Dylan’s world collapses after his brother’s death. Dylan takes care of Kyle, his nephew, haunted by regret and his brother’s deathbed words. When Kyle shows Dylan an envelope from his dad, his past and future converge unexpectedly.
Dylan glanced at Kyle in the passenger seat as he drove down the winding route into the cemetery gates.
His 10-year-old nephew sat silently with his hands folded in his lap, watching forward. As the fall wind blew crimson and gold leaves across the windshield, nature honored the event.
Everything left unsaid weighed on their silence.
Dylan kept hearing his brother Ethan’s parting words, as sharp and piercing as they had been a year earlier.
“Brother, you never valued family. You only love yourself.” Weak from illness, Ethan’s voice carried years of disappointment.
“You didn’t help me when my wife left me and my son!” Ethan added. You’ll never change. Still, please see Kyle in the orphanage once I get sick. The least you can do.”
Naturally, Ethan was right. Dylan was too self-centered to see his sibling needed him.
Dylan stayed away after Ethan’s wife left, allowing him to raise Kyle while sick.
That was easier, he reassured himself. He drowned himself in freelance work, social life, anything to avoid his brother’s misery.
But Ethan’s death changed everything. Dylan was shaken by guilt and regret. His words were a curse and a challenge he couldn’t ignore.
Dylan could only think about Kyle, standing alone by his father’s casket, looking so little in his borrowed black suit. The burial was a swirl of faces and condolences.
Dylan couldn’t sleep after the funeral. He saw Ethan’s face and heard his accusations every time he closed his eyes.
Change was needed. Dylan obtained consistent work as a warehouse supervisor after quitting his chaotic succession of part-time jobs that barely supported him.
Though unglamorous, it was dependable and beneficial. Structure, which he didn’t realize he needed, came from regular hours.
An uneasy first visit to Kyle at the orphanage. Kyle sat across from him in the visiting room, slumped and silent. The fluorescent lighting and institutional green walls made everything feel chilly and fake.
Dylan struggled to talk, feeling like an intruder amid Kyle’s pain.
“Your dad talked about you all the time,” Dylan remarked, watching Kyle’s reaction. “He called you the smartest kid in class.”
Kyle nodded slightly, looking down. “He mentioned you.” He paused before saying, “He said you used to build tree houses together.”
Dylan was surprised by the memory. “Yes, we did. Your dad always did better than me. He knew how to stabilize them. My works always looked like modern art installations.”
Kyle smiled briefly, but it was enough to keep Dylan coming back week after week.
Kyle opened up gradually. He told Dylan about school, his favorite books, and missing his dad.
Dylan changed during those encounters. Dylan wanted to help Kyle, not just prove Ethan wrong.
Dylan was reluctant to seek custody, but once he did, he was hooked.
He spent nights researching, speaking with social workers and lawyers, and preparing his apartment for home inspections.
First months were a hard learning curve. Parent-teacher conferences, homework assistance, and making meals instead of ordering in felt like learning a new language.
They found their groove. Saturday morning cartoons were watched on the couch with cereal bowls on their laps.
Dylan made decent pasta, and Kyle asked for seconds. Dylan told Kyle excellent, funny Ethan stories at bedtime.
“Did Dad really push you into the deep end to teach you to swim?” Kyle asked one night, grinning into his pillow.
Sure did. I swallowed half the pool before he rescued me. You know what? He taught me properly for three hours the next day. Your dad pushed too hard but always made sure you landed safely.”
Kyle contemplated this. “He did that to me too. He made me try riding without training wheels despite my fear. I failed many times, yet he never gave up.”
These simple recollections shaped their new life together. Both were surprised to find themselves forming a family from grief and second opportunities.
They visited Ethan’s grave for the first time a year after his death. The cloudy sky matched their attitude.
Kyle stood by Dylan with his hands in his jacket pockets, silently crying.
Dylan wasn’t improving. The granite headstone looked too little to hold Ethan’s role as brother, father, and guardian angel.
“Uncle Dylan?” Kyle scarcely spoke. “I have something for you.”
He took an envelope from his pocket, slightly creased from carrying it.
Before Dad departed, he instructed me to give this to you if you take me in and treat me like a son.
Dylan shook his hands opening the envelope. The letter was written in Ethan’s usual hand. Reading the page brought tears to his eyes.
Dylan, I keep thinking about our last talk. I keep thinking if I was too harsh and should have talked more softly, but I’m terrified of Kyle’s future.
Only you remain of his family. I wish I could entrust his care to you, but you’re not the kind of man who can right now.
This letter is in hopes that you will be one day. If Kyle gave you this, my wish that you two can be a family is fulfilled. I appreciate it, brother. I adore you!
Another page had bank account details. Ethan saved for Kyle’s future.
Dylan didn’t try to stop the tears now. The fall wind rustled their blooms, bringing rain smell.
Dylan crouched and touched his brother’s grave’s cold stone.
He muttered, “I promise you this, Ethan,” his voice raspy with emotion. “Your son will be healthy and happy. Give him the life you wanted. I’m changed and never will be again.”
Kyle held Dylan’s shoulder warmly. “He trusts you. Yes, I believe you.”
Dylan stood, wiped his eyes, and faced Kyle. “You get that money when you grow up. Every cent. I’ll protect your dad’s gift to you.”
Dylan squeezed Kyle’s hand after the difficult moment. “How about some pizza? Your favorite spot?”
Kyle’s eyes first lit up that day. “Extra pepperoni?”
Dylan laughed, ruffling his hair, “Always.” Perhaps we can get those cinnamon sticks you enjoy for dessert.”
Dylan discovered something while watching Kyle eat his third pepperoni pizza in their usual booth.
He stopped trying to impress Ethan. This was about family, not redemption. Ethan believed they could become the family he never realized he needed.
Kyle noticed him gazing and raised an eyebrow. “What? Why are you staring at me?
“No reason.” Dylan smiled and grabbed another slice. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you, kid.”
Dylan spotted Kyle’s faint smirk as he rolled his eyes like a preteen.
Inside their warm booth, exchanging pizza and memories, they were just where they needed to be as it started to rain. Ethan would approve of them both.
From thecelebritist.com