Breaking Brooklyn (22 page)

"Is she in pain?!” I screamed at the nurse.
“Somebody do something! She is still alive!"

“
No, no she is not alive, nor does
she feel any pain. This is just how the body reacts. It is very
natural. She left us days ago,” the nurse explained.

I then looked at the monitor. My mother's
heart rate was quickly slowing, then eventually it flat lined. The
room was uncomfortably silent, but you could hear the roar of muted
grief and sadness that consumed each of us. We were all remembering
her in our own way.

It took me several months to get over the loss
of my mother. I felt very lonely. Even after her death I was
desperately seeking her love.

It almost seemed like time was moving backward
for me. The closer I got to the end of my senior year in high
school, the more slowly the clock ticked.

Losing my mother made me want to know who my
father was. When I asked Grandma Daisy about it, she tried to tell
me to leave it alone. She explained that some things are better
left unknown. That was not an answer I could accept. I wanted to
know that part of my past and I was determined to get answers.
Grandma Daisy knew she couldn't stop me, so eventually she
conceded.

The only phone number she had was John
O’Malley's, Sam’s father. Giving me the number, she explained that
John O’Malley was my grandfather. It suddenly struck me as odd that
I didn’t know any of this. Why didn't I know this part of my
life?

Grandma Daisy's lips trembled as she dialed
the number and handed me the phone. I could hear the vibrating
sound of the ring. Eventually there was a voice on the other
end.

“
Hello?”

“
Are you John, I mean John
O’Malley,” I asked, my voice cracking with fear.

“
Yes I am. Who is
this?"

“
Um, Jack, Jack
O’Malley.”

There was silence on the other end for an
awkward moment.

“
Jack?” John finally said.
“Cindy's son?”

“
Yes,” I answered. “Cindy is my
mother.”

“
Can I ask why you are calling?”
the scratchy voice asked.

“
Well, I was hoping to speak to my
father, Sam."

It was dead silent. I wanted to go on asking
questions, but I made myself wait for him to speak.

“
Jack, first of all, my son Sam is
in the FBI. It’s hard enough for me to reach him, let alone to tell
you how to get a hold of him. But that’s a different point. I hate
to be the one to tell you this, but Sam is not your father. You’re
going to have to search somewhere else for whatever it is you are
trying to find.”

I was flabbergasted, stunned into silence. The
phone seemed to simply hang from my head until the man who I
thought was my grandfather continued.

“
Jack, please don’t call here
again.” With that, the line went dead.

My hands shook as I slowly put the phone back
on its receiver. It felt like someone had stuck a knife into my
heart. I had no idea what to think. I was immobilized and
humiliated. Had my mother lied to me? Or was John lying to
me?

It then occurred to me that it didn’t really
matter. I didn’t know the man anyway, and Sam never bothered to
reach out to me. Screw him! I didn’t need that son of a bitch
anyway.

A part of me always questioned whether Sam was
my father. Now that my mother was dead I would never know the
truth.

I decided to remove all traces of Sam O’Malley
from my life. I would take my grandmother’s last name. Jake Napier
had a good ring to it and Grandma Daisy was more of a father to me
than anyone.

As soon as I turned eighteen I went to the
courthouse and changed my name officially. From that day forward I
would be known as Jack Napier.

brooke

Chapter
twenty-six

“Indifference and neglect often do
much more damage than outright dislike.”
~ J.K. Rowling

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:34 am:

Good Morning!

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:35 am:

Hey, how’s it going?

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:37 am:

I broke things off with Nick and
Jack has agreed to go to counseling with me.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:39 am:

That's a positive step!

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:41 am:

I know but when I really think
about it I'm not sure I want it to work. I'm so burnt out with the
whole thing. When I look at Jack I just don't feel it
anymore.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:43 am:

It's not easy! You have to focus
on the good things about him. The things that made you fall in love
with him.

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:44 am:

I guess.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:45 am:

How did you meet Jack
anyway?

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:48 am:

I actually grew up with him but we
lost contact after high school. We re-connected on a summer study
abroad trip to Helsinki Finland my junior year of college. He was
attending the Indianapolis satellite campus so I was surprised when
I saw him when I got there.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:49 am:

Wow! That's a weird
coincidence..

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:55 am:

It gets even more weird. As a
going away gift, our class was invited to a Russian ballet in St.
Petersburg. This was our final event before all the American
students headed back to the States. When we got there the girls
went shopping and the guys checked out the bars. We didn't see each
other until the mandatory ballet we all had to attend.

Here's where it gets really weird.
The day of the ballet all the girls were on time and bought our
tickets together. Of course the guys were late so they bought their
ticket much later than us.

When I looked at my ticket I
noticed I was not sitting next to the other girls on the third
level. My ticket was on the second level. So I found my seat and
waited for the ballet to start. That's when Jack walked up. When I
asked him what he was doing he showed me his ticket. It was the
seat next to mine. I couldn't believe it! It had to be more than
just a coincidence. At time I thought it was fate. But, now I
realize that was just the hopeless romantic in me.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward
10/1/2014 at 7:56 am:

Everything happens for a reason
Brooke.

Facebook Message from Brooklyn
Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 7:57 am:

I don't believe that shit
anymore.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at
7:58 am:

You got three awesome boys as a
result. Could you imagine life without them!!

Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier
10/1/2014 at 8:01 am:

They are as miserable as I am.
They see Jack and I fighting all the time. What kind of life is
that for a kid to see. All we are doing is fucking them up now and
later in life.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at
8:03 am:

I'm just saying there was a reason
you met Jack. Maybe there a reason you are having problems now.
Love is not easy Brooke.

Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier
10/1/2014 at 8:08 am:

I love my kids but I should never
have dated Jack let alone marry him.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at
8:11 am:

You shouldn't say things like that
Brooke.

Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier
10/1/2014 at 8:12 am:

The first time Jack and I were
together he basically raped me.

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at
8:13 am:

What?!!!

Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier
10/1/2014 at 8:15 am:

Yes! We were in Finland and it was
my 21st birthday. Our class took a cruise from Helsinki to
Stockholm and I got really drunk. I remember doing shots with my
economics professor and then I blacked out. When I woke up in the
morning I was in my bed and I had little memory of the night
before.

When I went to breakfast everyone
was staring at me like I was crazy. My best friend Heather started
filling me in about all the craziness. Apparently I was wasted and
out of control. Then she told me I left the ship’s disco with Jack
and never returned, although Jack did. It's was rumored that Jack
and I had sex. There was also rumor that Jack took
pictures!

I was devastated because for one
thing I was a virgin. I was so upset I didn't confront Jack about
it until we got back to school in Helsinki. He admitted to having
sex with me but that I basically pushed myself on him. That was
bullshit! Jack's aggressive by nature so I'm sure he took advantage
of me. Plus, he felt so guilty about it when I approached him. He
was so nice to me the rest of the trip. I'm sure he was afraid I
was going to report him. Anyway, from there our fucked up
relationship blossomed!

Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at
8:09 am:

I don't know what to say. That's
really messed up.

Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier
10/1/2014 at 8:10 am:

I know!

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

“There's nowhere you can be that
isn't where you're meant to be...”
~ John Lennon

Jack Napier - Day 51

After I graduated from North Central I started
taking classes at a local community college. Indiana University
Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) was the place where kids at
the main campuses in Bloomington and West Lafayette fell back on,
the ones who couldn't balance school and social life. It was also
the place for kids who didn’t have good enough grades to get into
the main campuses. I was one of the kids in academic purgatory.
Even though IUPUI was a top rated school for academics, it had the
stigma of being the place kids went to when they couldn’t get into
a “good college.”

I didn't care, I was just glad to be out of
high school and in control of what classes I took. For the first
three years of college I was focused on getting good grades so I
didn't have to struggle after I graduated. I didn't want to end up
like my mom and grandpa Bob. I wanted a family, a real family. So,
I was focused like never before.

Then at the end of my junior year a flyer
outside my advisor's office caught my eye. It was an invitation to
spend the summer in Finland at the Helsinki School of Economics and
Business Administration on an exchange program. It would also count
as credit toward my degree. I was dying for a little adventure, so
I applied immediately.

I got into the exchange program, and before I
knew it I was getting off a plane at the Helsinki International
Airport. Our group was greeted by a beautiful Finnish girl with
silky hair that was so blonde it was almost white, and bright blue
eyes that looked like two sapphire crystals. She introduced herself
as Netta, then explained that she was assigned to chaperone our
group during our stay in Mikkeli. After collecting our bags we
walked through the airport to a van parked outside. As we drove up
to the dorms, I spotted a familiar face. When I got out of the van,
I froze in place.
No freaking way,
I thought.

"Hi, Jack! What are you doing here?” Brooke
asked, surprised to see me as well.

The butterflies in my stomach started to
multiply, sending my nerves into overload. I was at a loss for
words.

“
I can’t believe I didn’t notice
your name on the student roster,” Brooke continued.

“
It’s because I changed my last
name to Napier,” I replied.

"That was very nice of you to take your
grandmother’s last name. I know how important she has been in your
life."