6 6 Tom

John could hear the voice of his sick father. Rheumatoid arthritis was more painful during colder weather. He tended his lands for a long time. "Tom already had his share. You will lose everything if you give in to all his caprice."

Tom had been into gambling and womanizing while John was a serious student. And while John studied until it was late in the night, Tom was into his guns. He neglected his studies. He did not believe in education. He had a collection of guns. Current laws allow families to keep guns for themselves for their own protection. But father observed that the gun law could be abused out of sheer ignorance. Educating the gun owners did not help as cases of neglect and wanton use mount around the kingdom.

There was a time when the family got embroiled in a scandal involving a neighbor who was shot (but recovered) suspecting that Tom was behind the shooting accident.

He pleaded not guilty, managed to skip jail because they had a good lawyer, but that had a consequence. The neighbors avoided them.

John's father hated his vices. Who would not?

Every now and then, too, Tom was incoherent, noisy, complaining, and one day, he took three women to their house, introduced them to his father and John. John could not look. He was a virgin, had no idea about sex and the sight of three women standing before him and his father was repulsive. His father almost had a heart attack. Their mother was gone early from childbirth.

Tom was a burly man in his fifties. He had regretted his deeds when he was younger and asked John for a bigger share of their properties which John would not allow because he wanted to see more from Tom.

He wanted him to talk and attend to his children. He had seven both in and out of wedlock. His wives had been asking for child support which was legitimate but John demanded that he commit himself as a father to all. In short, he wanted to see a changed man.

Tom wasn't taking John's advice in a good heart. His ego was offended because John was younger. A shouting match would follow every time they talked. He was like a nagging wife to him. The same issue of properties cropped up every now and then and he would reassure him that he would get what he wanted, but only when he had accomplished what had to be accomplished.

"Who are you to intrude into my personal life? Who are you to judge me? They almost came close the last time he was drunk.

Tom was careful not to be seen by his brother behind those beautiful shrubberies.