Just Before The Chaos

"When life took my parents from me, I believed in a comforting idea – that it would eventually compensate with something even more beautiful. This belief was my anchor in a stormy sea of grief. But as I waited for three long, agonizing years, I started to lose hope. 

Each passing day felt like a heavy weight, pressing down on my heart. I longed for a miracle to erase the pain, to bring back the warmth and love that had been taken from me. I imagined moments when their laughter and guidance would return, but they never did.

It was during those interminable years of waiting that I came face to face with the cruel reality that sometimes, life doesn't give back. As humans, we have our limits, and I had reached mine. The hope that used to comfort me had transformed into a painful reminder of what I had lost, and the emptiness that lingered in its absence was nothing short of heart-wrenching."

Day after day, after my parent's death, I pushed myself away from the world. I would never be alive right now if she wasn't with me. My sister.

"Hey Harry! Did you again eat my chocolate?", she shouted.

"Umm....., first of all, you don't have the right to call me by my name. Learn to respect your elders.", I replied. 

"Don't you dare try to change the topic. Answer me. Where is my chocolate?", she said while entering my room.

I got up from my chair and said,"Ok, fine I ate it. Now please let me work now."

"Really? Do you think that I am going to let you slip off? Now you have to bring me another one. NOW!" She shouted.

"Yeah. I'll try. I have work to do. So I'll bring it afterwards. But aren't you too old for eating a chocolate?", I asked her. 

"Well didn't YOU eat my chocolate? You are 20 and I am still 16. Now quit arguing and bring me my chocolate when you're free.", saying that, she left.

I often wonder who's the real boss between me and my sister. She's pretty bossy, but truth be told, she's like my guardian angel, making sure I don't stray down the wrong path.

There was this one time when I was faced with a really bad choice. I got offered a shady job as a drug dealer. I thought it could be an easy way to make more money, and I wouldn't have to keep cleaning floors at her school as a janitor. I was tempted, even if it meant compromising my morals.

But when she found out, oh boy, she was furious! She gave that guy a piece of her mind and practically dragged me home. She wouldn't even look at me, let alone talk. I knew I had to make things right.

So, I tried the oldest trick in the book – peace offering. I gave her a chocolate bar. It was like magic. She took it, and that's all it took to mend our bond. We never spoke a word about it, but we both knew that she was looking out for me, keeping me on the straight and narrow. Bossy or not, I was grateful for her, and that chocolate, well, it worked like a charm.

I advised her to keep my identity a secret, not letting her pals in on the fact that I was her brother. The idea was to spare her from any school-life awkwardness. She did a good job hiding the fact that I was working as a janitor at her school, but instead, she told her friends I was the manager of a quaint, well-known hotel. It made me a bit nervous. What if the truth came out?

As time went on, days turned into weeks, and to my surprise, no one seemed to question her story. Everything was going pretty smoothly until one fateful day when I discovered Helena pacing back and forth nervously in my room. The mystery was about to unravel.

"Harry, we've got a bit of a situation here," Helena began, her voice trembling with worry. "You know how I told my friends that you work at that fancy, famous hotel? Well, one of them just dropped a bombshell – it turns out her birthday is coming up, and she's planning to throw a party at the very hotel I made up. Now, I need you to work your magic, or else I might have to spill the beans about the truth."

I was taken aback by this revelation, but I quickly regained my composure. I had to know more, so I asked her, "Which hotel's name did you give them? And when is her birthday?"

She replied, "I told them it's 'Wing Stan's hotel,' and her birthday is on May 15."

Now, I was left with a challenge – I had exactly 27 days to land a job at 'Wing Stan's hotel' before May 15. It sounded simple enough, right?

I mulled over the idea of going back to that sketchy guy and accepting the drug dealing gig. I figured that once I had enough money, I could temporarily buy my way into becoming the manager of 'Wing Stan's hotel' for that one all-important day. It sounded like a plan, but then I glanced over at Helena, and my conscience kicked in. She was a living, breathing guilt-trip billboard.

But then, a lightbulb moment hit me. The next day, I marched into 'Wing Stan's' and started a pleading campaign for a job, even if just for a single day. My initial attempt, Plan A, went down the drain, and I was left scrambling for Plan B. That's when I decided to go undercover, throw on a disguise, and spy on the current manager. As luck would have it, or perhaps my comedic guardian angel, the manager turned out to be a real-life textbook jerk. My fortunes were about to take a peculiar twist.

The manager at 'Wing Stan's' was quite the character. He had a way of being rude to customers and always acted like he was in charge. I couldn't help but take videos and photos of his behavior, thinking I'd share it with the owner. Little did I know that this simple plan would turn into quite an adventure.

When I reached the owner's house, the gatekeeper stopped me in my tracks, insisting I didn't have the right to see the owner. Determined to deliver my evidence, I tried to sneak in, but my stealth skills left much to be desired. The guards quickly spotted me. Just when it seemed like my mission was about to flop, the owner appeared and I handed him the chip with all the videos and photos. Then, like a bolt from the blue, I was unceremoniously escorted out. My mission felt complete, and I left with the expectation that the manager would soon be shown the door, and maybe, just maybe, I'd land the job I was aiming for.

But as the days turned into weeks, it became evident that the owner wasn't in a hurry. Perhaps he had a comedic sense of timing. Nothing seemed to be happening, and I began to doubt whether he even took my evidence seriously. Plan B was a bust, and it was time for Plan C.

I still had copies of the evidence, so I decided to take it to social media. I uploaded the videos and photos, and before I knew it, they went viral. It turned out I wasn't the only one who had been on the receiving end of the manager's antics – I had a growing number of supporters who had experienced the same comedy show.

So, I decided to announce a protest at 'Wing Stan's' the next day. It was like a snowball effect. The hotel quickly filled with protesters, and I led the charge. We chanted together, demanding the manager's dismissal. To my surprise, it worked like a charm. Right before the crowd, the manager was shown the exit, and I received a call from the owner. The final act of my adventure was about to unfold.

The manager scratched his head and said, "You, my friend, are one daring character." He leaned in and continued, "You handed me a chip with those same videos and photos you put online. It's just, well, I kind of misplaced it, you see. That's why I didn't act earlier." He was laying it on thick with his words, but I knew he was just trying to squirm his way out of the situation. I decided to stay silent, wearing a sly smile that said, "Oh, really now?"

Then, he finally got to the point and asked, "So, how about taking over the job as the manager of my..." But I couldn't contain my enthusiasm, so I cut him off, "Yes! Yes, I do!"

Now that I had snagged the manager's position at the hotel, there was just one tiny hitch. You see, I was usually sporting a clean-shaven look, so I decided to embrace a disguise with a mustache and beard. With my new identity in place, I made my way to Helena's school to put in my resignation as the janitor. Her friends couldn't help but ask, "Hey, weren't you the guy who got fired from 'Wing Stan's'?"

I grinned and replied, "Well, I didn't tell my sister this, but I lost my job here a while back. After those protests, the owner decided to rehire me, and now, I can even set up your birthday party. Plus, for you, my dear friend, I'm offering a generous 60% discount." They exchanged glances and, after a brief pause, their faces lit up with joy. It seemed like my life was on the upswing, and I was finally in a better place than before.

As a result of the protest, I made connections with many people, and I had quite a few new friends. The day of the deadline arrived, and the birthday party was a massive hit. Thanks to my crafty disguise with the fake mustache and beard, no one at the school recognized me as the former janitor.

On our way back home, I decided to take a little detour and said, "I've got a quick errand to run, would you mind coming along?" Helena agreed, and I led her to a showroom. There, I unveiled a brand new scooter I had bought. Her face lit up with pure joy. It was a moment of happiness we hadn't experienced in a long time. We only had our home, which I had inherited from my father, but now I could afford some extra luxuries, like decorations for our house. It felt like a satisfying turn of events in our lives, and the promise of a brighter future.

Back home, I settled into my bed, feeling the weight of the day's events bearing down on me. Sleep was beginning to tug at my eyelids when my phone chimed, shattering the stillness. I picked it up and noticed a series of messages from an unfamiliar number. The screen displayed just a few simple words, but they carried a chilling weight: "Please forgive me. Let me come home. I want to meet Helena."

A shiver ran down my spine as I read those words, and my heart raced. I didn't need a name, a face, or any other confirmation. I knew who was behind those messages - my own flesh and blood, MY BROTHER. 

The past, the secrets, and the pain all flooded back like a tidal wave. I hadn't seen him in years, not since that fateful night when everything went horribly wrong, when he took the lives of our parents. The scars of that tragedy still haunted me, etched deep into my soul.

But now, he was reaching out, begging for forgiveness, wanting to meet Helena, the one innocent soul left in our shattered family. The suspense hung thick in the air as I grappled with the unimaginable choice before me - to confront the past and the brother I once loved, or to shield my sister from the darkness that lurked just beyond the messages on my phone. The night was filled with uncertainty, and sleep remained elusive as I contemplated the decision that would shape our future.