Four hours down, eighteen to go. Everett was bored as hell.
He planned to drive all night and show up in the early morning on his birthday, so that he and his brother would have the whole day to celebrate together.
Not his birthday, their birthday. He should really start thinking in pairs. That was his life now. Everett was one half of a matching set. Always had been and always would be.
He was starting to worry about the heat. The Aspire’s AC didn’t work especially well under the best of circumstances, and it definitely wasn’t up to the challenge of holding back the Arizona burn. Everett was trying to see how long he could go without turning it on, saving his AC for a stretch of what he thought of as Dead Man’s Walk to get through in New Mexico. It would be the death of him to end up stranded on the lonely highway without air conditioning.
He stared at the FedEx truck in front of him and shifted his thoughts into another gear. He imagined swimming in his brother’s pool as they compared childhoods and planned for a future together. Would Evan want to move out to Los Orillas? Probably. No doubt he’d stayed in Austin by default, because that’s where his adoptive parents had chosen to live. It wasn’t always easy to leave the garden where you originally grew, even if the place was full of weeds that needed to get yanked out by the root. Everett knew that from experience.
And that got him thinking, did he have another family now? Were Evan’s parents now his parents too?
On one hand, he loved the idea. More family.
But on the other, Everett had nothing to share in return. His brothers wanted nothing to do with him, so they sure as hell wouldn’t want anything to do with Evan.
The Ds would welcome Evan into their lives.
Everett wiped the sweat from his eyes again and conceded defeat. He felt like he was on the edge of heatstroke.
Dammit. He turned on the AC, mopped the puddle of sweat from his brow, and got back to thinking.
Where was he?
They were both restaurateurs, so maybe they could open a place together in Las Orillas. It could even be twin-themed. But not cheesy. No Dollywood vibes or anything like that. Their place would be classy, reservations only and always a waiting list. Authentic Mexican food only. Maybe the twin hook could be in the plating. Every dish had a yin and a yang. From chips and salsa to corn and flour.
Unless Everett was getting it totally wrong.
The more he explored the idea, the more he doubted himself. He hadn’t been this uncomfortable in a long time. He wanted to pull off the highway and get something to eat. Stretch his legs. Turn the podcast up so he could get the questions out of his head.
What if he’s not home?
What are you saying to Clara and Jimi?
Maybe you should work on your issues at home before driving out to Austin?
The Ds might be right; Everett might be making a big mistake.
It wasn’t too late to turn around.
Except that he would feel the humiliation forever.
And Everett wasn’t a quitter. Not anymore.
But maybe it was weird to appear unannounced, even if he was showing up with the best possible news.
He didn’t even have a gift.
What if gaining a brother wasn’t enough of a present?
Obviously, it wasn’t. Evan would probably feel blindsided at first. His family definitely would, too.
A gift for all of them — something that would allow Everett to join in the fun as the newest member of the family.
Maybe a croquet set?
No, that would be dumb, the kids were teenagers. And Evan was so successful. What would he not already have that Everett could afford?
It was also intimidating how well Evan had done. He didn’t brag about it on Livelyfe, but his wife did, in a #blessed way.
Her gorgeous kitchen, the pool, and an elegant guest house behind the main house. Their rooms were filled with things Everett didn’t have and couldn’t buy. Every one of the three cars in their driveway made his Aspire look like it belonged in a junkyard.
What could he possibly give to a family like that?
As if by magic, the billboard ahead announced a Tucson mall at the next exit. Perfect. He’d lose a little time, but that would be worth it if he was getting a gift for the person who was about to change his life.
Happy birthday to both of them.
But at the mall, Everett discovered that his time scrolling through Livelyfe hadn’t really told him anything about his brother’s likes and dislikes. A generic gift like wine wouldn’t feel special enough to reflect the deep connection he wanted Evan to feel.
He should get back on the road and use all that alone time in the car to think up the a present.
But on the way to the exit, Everett realized he’d been thinking about the gift in the wrong way. If he wanted to find something that embodied their twin connection, he needed only to ask what he would want.
The answer came immediately — the new virtual reality gaming system, Infinite Fidelity. They could get to know each other while playing HardCorps together — Everett helping Evan remember how to have fun, while Evan shared the secrets of his success.
Even better, every time he ever played with the Infinite Fidelity, either now in the future, alone or with his family, Evan would think of his twin brother.
Five hundred bucks wasn’t exactly cheap, but this was a momentous occasion. A once-in-a-lifetime happening.
Everett went the nearest directory, found Gameway on the map, and nearly cheered when he saw that the store was right behind him.
He locked eyes with the clerk as he entered. “I’d like an Infinite Fidelity, please.”
“Sure,” she said, with zero emotion, accent, or affect. “With or without the game bundle?”
“How much is it with the game bundle?”
“$799.”
“Without, please.”
“With or without the warranty?”
“How much is the warranty?”
“$149.”
“Without, please. How many headsets and controllers does it come with?”
She looked at Everett as if he were either nuts or an idiot. “One.”
“Oh. And how much are additional controllers?”
“They come with the headset,” she explained. “It’s one unit.”
“So …”
“Additional units are $499.”
Everett smiled. “I guess I’ll take two.”
Sure, his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating, because it was seriously bonkers to drop this much money right now. But if he was willing to spend $500 on a gift for his twin brother, why wouldn’t he make the appropriate twin-sized purchase and also get one for himself?
This was what life would be like from now on. Money would be easier to make and more fun to spend. He had just given himself a chance to practice.
The clerk gave Everett the total and he tried not to swallow his tongue.
He finished paying, gripped his precious cargo, one bag per hand, then left the Gameway.
He exited the mall and stepped into the most sweltering heat of his life. His car was four rows over from where he thought he’d parked, and it felt like he might melt into the asphalt before he could get there.
He opened the car door, singeing his fingertips. It was even hotter inside — he couldn’t touch the steering wheel.
He started the engine, cranked the AC, and waited for the cabin to cool off enough to finally put the car in drive and haul ass out of the mall parking lot.
Everett pulled back onto the freeway.
And there he sat with the mall on his right, going nowhere for the next forty minutes. An accident had clogged the freeway while he’d been shopping.
He finally moved, the Aspire inching forward as its AC started to die.