their father).
"At least you didn't go down a bad path."
Michael asked back at Eberechi's words.
"How do you know I'm not going down a bad path?"
"Well, you're not in jail."
"Your bar is awfully low."
"You know, people's bar isn't that high for fatherless kids. If you don't get in trouble, if you don't commit crimes, if you're willing to work for money, they'll consider you as a solid young man."
"But they don't expect anything more," Eberechi added in a bitter voice. Michael knew he meant it.
"You said earlier that you've never slept with anyone else, so I'm not much different."
"You, are, a virgin?"
When Michael tried to look him over again, Eberechi shook his head.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, I've never been in a serious relationship before."
"Oh......."
"Everyone who's ever come up to me and said they liked me, all they wanted was, like, a physical relationship. Of course, they never said it aloud, but you know, after being around for a while, I didn't like that. I wanted someone who understood me for who I am."
"...... Is that why you've been looking for me?"
"Kind of. Aren't you?"
Eberechi laughed, but Michael couldn't. But Eberechi was too drunk to notice Michael's silence. After a while, they left the pub and headed to the hostel next door. It was a room with twin beds, and Eberechi seemed to be trying to make a joke about it, but Michael wasn't listening.
Before long, Eberechi had fallen asleep, snoring just as he had warned at Aisha's house. But that wasn't what kept Michael awake. The room wasn't completely dark, thanks to the moonlight, and Michael could see a lot of things, from Eberechi's face to his whole body. After staring at his half-brother for a moment, Michael was sure Eberechi was completely asleep and headed for the bathroom.
They returned to London. Eberechi said it was a shame they weren't playing football because it was summer, but Michael wasn't interested in football. Neither was he interested in the sights of London, which Eberechi eagerly took him to see. The whole time Michael was with Eberechi, he was very nervous not to say anything wrong.
Michael's efforts, which Eberechi didn't have a clue about, finally failed the day they stepped out into the London's suburbs. Small but peaceful park was beautiful In fact, any landscape would be beautiful as long as Eberechi was in it.
"It's nice, there are no people."
"You don't like crowds?"
"Not me, but you seem to hate it."
Michael nodded at Eberechi's words.
"Were you always that introverted?"
"......Not when I was younger."
Eberechi asked carefully, "What happened?" His voice was thoughtful with concern, and in its softness, Michael had the illusion that he could speak now.
"I'm gay."
It was impossible for Eberechi not to notice the anxiety in Michael's eyes as he said it. Eberechi smiled as he took both of Michael's hands in his own.
"I know."
"You know?"
"Well, you seem to be incredibly interested in fashion."
"......That's just a prejudice."
"Is it?"
"Anyway. I've had some, uh, incidents in school because of it."
"A lot of people bullied me......." Michael continued, not removing his hand from Eberechi's grasp.
"In a small town, there were always the rumors, and I couldn't try to, like, meet, or date somebody."
"That's ridiculous."
"But then I came here, met you, and....... I realized for the first time what it means to really like someone."
"That's touching-"
"It's not like that, Ebs, don't you see? I like you as a man, not as a brother."
"I'm sorry," Michael added, and withdrew his hand. After saying something that could have turned Eberechi's world upside down, Michael seemed rather relieved. Eberechi realized why Michael had been so nervous over the past few days.
"...... Since when?"
"At first sight."
"I know I'm dirty," Michael muttered, his face looking so lonely that Eberechi had to deny his words immediately.
"You're not dirty."
"......What does that mean?"
Michael had already suffered enough from the fact that he liked men. If Eberechi rejected him now, it would hurt him again.
"I get it."
"I don't know what you mean by 'I get it,' is it because I'm not British? You can't like me the way I like you."
Michael looked like he was going to cry at any moment. Eberechi was always weak to others, but this time it was his family (this time, the fact that he was a family was a problem).
"I'll go."
Eberechi grabbed Michael's wrist as he tried to get up.
"Where are you going? Do you have a place to stay?"
"It's none of your business."
"It's none of my business? Michael. You can't say that. Stay with me."
"It'll be worse if I stay with you."
"......I think it's because you've never been in a proper relationship."
Eberechi was wrong, but Michael didn't correct him. Instead, he waited for the next words to come out of Eberechi's mouth.
"If you want to, we can do a little bit of pretending."
"What do you mean, pretending?"
"I'll teach you a little bit about what it's like to be in a relationship with a man. And then you'll know at some point. Damn, it sounds ridiculous."
"...... Okay."
"Okay?"
"While I'm in England-let me know."
This time, it was Eberechi who was the first to get off the bench. Michael hesitated for a moment. "You're not coming with me?" Eberechi said, and Michael followed him, relieved.
After leaving the park, Eberechi begins to treat Michael like a lover: He holds Michael's hand, and then, whether anyone is watching or not, he gives him a light kiss on the cheek.
Michael couldn't believe this situation at first. It just felt strange and awkward that Eberechi was giving him what he wanted, instead of despising his incestuous desires,
"Have you ever been with a guy?"
Eberechi chuckled at Michael's words.
"Well, kinda."
Kinda? What does that mean? Eberechi didn't answer, but casually placed his hand on Michael's thigh.
'If it's a dream, I wish I would never wake up,' Michael Olise thought. The man he'd been dreaming about all his life, the one who had only loomed as a silhouette in his dreams, was at his side. It didn't matter that he was a brother by blood, sharing a father with him. No, it was even better that he's not a stranger.
If the past 20 years of suffering had been for this moment, Michael felt like he could relive his painful life over and over again. The shadows that had fallen across his face when he came to England were nowhere to be seen now. His face was revitalized, and his eyes began to sparkle.
And Eberechi couldn't help but notice this change in Michael, because it was Eberechi himself who saw him closest. It wasn't hard for Eberechi to find something endearing in Michael, who was so desperate for love. If only he wasn't his brother.......
Crossing the line didn't require as much determination as he might think. Rather, it happened so smoothly, without a hesitation. It felt that Michael's or Eberechi's free will placed no part in its happening. They had been swept by fate, Eberechi would think later, because he couldn't bear to think otherwise.
Neither Michael nor Eberechi was a heavy drinker, so perhaps the problem started when they drank beyond their limits. They mixed with other people at the bar, watched a rugby match, and drank at a faster pace than usual.
"Let's go, we're drunk."
Michael nodded at Eberechi's words. Eberechi didn't remember how they had gotten to the inn. Of course, that wasn't the only thing he didn't remember that night.
It's not like they hadn't kissed before that night, but it was the first time they'd ever kissed like this. For Eberechi, the act was like his own instinct. Like a skilled technician, he moved in between Michael's trembling lips, which were unsure of how to act. Michael didn't know how Eberechi knew when Michael was trying to catch his breath, but Eberechi let him take a brief breath and then immediately closed in on him, which was enough to make Michael lose his mind.
The problem was the moment Michael's hand dug under Eberechi's shirt. As Michael's hand touched his bare skin, Eberechi realized what he was doing and jerked back. But Michael didn't want to stop. He pulled Eberechi into a suggesting embrace once more.
'I shouldn't do this,' Eberechi thought, but he couldn't push his brother away.
When Eberechi awoke at dawn, he had not forgotten everything. Memories of the night before remained partially. Eberechi stared at the man sleeping soundly beside him, the man who had tangled with him last night.
Deepest regret and guilt washed over him like nothing he had ever felt in his life. Eberechi couldn't believe that he had seduced and sinned against his brother (which was very different from the truth, but that's what Eberechi thought anyway). Disgusted with himself, Eberechi gathered up his clothes and hurried out of Michael's side.
How can the world be so peaceful after incest? The dawn sky, blue as he left the inn, brightened quickly as the sun rose. Faced with the summer sun, Eberechi stood frozen in place.
"Ebs."
It was the voice of the man Eberechi wanted to avoid most right now. He didn't turn around.
"......Brother."
At that word, Eberechi slowly turned around. Michael's lips curled as he looked at him with an unreadable expression. He spitted out, "I love you."
Eberechi felt guilty. Eberechi wanted Michael to....... The words didn't matter; he just wanted Michael to be happy. That was all that mattered.
"Let's go to France together. No, not France, anywhere. No one will know we're family unless we tell them first."
"Michael."
Michael looked at him like an abandoned kitten. Eberechi couldn't bring himself to speak. But he had to say.
"......I'm going back to Greenwich."
"Are you going to abandon me?"
"Like our father did?" At Michael's comment, Eberechi bit his lower lip.
"It's not like that."
"It is."
"Michael, this is wrong."
"No, it's not."
"Can you stand up to God?"
"......Now you're saying God's name? If you wanted to, you shouldn't have given me a chance in the first place. It was okay to pretend to be a lover with your brother, but sex is not okay?"
Eberechi blinked. Michael was right. This shouldn't have started in the first place.
"......I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, it makes me feel like shit."
"Michael."
"Lightning won't strike, we aren't going to hell, and I'm not sorry."
With that, Michael stormed back into the hostel. Eberechi hurried after him. When he opened the door, Michael was gathering his things.
"Where are you going?"
"Is it your business?"
"Michael."
"Don't pretend like you care."
"......Don't do this, Michael."
Eberechi grabbed Michael. Michael tried to push him away, but Eberechi wouldn't let him. Eventually, Michael was trapped in Eberechi's arms. Eberechi felt Michael's body tremble, and he felt miserable. He wanted to find his family, and he wanted to make them happy when he finally found them. That was all he wanted.
"Are you going to Heathrow?"
Michael nodded, still wrapped in Eberechi's arms. His hair tickled Eberechi's cheek.
"I'll take you there."
Eberechi didn't know the look on Michael's face when he said that.
"Ebs, come over here and help me move the furniture."
At his mother's words, Eberechi put down his phone and stood up. It was her mother's habit to make major changes to the furniture arrangement every time the seasons changed, as if life was unbearable without such changes.
After moving the furniture and returning to his room, Eberechi picked up his phone again. Once a day, as steady as a prayer, he searched for Michael's name, but there was still no sign of him. As he looked at the empty results, Eberechi unconsciously touched his lips.
Arriving at the airport, Michael looked back at Eberechi one last time before getting off the truck. Eberechi waited nervously for Michael to say or do something. It wouldn't surprise him if Michael cursed and blamed him, or if he grabbed Eberechi on both cheeks and kissed him.
But Michael didn't say or do anything. He just stared at Eberechi for a long time, until the car behind them honked. As if he wanted to remember everything about Eberechi, and it was the same for Eberechi too.
Finally, Michael opened the door and jumped out of the passenger seat, and Eberechi drove out of the airport trying not to see Michael disappearing from his world. As he drove back home, he felt a fever throughout his whole body; he must have been overheated during the summer.
"Summer's already over."
His mother said it like a sigh, and Eberechi knew she was wrong. This summer could not end.
(end.)