Blah Blah- Disclamer- Blah Blah

Matt was young when his parents broke up and Matt still felt like it was all his fault. Now, he saw again the last fight his parents had had. It was around midnight and Matt's brother T.K. was sound asleep, their dad had still not come home from 'work'. Matt and his mom both knew that he was at a bar. Matt also knew that his parents were thinking about getting a divorce. He had seen all the signs. He had watched his dad turn to drinking and beat his mother. Matt had heard all their arguments. Most of them were about him. How he fought at school with the other kids, and how his grades seemed to be slowly slipping. He knew that his parents thought that he wasn't trying hard enough. What they didn't know was that it was really that Matt was scared. He was scared that his parents were splitting up. Matt had long ago built up walls around his heart, that few were allowed in. He had let in his parents now their fighting was ripping his heart to shreds.
Matt stood in the doorway of his and T.K.'s room; heard his father walk in; heard his father yelling at his mother and his mother yelling back. Then he heard the sound of breaking dishes. He looked at T.K. afraid that he would wake up in the middle of the battle between their parents. Matt remembered that morning, everything had been fine. His mother seemed fine in front of T.K. Matt knew that it was a lie though. A facade. A paper thin lie to keep T.K. from understanding what was really happening.
Matt felt tears in his eyes but fought them back. His parents finishing the fight went to bed. One was sleeping in the guest room though. Matt knew when he heard the sound of two slamming doors. He knew it would happen again tomorrow night. It was an unbreakable cycle.

The next morning at breakfast both his parents were smiling. When T.K. asked about the broken dishes, his father said that he had dropped them last night.
"Dropped them." Matt thought. "More like threw them."
Both his parents thought he was like T.K. That he was naive and would believe any lie they told him.

Later at school is where it all really started though. At school some kids were picking on T.K., calling him a "baby" and other names.
Matt looked at his brother and saw that T.K. was ready to cry from the unmerciful teasing. Matt got up from his spot at the lunch table and walked over.
"Stop picking on my brother!" He yelled at the kids. They replied by sticking out their tongues. Soon a fight had erupted. Matt watched T.K. scamper away.
"At least T.K.'s safe," Matt thought.
Soon a teacher showed up and the students fighting had their parents called and were sent home. Matt's mom having to leave work to go pick him up was livid.

"You can't let anything go, can you? You always you have to start a fight." She yelled once they got into the car.
Matt opened his mouth to replay, but his mom cut him short.
"I don't want to hear any of your excuses," She said.
The car ride home was deathly quiet. Matt's mom had to go back to work and left him in charge of baby-sitting T.K. because she had to make up lost time. T.K. came home on time. Matt would soon find that he would have preferred being yelled at dinner then what happened. The real battle was only just beginning.

"Matt, T.K. your mother and I have something to tell you." Their dad began.
Matt knew what was happening but he couldn't stop it. His rice dinner which had tasted wonderful now tasted like ash in his mouth.
"Your mother and I are getting a divorce." His dad finished. Matt felt betrayed. He had known that they had talked about it but never thought they'd really go through with it.
"What's a divorce?" T.K. asked.
Their mom opened her mouth to say something, but Matt cut her off.
"It's"when parents stop loving their families and move away from each other as fast as they can." he yelled. Both parents looked somewhat pained. "Did you think I was like T.K. and didn't know what was going on?"
"Is that true?" T.K. asked.
"Some." His mom said. "It's when moms and dads keep fighting with each other and move away from each other."
"You're not going to make me and Matt spilt up are you?" T.K. asked.
"We still love both of..." His mom started, only to be interrupted by Matt's snort.
"Only Matt's going to live with dad and you're going to live with me. Matt will still visit on weekends and on holidays." She finished.
Matt got up and stalked away from the table. His parents watching him. Finally after an uncomfortable silence, T.K.'s mom said,
"T.K. it's time for bed."
T.K. knew better then to argue. That night T.K. thought about what his brother had said before he was born.
"Mom and Dad I would take walks and go to the park and fly kites and ..." Matt had said.
T.K. had listened to his brother and had heard all the fun stuff they used to do. They had had to stop because T.K. was to little to do that stuff yet.
"I know what I'll do." thought T.K. "I'll run away then without me, mom, and dad and Matt will do all that fun stuff together and be happy again." He looked over at his brother and say him mumbling in his sleep. T.K. ran around the room picking up his favorite toys and some snacks. and stuffed them into his book bag. Then he picked up a red crayon and wrote a letter to his brother. T.K. was a good speller and hoped Matt would be able to read it.

T.K.’s Note

Dear Matt, My brother,
I have run away so that you, mom, and dad can all be happy again. It's all my fault that mom and dad are fighting. So I will run away and you can have mom and dad back. I will always remember you and hope that you will remember me.

T.K.

"T.K., T.K., Where are you?" He heard his mother yell. She walked into the room and asked. "Matt have you seen your brother anywhere?"
"No." He answered "Why?"
"Your brothers missing, your dad's calling all his friends to see if he went to go out and play."
Matt woke up fast and shook the grogginess from himself. It was then he felt the letter in his hand. After opening it he read it. He was just about to call his mom when he heard her yell.
"T.K.'s in the hospital, He was hit by a car about a mile away from here on his bike."
Matt got dressed putting the letter in his pocket. and raced out.
"Is he OK?!"
"He's in critical condition," His father answered. Matt looked at his after hearing his voice crack. He saw tears in his dad's eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen his dad cry.
"We're going to the hospital now to see him."
"Can I come?" Matt asked.
"You will probably just sit in the waiting room all day."
"I don't care, I want to go."
"OK, get in the car." The family drove to the hospital and the nurse said that T.K. was doing better and that his mom and dad could see him. Matt would have to wait in the waiting room.
Matt went to a corner of the empty room and sat down fighting the tears.
Later in the afternoon about 3:30 in the afternoon another child was rushed into the emergency room. It was a young girl, following the paramedic was a boy about Matt's own age. The kid had dark brown eyes and hair. Those eyes now were on the verge of tears. The kid had his hair combed in an odd way which must have had ton of hair products in it. The child's hair seemed to be held up by a headband with a pair of goggles attached. The paramedic told the boy to wait in the waiting room. The boy nodded once then went and sat down near the entrance. Soon a pair of adults, probably the boy parents came running in. They seemed to talk then the mom suddenly hit the boy in the face knocking him to the ground.
"You knew she was sick, why did you take her out then?"
The nurse then gestured that they could go in. The parents forgot about the child on the ground and ran in. The boy got up his eyes now filled with tears and ran to the corner where Matt was thinking that it was empty. Once he got there he began to cry. Seeing Matt he tried to stop but couldn't. He turned to Matt and said.
"It's all my fault, I shouldn't have taken her out I knew she was sick but she looked better, she really did, it's all my fault, all of it."
"Don't feel bad." Matt said trying to calm the kid down.
"No!, it's all my fault. What would you know anyway?"
"Look, see for yourself." Matt held out the letter written by his brother. "It's all my fault that he ran away and got hit by a car," Matt said. Then he to began to cry.
The two boys cried for a few minutes each taking comfort in the fact that they were not alone. After about another hour Matt was allowed to go see his brother. The doctor in the room was saying as he came in.
"The boy has a small case of amnesia, he won't be able to remember about the last three days maybe more. But otherwise he will be fine." Matt felt better at hearing the news that his little brother would be OK.

"Don't worry." he said to his brother when they were all alone. I'll always be there to protect you from now on."

** ** **
The flames still burned when Matt opened his eyes.
Matt reached a hand into a pocket, and pulled out a small piece of paper. It was kind of old, but he could still read the words in red crayon.
"Hopefully one day you will forgive me for this T.K., or maybe it is better that you never know." With that Matt threw the small piece of paper into the fire. Another behind him also watched the piece of paper shrivel up and burn.
Tai walked over and patted Matt on the shoulder. All he said was
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Matt said and Tai was amazed to see in Matt's eyes ...

Tears.