Ciara and Herzl were both sitting in the large sitting room, both of them were engrossed in the late evening show they were both watching.
The soft door on the oak door snapped them out of their world back to reality as they both turned their heads towards the door.
"I'll go get the door, mom..."Herzl volunteered and made to get up, but Ciara's reflex kicked in as she quickly grabbed him by his wrist, pinning him back on the couch.
"What's going on, mom? Why didn't you want me to answerthe door?" Herzl asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"I...I have a bad feeling about this..."Ciara said, her eyes darting between the door and her son -she did not understand why she was having that kind of feeling all of a sudden.
"A bad feeling? What do you mean?" Herzl asked, trying to make sense of what his mother was saying.
Just then, the knock came up again, this time more insistently. The two of them looked at each other, theirfaces pale with fear-why would anyone knock on the door instead of ringing the doorbell? For a moment, Ciara forgot the house was secured and only those with the gate's passcode can get through to the door.
Ciara gestured towards Herzl not to move an inch from the couch he's sitting on. "Stay put, son." She told him cautiously. "I'll go get the door, myself."
Herzl shook his head in disapproval. "Did you not say you are having an eerie feeling about it?" He asked his mother, rhetorically. "Let me..."
"I told you to stay put, Herzl." She snapped at him, cutting him off abruptly. "Why don't you ever listen to me?"
Herzl bowed his head, avoiding his mother's gaze. He was left with no choice than to do as ordered, she did not want him near the door, he should abide by it.
Ciara went to open the door and realized it was her brother, Dwayne. She breathed out in relief, holding on to her chest.
"Dwayne!" She exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face. "You scared me half to death! I thought you were..."She trailed off, not wanting to voice her fears.
"Sorry to spook you, sis." Dwayne said, giving her a tight hug. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Ciara asked, ushering him into the living room.
Dwayne glanced at her, his warm facial expression turning stern all of a sudden. "What's that for...?" He asked her.
"What do you mean?" Ciara's brows were creased at her brother's question.
"Why would you make my heart race a million times a minute, leaving me worried, little sister? I have to..."Dwayne was interrupted by the suddenly clinging he felt at his knees.
He stared down and realized it was Herzl and immediately, his stern look softened -he was wearing a wide and gentle smile.
"Uncle Dwayne!" Herzl exclaimed, clutching Dwayne's leg. "It's been a while!"
Dwayne laughed, bending over to lift the boy in his arms. "It certainly has, Herzl. You are growing so big, I can barely carry you like this."
Ciara watched the two of them fondly, a loving smile on her face. "You are quite the charmer, Herzl." She said, affectionately. "Dwayne hasn't been home in months, yet you are getting all the attention."
"It's not my fault I'm adorable!" Herzl said, causing the two siblings to laugh.
Dwayne sat Herzl down with a soft sigh before speaking. "Go to your room, big guy..."He stated slowly in a simple tone. "Your mom and I need to talk, okay?"
Herzl did not hesitate before replying. "Sure, uncle Dwayne..."His voice was clear and quick. In a twinkle of an eye, he was already racing out ofthe scene towards the staircase.
Dwayne and Ciara watched him climb the stairs and in a couple of seconds, he was out of sight. Dwayne sighed before turning towards his sister, his expression stern again.
"Why did you choose to keep me worried, Ciara?" He asked, his tone demanding. "Did you have any idea on how worried I was?"
"What did you mean, Dwayne?" She asked him in reply almost immediately, unable to comprehend where her brother's question was heading to.
"Why didn't you pick your call, Ciara?" He requested, sparing her his sharp gaze.
Ciara looked away, unable to look her brother in the eyes. She knew how much she had hurt him by not answering his calls, but she couldn't help but ignore his calls.
"I'm sorry." She finally managed to say, heaving in a deep breath. "I guess I was too clouded by my anger, that was why I decided not to answer the phone."
"What did you mean?" He demanded as he stared around the house. "Anyway, where is she first?"
Ciara's left brow was raised, her facial expression was questioning. "She...?" She demanded, unsure of what he's insinuating. "Who is 'she'?"
Dwayne groaned under his breathe before replying. "Don't stress words out of me, Ciara. You know what I mean and who I'm referring to." He muttered, but Ciara did not budge. "Where is aunt Elsie?"
Ciara's eyes widened, a sudden realization hitting her hard. "Why are you asking after her out of the blues...?" She asked with a displeased look on her face.
"Of course I should, Ciara." Dwayne snapped at her. "You didn't think I wouldn't notice the oddity -you ignored my call because of her?"
"But, Dwayne..."Ciara began, but Dwayne cut her off again.
"No, Ciara!" He snapped, his voice stern and demanding. "You can't let her come in between us, you can't start acting weird towards me because of her presence!"
Ciara inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down."Dwayne..."She started, but Dwayne was quick to interrupt her again.
"I can't understand why you'd let her come between us, Ciara." He stated, his voice more hurt than angry. "I'm your brother and nothing should come in between us, I won't allow it!"
Ciara looked away from him, the turmoil of emotions within her bubbling up. "I don't know what you mean..."She said, the conviction in hervoice lacking. "I just_don't understand why you are against her this much, Dwayne. She did nothing wrong, you can't be hard on her for her husband's dirty crime."
"My feelings keep telling me otherwise, Ciara! You are threading on a dangerous path by letting her into your life, little sister!" He told her, almost yelling at her.
"Is that why you did not attend the funeral with us?" She threw at him. "Dwayne, I begged you earlier this morning, but you refused -is this what your feeling is asking you to do?"
Dwayne stayed silent for a moment, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "Don't play the 'guilt-trip' card, Ciara." He finally spoke up. "It's not working for me. I already told you, I don't want anything to do with her."
"But why?" Ciara asked, her voice taking on a desperate tone. "What did she ever do to you, Dwayne? Why do you hate her this much?"
Dwayne was taken aback by his sister's question, he barely expected such a demanding question from her-or maybe he did expect it but neverthought she would ask him to his face...