Unchained Memories by Maria Imbalzano

Tara can take a little vacation.”
    Finally, a smile.
    “Do you think she would? Twins are so hard.”
    “She raised five of us. Two will be a piece of cake. And Dad will be around. Maybe I’ll even stop by after work to help them out.”
    “Yeah, right. Like you ever stop by Mom and Dad’s. I can’t remember the last time you made it for dinner on a Wednesday night. I’m sure you wouldn’t interrupt your weekend to help with two babies.”
    Clay wanted to deny John’s criticism, but couldn’t in good conscience. Their mom had an open invitation to all five kids for dinner on any Wednesday they were available. Clay rarely made it, given his schedule at the hospital. And if he did have the night off, he either went out on a date or joined the guys in a pick-up game of basketball. He gave enough of himself through funding his siblings’ education. He didn’t feel the need to give all his free time as well.
    John and Jim felt differently and rarely missed the weekly event, while his sisters only joined in when they were on a break from school. That might all change once they graduated next month. Maybe they’d both end up back in the Princeton area. His parents would be ecstatic.
    While Jim and John were amusing enough at the few Wednesday dinners he did make, the girls added a whole other dimension, especially Colleen, who surrounded herself in drama and managed to pull Julie right into it with her. They were the perfect targets for teasing brothers, yet they proved even better strategists when it came to embarrassing their brothers in front of their dates, or in John’s case, his wife. Even though they all ended up scathed, the laughter rarely stopped and Clay felt a guilty twinge at missing these family get-togethers so often.
    “So, here’s my tax stuff.” He held out the manila folder. “Everything’s organized and documented. If you have any questions, just give me a call.” Since John didn’t reach out to take it, Clay pushed the folder toward him on the desk.
    “You’re worse than every one of my clients,” complained John, finally taking the folder. “All your colleagues from the hospital got me their information at least a month ago. Around the same time I hounded you for yours.”
    Duly chastised, Clay hung his head. “Sorry. I promise to be better in the future.”
    John threw a balled up piece of paper that missed Clay by a few feet, but at least he had lightened up a little. “You’re lucky I still feel indebted to you, since I’m not falling for your false apology.”
    Clay raised his head, trying to keep his smile at bay. “Indebted for what?”
    “For helping to pay for college.”
    “You paid me back years ago.”
    “I know. But I won’t ever forget it. You could have kept your money, invested it. You’d have a lot more now if you’d done that.”
    Clay felt an unfamiliar pull on his heart. He’d helped all his siblings, but they rarely talked about it. Both John and Jim had paid him back over time, and that was that. Now the three of them did the same for Colleen and Julie. They were family. And they all worked hard to succeed. No slackers. No spongers.
    “I did invest it. And I got a great return in the undying gratitude of my baby brother, who happens to be a great accountant. It was worth it.”
    John swallowed and gave him a lopsided grin. “I must be tired. I’m getting all sentimental on you.”
    “Maybe it’s the babies playing with your emotions. So how are my niece and nephew, other than insomniacs?”
    “They’re great.” John’s eyes sparked, and the energy that had been missing magically appeared. “Always smiling, cooing. I swear they know what each other is thinking, even though we don’t. When one is happy, the other’s happy. When one is crying, the other chimes in.” He shook his head, obviously contemplating the wonder of twin telepathy.
    “Can’t wait to see them. I’ll try to make this Wednesday’s dinner.”
    “You said that last week.