Living in Max's Shadow – Chapter 52
By MyNameIsCAL
We sit anxiously behind a podium, waiting for Jack to come out and address the press. He's insisted that he'd do all the speaking for us, and we wouldn't have to deal with paying a lawyer, even though we could probably afford it anyway. Gazzy's funeral is tomorrow. After this, we can disappear again, fading away from Gazzy's stardom and fame.
Jack comes out, clean shaven and like him old self, looking each of us in the eye, telling us that if he says anything wrong to interrupt him, but we know he'll speak the truth for us, so none of the media will ever have to know who we really are.
"Excuse me," Jack clears his throat, leaning into the microphone. In front of us is a small TV and we can see him being broadcasted live. There's a low murmur as they seem to recognize him. "I'm here to speak on behalf of Gazzy's family. It has been confirmed that his death was suicide, an overdose of sleeping pills. The family would like to thank everyone for their condolences and prayers. It hasn't been easy for them, and it certainly hasn't been easy for me. As you all know, Gazzy was a bright and young stuntman, moving to directing over the past few years, making two movies. Both which I play a big part in. And if you're wondering what went wrong, what could have happened, then I can't say. All I can tell you, and his family would agree, go watch the movie that will be released next week. Go watch it because that's all you will ever need to know about him or his family."
Jack closes his eyes, taking a drink from his water bottle. "I'll take a few questions."
"Who are you?" Someone shouts.
Jack looks straight into the camera. "Why, well…I'm Jack Thomas."
There's an uproar, as people start asking questions about him, but now, Jack is furious. "I am here to answer questions about my friend. So if you haven't got anything to ask, then this press conference is over!"
The crowd falls silent.
"You can't tell us anything at all about why he killed himself?" Another person asks.
"Watch the movie," Jack answers. "Life wasn't easy for him, and it never was, after you go through what he has."
"Did he leave any kind of note at all?"
"Yes, but it was only for his family."
"Where is he going to be buried?"
"I can't tell you that. It's private."
"Is it possible this is a hoax, like your death, Mr. Thomas?"
Jack straightens up. "Absolutely not."
"I've seen both his movies he's directed, including the one that premiered just last week, and I know that the events do not stray far from his real personal life. Is it possible that, was it his brother that was an alcoholic, is it possible it was because of him that he killed himself?"
I feel like the world is spinning and Max takes my hand, her other one gripping my arm, like she knows that I'm no longer feeling planted.
"Gazzy loved his brother very much," Jack says slowly. "And the fact that you're accusing him would infuriate Gazzy."
There's another gabbing of questions, but Jack shakes his head. "Thank you for your time."
"Fang, c'mon," Max whispers, pulling me up.
A reporter suddenly runs up in front of me, grabbing me by the front of my shirt. "You're Gazzy's alcoholic brother, right? What do you have to say about his death and that you might have been the one who pushed him?"
Max pulls the reporter off of me, throwing him to the ground.
Jack ushers me inside, Max following quickly behind before anyone can snap anymore pictures of us.
Gazzy is cremated. With Ella and Mom and Jack, we release some of his ashes to the ocean, and then the flock and I take off, spreading his ashes from the sky, over Hollywood, Arizona, and lastly, the place where we flew with the hawks.
"Let's go home," Max says, and we head in that direction.
At Mom's house, Iggy cooks us up a meal of Gazzy's favorites. We sit and we eat until all the food is gone. It's a family gathering, although not quite the same without Gazzy, it's hard not to share a couple smiles and a few laughs. Gazzy would have wanted it that way, and hell, it was better than moping around, eating through our tears.
"Chocolate cake for desert," Iggy announces, placing it on the table. "Someone get ice cream, please."
Ella stands, making her way to the fridge, and pulls out ice cream. I help scoop it onto each plate as Nudge helps Iggy cut the cake. I watch as she guides his hand with the knife, wondering if they were thinking about what Gazzy had wrote in his letter.
"Fang, can you make coffee?" Nudge asks after she notices me watching.
"Sure," I say, giving her an apologetic look.
Angel comes over, saying she'll pour coffee for everyone when it's finished, and I let her wait by the pot because I know she needs distracting too, so I go and set out a mug for everyone at the table.
"I don't want any," Max says.
"Since when do you turn down coffee?" I question, leaving the mug there anyway.
She looks around at everyone, then back at me, and then at everybody again before her eyes meet mine. "Fang, you're going to be a father."
I blink. "What?"
"You're going to be a father, Fang."
And she smiles, almost like she's afraid, but as I smile back, the feeling of uncertainty is gone.
"Oh my God, that's great!" Angel suddenly says, like she's snapped out of her depressive trance.
"What's great?" Iggy mutters, letting Nudge dish the pieces of cake onto the plates.
Angel hasn't smiled since we found Gazzy that night, but she's smiling now. "Max and Fang are going to be parents.
I couldn't stand anymore depressing things. So here's to happiness with the joy of life because life is a cycle. I betchya you can guess what Max and Fang are going to name their baby if it's a boy.
Thanks for reading! I think the concluding chapter will be next.
