Carmen turned to her little brother.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"I guess."
"Don't say that."
"What do you want me to say?"
He crossed his arms, turning away from her. She frowned, grabbing his arm, "Talk to me."
He didn't fight her, knowing he couldn't, instead hesitating before looking up at her. "I'll be fine," he tried to reassure her. He was never a good liar.
She brought her bag close to her body, waiting for him to continue. He gulped, trying to hold himself back. "I don't want you to leave, Carmen," he whispered under his breath. "I know I can't stop you, but..." his voice trailed off, getting lost in thought.
Her expression faded to worry. "You'll be okay without me here, won't you? I know you can take care of yourself," she said, smiling a bit. He shrugged, "Of course I can." He rolled his eyes. "I sort of have to." She pouted. "Kamal, don't say that," she demanded.
"Easy for you to say," he snapped back. She flinched, pulling back and giving him some space. "Dad actually likes you," he whined, turning to her. "And for what? Because you get good marks; because you're pretty and popular? I'm not a bad kid just because," he took a shaky breath
"Kamal--"
"Just because Mom's dead doesn't mean it's my fault!" Tears were falling down his face. "I didn't want that to happen! It's not like I did it on purpose, so why does he hate me," he cried.
"He doesn't hate you."
"It's been fourteen years, Carmen, and he's never acknowledged my existence except to tell me that it was my fault." His voice was shaking. "And you're saying he doesn't hate me."
She sighed, bringing her hand up to her neck. He blinked, looking up at her. "You know I'm right," he added.
"I know, but," she sat down on the bench, patting the seat next to her. "It's not all bad."
He reluctantly sat down next to her, still silent. She let him be for a moment before he glanced over at her. "Carmen?"
"Yeah."
He paused a moment, before taking a breath, "Tell me about Mom again."
She smiled a bit. That's better.
"Of course. You know, she'd be so proud of you," she beamed. He wiped his cheeks, smiling a little. "Yeah," he asked. She nodded, "Mhm. She was so smart, loved reading." He tittered, "Guess that's where I get it from." Carmen giggled, "Oh, definitely. And she loved to garden.." Her smile faded a little. "I wish we had kept it up, but," She scooted a bit closer to her little brother, looking at him with a small smile.
He peered up at her, his expression somber. The faint sound of the upcoming train could be heard from behind. Carmen swayed her head to see, before turning back to him. "Guess this is it," she gave him a shy smile. He stared back at her, nodding without a sound.
The stood up, Carmen grabbing her bags. Both of them walked over to the platform, Kamal bringing his wings close to his body, and avoiding eye contact. Carmen gave him a tight hug.
"I'm gonna miss you," she said softly. He wrapped his arms around her.
She broke the embrace gently as the train doors opened, picking up her bags one last time. Using her free hand, she plucked a small feather from his wing. "Ow! What was that for," he asked, impatient with her. She stepped on the train, giving him a sly wink, "A little going away present!" He huffed, rolling his eyes.
He watched her take a seat on the train, Carmen making a phone gesture with her hand and mouthing, "I'll call you!" eagerly. Kamal smiled and nodded, waving to her as the train took off.
He kept his eye on the train until it was out of sight, and then some. His smile faded as he placed his hands in his pockets. He gazed off into the distance for a while longer before turning around to head home.
If you could call it that.
