Chapter 2

B is for Better Days

Don came back to the craftsman for a weekend with his family, Charlie came to know about a debt outstanding for 23 years.

It was one of the better days that Don felt the gloom and doom lifting off his shoulders. It was two weeks ago that Danny Wells was injured and two of the ex-convicts who were peddling drugs were shot dead.
The raided the warehouse where the six ex-con were packaging the drugs ready for distribution.

FBI had been monitoring them for a week before they finally had them all in the warehouse that morning. It was unexpected and Don had to call in extra hands to help out with the raid, so he called in Danny's team.

He felt so bad after Danny was shot though no one had blame him or anybody, it was just a job that had to be done.
They were also others who had not entirely escaped without injuries, even though it was minor ones. One had a wretched knee when he dived down, another knocked into his partner in such a force that the partner took a bang to the head hitting the wall. Don himself was hit in the face by some flying wood pieces resulted in a long scratch on his cheek.

After that bust, they broke another case, relief were all around for these two cases had them bogged down day and night.

Don decided to undo his absentee from the Craftsman by staying there for the weekend.
He gave his father a call and told him, his father was happy to have Don stayed the night that he promised him a good meaty dinner.
Don laughed and said he'll be there early.

"She was pretty." Charlie said coming to stand next to Don who was looking at the pictures on top of the cupboard. He gave Don a cursory glance up and down Don noticed what he was doing, he ignored it.

"Yep, that she was"

"Hey, remember that scarf? We gave it to her for one of her birthdays."

"Yep, that became one of her favorites and…and she even wore it when she was not feeling well then."

"Yea, wonder where it is now." Charlie asked staring at the picture of all of them. It was taken some years before she took ill.

"Maybe dad kept it." He said and walked away while Charlie following behind.
Don didn't want to go there, so he changed the subject, "that reminded me you never did pay me for your share."

"No, we shared, I…I paid my share of ten dollars."
"Yep, I said you can pay me ten dollars for your share, but you didn't give me the money. You said you will pay me in the next two days but then you didn't." Don sat down and put his beer on the table.

Charlie came and sat beside Don and then he saw the scratch on his cheek,
"What happened?" he asked pointing to his cheek.
"Chasing a suspect."
"Anywhere else?"
"What?"
"Besides that." Pointing to his cheek.
"You want me to strip and show you?"
"No, an honest answer will do."
"No."
"Sure?"
"Hey you want an honest answer, that's it."
"Ok, I didn't give you the money?"
"Nope."
"What did I do with the money?"
Don shrugged his shoulders and caught hold of the tv remote, started surfing the channels.
"You've spent it, I think. Don't worry about it. Mom knew it was from both of us."

"On what?" Charlie was thinking and did not catch what Don had said.

"What on what?"

"What did I spend it on if I didn't give it to you?"

"How do I know, I just knew that you didn't give me the money."

"You want me to give it to you now?"

Don stopped his surfing and looked at Charlie, "You're serious? After all these years?"

"Ya, why not? After all, a debt is still a debt if one has not return the borrowed sum. "

"OK, let me see, Ten dollars at the interest of 20 per year…… "

"What! 20?" Charlie exclaimed but Don was not listening and he continued, "for 23 years equals 56 dollars."

"What!" Charlie exclaimed again, "Daylight robbery! Ten dollars became fifty six? No way!"

"Well…..it's been 23 years and you insisted on giving me the money."

"What's this? You are charging your brother interest?" Alan asked coming into the room.

"Charlie wanted to pay an old debt, I never asked for it, he insisted." Don said eye crinkling at the sides.

"Charlie, what debt is this? Well if you want to pay old debts, how about I bring out my book and checked for any debts you boys owe."

"Ahh… dad, Charlie will pay for all."

"Don!" squeaked Charlie.

"OK, no more of these debts, come one let's have dinner." Alan said and smiled as he turned to go into the dinning room with the two of them following behind.

"Hey, can you remember why I didn't pay you the ten dollars?" Charlie whispered to Don.
'Charlie, don't you remember? Think, Charlie…think."

Charlie was lost in his thoughts, he didn't see Don stopping, Whoof!
"Don!"

"Stop fooling around, eat while the food's hot." Alan said, "later we can discuss about debts outstanding."

"See, you've opened a can of worms, dad will come after you with his little black book." Don teased his brother.