The Pull of Destiny by Hotcheri Read Free Book Online

into my chest. I flinched at the angry
look in his steel grey eyes. He was well and truly pissed off, thanks to me.
     “Don’t
play dumb with me, young man; you know what I’m talking about. I made an
appointment for you to go see the leading neurologist in the country,” he spat,
his eyes locked on mine. “I had to call in some favors, grease a few palms, all
so Doctor Khan could get your head checked out.” He slapped me on the forehead
as he said this, making me wince. “I even let you stay home from school so you
could get ready! And what happens? You don’t even bother showing up for your
damn appointment!”
    Yeah,
I know what you’re thinking, a whole day for just one doctor’s appointment?
Blame my dad. He doesn’t know how close I am to being expelled. Missing a day
of school for no apparent reason is just more ammunition for the school to kick
me out.
    “I
can explain,” I started, holding up my arms in defense. I was a brown belt in
karate, but I didn’t think I was a match for dad. He had pure animalistic rage
on his side today. All I had on my side was a headache.
    “Oh,
yeah, I’m sure you can,” dad said, chuckling without a trace of humor as he
started to pace the kitchen. He placed his hands behind his back and looked at
me. “Well? Start explaining, kiddo. I’m anxious to see how the legendary Luke
Astor, with all his tall tales, can get out of this one.”
    I
took a deep breath, racking my brain for any lie I could tell that would seem
believable. None came. My mind was a total blank.
    “I
don’t care. I don’t want to know what’s wrong with me,” I said finally, feeling
like a wuss for even saying it out loud.
     
    A
couple of weeks ago, I went to my doctor’s office for my regular checkup. The
x-rays uncovered something that my doctor wasn’t quite sure about, a growth in
my brain. “It’s probably nothing, but let me refer you to a neurologist,” he
told my dad, who came into the doctor’s office fuming because the call made him
miss a golf game.
    Because
golf is way more important than your only son’s health, right?
    When
I heard that I had a strange growth in my brain, I was so scared that I didn’t
sleep for two nights straight. Even now, I was positive that it was more than
just ‘nothing’ as Doctor Miles had put it. Coupled with my headaches, the
growth-it could be a tumor.
    And
I didn’t want to find out.
    “I
don’t want to know what’s wrong with me,” dad mimicked, sneering into my face.
I groaned silently. Same old shit. He was a bully in every sense of the word.
And his favorite target? Me, of course. His voice turned cold. “You think I’m
letting you chicken out of this appointment? I don’t care if you piss yourself
when you’re getting that CAT scan, you’ll go to the hospital and they’ll find
out what’s wrong with you.”
    “And
I guess it doesn’t matter if I want to know or not, right?” I asked, knowing
the answer already. It didn’t matter what I thought. If dad wanted it, it would
come to pass. He was the law around these parts.
    “You
damn right it doesn’t.” Dad laughed derisively again, stopping right in front
of me. “You done acting like a schmuck?” he asked, leaning in so close I could
smell the alcohol on his breath. There was no use in arguing with him when he
was like this. I simply nodded.
    “Yes,
sir.”
    “Good,”
he snarled, looking more like a club bouncer than the urbane, polished
businessman he was supposed to be. “This afternoon. 3.45. Mount Sinai. I’ll
pick you up myself. Understand?”
    I
nodded dumbly, hating the way he always talked down to me, making me feel like
a kid again. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him, so why should I try?
We all knew I was gonna end up a screw up, anyway. “Sure,” I mumbled.
    His
eyes probed relentlessly into my face, searching for something, a sign of
weakness, maybe. I stared back at him impassively, willing myself not to blink.
Seemingly satisfied, he