The hammer came down on Keith’s finger and the picture smashed to the floor. “Owwwww….” He shook his finger rapidly while silently mouthing a world of hurt. “What? Dennis is moving in with you?”
Elly tried to keep a casual cadence to her voice. “Yeah, I mean, you can’t pay for him to stay in that hotel forever—I won’t let you. It’s really no big deal.”
Keith clambered down from the chair. “Elly, it’s a big deal. It’s a really big deal. You don’t even know him that well!”
Elly frowned and set down the pictures. “Keith, I know. But he’s my brother, and he has nowhere else to go.”
Keith took a deep breath. “I know Elly, and I totally feel for the kid. But I don’t want you to put the cart before the horse. Are you even sure that he is your brother?”
Elly’s mouth dropped open and suddenly she was furious. Furious at Dennis for dropping in on her, furious at Keith for thinking the opposite of what she knew for sure, furious at her mother for not being alive to talk about it, and furious at the father she never knew for keeping Dennis from her. “Yes, Keith, I’m sure. That letter was written in my mother’s handwriting. He looks like me. We do the same things with our mouths, with our hands. Besides all that, besides every single thing that points to Dennis and me being related, I just know it, Keith! I know it in the deepest part of my heart. I have to help him.”
“Elly, it’s not your responsibility to help him. I know that this affected you deeply, but you just met him. It’s not like the two of you have a relationship. He could be psycho for all you know. Remember his weird backpack?”
Elly sat down at a table and leveled her glare at Keith. “Keith, I trust my intuition; he’s not a threat. Sure, he’s quirky and strange and smells really bad and sometimes hangs out in his underwear, but he needs my help. I have no choice.”
“You can help him, but he doesn’t have to live with you. I feel like you’re leaping into this blindly.” Keith paused. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I really think you should get a DNA test.”
Elly’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
Keith stared back at her without flinching. “Yes. I think before you throw away money and resources on this kid, that you should make sure that he’s not some sort of con artist.”
“Does Dennis seem capable of being a con artist?”
Keith’s face distorted for a moment. “No one does, at first. I just think that having a DNA test done would remove all doubt and uncertainty. He wouldn’t even have to know.”
Elly’s mind whirled. “I can’t believe you would even suggest that! Who thinks that way?”
“Someone who is thinking logically.”
A growl bubbled up from her throat. “It’s not like I have a ton of options, Keith. Would you prefer I let him go back to sleeping on a bench?”
“Elly, don’t be ridiculous. Of course I don’t want that, but it’s not your job to save him.”
Elly narrowed her eyes. “Then who will, Keith? He has nobody. Not a single family member, not a friend, no one. He went across the country looking for me, and now that he’s here, I am not letting go of the only family that I have left. Not all of us are as lucky as you, to have family just over the hill in St. Charles, and a wall full of pictures with family members who have helped them become the person they are today.”
Keith flinched. “I think we’re getting off track. This isn’t about me, Elly, this is about you and your safety, and where are you going to put him? Did you know he hates dogs?”
Elly bent down and started gathering the glass from the broken picture in her hands.
Keith sighed. “Elly, be careful, don’t….”
“Crap.” Elly lifted a cut finger. “Look, it’s fine. I’m going to put Dennis in the guest bedroom. And I was hoping that maybe Cadbury could stay with you for a while?”
Keith walked behind the counter and grabbed a broom. “That’s fine, I don’t care about that, but I still think this is a huge mistake. Let me see your finger.” Elly uncurled her pointer finger. Keith wiped it off with a cloth and Elly hastily found a Band-Aid behind the counter. “Does it hurt?” he asked, concerned.
“It’s just a scratch,” Elly snapped. She stood up. Don’t do this, a voice screamed in her head, don’t fight with him. She took a deep breath, trying to diffuse anger through her pores. “I understand that you’re worried about me. But this is my choice, my brother. He has had a horrible life, he’s emotionally damaged, nervous, and scared. You didn’t see him at dinner. I’ve never seen anyone so down, and trust me, I have been down. It’s a must. And I’m not doing a DNA test. I’ve never even heard of anything so ridiculous. Keith, it’s not a choice to save him. I have to.”
Keith wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her close. Elly gave a sigh of relief into his warm, strong shoulder. Maybe this conversation was over. “But you can’t save him. He has to save himself.”