BUT IT HAPPENED YEARS AGO by Cinical
Jerry Kilroy answered his cell, "Hello?"
"Jerry! Its me."
It was Kelly, Jerry's older sister. She sounded tense.
"Hi Kelly. What's the matter?"
"Its Dad. He's taken a turn for the worse. I had to call you."
Jerry cringed. His Father just turned 68 when he suffered a heart attack three months ago. He had a successful triple bypass operation, stayed in the hospital for a week and then was discharged when he stabilized.
"What happened?" Jerry asked. "He was fine when I was there."
"I know. But, its...he's gone into a depression. The Doctor said he had a stroke."
"A stroke! Oh shit." Jerry cried. "But just last week the Doctor was sure he was doing well. I thought he recovered and was doing well at home."
"He is home. I mean, at Uncle Tony's of course. The stroke was supposedly a minor one, but with his bad health even a minor stroke is serious."
"Oh yeah...thank god it wasn't worse." He replied. He knew his folks moved in with their friends the Blaylocks after his surgery.
His Father had always been the stronger partner in their marriage. He was the rock that his emotionally fragile Mother held onto. Jerry remembered from a young age that Mom never handled stress very well. So when her husband went down with a heart attack, it was no surprise she turned to her old friend Agnes Blaylock and her husband Anthony.
Though not related by blood, they've been family friends forever. Jerry, Kelly and his other sister Katie, considered the Blaylocks almost part of the family. They all grew up calling them Uncle Tony and his wife Aunt Agnes.
"Yeah. Its bad Jerry. I've never seen him like this. Can you come back. Dad really needs us right now, Mother too."
"I'm sure they do." He agreed. "All right, let me get things sorted out with Olivia. I'm not sure she can get more time off from her job though. It might just be me coming back."
"Okay. Hurry if you can. Dad's not doing well."
"How's Mom doing?"
There was a pause before Kelly replied tentatively, "She's okay."
That sounded weird, Jerry thought. He expected her to explain further. Instead there was another long pause before Kelly said in a serious tone, "There's something I need to talk to you about. It's pretty important."
"Really? What's that?"
"I don't want to talk about it on the phone. I'll see you when you get here. Just text me before you arrive. I need to speak to you in private first, before we see Dad."
"That sounds mysterious. You can't give me a hint?"
"Just come soon. I'll fill you in when you get here."
"Okay. See you in a few days then."
"Thanks Jerry. We really appreciate it. I can't wait to see you."
"Me too Kelly. See you soon."
Jerry hung up. That was a strange ending to their conversation. He couldn't imagine what she needed to tell him that she could say on the phone. He'd just have to find out later.
Jerry knew his Dad's health hasn't been good lately. He never was much for going to a gym, and he didn't have an exercise routine. He did work hard over the years though as an auto mechanic. He was drafted right out of high school, trained in the service and fixed military vehicles during his tour in the Vietnam war.
Despite being in a non-combat role, Frank Kilroy was always proud of his military service. He never talked about it with anyone out side the family. Even with the family it was only rare occasions when he'd mention something about it. If asked, he always said it was his duty to serve and made him proud to do so.
Once Jerry asked if he was ever tempted to evade the draft. He said it as a joke to jerk his Dad's chain a little. The harsh glare and the firm, "Never! Not in this damn life!", his Dad shot back made it clear that was never an option. Jerry never joked about it again.
Jerry did know a bit about his time in Vietnam. Frank was stationed away from the main combat areas. But apparently not far enough, because after a couple years he was involved in a fire fight. He was seriously wounded when an explosion sent shrapnel into his neck and legs.
The neck injury cleared up, but his leg injury was complicated. He has walked with a pronounced limp ever since. Frank finished his four year tour in a hospital bed in Saigon, before being shipped back to the States. It was a few years later when he met Edith his wife. They married and had Kelly right away. Two years later they had Katie.
They decided that the two girls were enough. So Edith went on the pill and for the next ten years they were a family of four. It was a surprise to find that Edith had gotten pregnant again when she was in her mid thirties. Along came their accidental pill baby Jerry, who they loved as much as the other two kids, despite it being a surprise.
When she got home from work, Jerry informed his wife Olivia of his Father's failing health. As expected she'd already used up all of her vacation days on their last visit to see his Dad. She couldn't afford to take anymore time off. So Jerry took a few days off next week, left his home on Friday night after work, loaded the car and kissed his wife good bye. It was a four hour drive to his home town, but he was in a hurry and tried to get there quicker.
A few miles away from his destination he text his sister.
A text came back, "Meet me at Kasson's Diner. You know where right?"
Jerry text back, "Yeah. 20 minutes."
Kelly was already in a booth waiting and waved him over. Her light brown hair and fair features reminded him of their Mother, who was a natural blonde. Katie favored her too, with light hair and a fair complexion.
Jerry always felt he favored his Father, although he was taller than Dad and had darker hair. He was also more muscular than his father, had dark hair, almost black, and could grow a beard in a couple weeks. Even when he shaved in the morning, he had a distinct five o'clock shadow by the time he got home from work.
Kelly jumped from her seat and they exchanged a warm hug and kiss.
"Glad you came Jerry."
"Of course. I want to help."
Jerry noticed the worry in her face. Something serious was bothering her. They ordered coffee and the each had a pastry. When the waitress left Kelly gave her younger brother a sober look and quickly lowered her gaze.
"I don't know how to tell you this..." She said, staring at the table, biting her lip.
"Just say it Kelly. I know its bothering you."
"All right." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Jerry, there's something you don't know about our family. It involves Uncle Tony."
"Okay..."
"You remember that Mom and the Blaylocks are friends from college."
"I knew that."
"Mom and Aunt Agnes used to room together. They all went to the same college and that's where they met Uncle Tony."
"I know that too. A couple years after college Mom met Dad at some party, and here we are. So what?"
"Well, they've all been friends ever since. Mom and Dad married, and a few years later Tony and Agnes married too."
"Yeah. Mom was Agnes' maid of honor."
"Right. I don't know if you know this. Before you were born, Dad had to leave town for a few months to take some classes at that Mechanic's school. He was new in the company and the classes were pretty far from home. The company said he could only come home once during that training session, and only for a couple days. He used his Veteran's benefit to pay for it. During that time he was away, it seemed Mom got depressed and went a little nuts."
"Nuts? What's that mean?"
Kelly shook her head and blurted out, "She did something stupid Jerry. She had an affair with Tony."
"WHAT!" He cried a little too loud. Other patrons looked over so he tried to control his voice and said in a lower tone. "Mom? She had an affair? With Uncle Tony? What the hell!"
"Yep. Mom's an idiot all right. I know that now."
Jerry sat back in his seat and tried to recover from this unexpected news. His Mother cheated on his Father with Tony Blaylock? Unbelievable.
"When did you find out?" He asked her.
Kelly glanced away looking guilty. "I've known about it almost from the beginning."
"How is that possible?"
"I knew she was seeing him when Dad was away at that school. She'd get a baby sitter for us and he'd pick her up at the house. She said they were going out for dinner or to a show. Dad and Tony were friends and he was always at our house anyway. I just thought he was being friendly at the time, trying to cheer her up because Mom was so sad with Dad gone."
"You didn't think it weird for him to pick her up and take her to dinner? Where was Agnes by the way?"
"At the time I didn't think it was unusual." Kelly said, earnestly trying to make him understand. "Agnes was with him a few times. So she was no doubt aware what was going on. They'd show up at the house to collect Mom, and they'd all be laughing and chattering happily as they left. It seemed pretty innocent. There were other times when he'd come over to the house alone, and do some small task Mom needed done. I thought it was just a friend helping her out while Dad was away. That's all I thought it was at the time and Mom let me think that. I didn't figure out she was cheating with him until I was in high school."
"It took you that long?"
"I'm sorry Jerry. I should have said something to you before now. But I guess I was pretty gullible back then. I know better now."
"Don't let it bother you Kelly. You were just a kid and didn't know better."
There was a pause before Jerry asked, "So I take it Katie knows too?"
She shot him a sad look. "I can't have any secrets from her. You know, sisters."
"Yeah. I get that."
Jerry's mind was spinning with the news. He never expected anything like this. He watched his older sister squirming in her seat, her eyes darting around as she took another breath. That was a bad sign.
"There's more isn't there?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately." She replied sadly. "This is really hard. I hate to tell you this. But I'm not going to sugar coat it. There's been too many secrets already."
She looked straight at his face and stated flatly, "Jerry, I'm not sure Dad's your biological Father."
"What? Me? Holy shit! Really?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I think you might be Uncle Tony's biological son."
Kelly's voice broke as she made her statement. Then she broke down and her hands went to her face. She began to sob a little as she looked at her dark haired brother who was flabbergasted.
"You're kidding. You must be. My god." A tear came to his eye and he quickly wiped it away before she saw it.
"No. But I wish I was." She replied sniffling. "I'm not sure though. I hope I'm wrong. I spoke to Mom about it the other day. She said she doesn't know for sure either. But she thinks it was Tony that got her pregnant back then. You came along a little more than 9 months after they already started their affair. And your resemblance to Tony is too much to deny. Dad never mentioned it, so I don't think he realized the possibility until..."
It took Kelly a moment to stop sniffling and speak. "...until Mom let the cat out of the bag a few weeks ago. What a silly bitch she is. He was still recuperating from his heart attack when she told him about her affair. Ever since Dad's been super depressed. That's probably why he had the stroke, because he took the news so hard."
"Shit." Jerry snapped angrily. "I know he's crushed. Damn her. After all this time why the hell did Mom have to open her big mouth, especially with him in such a fragile state?"
"It was probably a medication mix up." Kelly said. "That's what we all think. Mom's been on anti depressant medication for a while. You know how she is. But she got a new doctor recently. I think she met him in the hospital when Dad was having his operation."
"A new Doctor? For what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Mom's always been a hypochondriac. She was hanging around the hospital and no doubt met a bunch of Doctors there. She must have talked one into taking her on as a patient. I imagine she didn't tell him all of the medication she was taking at the time, because he got her a new prescription for her nerves, and unfortunately it conflicted with some of what she was already taking. It made her somewhat delusional and she blurted out the whole story to Dad during an argument they had."
Jerry sat back in his seat stunned, his mind working overtime trying to absorb all this new disturbing information.
"So he might not be my real Dad?" Jerry sighed pensively.
"NO! He IS your real Dad!" Kelly exclaimed. "My god Jerry, don't ever think different, please!"
"I know. I know. Of course he is." He replied sheepishly. "You're absolutely right Kelly. He's my Dad and I love him. Whether he's my bio Dad or not, I know he loves me, he's always loved me. He'll always be my real Dad."
"Thank you." Kelly sniffled, reaching across the table to hold his hands. For a few poignant moments brother and sister held hands and shared their grief. Kelly hated to tell her brother the truth. But he needed to know.
After a few moments Jerry said shaking his head, "But what a mess this is. Tony's a jerk to take advantage of her, and Mom's an idiot. Poor Dad. I can only imagine how he feels about her betrayal. His family's everything to him. I can't believe Mom could be so incredibly stupid. A secret she held for decades is suddenly blurted out when Dad's fighting for his life. What's the chance of that?"
"He didn't take it well at all."
"So what's the status now? Is he still at the Blaylocks?"
"Yes. For the time being anyway. I can only imagine he hates it, living under the same roof as his wife's former Lover. But he's pretty helpless and Mom won't go home to take care of him. She said she's upset and needs Tony's help..."
Kelly added in a bitter tone, "...and of course old Uncle Tony is only too happy to help."
She swallowed to quell her bitterness and continued, "But as you would expect Dad hates him now. He made that plain enough to Tony. And he won't let Mom help him with anything, or Agnes either."
"So how is he making it?"
"Not well at all. Of course he needs help. Without Mom stepping up, there wasn't anyone else, so he was taken to the Blaylock's. Tony gave him his own room in his house, and hired a nurse to take care of him. He has a physical therapist too. Of course Tony can afford it."
"Yeah. The fucker's loaded. We all know that."
"Its so sad Jerry. I've been over to see him regularly. But he doesn't want to talk to me or Katie either. I think he found out we knew but didn't tell him. Now he feels that the whole family betrayed him. He's so down that I nearly cry when I see him."
"I can imagine. The poor guy. What a sick payback for all his hard work. He's been a faithful husband and great Dad all his life. Honest, hard working, a great provider, and look how that turned out. Shit."
Brother and sister sat staring at the table, deep in thought. After a bit Kelly looked across the table to hold her brother's gaze.
"I know this is a shock to you. I hated to tell you." She admitted. "But I love you Jerry. We all do. Don't think this changes anything between us. Katie knows I'm talking to you and she says the same. She couldn't be here right now. She'll be around tomorrow. She sends her love by the way."
"Thanks Kelly. You'll always be my sister no matter what, Katie too."
Kelly signaled for the check and asked him, "You ready to go visit Dad?"
"Yes. I really need to see him and help him if I can. I just hope he doesn't take this too hard. You know how he is."
"Yes. He always had a hard core sense of justice. Its either right or wrong with him, no middle ground. That's why he's so hurt. He can't accept Mom's apology or her reasons why she carried on like that. He is a broken man Jerry. I don't think he's said three words to Mom since they had it out. And he just glares at Tony."
"I can't blame him, even after all this time." He said, "Mom's known about her affair for decades, but for Dad its still a fresh wound in his heart. The love he thought Mom had for him is now tarnished forever."
"Hmph. Mom sure doesn't feel that way." Kelly said sarcastically. "She acts like she just told him she banged up the car. Mom says her affair is all in the past and that she hasn't been with Tony in years. She doesn't understand why he's taking it so hard. I told her that the fact that her affair's been over for a while isn't any less hurtful to Dad. It just hit him a short time ago and he's still smarting. He's still super upset."
Jerry and Kelly drove separately. As they entered the long driveway, Jerry took in the familiar sight of the Blaylock's large home. It was a two story mini mansion, with a huge landscaped yard, a pool and a circular flower garden. Uncle Tony owned three car dealerships and a few other businesses. His home was a symbol of wealth in this small community.
Frank Kilroy and Anthony Blaylock made an unusual pair of friends. Tony's business success, contrasted by the Kilroy's modest financial situation made their friendship over the years unlikely. Of course, now that Jerry knew about Tony and his mother's affair, it made a lot more sense.
Jerry and Kelly were met at the door by a somber looking Aunt Agnes. Kelly and Agnes hugged and kissed, then Jerry hugged the older woman. The hug was stiff and was awkward when they pulled away. She was still a handsome woman, slim, dressed nicely, with her silver hair fixed perfectly.
"Thanks for coming Jerry." Agnes told him earnestly. "I hope seeing you here will cheer up your Dad."
"I hope so too."
As they were led into the living room, Uncle Tony appeared. He stood over six foot tall and his thick bulk was dressed in an expensive silk suit. On his feet were patent leather shoes that looked expensive. Smiling confidently the older man stepped forward, hugged Kelly and shook Jerry's hand. Jerry took note of his slicked back, black hair speckled with grey. It gave him a distinguished look.
"Good to see you again Jerry." Tony said with a smile. "I wish the circumstances were better. But I'm really glad you're here."
"Me too...Tony." Jerry was about to call him Uncle Tony, but held back.
"Would either of you like a drink?"
"No thanks." Kelly answered and Jerry just shook his head.
"Where's Dad?" He asked.
"In the den." Tony said, proudly pointing to a large room. "We fixed it up special for him when he was discharged. Full featured hospital bed, motorized wheel chair, the works. Anything he needs just ask."
"Sure thing."
Jerry and Kelly left the tall man and went to the former den. Jerry was shocked at how small and helpless his Father looked. The sturdy, confident man he looked up to his whole life was a shrunken shell of what he used to be. His head hung to the side as he gazed apathetically at his visitors. He was in his wheel chair by the window. Jerry walked over and hugged him. Frank raised up his arm that still worked and gave his son a weak handshake.
"Hi Dad. Sorry to see you had a relapse." Jerry said trying to start a conversation.
Frank nodded limply. His face showed no emotion but his eyes were locked onto his son's face. He tried to say something but the words came out garbled.
Jerry leaned closer to hear the man's weak statement. He started to pull away at first, nodding as if he understood. But Frank held on determinedly to his son's hand, struggling to repeat himself many times before he saw a bit of recognition in Jerry's eyes. During their stilted conversation Tony and Agnes had left the room to give them privacy.
Jerry finally figured out he was telling him that he loved him and he would always be his son. Jerry felt tears coming to his eyes. He heard a sniffle next to him and glanced at Kelly. She heard what Frank said and started to cry, covering her face with her hands. Jerry started to get choked up too.
"You too Dad." Jerry told the old man, his voice quivering. "I love you. I always will. I heard about the issue with Mom. But that doesn't matter to me one damn bit. Nothing changes between us. It never will Dad."
Frank raised his one arm up. The other one didn't work too well. Jerry finally figured out he wanted another hug. He leaned back down and his Father's one arm held him with surprising strength. He didn't let go right away.
His mouth was near Jerry's ear and was trying to whisper something. Jerry had to listen carefully to get it. Frank's words were slurring but he was saying something that he clearly felt was very important. Yules, or moves, or rules, something like that. Maybe Frank was getting emotional too, because his words were so slurred he couldn't quite be sure what he wanted.
Jerry could sense that his Father was getting frustrated. So he pulled away feeling embarrassed that he couldn't understand him. They stayed with Frank for a little longer as Jerry talked about his wife and various trivial details about his work and family. When he mentioned he wanted to see his mother, Frank's expression went sour. He looked away from his son and went silent.
"I'll be back in a little while Dad." Frank made no indication he heard him.
Edith was in the large, expensively designed kitchen sipping coffee. There were empty plates on the table, so she must have just finished eating. His Mother was wearing a colorful, print robe with slippers on her feet. Her hair was fixed nicely and she had a bit of makeup on. She saw her son enter the room and her face broke out in a grin. She got up when Jerry walked in and hugged him tight.
"Oh Jerry." She gushed. "Its so good to see you. I'm so glad you came."
"Kelly called. So I had to come see Dad." Jerry told her. "We met a little while ago. She told me some interesting stuff about you and Tony. Its quite a story."
"I'm so sorry to keep you in the dark honey." Edith explained with a bit of sadness in her eyes. "But I didn't want to upset you or your Father. You can see how badly he's taking it. I wish I'd never said a word."
No shit, Jerry thought. She didn't seem too upset though, and he was a little startled how well she was taking this. Her admission of guilt is probably why her husband had a stroke. Jerry thought she'd be embarrassed by her infidelity, or at least more contrite, considering it was all her fault.
"I don't know what came over me." She continued with a sigh. "I knew it would hurt Frank to know about my affair. That's why I never told him. It was something just between Tony and I, and Agnes of course. It never infringed on my marriage and didn't effect Frank for all those years."
"How long did it go on?" Jerry asked in a neutral tone.
"Oh, for a while, on and off." His mother told him nonchalantly. "Tony and I dated a little back in school, before he married Agnes. Nothing serious. Everyone was dating back then. Agnes had a couple guys she was seeing occasionally while Tony and I dated. We were all such good friends, even after we split up and Tony started dating Agnes. We were still close and the three of us always went out to parties and things..."
As she told her story her gaze moved from her son's concerned face, to a vague spot on the wall. It was obvious she was reminiscing about a very enjoyable time in her life.
With a wistful expression she admitted, "Even after Frank and I married we still saw Tony and Agnes a lot. We went out often, had them at our wedding and we went to theirs. It was such a fun time. When we had Kelly and Katie, it was one big happy family, all six of us I mean. I wish it never ended."
Suddenly her expression hardened. "But when your Father left me to take that damn class I got so lonely. I was taking care of your sisters by myself, and handling all the house hold chores. It was too much. Tony helped me get past that hard time. I'd have gone crazy without his support. When your Dad came back home, I stopped seeing Tony so often. We still managed to see each other, just not as often. He was so nice about everything. He took me all around town and introduced me to a lot of people. He's really a great man you know."
"I hope you didn't tell Dad that." Jerry replied bristling.
Edith was startled by his exclamation and blurted out, "...tell him what?"
"That the guy his wife cheated on him with, is such a GREAT guy?" Jerry said harshly. "A GREAT guy he considered his friend? A friend that basically stabbed him in the back? Not a good thing to tell a sick old man."
"Oh don't act like that Jerry." She snapped back with a scowl. "Of course I know that. Its easy to judge me now." She waved at him dismissively. "I'm not stupid you know. And I didn't tell him like that. I just let him know the truth of what happened back then. He should appreciate that I was so honest."
"I'm sure Dad's so happy to hear the truth." Jerry said tersely.
"He may not be happy about it." She answered with an edge. "But now that he knows, he's just going to have to get over it. Its all in the past and its too late to worry about it now. Besides, Frank's got a lot more problems to worry about than a silly affair I had years ago. I'll try to help him deal with it as much as I can, but he has to help himself too."
"I'm sure you will." Jerry spat out angrily disgusted by his mother's blasé attitude about something so serious.
He spun smartly on his heels and walked away before he exploded on his foolish mother and her reckless behavior. He wanted to ask about his parentage, but was too upset right now. That discussion would have to wait for another day.
Kelly was nearby and must have heard his angry retort. She came in and sat with his Mom and gave him a strange look as he left the room.
Jerry went to the library to think. He saw Agnes through the sliding glass doors out on the patio in back of the house, sitting at a table sipping coffee. He went out and sat down at the table with her. She hugged him and poured him a cup of coffee as they began to chat.
"We never thought it was a bad thing." Agnes told him honestly. "Edith and I were so close back then. We were roommates you know. And we used to do everything together."
As she said everything, she gave Jerry a knowing look.
"She dated Tony before I did. But when I started dating him she would still join us on our dates. Tony still had feelings for her I think. So it was just natural to have her around. She was such a pretty girl, everyone loved her and I enjoyed her company so much. Tony did too. We didn't think of it as bad."
"So when Dad went away for that class," Jerry asked tentatively, "You and Tony just started taking her out to dinner?"
"Yes. Dinner and dancing and drinking and laughing..." She sighed staring thoughtfully into space, reliving the memory. "Oh gosh Jerry we had such fun in those days. Edith, Tony and I were like the three musketeers. Your Dad wasn't into going out that much. He was a bit of a home body and didn't give your Mother much of a social life."
"He was probably working too hard...for his family."
"Probably." Agnes instantly agreed. "I don't think he made much money back then. But you're right, he did work hard. When he went away to school, it was normal for Tony and I to include your Mother in our plans, just like back in college. We had such fun."
"So you consented to Tony's affair?"
"I guess I did." She said nonchalantly. "Tony's a handsome guy, bigger than life you know. We've always been social. I knew there was a chance he'd fool around on me. I felt that if he was going to stray, it'd be better to do so with Edith than anyone else. She was not going to try to take him from me, and we were already very close. It was just a natural fit. Like I said, we didn't consider it bad."
She glanced over at Jerry and noticed his dejected look. She reached over and patted his hand. "Oh, don't feel upset honey. No one got hurt. I mean no one would have if Edith didn't blab it out the other day. And don't blame your Mom too much. She was alone and Tony caught her at a weak moment. He can be pretty convincing you know."
She let out a cackling laugh, "He's a charmer all right. Always has been, and always will be."
"I'm sure he is."
Jerry was even more disgusted than when he left his Mother. Neither of them seemed to find the affair with Tony as anything to worry about. He left the older woman alone with her pleasant thoughts of days gone by and went back inside the house.
His thoughts were troubled, until it suddenly occurred to him what his Father was trying to say earlier.
"Tools. He wants his fucking tools." Jerry exclaimed with excitement, happy that he finally figured it out.
Frank has always been proud of his tools. He had a matched set of Craftsmen tools he bought years ago that he kept in his garage. With little money at the time those tool cost him a fortune. In his mind they always represented a symbol of his talents as a master mechanic.
Jerry decided it was nostalgia, and he must want them near to remember his better days. He went back in to his Father's room and saw him staring out the window.
"Its tools, right Dad?" Jerry announced proudly. "You want me to bring you your old tools in the garage."
The old man's bitter frown instanly disappeared. His eyes lit up and his head began nodding up and down eagerly.
"Okay. I know where they're at. I guess you want them here with you. I'll go get them Dad. Be right back."
Jerry drove to his parent's house. It wasn't far. He had his own key and he went into the garage, remembering the many days that he sat here and watched his Father working on a car, trying to make some extra money on the side for their struggling family.
That was just like him, working side jobs so he could afford to do a few extra things for his wife and kids. He was a great Father. Jerry felt a sad tear fall down his cheek and he wiped it away. He just wished Dad had been spared the pain of finding out his wife had been unfaithful all these years, with his best friend.
Jerry drove the tools back to Uncle Tony's. Tony was gone but his Mom, Kelly and Agnes were in the middle of a heated conversation in the kitchen. They didn't even notice him enter the house as he went straight to his Father's room.
Even with all his handicaps, Jerry couldn't help notice how excited his Father was to get his tools. He waved his one good arm in the air, pointing to the corner. Jerry put the tools down where he gestured and sat down by his Dad.
They didn't speak. Both knew it was too hard to understand him. Jerry just stared at the old man with all the love he had. He could see his Father's eyes peering out from his disfigured face, those alert eyes brighter than they were earlier.
When he got up to leave, Frank motioned him over for another hug. They hugged a long time this time. The old man didn't want to let go. There were tears in his eyes, running down his cheeks when they finally parted.
"You're gonna make me cry." Jerry openly admitted, feeling quite emotional.
He told the old man, "I'll be back tomorrow Dad. Don't worry, I'm gonna help you get back on your feet. I didn't know all of what was going on before, but I do now. I'm here for you and I'll help you. You'll be better than ever in no time flat. you hear me old man!"
Frank nodded enthusiastically. He watched him intently as his tall, muscular, dark haired son walked out of his room. Jerry and Kelly left together. She was anxious to leave as there seemed to be tension between Kelly and the two older women. She didn't tell him what it was.
But as she passed by Jerry, she whispered, "Mom's a fucking bitch."
"What?"
Kelly shrugged but said nothing. Out loud she said, "You coming over Jerry. You can stay with me if you don't have a hotel room. I'd love to have you."
"Sure if you don't mind."
They drove back to Kelly's and had a long talk about what their family was going to do. When he felt tired Jerry went to the room Kelly had for him. He was undressing in the bedroom when he heard a loud explosion from far away. Even at that distance it was so powerful it shook the windows of their house.
He ran out of the room and nearly ran into Kelly. "What the hell was that?" She asked with a worried look. They both looked outside and could see a glow in the distance, as if there was a big fire somewhere close by.
"Oh shit." Jerry cursed as a terrible thought hit him. "I hope to god I'm wrong. But I think we better head back over to Tony's."
"Why?"
"I just need to check on Dad."
She wanted to know why, but he wouldn't say.
Jerry went back inside and put on his clothes in less than a minute. Kelly dressed quickly as well and rode with Jerry as he zoomed back to the Blaylock's mansion. It was about half an hour after the explosion. As he pulled around the last corner they saw emergency lights flashing with fire trucks and police cars in front of the Blaylock's house.
Tony's house was nearly destroyed. It seemed like the bottom floor had blown out and the rest of the house fell down engulfed in fire. Firemen were pulling hoses, spraying water and trying to douse the flames. But it seemed a useless effort as most of the house was already gone.
"Oh god!" Kelly sobbed. "Mom and Dad! Are they dead?"
"I'm afraid they are." Jerry said hugging his sobbing sister.
They told the police who they were, and the man just shook his head.
"I don't think anyone could survive." He said sorrowfully. "When we got here the house was already in flames. No one could have got out. It seemed like there was an explosion of some sort, maybe a gas explosion. We'll investigate and find the cause. But tonight there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry for your loss."
Jerry took Kelly home. They sat around the living room and got little sleep.
The next day they went to the house and saw the Detectives poking around the smoldering ashes. Jerry identified himself and was allowed to get closer. He was questioned by the Detectives about what they knew. Jerry didn't mention the tools he brought over. He did tell them that he thought there were four people inside the house.
"Did you find anything?" Jerry asked anxiously. "Any sign of my parents?"
"Yes. We did find four bodies." The man told them. "Three of them seemed to be in the upstairs area. The place was damaged so badly it was hard to tell. We'll have to identify them at a later time, during the autopsy."
The man looked askance at them and said, "Funny thing was the fourth body. It was hard to tell, but we think it was downstairs in the kitchen."
"In the kitchen?" Kelly said. "But Dad was living in the den, right."
"Yeah."
"Well this body was in the kitchen." The man went on to say. "We know because it was near the stove, or what was left of it."
"What was funny about that?" Jerry asked.
"Well don't tell anyone I told you this." The man said moving closer, speaking in confidence. "But since you're family...I think the problem was by the stove, that it was a gas explosion. In fact I'm sure of it."
"Really?"
"Yes. The gas line had been disconnected. I don't know how. The connection was damaged but it survived the explosion. I could tell from experience that this was no leak. That line had been purposely unhooked."
The man leaned even closer and spoke softly to the two siblings.
"Funny thing was the body near the disconnected line was holding a pipe wrench in his hand."
"In his hand?" Kelly asked with surprise. "It wasn't blown up in the explosion?"
"No. The wrench was wired to his hand. Literally attached to it." The man said with an almost amused expression.
He wiped the amusement off his face and continued more soberly.
"Obviously he or she must have purposely disconnected the line, then it exploded and blew up the house. But why the wire? The wire went around his hand a couple times and kept the wrench in his grasp. I've never seen that before. Why would someone have to wire the wrench to his hand?"
"I don't know." Jerry said. "Maybe he wanted to make sure he held onto it. Can't think of another reason."
"Okay." The man agreed cautiously, "But why do that? For what purpose?"
"I don't know."
Jerry glanced at his sister's troubled face. When she started to speak, he quickly interrupted to stop her and told the man quickly, "Okay then. Thanks for the info officer. Good luck."
"Here's my card if you have any questions." The man said, politely handing him his card. "I'm sorry about your parents. I don't know what happened, but this doesn't look like an accident right now."
Jerry and Kelly shared a glance as they walked away.
He now knew for certain that his Father got his final revenge on his cheating wife and her lover, or lovers if Agnes was involved, and Jerry had every reason to believe she was. He was positive Frank wanted to make sure his son knew that he was the one taking his revenge on them. It was no accident.
Jerry whispered sadly, "Message received Dad...", as he walked away with his arm around his sobbing sister.
Jerry felt bad about losing his mother, and some sadness for losing Uncle Tony and Aunt Agnes. After all, they'd been so close to him growing up. But he couldn't help respecting his Dad, proud soldier and a man of honor, now reduced to a feeble, almost helpless, illness racked man, getting his final revenge on the worst indignity a husband can face. It was just like his bullheaded, tough-minded Father not to let this pass.
"God I love you Dad." Jerry let himself sob. "I'm going to miss you."
