Story: Bradley and Ramon

Bradley and Ramon

Heat rippled off the ground in long, thin tendrils, bending and waving through the light like smoke. It’d been hot the whole summer as it always was in the deep south of Makom, Texas. It was about thirty miles south of Dallas. It was the sort of small suburb you found outside every big city in America.

Bradley was the youngest of three brothers and still lived with his parents. Bradley’s mom was not the mother to either of his brother and neither of his brothers shared the same mother either. Bradley’s father, Damien, hadn’t had the most success with marriage in the past given this was his third try and though this one had lasted the longest, it was going downhill. Bradley’s mother, Maria, had met Bradley’s father in the hospital where she was working as a nurse. His dad had wound up in the emergency room after getting bitten by a rattle snake while moving logs. The two had ended up dating for a few months afterward and then Maria got pregnant with Bradley and the two got married quickly after finding out. Such was the tradition in towns like Makom.

Bradley’s brothers Ramon and Larry had always been kind to him through childhood. The three got along very well despite having different mothers. They grew up fast, always excelling in their classes. As they came into young adulthood, they worked for their father’s construction company, impressing others with their great knowledge and strength for their age, but Ramon was the strongest and smartest, and yet Bradley and Larry didn’t envy him for it. The three all respected one another.

Near Ramon’s 18th birthday, his father was growing ill and told his wife and Ramon that if he passed he wanted Ramon to take over the business. Ramon was young but Damien insisted that the workers respected him and would listen to him. Maria did not like this arrangement though for one of her coworkers’ sons had just been promoted to VP at the bank where he worked. As Damien lay in bed resting late at night, Maria came to him and said

“Do you remember on our wedding night when you promised me anything in the world you could provide in exchange for me saving your life that one time?”

“I do,” Damien said.

“I beg you to please let Bradley manage the company when you pass. He greatly deserves it,” Maria pleased.

“What? I cannot do such a thing. Bradley will not even be 18 for two more years. He isn’t even ready if I wanted to put him in charge,” Damien said.

“Please. If you don’t do this, I’ll kill myself too. Please wait for Bradley to take charge. Send Ramon to travel the world for a few years. He is smart and will do well. That way, he will be ready for the world and will find his own job somewhere with his great skillset. Then, Bradley will be old enough to take power long before Ramon returns. If you were to pass, I could manage the company until Bradley was old enough. “

“No. I cannot betray my son that way. Bradley wishes to and deserves my position. It is only fair to give it to him.”

“But you promised me this! You must!”

“Please don’t make me do this!”

But the wife could not be swayed and the father gave in. The next morning, he told Ramon and Larry of what had transpired. Larry rejected the decision immediately but Ramon silenced him and said,

“It’s okay, dad.”

Larry promised to go with Ramon. If Ramon was to leave, then Larry would go with him. Ramon and Larry packed their things and went on their way, while their father mourned for their leaving. All this while, Bradley was still in class during the day and when he returned that night, his mother told him what had transpired.

“You can’t be serious. My brothers are gone! And it’s because of you! I don’t even want to be in charge. I want to go to college. How could you do this?” Bradley shouted.


“I did what I did for you!” Bradley’s mother pleaded, but Bradley would not listen. He grabbed his things and began running to the bus station to catch his brothers and stop them.

(Bharata meets Rama in Chitrakoot, wikimedia commons)

Authors Note: I based this story on parts 21-23 of reading B. I tried to do a modern retelling of the tale because it seemed like an interesting challenge. I changed the names up a bit and had to change some events to make them make more sense and even then some of it was a stretch, but it was a fun exercise. 

Bibliography: Public Domain Ramayana