Miles put on his jacket and Jesse looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading. "Where are you going?" he asked. Miles looked at him.
"Oh… nowhere."
"Tell me."
"I'm going to pick up Sarah. We're going out."
Jesse put the newspaper down and stood. "Sarah? What… you're going on a date?"
Miles shrugged. "Maybe. What of it?"
Jesse laughed. "You're kidding, right? But, then… I guess you make a good couple."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, she's just using you to get over me, and you're using her to get over Sarah. So I guess you guys can lean on each other until you get your balance back."
Miles grabbed Jesse by the collar roughly. "Don't you dare say that again."
"She doesn't even know your real name! Really, what are you hoping to accomplish?"
Miles was burning with rage. How dare Jesse talk that way about them. How dare he say something about Sarah, the first Sarah… Sarah his wife. Jesse knew Miles was sensitive about her. How dare he say anything like that.
He couldn't stop the punch at Jesse's face. The blow knocked his little brother out of his other hand and stumbling back, but then Jesse ran at Miles and tried to tackle him to the floor. The boys were soon taking out their anger on the other person, throwing every punch they could at each other. When Mae came down she was shocked.
"Jesse! Miles! What is going on?!"
Miles shoved Jesse to the ground and looked over at his mother. "Jesse… he-"
"What is going on?"
Angus rushed down the stairs and looked first at Mae, then Miles, then Jesse on the floor. "Answer your mother," he said in an angry voice.
"It's… it's Sarah."
The parents looked at Miles with growing interest and concern as Jesse stood. "It was my fault," Jesse mumbled. The attention turned to him. "I made him angry."
"What did you say?"
"I…" Taking the blame wasn't something that Jesse did often. But usually, there wasn't much blame to take. Jesse and Miles usually had fights that consisted of words, this was the first time in nearly 50 years that they'd actually had a physical fight.
Deciding he'd rather not say, Jesse went up the stairs into the bathroom to wash off the blood on his face.
"Miles?" Angus asked his older son.
Miles hesitated. "I have to go," he told them. "I'm picking up Sarah." Then he left without another word.
