The Ripple Effect

Jonathan was a tall boy, a few inches taller than Rein (whom I had thought to be abnormally far in his growth). This new boy also had unruly, auburn hair, but it was in tight curls that bounced as he jumped up and down in waiting for his friend. His nose was crooked, and his blue eyes were wide with innocence and joy. The only difference between the two was that Rein’s hair was buzzed…

If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that I had given birth to twins seven years ago.

“Jonathan!” Rein squealed, scrambling to unbuckle himself from his seat and throw open the car door. In all of the commotion, he left his backpack in the dust.

I unbuckled quickly, throwing open the door.

“So you must be Rein’s mother, then?”

I forced myself to pull my eyes away from Rein’s retreating figure in the distance as my heart fell. He truly wanted to be here, so much so that he had completely forgotten about me.

“Yeah,” I whispered, meeting the eyes of the man towering before me.

This man… He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. His auburn hair was cut short, like Rein’s, and his eyes were a wild blue that shot an intense jolt through my very core. Though he wore a loose button-up shirt and dress slacks, I could tell that he was hiding his true form from me; he was not a body-builder by any means, but he was certainly built. Every feature on his face was sharply defined, from his angular jawbone to his cheekbone. Even his nose was roughened up, crooked from what was surely a childhood incident. But that gentle smile… That was what threw me off. I would have thought he was the man in the forest so many years ago, the disgusting bastard who left Rein—an inexcusable act!—but that smile and the jovial look in his eyes just did not fit…

“Don’t let it get to you,” he offered, still smiling. “Jonathan acts like I don’t exist whenever he sees something shiny; boys will be boys.”

Uncomfortable with his close proximity, I sidled away from him. He looked a bit taken back, but his smile faltered for only one second.

“I’m sure you’re not happy with this; I hate when Jonathan is out of my sight. They think they’re untouchable,” he sighed, glancing over his shoulder. The boys had absolutely vanished! “They ran back to the house. Please, join us for dinner; I mean, unless you need to get back home and cook dinner.”

“For whom would I cook? I’d be surprised if you don’t know as much about me from Jonathan as I know about you from Rein.”

He chuckled softly. “Good point. Dinner, then? I’m sure I can make this easier for you. Is this his first sleepover?”

I nodded silently as we walked; I had not felt so small since I was child walking beside my father! A soft sigh pulled my eyes toward him, and he was frowning at me.

“What?” I asked, not quite sure how to place the emotion that he was showing me.

“I think Rein is going to want to come here a lot.”

“Oh? And why is that? What is wrong with our house? Jonathan can come over, too, you know.”

He smiled, but it was short-lived. “Of course Jonathan is welcome to spend the night with you and Rein, but I think Rein would rather—”

“You’ve known my son for two minutes,” I warned, glowering up at him even though it surely appeared as a Chihuahua threatening a Great Dane.

“I’m not suggesting that at all! I just—” He furrowed his brow, but then this sorry look crossed his face. I growled at it. I had spent my entire life trying to avoid being pitied, yet this man thought he could ignore that and do as he so pleased? “You have no idea, do you?”

“What are you talking about?” I hissed, stepping out of his reach as he tried to wrap his arm around my shoulders. “Just what don’t I know?”

“Never mind that,” he murmured, glancing forward and finally deciding not to stare at me. “I never told you my name, and that is unacceptable. I’m Orion, and Jonathan is my nephew; but you already know the situation, I’m sure.”

“You think you can just try idle chit-chat with me after insulting me? After pitying me?”

“Please, I would like to rewind, if possible.”

“What don’t I know, Orion?”

He groaned loudly, pushing open the door of the cabin at which we had just arrived.

“Dad!”

I stepped back as Jonathan barreled into Orion’s stomach, throwing his arms around him and grinning up at him. The entire action looked painful, but Orion just grunted quietly and grinned down at the child that would have killed me if he had chosen to attack me!

“You rascal,” Orion cooed, ruffling Jonathan’s hair. “And Rein, it is great to have you here.”

Rein… He was standing quietly, gripping the nearby doorframe. This behaviour was strange… Rein stared at Orion, trembling with fear—but it wasn’t typical fear; he looked like he feared disappointing this man.

Orion smiled gently, stepping up to him and kneeling before him. I wanted to protest, but I was just spell-bound. Why was Rein so concerned about Orion’s opinion?

Orion whispered something to him, and a smile split his tiny face.

“Okay!” Then he rushed up to me, wrapping his arms around me. “Mama, you’re staying for dinner?”

I shot a dirty look to Orion, but he just met my disdainful scorn with a delighted smile.

“I suppose I am. Why don’t you go play? I want to talk with Orion.”

Rein grinned, glancing between us. “Okay, I’ll go play with Jonathan so you can play with Jonathan’s papa, Mama.”

I blushed all kinds of red, but Rein scurried away with a laughing Jonathan before I could even begin to correct him.

“I think they’re trying to play Cupid,” Orion muttered teasingly, probably trying to lessen my embarrassment. “It’s okay; I know you have absolutely no interest in me.”

I eyed him carefully, trying to read if he was saying something other than the actual words he used. He looked completely innocent.

“I don’t have time for something as silly as that.”

“As silly as what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Love? Companionship? That is hardly silly.”

“Rein is all I need, Orion.”

“I say that about Jonathan, too, even if he’s really my brother’s kid. But no one believes me, so why should I believe you?”

I growled at him. “Let’s just get this over with.”

He looked down. “Okay.”