Chapter 35

October-November was a time period that was truly a game changer for me: initially visits by Horace and Emma to kind set things up, I guess would be the way to characterize things; then, a party at the castle; and now a visit by my niece and biological son—and the month was barely half over. It was the 16th.

“Briana, James,” I said, as I opened the door.

“Yes, uncle Adam,” said Briana. James smiled his ditto of his sister’s greeting.

“Come in, come in,” I said.

Seated, soft drinks in front of us, I took up the gauntlet. “So?” I said.

“Well, the party last week was good, and the news about you and Emma was good, and Cassandra’s food was good,” she said., “right?”

“Yes?” said James, clearly hoping for my agreement. I nodded.

“I’d have to say that what you say is pretty much all true,” I said. “Especially as regards Cassandra’s cooking.”

“Well, Dad, Briana and I decided to call on you and ask you for something. Something special,” he said. I gave him a look.

“Okay,” I said. “And I feel confident that you will eventually get around to letting me know what you are talking about.”

“Well,” he said, “like we were saying everything went well last week, and we would like to know, ask you, if you would consider making things even better.”

“And how do suppose that I might be doing something like that?” I said. Silence ensued for a good long minute; the two of them again exchanging looks with each other.

“So ... again...” I said.

“Uncle Adam, recently mom was feeling kind of down; I mean really down. You know, about how you were feeling so down. She’d been crying and such, and well, she pulled James and I aside and told us stuff.”

“Okay?” I said, and said slowly. I was beginning to feel seriously nervous.

“Dad, mom told us the truth about that bad day back in 1965. I mean she told us the truth, the whole truth. We were told not to let you know that we now knew, but well, neither of us could let that be. And the both of us are begging you not to be mad at mom for telling us.”

“Please, Uncle Adam,” said Briana. I was staring, staring hard. I was clenching and unclenching my fists under the table. “And, Uncle Adam, we know about the physical thing, I mean your groin thing.”

“Does your dad know you know?” I said.

“We didn’t ask him, and he wasn’t there when she, mom, told us. But, well, I guess he must,” said James. “And, Dad, he’s my uncle, not my dad.” I snorted. Well, I was super angry. I was beginning to wonder how long it would be before my ex-fiancée would be publishing the story in the newspaper!

I was pretty sure that Horace would be telling Parker, if he hadn’t already. Whatever hopes I ever had that related in any way to that woman had proven to be false hopes, and I was certain that, as time moved on, she’d find yet new ways to prove that point! Oh yeah, she’d continue to break her promises until there were no more promises to break. But, well, on the upside, Cassandra’s food was still the best—shit!

“Dad?” chanced Briana.

“So you want me to forgive the biggest liar in the state for being the biggest liar in the state,” I said.

“Dad, you saved mom. You suffered like crazy for her. Yes, she and dad too lied to you—a lot. But yes, Briana and I are asking you to forgive her, and uncle Rodney too,” said James.

At least James was not referring to the bad guy as his daddy. That didn’t mean shit of course. If I put the boy in the position of having to choose between the two of us, there was damn little doubt which one he’d choose. Or, if he refused to choose either way, he’d be leaving it to me to be the bad guy. I wasn’t yet frothing at the mouth, but close.

“Briana, you have already married Richard. Your ‘father’, your adopted father, did all of the honors. But, now, since, as you say you know the whole story; tell me what would you have done, or allowed me to do, if you had known everything back then?”

“Well, I mean, I don’t know. I mean...”

“And when you have children, as I assume you may one of these days, what then?”

“And you James, what’s going to be the deal when you get married and have children; I mean if you do,” I said. He swallowed.

“You’d have a big part in the wedding Dad, no doubt about that,” he said. I was sure he was feeling like he had given me what I was asking for; he was wrong if that were indeed the case.

“You two come here feeling like you had right on your side. But you did not, do not. What you have are good intentions, but those are meaningless to me,” I said.

“Uncle Adam...”

“Dad! What would you want us to do, say, think?” said James. I was nodding.

Finally! Now we’d see if the road to hell was indeed paved with good intentions, or, if there might in some way for them, the good intention, to maybe lead in another direction.