My name is Samuel Johns, Sam for short. My lack of talent led me to resort to other measures for entertainment. For short I was a delinquent. If you ask me, I honestly thought I wasn't a bad kid. Living in the middle of Ohio got boring. When things got boring, I made my own fun even if it wasn't always in the best ways.

My grandmother enveloped in her anger for me and my attitude, shipped me back to New York, where'd id stay with my uncle. I was going back home. Back to where I grew up. It was good bye Ohio and hello civilization.

She threw me on the first train headed east. It was as crowded as any train headed to new York would be. The man I was sitting next to had taken off his shoes revealing his bowling ball sized bunions. The stench emitting from his shoes were unearthly.

Finally, like a voice from heaven announcements of arrival came on. "Attention all passengers!" The conductor said. "Next stop, Grand Central Station" I had finally made it to New York.

When the train came to an easing halt I was the first one off, pushing anyone necessary to get out. I stumbled down the steps but thankfully landed on my feet. When I looked out into the crowd I saw one thing, and one thing only...my father. 

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion all of a sudden. No one else was there in the universe, but me and him. He walked towards me, and I to him. When we faced each other once again, it felt like a feeling I thought I would never know. "Dad?" I said.

His smile sunk. He took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not your father," he said. "I'm your uncle"

My face couldn't have been redder. How could I have mistaken a dead man for a living one? "My bad" I said completely embarrassed.

"It's alright. We were twin brothers, I'm used to being mixed up" he told me. I knew my father had a twin brother, but I'd only met him once when I was a toddler. His brother was in Japan for most of my youth. "I'm Jacob, as you may know"

"Am I to call you Mr. Johns?" I asked.

Jacob shook his head. "You are family, call me Jacob," he said. "Shall we walk?" He asked. I nodded, and he began to walk.

With my luggage tightly clutched to my hand I walked along side him. "Were you and my father close?" I asked.

He hesitated to speak. I hadn't taken the time to consider that when my father died, he didn't just leave me. He left two families torn, and heart broken. "We were as close as twin brothers come," he said. "Still, we had our differences, he was quite pure hearted, and I was very mischievous. By what your grandmother tells me, you are as well."

"I wouldn't say mischievous" I argued.

My uncle chuckled at my comment. "And I suppose breaking into a school, and stealing test answers isn't mischievous?"

"I was just borrowing them" I argued.

Jacob laughed, but then stopped. "Here we are," He said. "One zero nine, Franklin ave."

I observed the brick townhouse, and the ivy wrapped around it extending all the way down the street. Jacob opened the door with his key ring, and let me in. "Harry!" Jacob called. From a far room down the hall emerged a boy. "Samuel, this is my son Harry."

Harry shook my hand. "Hello, nice to know I have finally met my famous cousin, Samuel" he said with a bright smile. He had a full head of dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes. His varsity letterman jack led me to assume I should be careful around him, though he seemed so nice.

"Hopefully, I'm famous for good things," I said, but completely doubted in my mind.

"Harry, Would you mind showing Sam to his room." Jacob asked.

"Of course!" Harry said over chipper. Jacob shot him a look. "You'd better not cause him trouble" he threatened, then walked away.

I looked at Harry for an answer to what just happened. Harry chuckled and spoke, "Parents, what can I say" He took my bags from my hand, and carried them up the steps. I followed up the stairs as well. "What are you carrying in here a body?" He asked sarcastically.

No, just a wad of electronic gear. I was a tech geek, and I lived for building, and redesigning anything I could get my hands on. "Nothing just lots clothes" was all I told him.

When we got to the top of the steps he threw my luggage into an empty room roughly sending pieces flying out. "Dude!" I yelled. My precious devices scattered all over the floor.

His smile went away faster than lightning. "What are you a geek?" He said looking at the pieces on the ground.

"Im confused" I said wondering where his Chick-Fil-A status customer service attitude went.

"Look, geek, this is how this works" He began, "This is my abode. You follow my rules, you live, you don't, you die. Do you understand?" he asked.

"What is this the eighties?" I asked rhetorically. I've only seen bullies like Harry in cheesy old high school movies.

He stepped up to me trying to intimidate me, "You think I won't kick your ass?" He asked.

I couldn't say I wasn't curious who would win in this fight. Though I was trying to be better at picking my battles. This seemed like a situation that I could diffuse. "I will stay uncrossed in your paths," I said.

"Good," he said. He stomped on one of my possessions destroying what was left. "See you downstairs for dinner" he said with a fake smile, then exited the room.

I took three deep breaths in, and applauded myself for not dislocated his knee bones. If I had done anything to him id be right back where I left off in Ohio, a juvenile detention center. I couldn't do anything to Harry. Harry was completely in control. I would make him pay, just not now.

Later that day, I went downstairs where I was welcomed by the sweet smell of a homemade meal. The dinner table was filled with a turkey and some side dishes. "what's the celebration?" I asked Jacob who was placing a fresh casserole onto the table.

"It's a welcome to our home celebration" he answered.

"You didn't have to do all this, there's nothing to really celebrate," I said.

"I couldn't agree more," Harry said already snacking on the settled dishes on the dinner table. I gave him a look but said nothing.

Jacob noticed our tension and spoke up. "Harry if you give him a hard time you will have to deal with me"

Harry was a jerk, but the last thing I needed in my life was an adult stepping up to fight my battles. "You seem to have misunderstood Jacob, we're quite good." I said. Harry nodded along with my comment.

"Quite good?" Jacob repeated.

I assured him. "Yes, in fact, Harry even agreed to lend me money for some valuables he accidentally broke on the way up. You can give me the twenty now, Harry"

I could see that Harry wanted to gouge my eyes out, but he smiled as he handed me the money decorated with Andrew Jackson. "Thanks," I said to Harry.

Jacob didn't lose all suspicion, but he didn't ask any more questions. "Well then, why don't we start eating"

We finished dinner around ten. After Harry went off upstairs I stayed behind and helped to clean up to show my gratitude. Though I also stayed for selfish reasons as well.

As we placed dishes into the dishwasher I began to ask Jacob questions again. "Do you give allowance?"

Jacob, caught very off guard by my questions hesitated. "Here I was thinking that you actually wanted to help me clean up"

"It was your fault for trusting a teenager" I said to him.

He laughed, and placed some clean dishes in the cabinet. "Alrigjt, you do good in school, and stay out of trouble. Ill give a Benjamin every week"

"what about two benjamins?" I complained.

"are you kidding, when I was a kid I would've killed for just five dollars a month" he said.

"Well back then five dollars was enough for a house" I said.

He laughed, "Is this how you spoke to Grams?" He asked, "No wonder she kicked you out"

"it was voluntary leave" I said pointing a soapy finger at him.

We both laughed, and I had felt joy I hadn't felt in a while. The joy of having a mentor or even a father.

"Unlcle Jacob" I said.

"yeah?" He asked.

"What was my dad like as a kid?" I asked.

"I told you he was a pain in the-"

"No I mean like did he ever talk about what kind of life he wanted?"

Jacob's smile had sunk a little bit, and I noticed it was time for me to stop asking questions. "Listen, I'm going to go off to bed." He told me.

"Alrihgt" I said to him.

"I hope you had a good first day. Rest up you have a big day tomorrow" he told me.

School. I had missed so many days of that in Ohio, that I forgot what it was. I guess this was my chance to do better.