«Measure up to what, excuse me?» Ariana was surprised. «Maybe I just don’t know. Are you heirs to a great princely lineage and can’t ‘disgrace’ the family name?» Ariana felt a wave of irritation covering her. Knowing everything about the brothers’ childhood and their relationship with their father, the young woman was sincerely surprised where the older one got such awe for this man.
Michael exhaled loudly. «No. We’re a simple family. Always lived poor. My father achieved nothing himself. And didn’t even try. Went to work. Didn’t take extra shifts, worked from start to finish. The family’s dire situation didn’t bother him. Mom ran to side jobs, and he watched TV and read books,» the man told. «Didn’t teach us much, didn’t help with anything, but always laughed when we failed at something. Once friends taught me to ride a bike. I hoped he’d praise me for learning something on my own. But when I demonstrated my skills, he just laughed. Said I get on the bike ‘like a girl’.»
«I know these stories,» Ariana shrugged. «And I doubly don’t understand why you’re so afraid of his judgment. You’ve already achieved more than him.» «And lost it all. Renting the cheapest housing. No washing machine even. Living on Mom’s money. Haven’t found a job yet. I returned to the city with one suitcase. In it, only remnants of former luxury.»
«Among those remnants were awful cologne,» Ariana replied. «I smelled it right away in the hallway.» Michael laughed. «What, really awful?» «Eww,» Ariana replied…
They were silent for a bit. Ariana was still under the impression of what she heard. She wanted to help Michael, but in this situation, only he could help himself. «Why don’t you want to tell Andrew the truth? He’d help with a job,» Ariana asked sincerely.
«Ask for help from my younger brother? No, I can’t.» «But you can sneak into a stranger’s apartment!» Ariana felt she was starting to get angry.
«Stop. I’m ashamed,» the man asked. «Very ashamed. But if I confess to Andy, it’ll turn out he was right.» «About what?» «About everything. About how to live. About what I was doing in life not right.»
«Oh, my God!» Ariana exclaimed and rolled her eyes. «I envy him,» Michael admitted. «He has a life, and I’ve been throwing dust in eyes for many years. Because of my own stubbornness and vanity, I lost everything I acquired. And now I stand in the middle of my younger brother’s apartment corridor and realize I had nothing valuable. Only dust.»
Michael fell silent meaningfully. «Please don’t tell Andy that I’m back…» «I was already ready to install cameras in the apartment. Suspected Andrew had a mistress. Even went to a psychotherapist — treated neurosis. And now, when everything’s clear, you ask me not to tell him the truth?! No way, I’ll tell him everything. About you and Helen’s genius idea to give keys to our apartment to whoever she pleases.»
This time, Michael got angry. «I thought you were like that…» «Like what?» Ariana crossed her arms on her chest and gave her husband’s brother a strict look…
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