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“So are you and I. That doesn’t give her an excuse to stop being human.” Connor added under his breath so that only I could hear, “Not that she ever was.”
Vincent leaned in and whispered, “I thought we were going to stop this, at least until she’s better.”
“She can say whatever she wants about me, but she better keep her opinions about Lily to herself.”
“You’re a hateful, spiteful child,” Lenora said, giving up her crying long enough to spew some more venom.
“I think I inherited it from your side of the family,” Connor said.
“Nice, Connor,” Vincent muttered. “Come on, Mom.”
But Lenora shrugged him off, and instead continued to rage at her other son. “You think just because he chose to eat with you before he died, that made everything right between the two of you? You think just because he deigned to sit down with your little slut and break bread, that he approved of you sullying the family name?”
People were taking notice. They were looking around from the pews, trying to hear what was going on.
The Templetons weren’t just a sideshow anymore. They were the main attraction.
Connor’s face went bright red with rage. “Get her away from me,” he hissed at Vincent. “Get her away from me now.”
Vincent turned Lenora away from Connor and towards the front of the church. “Let’s go, Mom.”
Lenora began crying again, but allowed herself to be led down the aisle.
Miranda started to follow them, then paused and turned to face Connor.
“I just want you to know that I feel we shouldn’t be quarreling anymore. We’re family now. Your father’s passing is something that should unite us, not divide us. In that spirit, I’m withdrawing my support for the class-action lawsuit in Nevada. I just wanted you to know.”
Connor stood there looking at her for a moment. He was visibly calming down, and the red flush was disappearing from his face. After five seconds of silence, he almost looked normal.
“That’s very generous of you,” Connor said – which, I have to admit, took me by surprise.
She shrugged very slightly and smiled oh-so-modestly. “I think it’s the least we can do.”
Connor smiled back. “No, the least you could do is not use my father’s death as a pawn in your fucked-up little game against me.”
Ohhhhh crap.
The beneficent expression on Miranda’s face clouded over. “I’m going to join your mother and brother now.”
Connor ignored her and kept talking. “Just so you know, I will be in one of those – ”
He pointed towards his father’s casket at the front of the church.
“ – which, incidentally, is exactly where you tried to put me a year ago – I will be in my fucking coffin before I ever give up on my promise to bury you. And just so we’re absolutely clear, YOU’RE going to be in one of those long before they ever put ME in the ground.”
Vincent had stopped walking. Both he and Lenora turned back to see what had made Connor raise his voice, especially after Lenora’s outburst had failed to do so.
Miranda gave Connor a disapproving smile. “I realize you’re under a great deal of emotional strain, but this is neither the time nor the place.”
“One thing my father taught me was that when you’re fighting an enemy, any time is the right time, and any place is the right place,” Connor said, his voice deadly cold. “So I think the best thing I can do to honor my father’s memory is to tell you right here, right now, to go fuck yourself.”
All around us, gray-haired men and their trophy wives gave little gasps of shock.
At this point Johnny inserted himself between Connor and Miranda. “Alright, that’s enough.”
I have to admit, it was uncomfortable being at the center of such a spectacle.
But there was a part of me that loved seeing Miranda getting her ass handed to her.
