Chapter 19

“Curious more than anything else, but patient. Briana and Richard opened the presents the next day with help from her mom. She opened the small present from her uncle last. It was a small framed picture. A picture of her mother when she was very young, her uncle also when he was very young, and a picture of a toddler around three years old dressed in a pink Easter dress. The toddler was holding a small stuffed bunny.

Briana stared at the picture and handed it to her mother. Riley Barnes began to sob.

“Briana, you know the story. He was my fiancée back in the day. This picture is from that time, April of 1965,” she said.

“And uncle Adam has been able to save it all this time. I mean even with him being in prison for so many years,” said Briana.

“Your dad saved his condo and car for him, for when he would get out of prison. It must have been somewhere in the house, condo, all of this time. I remember the day the picture was taken. It was Easter Sunday. My God that was so long ago. I can’t believe he still had something like this; I mean saved it all of this time as you say, and even since he got out five years ago!” said Riley.

Richard who’d been witnessing the tableau, was but an interested party, but he could see that his new mother-in-law was all but stricken by the sight of the picture.

“Mom, I’m kinda surprised that uncle Adam didn’t come. He said that he would. I’m kinda disappointed. Richard and I aren’t leaving until Friday. I’m going to go see him. Thank him for the picture and all,” said Briana.

“That’ll be nice. Tell him that we all missed him,” said Riley, wiping away a couple of stray tears with the back of her hand.

“I will,” she said.

Well, it was two days since my declared niece got herself hitched. I wasn’t there, but I was sure my ex was relieved by that truth. Or maybe not. I say this last because as I watered the two potted plants at the bottom of the three steps leading up to my porch, she was on her way across the parking area to see me. No, not Riley Barnes, but Briana Carton.

She came up to me and stared at what I was doing. I completed the job and turned to her.

“I’m surprised to see you. Figured you and Richard would be on your honeymoon by now,” I said. I seemed to have shaken her out of some kind of reverie.

“Not until Friday, day after tomorrow. He’s home packing,” she said.

“Okay?” I said.

“We missed you. Oh, and mom said to tell you that too,” she said. I didn’t snicker, but I wanted to. But my look clued her, I guess.

“No, really, and she meant it,” said Briana. I half shrugged.

“Well, come in. Tell me all about the wedding,” I said.

She followed me inside the house.

“It was big, the food was great, I was beautiful, Richard was super handsome, mom and dad looked good too. It was nice, wonderful,” she said, “well except for one thing.”

“Oh?” I said.

“Yes, my favorite uncle wasn’t there,” she said.

“But I asked your uncle Horace to deliver my gift. But you say he wasn’t there?” I said.

“Funny,” she said. “I was referring to you.”

“Hmm,” I said. “I’m your favorite?”

“Yes. And uncle Horace was there and he did deliver your gift,” she said. “Do you have any tea. I’ve kinda switched from being a coffee drinker to a tea drinker.”

“Yes, but nothing fancy, just regular tea,” I said. “In the pantry. Over there.” She went to get it and microwaved herself a cup. She’d been around often enough to know where everything was. I declined a cup when she offered to make it for me.

“So,” I said. “It was a nice wedding then.” She’d taken a seat and was already sipping my Lipton.

“Yes, and I mean it when I say we missed you. Can I ask, Uncle Adam...?” She’d stopped short of asking the question I obviously knew she wanted the answer to. I decided to be straight with her.

I looked at her for a long six seconds. “After you and Richard went out to the car, as you may recall, your mother stayed back to have a word with me,” I said.

“Yes,” she said.

“She reiterated that Richard knew the story; I mean my story. What she also said was that none of his family and friends did. She was kinda giving me a heads up about being careful about who I talked to and what I said to whomsoever I talked to. It was clear to me that she was worried about me coming, but felt that I had to be invited. So, I decided to make it easy on everybody and just stay home. Well, actually Leonard and I went to Abby’s and kicked back a few. We do that occasionally in spite of the parole rules,” I said.

“Oh my God!” she said. “Uncle Adam, don’t ever do that again. I was the one doing the inviting, not mom. And she and I will be talking. And, don’t even think about telling me not to!” said Briana.

“Look, Briana, there’s a lot more to the story than just what you think you know. Just let it alone.”

“Uncle Adam, I feel closer to you than you know for some reason. I think mom does too, not sure. But when I saw that picture; well, it sparked something. Mom saw it too and cried, she tried to hold it in but failed miserably. Do you know, I still have that bunny! It’s put away, but I still have it.

That surprised me. I’d bought it for her a few days before that long ago Easter. Every little girl needs an Easter bunny.

For the next hour plus we talked and she finally got me to promise to never shine on an invite by her again. She no longer lived at the mansion. The Cartons had their own place, also in Scottsdale, but a couple of miles from the mansion. Then she was gone; she had to get home to correct all of her husband’s packing mistakes.