“I’m so sorry,” Walter whispers, one large hand cupping my head as his other pats my back.
I open my eyes and see Jack hugging Maggie, and I smile. She leans back and takes his face between her palms.
“Just like your father,” she says, and I see that she too is crying.
Maggie introduces us to her husband Martin, and we make our way to Caine’s SUV.
“I hope everyone is hungry!” Caine says, a little smirk on his lips.
I smack his leg. He’s making fun of me. I may have gone overboard. But I was excited.
The car ride is easy, filled with fun discussions about their plane ride, and Caine explaining to them where we are and the history of the area. I hold his hand in my lap.
I have so many questions. Like when did my dad reach out to them, and why? Why didn’t he tell us about his siblings?
I’m hurt that he chose Mom, and I don’t understand why we couldn’t have a relationship with his family. I always just thought he was an only child.
We get them situated in the little cottage, Caine helping with their luggage.
“Sit,” Walter says, extending his hand to the L shaped sofa in the large living room. “I can see you’re about to explode. No reason to delay the inevitable,” he adds sounding so much like my dad it causes an ache around my heart.
“When?” I ask once everyone is sitting.
“When did we reconnect with your dad?” Walter asks.
I nod.
“As I’ve already told you, when your dad was diagnosed, a mutual friend called me and told me Phil was sick,” Walter says, his face turning red, and his eyes begin to glisten. He clears his throat and continues. “I made him give me Phil’s number.”
“Dad didn’t tell you himself?” Jack asks.
“It’s not so simple,” Maggie interjects, placing a hand on Walter’s shoulder. “Things with Phil… everything… it was hard.”
“I called him and invited him over to my house. We cried,” Walter says. “I wantedto be angry, but he was sick. My big brother was dying, and I couldn’t be mad at him,” Walter says. Tears spill from his eyes. And I feel so guilty now, asking these questions.
I grab a box of tissues I placed on the side table and hand them to him.
“He loved your mom. Right or wrong, he loved her. And he adored you two,” Walter says, pointing at me and my brother with a sad smile. “He told me about you Micky, about your classes. I was so proud to hear you decided to go into medicine,” he adds.
My brows furrow and he smiles.
“I’m a nurse,” Walter tells me. “How do you think your dad knew all those facts and was able to help you with those classes?” He explains. I find myself smiling at my uncle as he nods his head. “I was thrilled because I got to spend time with my brother, and I got to learn about the two of you.”
“Why didn’t he tell us?” Jack asks, and I can hear the pain in his voice. “Why didn’t he tell us about you?”
Maggie and Walter exchange a glance, as though having a silent conversation.
Jack and I look at each other, and we have our own silent discussion. I nod, giving him permission.
“We’ve made the decision to disconnect from our mother. You know that. We told you that we don’t have a healthy relationship with her. And our trip to Seattle was the nail in that proverbial coffin,” Jack explains. “Just be honest with us. I promise it won’t surprise us.”
Maggie nods. “Okay.” She tucks a dark curl behind her ear. “Your mom was…”
“Their mother’s a bitch,” Caine says from beside me. “It’s okay, just say it, it’s freeing,” he says, lifting his arm and motioning with his hand in a circular motion.
I can’t help but giggle, hiding my face in his biceps.
“Well, then,” Maggie says, laughing. “That’s one way of saying it. She’s a bitch.” Maggie’s cheeks turn red, and I can see she isn’t one for swearing. “Anyway,” she says. “It was impossible to have a relationship with Phil with her. She was so angry, selfish. But he loved her. We couldn’t say anything, and when she got nasty, even though he knew she was in the wrong, he couldn’t say anything. He hated fighting with her. And she knew it.” Maggie shakes her head and begins to cry. “How could we be angry at him when we knew he loved her?” she asks, choked, as tears fall down her cheeks.
