Chapter 12

Roger walked up the stairs to the loft flanked by his brother and the Micah girl. Adam was telling him about how their father had kicked him out a week ago.

"So he got drunk and was like, 'Adam, I am so fucking sick of you mooching off of me. Get a job or get the fuck out.'"

"You didn't have a job?" Roger asked.

"That's the messed up part." Adam told him. "I had three. I was the only one paying bills in that house. Nicole sent something every now and then, but I was the one who was working."

"So why didn't you just tell him to stuff it?"

"Because I was sick of working my ass to the bone so he could buy booze that's why. I figured you had to at least be doing better than Dad. I mean I assumed you were since you stopped calling and writing ten years ago." Adam said.

Roger flushed. "Look kid, I'm sorry…"

His brother waved the apology away. "I understand completely. It's Nicole that's pissed though." Adam said of their older sister. "She thinks you're dead you know."

Roger swore and opened the door of the loft. Danni was on the couch playing a hand game with Lizette and Mark was in the kitchen making coffee. "Well this is it." The musician said to Adam and Micah who had been silent the whole way back to the building. They both followed him inside and all eyes were on them. "Hey guys I'd like you to meet my little brother Adam and his friend Micah. That's Mark," he pointed to his best friend. "You remember Mark right Adam?"

Adam smiled. "Yeah. Wow, you guys are still friends? That's incredible."

"Tell me about it." Mark said. "I should have dumped his butt off somewhere years ago. It's good to see you again Adam."

"Okay, okay." Roger said bringing focus back to him. "These are my daughters." He indicated the girls on the couch. "Danielle and Lizette." At his brother's blank look Roger gave him a quick overview of the events that had taken place since he'd left home.

"Rog, you don't do things small do you?" Adam wanted to know.

"Yeah, because I planned all this you know." Roger retorted.

"They can't stay here you know Dad." Danni spoke up. She gave her father a look. "I'm not being snotty, but we barely have room for the four of us unless you and Mark want to start shacking up."

"Cool it Danielle." Roger scolded. But she had a point. "I guess they can stay downstairs in Mimi's old place."

"Um bro, I don't think either of us are in any position to have our own place right now." Adam said.

"Oh don't worry about that." Mark said. "We don't pay rent. It's one of the benefits of knowing and threatening to kill the landlord."

"Well then I guess we'd be stupid to refuse." The younger Davis sibling said. "Micah does Roger's plan sound okay?"

The young woman was staring at Roger. "I just want a shower and a change of clothes." She said in her accent.

"All that is downstairs." Mark told her. "I'll take you down." He glanced at Roger. The rocker hadn't been down in Mimi's apartment since the night she died. "Roger needs to look after his girls."

"Thanks Mark." Roger said gratefully and sank onto the couch with his kids. It had already been a long day and it was just two in the afternoon. Lizette climbed onto her father's lap and hugged him.

"You look tired Daddy." She said.

"I am tired baby." Roger told her. "You guys are new to me and now I have to make sure my brother is okay too. Danni, bring me the phone please?"

The elder girl complied as the younger one cocked her head at her dad. "Does that mean that he's our uncle?" she inquired.

"Yeah I guess he is." Roger said. "Look at that, you've got family everywhere."

"He didn't look very stable to me." Danielle said and handed Roger the phone.

"You try living with your grandfather for an extended period of time. You'd be pretty unbalanced too Danni."

"Who are you calling Daddy?" Lizette wanted to know.

"My older sister, your Aunt Nicole."

"How long has it been since you've talked to her?" Danni quipped.

"A while." Roger answer and dialed. "Now shush." The phone rang five times and he was about to hang up when he heard someone say "Hello?" on the other line.

Roger cleared his throat. "Um, could, could I speak to Nicole please?" he asked politely.

"This is she."

He was at a loss for words. He hadn't talked to his sister in about fifteen years. She was two and a half years older than him and sixteen years older than twenty two year old Adam. "Hey Nicole, it's Roger." He finally eeked out.

"Roger." Nicole said, her voice flat. "So you're not dead."

"No. Not quite yet." Roger answered. "How are you?"

"That's not why you called." Nicole had always been blunt. "You don't call someone after fifteen years and ask how they are. What's happened?"

"Well, Dad threw Adam out."

"Shit." Nicole swore. "That bastard. I knew he was going to do something stupid eventually. Do you have any idea where Adam is now?"

"Yeah he's here with me. Well not here, but he's in my building." Roger said. "He left me a message and I went and got him and Micah."

"Who's Micah?" Nicole wanted to know.

"This girl that he met somewhere between Scarsdale and here."

"Where's here Roger?" his sister wanted to know. "Mom said that you were in New York still right before she died. Then you didn't come to the funeral. So where are you now little brother?"

Roger was sad all of a sudden. He remembered when his mother had died. It had been a few weeks after Mimi had her first brush with death.

He was sitting on the couch stroking the sleeping Mimi's head and humming under his breath. The phone rang shrilly and Roger hoped it wouldn't wake his girlfriend up. She needed all the rest she could get.

"SPEEEEEEEAAAK!" went the answering machine. There was a click and then Roger recognized his sister's voice on the machine. "Roger? Hey it's Nicole. Look, I don't know where you are or even if you still live at this address or have this phone number, but it's all we have. Roger, Mom died last night. She was in a car accident and she didn't make it. The funeral is in three days. You-you should come. Adam wants to see you. He's really messed up right now Roger. Just…come home if you can Rog."

He came back to the present to hear Nicole saying his name. "Yeah, I'm here." He replied.

"So, are you going to answer my question or what?"

Roger sighed. "I'm where I've always been Nicole. Same address, same phone number, same shitty quality of life."

Lizette squealed. "Ooh Daddy said a bad word."

"And he talks about me." Danielle said with a smirk.

"Are—are those kids in the background Roger?" Nicole asked.

"Yes." Her brother answered sheepishly.

"Do you have kids? Roger Davis did you go and get married and start a family without telling anybody?" Nicole shouted.

"Not exactly." Roger heaved a breath and covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand. "Could you two go into your room please?" he asked the girls. Danni gave him a look but took Lizette's hand and led her out of the main room. "I'm not married but yeah, I have kids." Roger told his sister. "By two different women."

"Tell me." Nicole said.

Roger chuckled. "Do you have an hour?" he asked her.

"For you I do." She replied. "Tell me what's been going on with you Roger."

For the next hour and a half Roger pored his soul out to his older sister. He left nothing out. Not the drugs, or April killing herself, or the kids, or Mimi's death. He told her everything. Mark came back halfway through, took one look at his friend crying on the couch and talking on the phone, and promptly left again.

Once he was done with his story, Roger sighed in relief. It felt so good to get all of that off his chest. Nicole had cried with him and when Roger was done she sniffed. "Alright, I'll be there soon."

"What?" Roger asked taken aback. "Don't you have a family to look after or something?"

Nicole laughed harshly. "Please Roger, my husband and I got a divorce three years ago and we didn't have kids. I'm coming to see you. I'll be on a plane to New York tomorrow. Can you meet me at the airport?"

"Yeah, I guess." Roger said, dazed.

"Good, see you tomorrow." With that his sister hung up.