THE MOMENT
Travis walked through town admiring the changes. He thought it would feel good to be back in his hometown, but he didn't expect it to be even better than that. It was a rundown small town barely clinging to its handful of residents when he realized he couldn't see a future for himself there. He made a decision that took 14 years to start regretting. He never found himself and decided to try looking around where he started again; but, everything was different this time. The town seemed to be flourishing with enough local shops to form a downtown district and strangers walking around, smiling. It was nothing like he left it, and if he knew it would improve he might've stayed.
It wasn't long before he identified the source of that change, the corporate name seemed to be plastered on every window of every business. "We're Rad certified- Supported by Rad Industries." He even met strangers who didn't know who he was. He knew everyone living there when he left, but it wasn't a surprise to see new faces after so long. And, it helped him ask more about the corporation.
"Awww, it's a great idea," Gloria, the waitress pouring his coffee, answered with a smile. He'd asked about the 'Rad certification' and she was more than happy to elaborate. "But, don't get the wrong impression, it's not a company as much as like, a co-op, or maybe even a guild. Do you play games?" Gloria studied Travis up and down. He was an older man now, and he'd spent a lot of time traveling alone and on the streets. He thought he'd cleaned himself up as best he could; but, she still saw something. "No, you don't look like you do. Oh, it's kind of like a union, that works too. Rad Industries organized all the local businesses into a single corporate entity and it's very organized," she nodded with a giggle. "I'll tell you, these days product shows up and gets unloaded without me having to place the order. Rent and utilities are cheaper, everything is just kind of easy and low-stress thanks to them. " As she finished her answer the door jingled behind Travis. He was about to turn around and see who it was out of basic curiosity, but he froze as soon as he heard the familiar voice.
"Hey, Gloria! What's the word?" the deep voice came from behind and Travis wished he could shrink away. He was still intending to visit; but, he hadn't made the decision yet. And, this wasn't how he wanted to see his brother again. But, the man sat two stools down without noticing him as Gloria answered.
"Things are rad, Mr. Radcliffe," she giggled. "Where's Turbo?" she followed up with her own question and Travis hopped off the seat. Something clicked in his mind when she said her brother's name. He didn't spend a lot of time thinking about his own surname, and almost no one used it. But, he realized Radcliffe and Rad were likely the same. He started to wonder how successful his brother had become, until Gloria asked her question. Then, he had a whole new concern.
"Turbo's coming?" He asked and looked around toward the door. "I'm not ready!"
"TRAVIS!?" his brother stood. "WHEN DID YOU GET HERE!?" He didn't seem upset like Travis expected; but, there was also a notable absence of joy.
"You're Turbo's father?" Gloria asked. "Wow. you came back," she giggled, then excused herself from the situation to work on something in the back.
"T,... how're you doing man?" Travis asked to try and start a calmer conversation. "You look great," he had to comment. When he left his son, his brother barely had two nickels to rub together. Now, he was wearing a tailored suit and he had the healthy glow of someone with enough food to be able to make healthier choices. He realized he'd made the right choice after all. But, somehow, that made him feel worse. "How's Turbo doing? Where's my son?" he asked. He didn't want it to happen like this, but it was already happening and he decided to take control as best he could.
"I am so impressed," Tyler, chuckled and shook his head. "You've been gone 14 years, and somehow, you still knew exactly where to go to find Turbo. Anyone else would've checked our home first, but not you. You're smart, you came right to Gloria's." The door jingled again and Tyler grinned. "You just keep doing what you're doing and go about your life. Take care, bro." He waved, and turned his back to head to the far side; but Travis didn't have any time to process it.
"Dad?" a young voice spoke up and Travis turned to see his son. He was short, with glasses and wearing a suit a lot like Tyler's.
"Turbo!" Travis put on his best smile and approached the teen with open arms.
"Dad? Is this him?" Turbo looked past Travis at Tyler.
"Your biological father," the answer came back over Travis's shoulder, he didn't bother to turn around. He was more surprised his son wasn't rushing into his arms.
"Nice!" Turbo chuckled, then waved at Travis without embracing him. "How're you doing? All good?"
"Yeah... I'm good," Travis said. On further reflection, things hadn't gone the way he wanted since he came back to a brand new town. Or, maybe, they hadn't gone the way he wanted since he left. But, right now, he still wanted to try. "Can we sit down... catch up?" he said.
"Sorry, I'm on as schedule," he shrugged. "But, I guess I've got a few minutes," he looked past Travis again. "Dad, gonna sit over here today," he said as he slid into a nearby booth. Travis sat across from him.
"Okay, see you back at work," Tyler answered without missing a beat.
"So,.. tell me.. what are you up to these days? What's happened in your life?" Travis asked. He had no idea what to talk about, but that seemed like a nice broad start.
"You left, dad adopted me out...," Turbo started explaining.
"Wait.. he put you up for adoption??!" He turned to look at Tyler. "YOU PUT HIM UP FOR ADOPTION!?"
"So did you," the answer came without any attention. Tyler didn't waste time turning to look at his brother. Gloria was back and serving coffee for Tyler, and keeping quiet.
"Wait, why are you calling him dad?" Travis turned back to ask. It wasn't fair. Why was his brother still treated like a dad when they both tried to get rid of the kid?
"I got adopted," Turbo nodded. "It was a nice family, and dad wanted to keep in touch, so they let him. I was legally someone else's child; but, he still showed up and raised me when he could. As I got older, everyone's situation improved, and my new family let dad become my legal guardian again. There's a lot more detail than that, but you're not big on details anyway, right?" Turbo chuckled. "But, wow.. You came back! That's great!" he said.
"Yeah... I guess that's fair...," Travis tried not to take offense at the subtext. And, he was distracted by Turbo's obvious happiness.
"You're really glad to see me?" he asked.
"Definitely!" Turbo nodded. "I have proof I can do anything I set my mind to!"
"Huh?" Travis wasn't sure how that connected to him.
"I came up with the idea for Rad Industries," he said with a proud grin. "I put it all together and organized it and the town is doing so great now!"
"You did that? Wow... yeah, that's definitely proof of what you're capable of," Travis replied. But, Turbo shook his head.
"Not that," he said. "Once I could understand... things....," he said. "... I had an idea. If I make the town good enough, maybe you'll come back. And you did!" he grinned. "Thanks for proving I'm awesome."
"Yeah," Travis smiled. "I came back," he tried to say it warmly, but Turbo shrugged and nodded.
"I know," he said. "I already got my proof; that's all I needed from you."