Chapter Three: Revelation

Jan was walking home with an anxious pace. An urge to know that all was well on the home front gave his steps purpose. The hours of sleep swept away by waves of tossing and turning the night before caused his eyes to burn when he squinted under the glare of sunlight. He looked up at the sun as he continued his hurried stride. That wasn't something he usually saw on his way home from work during the winter. He had fed his boss the same line about having friends from out of town visiting so that he could leave a little early. After an apology for the short notice he was assured by his boss that it was fine. Work was the last thing on his mind anyway. Concerned thoughts about his visitors hounded him all day. What would the effects of his involvement with them have on his life? How long would they be around? Could he get into any real trouble for helping them? Are they worth the risk? Once the realization that he had nothing to lose except for a mundane existance that was as empty as it was numb settled on him such thoughts began to subside, but the onslaught of speculation would not relent until he had a better perspective on what the future was holding.

Jan's encounter with Oskar and Eli the night before had forced him to take a detour from the normal path of what had become his life. Most days he felt like a machine programmed for a specific function, going through the motions of what he believed to be life, wanted only because of what he could do, nothing more. Routine and habit ruled his conscious hours while dreams fought to hold on to his hopes and aspirations. What he considered life was merely a cycle repeated for survival. Oskar and Eli had thrown a wrench into the gears of that cycle. The look on their faces when he agreed to help them along with the sound of their voices in the desolate air of his home had pierced him, loosened the grip of the strangling hands of isolation that had bound him for so long. Still, he was more than a little apprehensive about the whole situation. A grown man helping a young boy and girl who were runaways didn't seem quite right, but it didn't seem wrong either. After spending just a little time with them he wanted to protect them from the poisons of the world and the claws of it's often harsh reality, which he knew all too well but, two runaway kids placing there trust in him was not something he had a contingency plan for. All he understood was that in less than twenty-four hours they had changed his life. For better or worse was yet to be determined.

When Jan reached the apartment complex he slowed his pace in order to examine the surroundings for any lurking residants but the cold was serving his purpose and keeping most folks indoors. The sound of kids playing in the courtyard echoed between the buildings but a sneak peek from the corner revealed no Oskar or Eli so Jan made his way to the stairs leading to unit number fifty-three.

Jan knocked softly on the door hoping that he would not arouse the attention of any neighboring tenants. After a brief moment with no response from the other side he swung his head in each direction to ensure that his presence was undetected. He knocked softly again following with,"It's me...Jan," in a raised whisper. The clicking of locks being turned confirmed the success of his second attempt. The door opened slowly, stopping with a gap just wide enough for Oskar to verify the whisper's assertion. Oskar then pulled the door open and invited Jan in with a friendly grin.

"Hey Erik."

"Hey Jan." Oskar said as he closed the door gently.

"Well, I was hoping this place would have a little more furniture." Jan said while taking in the sight of the bare apartment.

"Oh it's fine Jan. Really. Thanks for helping us out."Oskar blurted.

"No problem. Hey, where"s Eli?"

"Um...She's still asleep."

"Asleep?" A suprised Jan replied.

"Yeah...She went back to sleep after we moved over here. She's kind of a late sleeper."

"I see. Well then, would you like to keep me company for a bit, until she wakes up?" Jan offered.

"Um...Sure, but we'll have to be quiet."

"Why don't we go over to my place then. I don't know about you but I could use another one of those sandwiches."

"Ok, that sounds good, but hang on a second."

Jan watched as Oskar went over to the table where their two suitcases were placed on top. One was standing closed while the other lay opened. Oskar dug around through what looked like trinkets and toys in the opened suitcase, then drew his hand out with a Rubik's Cube displaying scattered colors.

"I was about to get this out when I heard you knock." he admitted, walking back over to Jan.

"A Rubik's Cube huh?" Jan asked as Oskar held it out for him to inspect.

"Yeah, every time I get close to finishing it I have to keep it out of sight or Eli will take it and finish it. I scrambled it before we came here 'cause she did that to me at the last place." Oskar complained.

Jan chuckled then went out the door with Oskar in tow. Oskar closed the door gently again then retrieved the key from his pocket and used it to turn the locks. He followed behind Jan, twisting and turning the Cube as he went. When they entered Jan's apartment Jan made the preparation of sandwiches the first order of business while Oskar sat at the table, completely subdued by the Cube's challenge. After a few short minutes Jan slid two plates holding generously proportioned sandwiches onto the table. The sight of food broke the Cube's spell so Oskar put the Cube down and brought one of the plates close to him. Using both hands he picked up the sandwich and took a large bite from the middle.

"Mmm...This is good." Oskar mumbled with a mouth full of food.

Jan said thanks with a quick smile as he poured two glasses full of milk then sat at the table. Oskar washed down the first bite with a long gulp of milk. Jan went to work on his sandwich and for the next few moments the only sounds heard were the smacks and slurps of two hungry people. Oskar took a long look around the apartment as he finished chewing the last bite of his sandwich then chased it down with another swallow of milk.

"So...you live...alone?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Jan rested against the back of the chair, pushing his plate full of crumbs away from the space between him and Oskar.

"Do you have many friends?"Oskar inquired.

"Nah...not really. Those are kinda hard to come by." Jan admitted. Oskar concurred with a nod.

"What do you do around here? I mean when you get bored."

"Well," Jan pointed to the cramped bookcase then to the carburetors that had been piled on the corner of the table,"I have my distractions when I need them. What about you?"

"Um...I like to read too. Listen to music. It just depends on how much time I have before Eli usually wakes up."

"Erik...Eli isn't really your sister, is she?" Jan revealed.

Shock flashed briefly across Oskar's face then he looked down to hide from the guilt of a busted lie. "No, she's...something else." He replied.

"It's ok Erik, I understand."

Oskar slowly looked up at Jan with his eyes but kept his head down.

"You do?"

"Sure. I was in love once, a long time ago."

"What happened?" A now curious Oskar asked with a raised head.

Jan's eyes trailed away from Oskar as the dusty memories conjured up by the discourse came into the view of his mind's eye.

"Well I was a very foolish young man Erik, and blind. At the time I had no idea what was before me. I had no idea how rare real love is, how precious. I was more concerned with other things when all that should have mattered was her."

Jan closed his eyes and pushed the ghosts in his head away, back into their prison where they could do him no harm. He opened his eyes and looked wistfully at Oskar.

"Don't be like me Erik. Don't be a blind fool. It's obvious that Eli means something to you. If she's the one you love then hold on with all you've got."

An awkward moment grew between them as neither Oskar nor Jan knew how to skate away from the sincere air brought forth by Jan's advice. Jan cleared his throat then placed his hands on the table, one on top of the other. Looking intently at Oskar he uttered a startling revelation.

"Erik, I know that your real name is Oskar."

Sudden panic engulfed Oskar as fear squeezed him. His heart jumped into pounding beats and his mind exploded with a sense of entrapment. He glared at Jan as if he were some terrible monster attempting to lure him closer to his grasp, then he remebered that the door was just a short distance away, behind him.

"It's alright, I haven't tol...," before Jan could finish Oskar spun out of the chair and shot toward the door. In a terrified rush he jerked the door open and fled from Jan's apartment. Jan remained seated at the table with his forehead pressed against the palms of his hands. A regretful sigh filled the apartment.

As Oskar bolted down the stairs he stole a quick glance behind him, there was no Jan in pursuit. By the time he reached the door to his refuge the long, deep breaths demanded by the sprint made the cold air he took in feel like shards of glass in his lungs. He fumbled around in his pocket for the key, found it and burst through the door. After slamming the door shut and twisting the locks he put his back against the door and tried to steady his painful breathing. He closed his eyes and felt his pulse beat against his temple.

When the warm air of the apartment melted the glass in his lungs and the forceful beat of his pulse returned to his chest Oskar opened his eyes. He went quickly to the closest window and peeled back the curtains to take a look outside. He couldn't see Jan's place because of the position of the buildings but he could see that the day was vanishing. The night was only moments away. Oskar walked swiftly to the bathroom, turning on the hallway light as he went. He entered, knelt beside the tub and leaned over to shake a sleeping Eli.