Egemed woke and sat slowly upright on his bed. He reached for the curtain and moved it aside just enough to look out. The sunrise was soft and golden; dew clung to the grass and fell in slow beads. The grass shimmered green, and flowers had begun to bloom in the trees. Above them, the sky was clear, and the clouds drifted lazily as if they had all the time in the world.
As he stared at them, a memory came back — Jerelr's grave, covered in white. His chest tightened. He knew he had to move on, yet the thought of visiting the grave returned to him, gentle and insistent.
He straightened on the bed and clasped his hands together. After a pause, he reached for the picture on the table and sat again. His voice came out as a whisper.
"Jerelr… I'm sorry. It's been a week since I visited you."
His heart ached, but he still smiled at the photo. In his mind he could clearly see Jerelr smiling back — alive again, if only in memory.
After a while, he rose from the bed, washed, and dressed. He would leave for the city today to stay with his brother. He had already promised his father that he would handle things in the city so that his aging father could finally stay home and rest.
On the bus, Egemed sat alone in the corner seat. Loneliness crept into him. Yesterday he had been beside his father and felt whole. Now the seat next to him was empty, filled instead with memories of Jerelr.
They had gone to the city together every time — from the very beginning of their friendship. He had never traveled alone before.
He sighed to himself.
He never imagined that something meant to last forever could end so suddenly.
When he entered the company building, Secretary Jim bowed with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Egemed."
"Good morning," Egemed replied, bowing back.
"I'll be assisting you today," the secretary said.
"Thank you," Egemed answered with a nod.
His brother Rada soon arrived.
"You came earlier than I expected," Rada said.
Egemed simply smiled.
"We're going somewhere today," Rada continued. "I'll go and change. Make yourself comfortable — have something to eat."
"Okay," Egemed said softly.
He sat down to wait. After a moment he suddenly realized Secretary Jim was still standing near the door. Embarrassment washed over him.
He thought to himself, "Why am I sitting while he stands? He's older than me… and I'm sitting here like a king."
He stood up quickly and urged the secretary to sit. Jim refused at first, but Egemed insisted so gently — even pulling another chair closer — that the man finally chuckled and sat.
They spoke for a while, and Egemed soon went to fetch tea so they could share it together.
As they talked, Rada approached again. Secretary Jim immediately set his cup aside and stood straight.
Egemed's eyes widened.
"Let's go, Egemed," Rada said. "Secretary Jim will handle today's work."
Egemed finished his tea, then placed a hand lightly on the older man's shoulder.
"Sit, Uncle Jim. Please finish your tea. We'll be going now."
They stepped outside to catch a cab.
"Brother… may I say something?" Egemed asked quietly.
Rada nodded.
"Does Uncle Jim always stand like that?"
"No," Rada replied. "He usually sits in Father's office. They work together like old friends."
"Then why does he look afraid when you enter?" Egemed asked gently.
Rada was silent.
"If possible… treat him a little more gently," Egemed continued. "He's almost Father's age. Even if he's just a secretary… he still deserves respect."
"I didn't do anything to him," Rada muttered. "But I used to be rude. Maybe that's why they're afraid."
"I don't mean to offend you," Egemed said softly. "But maybe kindness will help him understand you better."
Rada sighed. "When Father retires, I'll hire a younger secretary and let Jim resign. He'll get his pension."
"That's good," Egemed concluded.
Egemed didn't want to quarrel with his brother, because his brother had a short temper, so Egemed stayed quiet.
Still, he couldn't help wondering… when Rada became the next boss, would he treat a new secretary harshly too? And he wished Father didn't look down on Secretary Jim — he hoped his Father would see him as a friend, not just a business partner.
The cab arrived, and they travelled for half an hour.
"We're here, Egemed. Now we'll walk another five or six minutes," Rada said.
The world suddenly opened wide — calm and quiet. Tall trees swayed gently in the breeze. A herd of horses grazed happily in the grass. Only a few people were around: some played with their dogs, while a small family of four sat together on a picnic mat. The mother unpacked food from her bag as they talked and laughed softly. It looked like a simple picnic — but full of warmth.
Egemed couldn't speak. He had never seen such a beautiful place in the city. He hadn't even known a place like this existed.
Rada glanced at him. "Don't you like it, Egemed? Say something."
"Oh—sorry, Brother," Egemed replied. "It's beautiful. I didn't know you liked places like this."
"I'm glad you like it," Rada said with a small smile.
"I thought you didn't like places like this… since they're similar to our hometown."
Rada's expression fell. Seeing it, Egemed stayed silent, unsure what to say.
They continued walking slowly side-by-side.
In a quiet, somber voice, Rada finally spoke. "Egemed… I used to come here when I missed home."
Egemed listened without judging or blaming him; even though his brother had always said he hated their hometown. He understood now that his brother had been hurting alone all this time.
"Brother," Egemed said gently, "I waited for your calls every day. I wanted to talk with you more."
Rada swallowed. "Egemed… why are you always so calm? I've never seen you angry. Not even with me."
Egemed said nothing.
"You should have scolded me," Rada continued. "You should have laughed at me."
Egemed's chest tightened. His voice came out hoarse. "Why would I do that to you, Brother?"
"You saw everything," Rada said. "I shouted at Mother and Father. I blamed them… even though they loved me."
"I understand you, Brother," Egemed replied softly.
Rada's voice trembled. "Now I realise how much they love me. I want to go home. I want to stay with all of you again."
"You can," Egemed said. "We were always waiting for you. Father talks about you every day when he comes home — about how well you're doing in the city."
Rada shook his head. "I'm ashamed. I don't deserve a family like this. When I realised how foolish I'd been… I didn't even want to go back anymore."
"It's not like that," Egemed said gently.
"Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. Anger draws a line between people — but that doesn't mean it can't be erased."
"I can't forgive myself," Rada whispered.
"Then I will love you until you can," Egemed said softly. "Mother waited for you every single day. We never hated you."
"I don't know what to do anymore."
"We can go home tomorrow," Egemed said. "I'll talk to them."
Rada's voice broke. "I'm sorry, Egemed. I'm sorry I neglected you for so long."
"I don't blame you," Egemed replied. "Please don't say more. I still love you the same."
He continue. "Even if everyone else hated you — I would still be here. I never believed you abandoned us. You were just tired… angry… hurting."
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his brother.
Rada froze — then slowly hugged him back, tears streaming down his face.
"Don't cry, Brother. It will be okay," Egemed murmured, gently patting his back. "When you go home, Mother will hug you until you can't breathe."
He continued , "If mother learns that you want to stay… she'll drown you in happy tears."
Rada held Egemed tighter. He had been so lonely — living far from home, trying to bury his anger — yet the emptiness only grew. But now, in his brother's arms, he finally felt alive again. Despite all his faults, someone still understood him. Someone still loved him.
He wondered why his little brother was always so calm. He remembered how, whenever he lost his temper and shouted at their parents, Egemed never argued back. Instead, he would quietly come to Rada's room to comfort him — even though he had slapped him two or three times before.
And now, just like back then, Egemed was hugging him as if nothing had happened, easing his pain with nothing but kindness.
After a moment, Egemed slowly stepped back from his brother's embrace. He turned to face him and smiled, while Rada stood there frozen and silent. Egemed bent down and plucked a small yellow flower from the lawn. When he returned to him, Rada still didn't move. Gently, Egemed tucked the flower behind his brother's ear.
"There. You look beautiful — like this flower," he said with a soft chuckle.
Rada stayed quiet, his cheeks slowly flushing. For a moment he felt strangely shy, almost delicate — and then he smiled, genuinely happy at what Egemed had done.
Seeing his brother smile, Egemed's heart lifted. He reached up and pinched both of Rada's cheeks.
"When are you going to get married, brother?" he laughed.
"Shoo—" Rada lowered his hands from his face, laughing through the last of his tears. "I'm not a kid anymore."
Egemed took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Here."
Then he glanced toward the herd of horses in the distance.
"Can we ride those horses, brother?"
"Want to race me?" Rada asked.
Egemed's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes."
They walked toward where the horses were grazing, but the animals kept moving away whenever they reached out to touch them. Instead of forcing it, they simply laughed and gave up, wandering the park together until the sky turned toward evening.
That night, they ate at a small restaurant and talked like brothers again. Rada spoke freely, even laughing at his own stories, and Egemed listened with a quiet smile, happy just to be near him.
When they finally reached Rada's house, they packed his belongings together.
Tomorrow, they would go home.
They wished each other goodnight and slept with lighter hearts.