Thank you for the reviews!! And I'm truly sorry for being so late in updating this, school been busy and I' v been somewhat lazy, I will try to update sooner next time! Anyway I hope you like the the chapter. Also to make up for my laziness I wrote more chapters!!
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Chapter 2 – His Past, Our Future.
***On the way to Tony's house from the airport (Third POV)
If its one thing Anthony prided himself, it would be the fact that he had an uncanny ability to figure people out within five – ten minutes time limit. Only a few questions and good analytical of postures, their style of dressing, and body movements he can tell you just what kind person they are.
And he was damn good at it, which is why he was one of the best Major in Marine in his early years.
But, only one person prove to be hard person to read, and he was sitting right next to him at the moment.
His only nephew, Samual James Witwicky. Only a tender age of 16 and yet, Anthony is having a very hard time trying to figure out a teenage boy. He could read a one of hardest, manipulative Mafia boss of Russia of the decade and crack that person under his type of mental torture and pressure, but not his own nephew. Pathetic, he thought sourly to himself.
Sam seems normal enough, but losing both of his parents before he's even an adult prove to be emotionally damaging on a growing teen. He knew, his hard-core sister, Judy was in a mental and emotional terminal after her husband's death for years, but how did it effect on young Sam?
'I would've thought he would be depressed or angry and gone all emo, like the kids these days do,' thought Anthony.
And yet, Sam is just sitting there next to him, staring out of the window, lowly humming a odd, mixed songs, making it sound broken like a broken radio with mixes of static.
'Is he hiding all the pain behind all the humming,' Anthony mused, 'Or does he just suck at humming a song?' Anthony mentally sighed. 'The kid is good at hiding his feelings, I will give him that. But how long can he hold all that emotional pain before he erupts?'
Anthony took a discreet side glance at Sam. Who is currently making faces at pedestrians.
'What the hell...?,' He shook his with a wry smile, ' Will, at least it's better than yelling random embarrassing things at people like Judy always did on a way home from a bar.'
Shuddering from a particular memory of Judy, Anthony took another look at Sam sadly, mentally asking, 'What have you been through to make you hide everything behind a mask, Sam?'
------------------ 27 minutes later
around
Finally pulling in to a big yard full of new, shiny fixed-up cars and in the far corner, a bunch of rusty, beat up cars that is in need of serious fix and pimped up.
In the center was the shop. A simple two story high building with five garages on the first level. Fainted, peeling cream and gray paint with a sign the sign Tony's Auto just above the garages. Said garages were currently holding three cars and 4 men in dark gray jumpsuit, whom are joking around and yelling in Spanish.
"ah, home sweet home." Sam said sweetly with a smirk.
"pfft, if you call a junk yard with a trashy looking house, than I guess its a sweet home." Tony said gruffly, with a small grin of his own. "C'mon kid, I show ya around."
The two men got out with Sam carrying his large duffel bag and sling bag over his shoulder, they head toward the four Hispanic men who were now laughing at whatever been said.
"Hey Amigos, shoudln't ya be workin,?" Tony shouted out with some amusement.
"Aw com'on boss we want ta meet yer nefhew!" One of the darker men shouted in broken English, with a huge smile. The other 3 men were also grinning like loonies. Another man from the group who was shortest of the four shouted, "Is that the kid, boss man?! He's shorter than me!!" He shouted with a bit of tease as he stood straighter as if to compare himself to Sam. The others found it a bit amusing, even Sam, who hated being short just snorted at the last man's comment.
"Yah, well I'll catch up with ya old man, I got a few years left on me to grow!" Sam shot back with a slight crooked grin. The others guffaw while the short Spanish man just shook his with mock despair. "Oh how cruel kids these days are to old people. No respect from them." The short Spanish man faked out with dramatic despair.
Sam and Tony walked up to them with grins on their faces. Sam was introduce to the four Spanish men whose names were typical Hispanic names. The Shorty (as Sam nicknamed him in his mind) is Jose, the darkest tanned man is Lopez. The other two who can't speck a word of English are Roberto and Christobol.
Sam surprised the two men by speaking Spanish to them, introducing himself. Tony was clearly surprise but he schooled his feature, not wanting Sam to find (yet another) reason to tease him about being actually bewilder.
After introductions and friendly half-hour banter, Tony finally told them, good-naturedly, to get their lazy asses back to work. After many mock complaining and whining they finally got back to work and Tony and Sam head inside the two-story house.
As they walk in, Tony pointed out the living room which had a rather large comfy couch with stains and stitches and a large screen television. "Typical Saturday game days." Tony commented with a grin.
They headed o the kitchen that reminded Sam of a 70's or 80's kitchen. The said kitchen had black and white floor tiles that is in dire need of a good wash, counters were filled with papers and dirty plates. The table was a plastic fold out, and piled high with paper, with only three metal chairs, though one look like it could break with all that rust on the legs. The fridge was an odd color blue that diffidently looked to be from the 60's. "You so need a wife." Sam muttered with a shake of his head as if disappointed, but with a small grin telling his was joking. Tony just cuffed him lightly in the head and muttered, "Che, try finding a woman around this old industrial town." "Your filled with excuses old man."
Finally they headed up stairs, where Tony pointed out (a clean) bathroom ("Thank gods it's clean," Sam had commented rather loudly.) and Tony's room ("why would I need to know where your room is, do you have nightmares and need some cuddling or somethin'?" Sam questioned with a smirk only to get cuffed in the head again. "Ow! Quit that old fart!" "Not until ya quit with ya smart alec comments, string-being"Tony said with a crazy grin.) Finally they got to Sam's room.
Sam's new room was painted pale blue (Sam's nose says so), the window viewed the backyard that was currently filled with rusty, crushed automobiles ("What a view!" Sam mock good-naturedly). The room only held one wooden dresser that had scratches and writings all over, and a bunk bed with dark blue comforters on the bed.
After Sam got a good look at his room he truly felt like home, it made Sam want to smile and squeal like a girl that just got a new car for her B-day. But didn't, instead he just grinned and said, "I like it!" to Tony, with a childish pose of thumbs up.
"Hn, good. 'Cause I hate white." He said with a small grin. He was truly glad to see his nephew happy, not that he would ever admit it the kid. "Anyway we're having Chinese take-out, want anything special?" Tony asked gruffly.
"Hmmm, anything with chicken and rice." Sam with a thoughtful look.
"Right. I'll be back." Tony left the room and headed outside to his truck. After Tony left, Sam unpacked his duffel bag and left the sling bag in corner of room not wanting to deal with it right now. Then he decided to head downstairs to watch some telly. Picking a channel with movies, he settled with July 4th, one of his favorite movies as a kid.
About forty minutes later, Tony came home with delicious smelling dinner. The two ate on the couch watching the movie in a companionable silent. Once the movie was over and done eating, Sam headed up upstairs to take a shower before 'bed'. Tony stayed downstairs to finally look at Sam's file he just got from the way back with dinner at the post office.
"-sigh- Lets see what Sam might be hiding from me." With that thought Tony opened the file to the first page that was filled with the basic information and a picture of the ten year old Sam. He read about what the teachers wrote how Sam was great in class, but not very social. A side-note read that he had one friend, name Miles Lancaster. That note soften a bit of Tony's anxiety, if only a little.
More detailed notes of Sam's obvious dislike being around other children or playing any of the kid's games at recesses. Another side note explained how Sam would either be reading a book or looking at an Auto Magazine. The students would pick on him, but either he ignored it or insult them back which ended in a fight. 'Sigh....'
The next page was how Sam doesn't have any records of finish or go to 4th 5th and 6th grades when he and Judy went to Florida. That got Tony a bit worried. He knew his mother was cruel, but not t let a kid go to school? 'What else had that hag do to Sam?' Tony thought furiously. Finally he found that Sam went to school for rest of middle school years,what surprised him it was in Virginia and West Virginia. "What the hell...What is he doing all the way there? Was he by himself?!" Tony whispered to himself with agitation.
He saw that the school records were signed by a Suki and a Brian. In a way he was grateful for these two strangers to take care of Sam's education, but he didn't know them, and they could have been kidnapper for all he know. Then again they wouldn't have signed Sam for school...
If that info was shocking than the next page of Sam life shocked the hell out of him.
'SAM WAS IN JUVIE?!' His mental thoughts shouted out. With white knuckles and heightening dread, he read to why Sam was even in juvie, only to find out that Sam was caught in a racing Event set up by a Russian mob that Sam participated in. He was shocked to the core, trying to grasp how Sam even got involve with drag racing in the first place.
Tony put the file down for a minute, and rub his face with his hands, trying to think of possible (rational) reasons to how and why Sam was racing illegally at his age. All his conclusions comes back to the fact Judy was mentally and physically ill and his mother was a cruel, controlling demon, so it was possible Sam ran away and met up the two strangers who obviously took care fore him...'Sigh, oh Sam, juvie obviously helped build who you are today.' Tony thought grimly.
After a few minutes of controlling his emotions, he re-pick up the file and turned the page to find that Sam started his Sophomore year in Jacksonville, Fl., and got a job as a janitor to pay for his rent. There were notes from the hospital that Sam visited his mom who was in a hospital. Apparently he visited Judy everyday for hours. What saddened him that Sam had little time to be with his mother due to the Boise's Heart Curse.
'Thank god I don't have that Curse. Sam wouldn't be able to handle it if I left him too.' Tony thought to himself with sadness, but hope also because he still around to be the stable force for Sam.
After reading all detailed notes and information of Sam, he concluded his final thoughts on Sam, 'Sam is hiding behind a mask that he built himself over the years. Obviously it was subconscious at first, but when he was sent to juvie he became aware of his emotional and mental state. So he thought masks or shields will help him, along with deceiving and sly, yet childish attitude. No one would even notice he's faking it. Plus the sunglasses is an obvious sign to the fact he feels the need to hide all his emotions possibly; no cracks, higher chance of surviving...'
'Shit, I should of notice earlier. He worded his words, "Been a survivor for a long time." Double shit!'
Tony finally closed his eyes to get his emotions under check again. "Oh Sam, oh Sam. No one should have that kind of life..." He moaned pathetically, showing his signs of worry and distress, mixes with sorrowful emotions. "I will help you Sam. I will teach you to live life, not survive it!'" Tony whispered his promise fervently, in the empty room, with such conviction and strength it felt like a raw power gripping the heart of who might of heard Tony's strong words of oath.
With that in mind, Tony closed the file and dropped it on the stained coffee table. He stride slowly up the stairs and toward Sam's room, knowing the teen was already done with shower. What he didn't expect was Sam on the floor, curled up and crying has he kept muttering 'Mom' over again and holding a marble box to his chest.
The sight made Tony's heart shatter, knowing that the young teen still haven't truly healed only kept covering it with masks and self-lies. But he will change that, for Sam deserve to truly live life like any teenage boy.
Tony slowly walked toward Sam, finally he spoke with a soft, comforting but firm voice, not wanting to startle the young man, "Sam, look at me Sam." He waited a few seconds until Sam finally peered up, tears still falling shamelessly from his dull brown eyes. His skin was stark pale, bringing out the dark lines underneath his eyes more pronounced showing his years of lack of sleep.
When Tony saw what shape Sam was in, it hurt him to see Sam in such a vulnerable state. But he didn't cease his baby steps toward Sam. He kept his voice low as he did before when he spoke to him again, "That's good Sam. Now I know your hurtin' bad kid, and you most likely don't want help, but kid I ain't gonna leave you here in this state." Finally crouched down so he was more eye leveled with Sam, "Sam, you know you have to heal, not hide and bury the pain with masks, it ain't gonna get you know where but to whole mess up state, just like now. But I can help, if you let me Sam."
Sam who heard the speech his only uncle made, shed more tears out of joy and intense sadness. In his scarred heart, he knows that Tony would do anything to help him, but he is scared to let Tony help him, afraid that he cant truly heal. Plus what if he lose his only living relative so soon to any kind of possible death?
That last thought had frieten him. He will never admit it, but he was scared to be alone. Sam detested the thought of being alone.
Finally Sam croaked out, "I...I really want you to help, b-but what if you can't help me? What if I lose you to death soon? How can you really help me?!" He whispered desperately, trying not to hope to much. Knowing nothing never good comes for him.
Tony knew when he heard Sam's desperation and his hope lacing his words. It broke his heart more. He needed to get through Sam that he was not leaving anytime soon and he would diffidently find any means to help this man heal. "Sam, look into my eyes. I swear on my father's soul I will never leave you. The Curse was not pass down to me and any other kind of death will have a hard time trying to get me, 'cause kid I'm too stubborn to go down." Tony said with such quiet conviction.
He slowly reach to Sam and grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a bear hug. Tony wanted Sam to feel that he can count on his uncle for anything, to tell him he was real and that he won't leave soon.
He continue with a soft voice, "To help you heal, you need to open up to me. Tell me everything about yourself, your hardship, your life in general. You have time to tell me everything. To heal it will take time, but together we will take one step at a time. Your not alone no more Sam. Never alone." At the end of his speech he held onto a now crying teen, who was clutching him tightly, as if he was a lifeline that will disappear.
After a good ten minutes, Sam mumbled, "Never knew you could be so sappy, old fart." Tony blinked a few time, before guffawing and giving said teen a head nuggy. They both laughed and horse-played a bit.
When they tired themselves out, Sam picked up the marble box that was pushed aside. Slowly, he brought his mother's ashes to his chest, and looked up at Tony. Sam's eyes shine with sadness, but also hope. "I think it's honestly time to heal." Sam said.
Tony just smiled and said, "Next month is April's Spring Break. We will go to Tranquility's cemetery to lay your mother a rest with Ron."
"Yah. I like that thought." Whispered Sam. Sam got up and walked to the dresser, and put the marble box on top. He walked back to Tony, who was standing by the door with a soft look. Sam hugged his uncle once again, this time in gratitude.
Tony didn't hestitae to return the affection. He was just truly relieve that Sam is willing to heal. "Good night kid." Tony gruffly said.
"Good night Uncle Ton." Sam spoke his childish nickname for Tony. After the lights went out, Sam layed in bed and thought, 'Maybe, just maybe I can actually live a life.'