Just call my name and I'll be there

 

A lot of things had been a long time coming. Matty and Valentina finally got their own place even if it was on the small side, yet it was plenty for the three of them. Of course, when his adopted older brother Sunny showed up, he couldn't help but ask, "Why couldn't you have showed up weeks ago?"

It would have been great to have the help with the move. He didn't mean to be disgruntled about it, but ever since Sunny moved back, he never saw him.

"Oh, things were good with Lizzy and me, then," He shrugged about the matter. He came over when Valentina was out with Rosie (Sunny's first love who now had a baby with her husband Chance). Thankfully, Rosie had found a good fulltime job for Valentina and they were now co-workers at the Child Care Center on base. Matty was doing maintenance for the City. Most of his days were mowing. But occasionally he got to crawl through small spaces to put in cameras to watch ballot boxes.

Matty was certain his job was beneath Sunny, but then again he thought Lizzy might have something to do with his thinking.

"And it's not so good now?" Matty knew Sunny might need him for something, but Sunny went to the toddler who was crawling about and climbing the couch. Foster was quite active. But he was happy that he was getting to know more children his own age, and it wasn't such a strain on Val's mother who still had her hands full with her brother's son, Angel.

"I moved out," Sunny decided it was time. "I hate to give up," he sighed. He'd given his relationship with Lizzy a whole year, but it had always been rocky. He said she was quite the drama queen.

Matty just smiled. Oh, he remembered how Valentina used to have squabbles with her, too. "Was she always like that?" But they'd lost touch and Valentina was on Rosie's side these days.

Sunny sighed and shook his head. He focused on playing with Foster who took to him as if he was really family.

"What are you doing now?" Matty asked if he'd seen their dads lately.

"Designing kitchens," he winced as if he didn't like it, but it was work. He was working on blueprints with some of the apartments being built, but he worked at a local place too. "But I moved in here." He'd been here at the apartments all along.

Matty was shocked. "Why do you have to be such a mystery?" Matty squinted. They used to be so close growing up. 

"I dunno," he was even-lipped. "I'm such a failure."

"What?" Matty didn't believe that. "You were a good brother. And then you left for the University in Chicago," Matty remembered. "What changed you?"

"Well, look at you?" Sunny squinted back and put the little toddler in his lap. "Married I suppose?"

Matty nodded. They hadn't made a big deal about it. 

"See, you're not telling me everything, either," Sunny told him. 

Matty pressed his lips tight. "We didn't want our parents to spend any money on us," Matty said they'd done so much with Foster.

"Let's do lunch on Sundays," Sunny said. "At my place."

Matty's smile was open. He knew Valentina would appreciate that and so would he.