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The Tessarae Inn |
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The
Son Also Rises
PART I I
cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s
protection.—Sigmund Freud. CHAPTER 1 “Ain’t enough money in the world to make me keep him. Now, we had a deal but none of it involved her dying. Fate or destiny took a hand to this. Sometimes nothing can hold back the sea.” Todd rubbed the side of his face and then shifted his weight. “I paid you a lot of money.” “That you did. “More money than I had. Gave it all to you.” “I provided a lot of service and protection. God knows she did not.” “There is no more money. Had to beg and borrow as it was.” “We all got our wee weepy stories. But our business is now concluded. I did the last service. I brought him to you.” “I didn’t ask for that. And why should I believe you anyway?” “He’s yours. No need denying it. Got your soul black as midnight it is. Couldn’t pay me enough to keep him.” Todd placed his tongue behind his upper front teeth then narrowed his eyes. "This was never about the money or have you forgotten that too? The money was to make the situation better." "Times have changed that is for sure. What was once a sin now is a point of pride. Such is the shame and the grace of the modern world." Now that was a ringing endorsement if he ever heard one. Why was he here again? This was not supposed to happen. He closed that door and wired it shut. Of course, he never should have trusted someone named Mahoney in the first place but then that was in hindsight. “What did she name him?” “We call him—“ A sound startled him. Todd stepped back and gripped the gun hidden in the pocket of his jacket. These people were not to be trusted--not then, not now. He turned toward the sound but kept Patrick Mahoney in his field of vision. He stared into the dark crooks and crannies created by huge crates stacked in a haphazard manner. It dawned on him that if a person was killed down here it wouldn't take any effort to make it look like an accident. He studied the shadows of the darkness but there was nothing he could see. Something was there though. He had felt its presence from the moment he arrived. Enough of this. He carefully positioned his fingers on the gun then said, “I suggest you show yourself.” A moment of stillness passed then a small boy stepped from behind one of the huge crates. “She named me Peter,” the child said. “Explained to me she heard you say once it were your father’s name.” Todd eased his hand out of his pocket. “I hated my father.” “So do I.” Todd glanced at Mahoney. Mahoney shrugged then scratched his head in response. "Like I said, he's got your soul for a fact." Todd studied the child for a second. This boy was not his son. He was sure of it now. He couldn’t be. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten in two months. He was dressed in multiple shades of dirty brown—brown scuffed shoes, ratty and threadbare pants, a moth eaten wool coat and a brown shirt that was plaid but too worn for that to register easily and all topped off with a wool skull cap. “Take your hat off, Peter, and show some respect,” said Mahoney. “This here is your father real and true.” A flash of rage careened across the child’s face but then he dropped his head slightly and removed his cap. His hair was cut so close to his head that he looked as if he was bald in some spots and nearly bald in others. He slowly lifted his gaze and looked Todd in the eye. Todd had the strange sensation of seeing into the child’s soul and he saw nothing—as empty as the unloaded cargo container of the freighter that he had ridden across the ocean from Ireland. “Where is my son?” “This be him. Real and true.” Todd shook his head then ran his fingers through his hair. “Where is Ethan? He at least does not take me for a fool.” The child stepped closer. “You don’t recognize your own?” “I will when I see it.” “He is a smart one,” said Mahoney. “I hear like you. Destiny has had its say.” Mahoney tipped his hat at the child. “Though I can’t expect you to be good given your circumstances of birth, don’t do nothing to bring shame to my family name. It was a gift, so you treat it with respect.” The child nodded gravely then said softly, “Yes, Sir.” “You’ll be all right, boy. Damn sight better than some. And there is no sense grieving for what is gone, especially people that won’t worth the breath of life in the first place. She ain't worth your tears be it an ocean or a cup. Some people do us more a favor by leaving than staying. Take notice of that, boy.” Todd glanced at the child. He was small and fragile and as Mahoney talked he seemed to draw up into his body and actually get smaller. No one had a right to make a child feel like that. He balled up his fists and pivoted around toward Mahoney, but Mahoney was already a shadow moving fast toward the north end of the dock. Todd called out for him to stop then took off running. Mahoney kept moving and quickened his pace. Todd began to pump his arms and elongated his gait. Mahoney looked over his shoulder once but then sprinted around a corner and disappeared from view. Todd followed him but if Mahoney was there, he was just one of a million other shadows so dark that even the morning light would not reveal their true nature. Todd stopped. His breathing was ragged and labored. He leaned forward with his hand on his knees and tried to catch his breath. What was he going to do? When Mahoney demanded the meeting at the docks he never expected that he was going to try to bring his past home to roost. This issue had been settled years and years ago. This scenario was never to play out. He had made damn sure of that. How in the hell was he going to deal with this now? He turned and walked slowly back along the dock. Maybe the kid had run off too. Maybe he and Mahoney were in cahoots. Maybe all they wanted was money. He could handle that. Money was not a problem although he could never let Mahoney know that. There was a problem though if his secret had oozed out from under the rock where he thought he had smashed it dead and now wanted to breathe in the light of day. Was it so wrong to just wish this would all go away? What was he going to do if Blair learned the truth? The child was sitting on a crate with a small bundle in his hands. He had replaced his cap and sat perfectly still except for the rhythmic banging of his heels against the side of the crate. Todd approached him slowly. What right did this child have to mess up his life? What right did he have to demand anything in the way of acknowledgement? The familial boundaries were not fluid enough to incorporate bastards of deceit and sin. He knew that for a fact. There was no redemption here—for either of them. This child had been pushed out of the pan right into the leaping flames of the hell of lost souls. “Are we leaving now?” Todd bite his lower lip then nodded his head. “Get down from there. We need to go find you somewhere to stay but I can’t call you Peter. Do you have another name—a middle name?” “My name is Peter Sean Mahoney.” “Sean it is then. Your mother named you Sean.” ========= Todd watched Sean warily as the boy ran his small fingers along the floral pattern of one of Viki’s sofa pillows. His eyes had been as big as saucers from the moment he spotted the car and had not diminished one iota since then. “Of course, he can stay the night here, Todd, but who is he?” “Just the child of someone I knew in Ireland. Heard about the money and shipped him over here.” “I see.” Viki turned toward Sean. “Sweetheart, are you hungry?” Sean stared at her and kept rubbing the fabric of the sofa as if she had not spoken. “I’m talking to you, Sean. Are you hungry?” Sean dropped his head and then nodded. “I could eat something I guess." He looked up and stared at Viki. "But I’ll be all right without it.” Viki bit her lower lip. She shot Todd a glance then quickly looked at Sean again and cleared her throat. “Well, let’s give it a try at least.” She walked over next to him and stretched out her hand. “Come with me. I’ll get Cook to fix you a sandwich or two and a big glass of milk.” Todd noticed how Sean flinched and jerked back when Viki tried to take his hand. Sean stood up then stuck one hand in his pants pocket and gripped his small bundle with the other. Viki glanced over at Todd but he looked away. Finally, Viki stepped in front of Sean and walked down the hall. Sean followed behind her at a slow pace shifting his head and his gaze as if to take in everything around him. When Sean disappeared from view, Todd flopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs and closed his eyes. What had he done to have this come back on him now? He cleared his mind quickly because he really didn’t want an answer to that question. He forced himself to fill his consciousness with the image of Blair...Blair, Starr and Jack. He was happy. One of life's miracles. His family was together and he would do whatever was necessary to keep them that way. Whatever was necessary. He sensed a shift in the airflow around him and opened his eyes. Viki was leaning over him. How long had he been drifting in the streams of his mind? Had this all been a bad dream? “He’s eating like there’s no tomorrow,” she said quietly. “He’s a very stubborn little boy though. I think he would have done just about anything to keep from admitting how hungry he was.” Todd grunted and leaned further back and away from Viki. “Guess they didn’t send him over on that luxury liner like they said.” She straightened up and pressed her lips together. “Exactly how did he come over?” “That’s really not your concern, now is it, Viki?” She frowned and he took a deep breath. She was his first line of defense and he needed to make sure she was on his side and understood what was at stake. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “You better go home now, Todd. Blair and Starr both have called here twice looking for you. I gather you told them you were running by here for a few minutes then bringing the videotapes and popcorn home but that was hours ago.” He stood up. “Yeah, but we need to talk about this first.” “I don’t want to risk the child hearing us. I suspect he has been through enough for one day and maybe more.” “There is no reason why Blair…my family needs to know about him. This is just a visit. A very short visit. Who’s visiting you is none of my family’s business.” “We will talk, Todd, tomorrow. For tonight, I think it is best that we all get some sleep.” He lowered his head and picked at his finger. “His mother just died.” “I see. That explains some things such as the sadness in his eyes.” “You’ll take care of him?” “Like he was one of my own. Like a nephew.” Todd glared at her but then his face softened. She was right. If Viki figured it out in two seconds, how long would it take Blair or Starr for that matter? If the recent past had taught him one thing it was that secrets and lies had the shelf life of a fruit fly. He nodded at Viki then turned and took long strides to the front door. He was going home. He needed to make love to his wife for a few hours then they would talk. He had a lot to tell her.
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