AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, no,” he says, waving his good hand. “The wheelchair is too big to go back there. Put me on this side, next to the end. You sit there,” he insists. “Harrison, you sit on Ethan’s right side.”
That surprises me, but then I catch on. My father wants to ensure everyone understands that now, Ethan is the head of the family, not him. And that I am second in command…
I’ll have to fight my father on that account, because I prefer to stay on as merely an advisor, but I don’t want to ruin the occasion by denying it in front of everyone.
On my other side is the empty seat that the family reserves for Liam. The symbolism isn’t lost on any of us. The son whose death we are now all focused on avenging.
After the meal’s finished and the after-dinner drinks are poured, my brother stands and holds up his glass of whiskey.
“To my father, my role model, and the man to whom I look up the most. Ronan Michael O’Connor. I hope the remaining years you have with us on Earth are happy, and that you get better with each passing week. I need you there to help guide me over the next few months while I take over the reins. Your only job is to enjoy your well-deserved retirement. Your wisdom and your business sense are still needed as I find my bearings at the helm. To my father. I love you and wish you long life and happiness. To Ronan.”
“To Ronan,” we all reply and hold up our glasses of whatever we are drinking. On my part, I’m drinking tonic water with lime, pretending that it’s gin and tonic to appease the others, who can’t imagine not getting pass-out drunk on every occasion.
“To Liam, who was taken from us too soon,” Ethan adds. “May we avenge his death.”
Everyone raises their glass in solemn remembrance.
I glance around at the men who my father counts as his family — my brother Ethan and his wife, Susanne, their two boys sitting dutifully at the end of the table, watching the proceedings with a bit of awe mixed with boredom. They are nearly eight and ten and are probably aching to leave the table and go play their video games in the large games room in the basement. To myfather’s right is his wife, my stepmother. Beside her sits my uncle Ryan, who is a lawyer and advises my father on the business. His daughter Elaine and son-in-law Brody are to his side.
I know Elaine has ambitions that her husband would get higher up in the family business. Ethan figured that she wanted Ryan to head it instead of him, because he had a business degree, but that was never going to happen. On my left is my other uncle Tommy, an actual welder, who works in the union and his wife and two daughters, who are slightly younger than me, and are likewise present with their husbands.
It’s a huge family gathering of everyone who mattered to my father and my father’s family.
“Harrison, why aren’t you married yet? A dashing veteran like you with those muscles and tattoos should have young women dripping off you,” my cousin asks, taking my mind off my brother’s death and my brother’s difficulties extracting the business from the grips of organized crime.
I take a sip of my drink, suddenly wishing it was made of stronger stuff. “I’m too busy running my business to spend much time on my social life. One of these days, I’ll meet Ms. Right and settle down.”
I change the subject, asking about the kids, and soon, interest in my personal life wanes as people move on to other gossip.
I’m glad — I don’t need any attention to me still being single. At thirty-one, I’m seen as ripe to get married, and produce sons, but I figure I have a few more years before I even think of settling down. I don’t lack female company and have several women I see on and off but nothing serious.
I like it that way. No strings. No commitments.
Just pure pleasure by mutual consent.
I don’t have a very good view of married life, considering my parents divorced and my mother’s new husband is such a jerk.
Finally, when the food is done, the men in the family retire to my father’s study at the rear of the house, to continue to drink, maybe smoke a cigar, and bullshit about the coming war they’re planning. I sit in one corner, watching the proceedings, still unsure if I’ll agree to stick around and help my family get revenge and then help my brother find his feet as a business leader and take the company legit.
I see two of my uncles leave the room and go into the hallway. I’m curious why they feel a need to speak privately, and on a whim, I decide to go to the washroom so I can listen in to their conversation on my way by.
“We should goat 8:30 sharp just after opening,” I hear Uncle Tommy say. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get them back. Those bastards will rue the day they stole from us…”
“Get what back?” I ask as I step into the hallway.
Uncle Tommy glares at me. “We’re just discussing a private business arrangement. You don’t need to worry.”
I remain where I am and turn to Uncle Ryan. “Nothing that has to do with the family is private. Who stole what from you?”
Ryan shakes his head. “It’s something your father always meant to fix before the stroke. You remember we had some diamonds that we inherited from Grampa O'Connor. They were stolen from the office safe, and we’re going to get them back. They’re rare, and worth millions.”
“Who stole them?”
“Ivanov,” Ryan replies. “His crew did the job. One of our friends who works with the Ivanov family told us.”
“And you trust this friend?”
Tommy crosses his arms. “You think you can just come back into the family and start telling us our business? You got a lot of balls…”
