Family Reunion (4 page)

"Is this going to take all night, you hiding back there?" Manny asked.

"Okay…okay…hey - mister?"

Manny grinned, "Yeah?" He returned deliberately gruff.

"Umm, if I come out, no rough stuff okay? No fightin' all right? I am just a kid you know."

"Not the way you were handling her you're not! Out now, take it like a man!"

"Ah come on mister… please, I need to get home." Rory whimpered, truly afraid.

"The next request that you come out will be followed by me making it happen! You think if I wanted to do you harm, that screen would keep me from you?" Manny barked, "Just a kid, use that on someone who doesn't know you better, I'm holding your breeches, what will it be?" He finished, leaning against his wardrobe watching for Rory to immerge.

Rory's head slowly poked out from the side, and then ducked back as if he expected Manny to throw something at him. Manny's brows once again pinched at the bridge, seeing him do that. Carefully, Rory peaked out again.

"Can you toss'em to me, so I can put'em on - please?"

Manny tossed them at him, distracted by his thoughts. Rory reached out and caught them, disappearing from sight again. Seeing the boy peek out and snatch back, lit a memory in his mind. The red hair, the amber eyes, reminded him of his mother, Royal Sun. While she had been fair, he was dark. He knew it was crazy but he remembered when he was a young boy, in her room talking to her as she dressed behind the screen, and peeked out at him with a grin or frown. The expressions matched.
'All right ol'man, get your head together.'

A moment later, Rory peeked out again, this time slowly coming out from behind the screen looking at Manny cautiously, then at the window opposite the bed, wondering if he could get to it, open it and jump out before Manny got to him. He doubted it, knowing his only real option was through the front door.

"Well now look at you. It's a bit late to be afraid isn't it? I stand
between you and the door, not a good position for you to be in after what I've caught you doing. Were I anyone else, you would be shot, run through if not tortured. What do you have to say for yourself?" Manny asked, just as the front door slammed closed, alerting them to Gloria's departure. "How nice of her, to leave you behind, not one plea did she mutter in your behalf, no tears for me to spare you my wrath...young lad…you are foolish! Well? Nothing to say?"

"Can I find my shirt and shoes…then go?"

"Just like that? That's all you have to say?"

"You gonna beat me up?" Rory asked bluntly.

"No, I'm not."

"Then can I get my things on and go, it's getting' late."

Manny glared, growing serious. "How old are you now Rory, fourteen, fifteen? Any hopes on making it to sixteen? I suggest you talk to me and explain yourself."

Rory was looking around the room for his other articles of clothing. He spotted his shirt and edged his way to it, moving carefully as if he might have to defend himself from an attack. He grabbed the shirt and pulled it on over his head, tucking it into his breeches.

"Em hm, just let me get dressed and I'll answer all you want mister." He muttered, going to his knees by the bed to look beneath for his shoes. Locating them, he pulled them out and sat on the bed to put them on, dismissing his missing stockings. His priority was to get out of there.

"Do you realize what could have happened to you, had I been anyone else?"

"I think you said something like that already. Besides, I can take care of myself, now if you please, I'd like to go."

"I see, and what about answering all that I ask? You seem to believe I should just step aside and allow you to leave?"

"You let her go! Your problem is with her, not me! You said you weren't going to do anything, so let me go!"

"You know what kid; you haven't the sense of a worm! Until you get out of that front door, one would think it would occur to you that the last thing you want to do is rile me." Manny scolded, no longer laughing.

"Alright mister, don't get all puffed up. I don't want no trouble. 'Sides, you don't care much for your lady, do you?" Rory asked, with his mind working on an escape.

Manny
raised a brow at the boy’s observation, "That is none of your business," He decided to answer.

Rory shook his head knowingly, "Naaaw, you don't, 'cause if you did, you would be crazy with jealously that I screwed her, and - good. We wouldn't be talking now if you gave a fig."

"You think you're the only one that's screwed her, and good… as you say? I happen to know she has a liking for it… that's why you're here."

Rory eyed Manny up and down, "Why in the world would you wanna marry somebody like her?" He just had to ask it.

"I have no intention
of marrying her." Manny informed him.

"She said you were engaged and planning marriage when you returned. Guess you changed your mind hm? Don't blame you…hey, you seen my coat? It's a bit cold out; I'll need that for my walk home."

Manny glanced to his left to see it lying across his commode beside him. "I take it, this is it?" He nodded to it. Rory looked at it and then back at Manny thinking,
'I'll just mosey up, pretend to talk some more, get it in hand, then dash out the door before he can even blink.'
He smiled and nodded that it was,
'Any second now and I'll be home free.'

"Well, you want it… come and get it. By the way, you're not very good at planning your escape but you can go for it if you wish."

"What are you talking about?" Rory played stupid.

"I'm talking about what's going through your mind right now. Grabbing the coat and running past me and out the door. I'd sure hate to be in your shoes right now." Manny warned.

"I'm just a kid remember? Don't matter what you seen me doing! Well there you go, ummm, so what are you planning for me?"

"Nothing."

"And you are bigger than me."

"So I am."

"Then step aside, let me get my coat and go."

"I'll step aside." Manny did, he moved to the opposite side of the door, giving the youth ample space to sprint if he was fast enough. The commode was to Rory's right where his coat lay, the door was straight ahead, and Manny was to the left of him.

"So…you're - going let me go…right?"

Manny crossed his arms, watching Rory as he revved himself up to dash; it was all in his eyes, his every intention. "With all that space I've just given you, if you can get out that door, you're home free! If I stop you, you tell me what I want to know."

"What's the big deal!? Just let me leave." Rory argued
, reaching for his coat, his heart was pounding,
'Just one good run, hit the stairs and out the door.'

"You're the big deal Rory. You're suddenly popping up everywhere, now… in my home and in my bed, I want to know-…"

Rory made the dash before Manny could finish his sentence; Manny took one easy step to his left, throwing his massive arm up in a block. Rory slammed into it so hard it took him off of his feet, knocking the wind out of him as he landed on his back.

On the floor, Rory had to shake his head as he sucked in to catch his breath and looked up with his heart pounding. "Hey! What the hell…you said no rough stuff!!"

"Trust me that was anything but rough. Now you owe me some answers, and I want them - now! Who are your parents? I think it's time we had a talk, I want the truth." Manny demanded, completely serious, as Rory could tell by his tone.

"I – I don't have to tell you anything! Why are you keeping me here?! Why can't you just let me go?!" Rory complained, picking himself up off the floor.

Manny was unable to explain why he was keeping him there. For some inexplicable reason, he could not leave the boy alone. There was something deep inside of him that ruled his actions; actions that he was not about to question. The boy was in his home, so that gave him the right to say and conduct matters as he saw fit.

"Fine, I'm not going to beg you. You won't cooperate; I'll just take you to the constable and demand that you be held until your parents come for you. Let's go!" Manny ordered gruffly as he grabbed Rory's arm to pull him from the room. Rory snatched his arm away and stepped quickly out of his reach exclaiming, "Okay – beat the hell out of me then! Will that make you feel better? Just hurry up so I can go!"

"That's not what I want, to beat you. I want to know what is going on with you to make you the way you are. I want to ask your mother, your father-…"

"I got no goddamn father! Okay? There is no father!" Rory shouted with tears rushing to his eyes. "Do what you want to do to me, or let me leave."

Manny stood staring, feeling his heart pound for the young boy. "I can't – just let you leave." Manny spoke softly.

"Why?"

"I don't know why." Manny answered honestly. "Where's your mother then? Will she come to see about you?"

Rory turned away from him laughing and shaking his head. He
walked over to the bed and sat down. "Look mister, you're fishing in an empty river. My mother could give a damn about what happens to me. She'll just send her friend for me and that will be that. You won't know any more than you do right now."

"Has your father died in an accident or something? Killed in the war? What?"

Rory exhaled, bored with it all. "I have no idea. You, a stranger can probably tell me more about him than my own mother. So please, whatever you feel you need to do, do it, I'm bored with it all."

Manny inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly as he stared at Rory, who leaned back on the bed, braced with his hands behind him, looking towards the window as his face reddened. Rory felt his stomach quiver from disbelief. He stood blurting more truths to Manny, than he ever had to anyone else, he couldn't believe that he actually admitted in so many words, that he was a bastard.

"Are you telling me your mother was unmarried when she had you?"

"The word is, bastard. I don't know who my father is because my mother doesn't know who my father is. Anything else you need to know?"

"I'm familiar with the word Rory. My intent was not to label you, or minimize you. Born of marriage or not, matters little to me. I just hate to see someone like you doing things that will lead you to eventual misery or worse. You need to start using your head more and your dick less, and avoid scenarios like the one I walked in on tonight."

"Mister, you don't know anything about me. So you can't stand and offer me no advice. At the end of it all, you're some big fancy clothed rich man with ships of your own and plenty of respect. You have no worries."

"Rory, everyone has worries. No matter who they are, what they have, and the place they hold in society. As for you, you're a good looking kid, apparently well off and attending one of the best schools in the area. No matter what problems you have with your mother, believe me…there are many suffering a lot worse than lack of attention from a parent. I wish you realized how fortunate you are to be where you are, and to have what you have."

Rory stood laughing, "Mister, again… you don't know what you're talking about. The clothes on my back, the place where I live, and my fine fancy school, that stuff don’t mean nothing! It's just a front. Don't you know the eyes can be deceiving? Nobody ever tell you what you think you see, may not be what you seeing at all? Things aren't always what they seem, believe me… I know."

Manny's heart stopped. Re-starting it hurt his chest enough to make
him rub it there. The cause of it, was hearing those words for the second time in his life. The first time he heard them they came from Jordan concerning Lena and Hope, when he believed that his baby daughter never existed.

Never existed because Lena had misled him by replacing her with another child, the words and memory made him shiver as he stood staring at Rory.
'No Manny, don't be absurd! It's just a coincidence! What are the odds that what you're thinking could be? It's impossible and you know it! Nothing for you could be so easy.'
Manny sighed dismissing the idea.

"Yes I've been told that Rory and I believe that it's true."

Both were quiet with their own thoughts until Manny gave the youth a reluctant smile. "Look, how about we start this over, let's try a new road here - that is if you can promise me that you will stay out of situations like this that could result in you being killed. In exchange I'll respect your privacy and drop the probing."

It was Rory's turn to smile, with a nod he agreed, "Okay."

"Good…now, you hungry?"

"No sir, I – I just got to get home. Can I go now?"

Manny stared at him.
'What the hell is wrong with me, just say yes and let the kid leave.'
He could not, not just like that. He had to reach out to him, maybe break some ground with him to turn him around before it was too late.

"Can I – can I go?"

"Yes, but I think I should see you safely home considering the time. Besides, it's a bit cold to be walking whatever distance you must to get there."

"No…I'll be fine-…"