Chapter 15
Paul took the tickets out of the drawer, looked at them sadly and then ripped the one he intented to give to Deirdre. He put his own in a bag and with a sigh he started to pack. He needed to get away from everything that reminded him of Deirdre. He only felt sorry for his siblings. A crack of the door made him look that way, where he saw Andy's head pop from the gap.
''Come in'', he told him leaving the suitcase aside. Andy entered timidly and sat on the bed near his brother. Judging from the disappointment on his face, he realized that things with Deirdre didn't go as planned.
''What's wrong?'', he asked to make certain.
''There is no reason to discuss anything now. After all, it's over''.
''Are you talking about Deirdre?''
''What…? How do you know?'', Paul wondered.
''I heard you speak on the phone. I heard you planned to leave''.
''This isn't true anymore. Deirdre asked me to break up with her earlier''. Andy could barely look at Paul's face. He felt guilty, because he knew that he was the reason of his brother's sorrow.
''I'm sorry. This is my fault''.
''How can it be your fault?''
''I went to her father and told him everything…'', the boy whispered and looked at him misty-eyed. ''I didn't want you to leave, Paul. I only have you and Heather…''. His compassionate look surprised Andy. He believed that his betrayal would anger Paul but instead, he hugged his brother and caressed his head.
''It is not your fault, Andy. Deirdre made her choice. True love always wins. The fact that we were not able to overcome our problems shows that probably she was right… It was a crush, which simply faded away''.
''And now?'', Andy asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
''Now… I need some time by myself. I need to be alone, get away from all that. I need to go for a while. I don't know for how long but I really need it''.
''I see'', Andy said in a melancholic tone. ''In the end, we lose you anyway''.
Although it was autumn, it was a sunny day and the sky was clear and blue. The birds twitted flying from tree to tree, their leaves, yellow and red were the brightest of colours. In the hearts of the three siblings though, grey clouds had gathered.
''Take care of our little one, okay?'', Paul said hugging and kissing them tenderly. ''Come on, don't be like that! It won't last forever. We are family and that doesn't change no matter how many seas apart we are'', he said trying to comfort them and himself but without success. They all kept crying. ''We'll see each other again, okay?'', he promised saying goodbye with another kiss and got into the taxi that slowly drove away. Andy kept looking at the empty street for a long time holding Heather in his embrace. The girl couldn't stop crying with her face hidden in her brother's chest.
''Andy… He's gone… What are we going to do now?'', she asked between sobs and he leaned his chin on her hair with a sigh.
''We will learn to live without him''.