12 years later...

"Tomas, catch the ball!" his brother yelled as the football started on a collision course to Tomas's head.

Tomas took it in stride, smiled and caught the ball without missing a step. This was not his first rodeo.

"Wow. Man, I didn't know your younger brother had skills. What is he? Like 3 years younger than you?" the muscular guy in a college jersey asked Tomas's older brother.

"5." Tomas responded and the other guy looked at him perplexed. "He's 5 years older than me."

Tomas's brother grinned, came up to Tomas and slapped on the back while saying into his ear, "You don't have to tell people that, do you? The ladies are hot for younger guys. ", he said jokingly.

"Only because you're after cougars", Tomas teased and his brother began to berate him with punches.

"Break it up you two, we still have a game to play!", yelled a blond with nothing better to do than major in art.

"Alright. Brother, do I have permission?", Tomas's brother proposed the question and raised his eyebrows, making Tomas chuckle.

"Yes, you can! Now, go and have fun! Law student, it is the days before classes start, after all." Tomas answered with a slight curtsy.

His brother, Alexander was his name, smirked before turning away, running back to the field.

Tomas yelled after him, "Run before the torture begins, brother!" Then, his brother turned back while running and made a silly face to show his amusement at the implication that he could not handle law classes. It was his brother's way of laughing at their inside joke. He was truly a clown at heart.

So it surprised him the day that his brother stood up to Opa, or Mr. Palmer as they called him when he was right in front of them, and declared loudly that he wanted to be a lawyer. Opa's opinion was that lawyers were all cheats and that even if they studied for a long time, they were less respectable than doctors.

Opa himself was a university professor. Mr. Palmer taught Statistics and ran his life like his classes, rather dryly. If it were not for his Oma and his brother, Alexander, to break up the monotony of his life, Tomas felt he would have gone mad years ago.

One thing that he resented was how Mr. Palmer expected him to act all Anglicized and change his name to sound English. His older brother had done it, why not him? Because he can, that's why! (keep his name, that is)

As he thought this to himself, he came upon the university botanical gardens and decided to stay there, seated on a bench with no care in the world. Usually by now, he would have a few accounting books to read before classes start as pre-reading assignments were as common for him as law students. Speaking of law students, Tomas wondered whether his older brother had checked the list for textbooks and required pre-reading assignments. Alexander was known to mess around and miss a few assignments here and there.

Sometimes, he truly wondered who was the older brother? Ever since his parent's death, he had been the one to act mature and deal with grownup matters. His brother seemed to have de-aged since that frightful plane crash that took their parents away unseemly. He just wished that one day, his brother would be fully responsible in his life.

So he leaned back and stared at the world around him. Letting the air breeze by his face, he relaxed and thought about the first few days when he had to learn how to grieve and not upset Mr. Palmer. Oma was a dear to him and Alexander. In fact, even though he was in college, he called her every day.

The irony of all of this is Opa worked in the same university that he attended and he only saw Opa during school breaks. He tried to avoid the man as the sight of him caused him stomach sickness. He had never personally hurt the boys during their time growing up, but he had not supported them either.

Probably only Opa knew if he loved the boys that were adopted into his care or not.

Finally, Tomas closed his eyes and stopped thinking in general. Breathing in and out, he felt peace among the flowers and plants. This was place to relieve himself of worries or stress. He was safe here in this place.

There was nothing that could happen that could shatter the peace he now experienced.