Nathan rubbed his temples as he looked at Maria with a bit of an upset look."He said all that?"He questioned, looking at her in a wait for confirmation.
"Yeah..."She sighed loudly, obviously tired of the subject as she reached towards the box of cigarettes on the table, pulling one out, placing it between her tired pale lips.
"You started again?"He asked with one raised eyebrow, not exactly surprised by her display of carelessness, more so concerned with the headspace she was in.
Maria had stopped smoking right after she found out that she was pregnant with Edward. She hadn't even thought about smoking until yesterday when she saw Frankie again.
"Pass me one."Nathan said with a commanding tone."I can't believe this..."Nathan spoke once again after lighting his cigarette."He's been gone for more than 3 years, and then suddenly shows up and starts acting all grown up and shit. To hell with that guy." Nathan mumbled as he stroked his short brown hair. His tired body leaned against the couch as he puffed on his cigarette.
Maria crossed her legs as she tightened the scrunchy holding her messy, red hair in a bun."Edward has been getting too..aware of things lately."She mumbled out as she looked at him, lighting her cigarette.
"Then tell him."Nathan stated boldly, as if it was as easy as telling a kid you took away his Halloween candy.
"You know I can't…"Maria shook her head, unwilling to even entertain the idea.
"The hell do you mean you can't? You're his mother. Who else is more worthy to speak of my little brother than you?"He spoke once again, taking another puff of the cigarette.
Maria's eyes began getting glassy as she registered the words coming out of his mouth."I don't think the cause of the accident has the right to speak about it."She muttered with a hint of regret in her tone.
"What are you talking about Mary…"Nathan looked at her with a stern look on his face."Who ever said you were the cause…"
She looked away from him, inhaling on her cigarette for dear life.
He leaned a bit closer to her, grabbing her by the chin."No one ever dared to doubt you. I never did..."He spoke, staring intently into her eyes as the words rolled off his tongue, coated in honey and cigarette ash.
"You have no idea how they were looking at me...how they judged me...how they spoke of me.."She whispered as she tried avoiding his eyes as best as she could before he firmly turned her head towards him.
"Bullshit Mary..I am the only person who's opinion on the matter should concern you...after all I was his only family before you came along."He said with a genuine smile.
His smile was full of so much hope, and acceptance. Maria finally turned her eyes towards his tears rolling down her cheeks as she nodded her head.
"That's a good girl."He spoke softly to her, like only a big brother could."I hope you understand that Edward needs to know this. And he shouldn't hear it from anyone but you, his mother."
She nodded her head once more, again accepting his words the way she had always did, as a blessing.
"Okay."He finally said, clapping his hands together."Let's drink."
Maria looked at him with a surprised look on her face."What, now?"
"Yes now."He nodded.
She shrugged her shoulders, getting up."Rum and cola right?"She spoke heading towards the kitchen.
"You know what I like."He said with a light chuckle, this question taking him back to the day that they met her for the first time. She was so full of life and so beautiful, and now, just a broken empty shell of her true self. He shook his head as a light pitiful smile crept across his face. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and age could never change that.