For The Love Of The Game

Game Complete

Enter Player Name: Riley

It was such a bittersweet moment.

Waiting here for Jay to get his bags weighed out. I was caught between wanting to smirk proudly and shed a tear. There was a time when he was nothing more than a baby in my mother's arms. Now here he was, a fully grown man, about to go to college. I hoped I had done a good job taking care of him this last year.

He finished handing his last bag to the airline clerk, who proceeded to toss it into the revolving belt. The imminent departure was beginning to feel more and more real. He turned around, and we silently walked over to the side.

"You have everything, right? Passport. Personal documents. Emergency money?" There was this sense of uneasiness in my heart. The uncertainty was making me act more overprotective than ever.

He grunted in annoyance. "For the third time. Yes." But there was also sadness in his voice. His tone served to mask the anxiety over leaving.

"I guess it's finally time." I placed my hand on Mikey's shoulder. At least I would still have him. It was a small reassurance, but a reassurance non the less. Losing Jay was like losing my right arm. But he needed to grow beyond my watchful eye.

"Yeah."

"You will come back to visit right... you promised?" Mikey asked, looking down at his shoe.

"I'll visit every holiday, I promise. Before you know it, I will be back!" Jay said excitedly, more for Mikey than for anything else.

"It's not too late to cancel my registration if you are gonna give me that face," Jay joked. He pinched my cheek. There was little I could do about it other than fail to swat it away.

A single tear, unbeknown to me, began to fall down my face. When I felt its wetness, I wiped it away before Jay could see it. "Don't be silly. You deserve this. Go make the best of college and have fun. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You know... you deserve to be happy too."

"I am. Everything is working out. You are going to college, and the appeal process is going well. Things will work out soon."

"Then why do I always catch you glancing longingly at the door next to our apartment. It's obvious you miss him." He gave me a knowing look.

"It's easy for you to forgive. You weren't there that day."

This had not been the first time Jay had tried to talk to me about Noah. Sure, he was angry at first when I had explained things. But that anger seemed to quickly subside. I wondered how he was able to do it. For me, on the other hand, while I had learned to be cordial to Noah's father, there was still something that plagued my mind. There were many times when I almost called Noah. Ready to tell him I missed him so much and I made a mistake. But then, images of the day would flash in my mind, and I would freeze.

"Maybe that's why. But, do you remember what you told me when that guy that kept bullying me all throughout middle school suddenly apologized?"

"Not really."

"You said that by not forgiving, I was giving him power over me. That moving on was the best way to diminish his actions. Ever since then, every time someone has done me wrong, I remember those words. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean we have to be best friends with the guy, but we should not have to carry that as a burden."

"When did you get so wise?" I asked, knocking my hand on his forehead. He annoyedly looked down at me. He truly had grown so much.

"I'll miss you, sis, " he said, wrapping Mikey and me in a hug. I hugged back tightly. I didn't want to let him go. But, despite what my heart wanted to do, I pulled my arms back.