The sun was well hidden behind the late afternoon rain and was already giving way to the evening dusk as Will Pryor watched out the front Living room window for his father to arrive home from work to tell him of the eventful day with the discovery of the new uncle that he was sure that his Dad would not know about.
Meg Pryor sat at the kitchen table with her books open attempting to finish her latest homework assignment in hopes to keep her falling grades from plummeting any further so she could also keep her American Bandstand dreams alive. The task of turning the written words on the pages into coherent thoughts in her head were being made more difficult by the blaring sounds from the television a few feet away.
"Patty!" Meg said in a huff turning to her sister who sat before the black and white set with a small bowl of grapes. "Will you please turn that show down?"
"I'm watching the news, Meg," Patty said with a huff. "I like to be well informed."
"Yeah, well some of us are not living memory machines, Patty, and we need to concentrate on our work without so many distractions," Meg said with disgust.
"Why can't you study up in your room like every other time and let me watch my television," Patty gave her a mean face.
"Because I want to be here when Dad or Uncle Richie get here," Meg said tilting her head to one side squinting her eyes. "I want to see when Dad meets his brother again."
"They may rather do that in private," Helen said from her watch over the pots on the stove. She cocked her head around the corner. "Patty turn that TV down and help Meg set the dinning room table."
"Why do I have to help?" Patty protested not moving an inch. "It's Meg turn."
"Because I asked you to," Helen said sternly. "Now will you both please move and Meg get your books off the kitchen table."
Meg took a deep breath in exasperation and began collecting an arm full of her books. "Okay, fine," she grunted. "But no one in this house better be upset with me if I fail English Lit this semester."
"That wouldn't be anything new," JJ entered the room from the hall with a sly remark and a glint in his eyes over his half smile. "It's a good thing American Bandstand doesn't require any words larger than 'it has a good beat and you can dance to it'."
"Very funny, JJ," she shot him her worst sister face. "At least those words are bigger than 'Hike' and 'run fast'."
JJ shrugged his sister's comments off and turned his attention to his mother as Meg disappeared into the hall with her books, "Have you talked to Dad today?"
"No," Helen gave the clock on the wall a worried glance. "My study group ran long this afternoon and I didn't have time to go by the store."
"Do you think he knows?" JJ reached for a piece of French bread off the hood of the stove.
"Well I know Pete knows," she said stirring her spaghetti sauce. "And knowing him, he must have gone straight to your father with the news."
JJ ran the sliver of bread through the sauce. "What do you think he will do?"
Helen stopped what she was doing and stood completely still for a moment. After a long second, she turned her head to look into JJ's face. "I wish I knew, JJ. I just want everything to go smoothly and not have a big argument over dinner."
Slipping the bread with the rich red sauce into his mouth, he gave his mother a worried look.
The spoon in her hand slipped from her grip as Helen saw that same well known look in her son's eyes that she had seen twelve years earlier when he was barely a child out of her arms. It was a look of lost and confusion thinly veiled behind a wall of childlike hope.
"JJ," she started with a deep sigh. "I hope I don't have to tell you to take this slowly and don't try to force your father's opinion where his brother is concerned. I know you are hoping all of this will work out and you might have your uncle back, but there is too much history between them for your father to just forget everything that has happen."
"That's just it, Mom," he said low enough that the kids in the other room could not hear. "All my life you have been telling me that there were problems and reasons for Uncle Richie to just disappear like he did, but no one has ever told me what they were. I think I am old enough to know what happen."
"And I want to tell you JJ, really I do," his mother touched his face. "But your father is a very hard headed man, and he doesn't want you to have to carry the burden of his disappointment with his brother."
"Or maybe he doesn't want me to form my own opinion and to tell him that he may be wrong in this," JJ scuffed his sneaker on the linoleum.
"That's not fair, JJ," Helen gave him a stern look. "Your father has never been one to burden you children with family problems, and he is not about to start."
JJ leaned both fist against the counter top. "That's the point, Mom," he said with a remorseful tone. "I'm not that five year old boy you and Dad have been keeping this big family secret from anymore."
Helen shook her head in disappointment. "Please don't make this harder on your father than it already is."
"I just want to understand, Mom," JJ turned and leaned against the counter. "I mean uncle Pete may have been involved with the whole gambling thing on my football team which may have cost me my scholarship, but Dad has no problem still talking to him after he destroyed his dreams. Why is Uncle Richie so different?"
"Because," Helen said as she picked up the spoon again with a grimace on her face. "Even when you lost your chance at Notre Dame, your father was furious at first, but he realized that it may have been more of his dream than yours, so he was okay with his own hopes being dashed, but your Uncle Richie didn't just hurt your father, he hurt the entire Pryor family with your grandparents being at the top of that list."
"Didn't Uncle Ted hurt Grand Dad?" JJ asked.
"Yes," Helen sighed. "But what Richie did was more complicated. At least it was in your father's eyes."
"What do you think about it?" JJ asked as their gazes met.
"I," Helen hesitated. "I don't have an opinion in your father's family, JJ. My job is to stand by my husband and follow his lead."
JJ let his head sink a little.
"JJ," she placed her hand on the back of his head turning away from the stove. "I missed your uncle after he left, too. Richie was like my brother too, he was the first real friend I had in the Pryor family outside of your father and having him just taken away from our lives the way that he was, was very hurtful for all of us."
"Did he leave on his own?" JJ asked closing his eyes. "Or did Dad send him away?"
At that point, Meg appeared at the entrance door to the hall and her mother looked over at her. "I was coming to tell you that Patty wasn't helping me with the table setting," she started. "But I guess she was too busy listening in on your talk," Meg pointed behind her mother to where Patty was huddled close to the archway between the kitchen and the living room.
"Patty," her mother scowled. "JJ and I were having a private conversation."
"I'm sorry," Patty glanced at the floor. "I just wanted to hear more about Daddy's brother."
JJ looked up at his mother as they all stood there with complete interest in her every word. "I think we would all like to know more."
"What about JJ's question?" Patty reminded them. "Who asked Richie to leave?"
"Uncle Richie," Helen corrected as she walked slowly over to the table. "There was never a real request for Richie to leave town, as far as I know," she placed her hands on the back of one chair. "But I guess when your father told him that he no longer wanted him in this house, and your grand parents had done the same, Richie took it as a cue that it was time to leave for good."
"He never tried to contact us?" Meg asked stepping into the room.
Helen sat at the table. "There were cards and gifts during the first few holidays in the two or three years that followed, but your father would always return them unopened, so I guess Richie got the idea and they just stopped coming."
JJ took the seat to her left and Meg the one to the right as Patty slipped into the chair next to Meg. They all watched attentively as their mother sat silent in her memories.
"What happed Mom?" JJ was the one who asked the question that was on all their minds. "What did Uncle Richie do that was so bad?"
Will had left his seat at the window and saw that they were all in the kitchen and joined them. He wanted to speak up, but saw from the looks on their faces that this was not a time for his questions. He slowly hobbled over to where JJ sat and allowed him self to be pulled onto his lap.
A smile came across Helen's face as she watched her four children all huddled closely around her with concern. She marveled at each small miracle that God had blessed her with four times. She patted Will's hand as he rested his head on JJ's shoulder.
She slowly thought of her words before she allowed her lips to part, and she said, "When he was young, Uncle Richie was a very small and sickly child who tried to fit in with your father and other uncles, but he always felt that he could never compete or keep up with them, so he had decided he had to try and carve out his own place in this world, so on the advice of one of the priest in his school, he started looking into becoming a priest himself. It was one of the things he knew he could do to make his Mom and Dad proud of him, even when he didn't have the health for sports or the mind for business."
"Did Grand Mom and Grand Dad make him feel like he had to make them proud?" Meg asked.
"I don't think so," Helen shook her head. "I think it was more of your Uncle's perspective from growing up under Uncle Ted and your Dad. He saw how proud your Grand parents were of them, and he wanted to make his mark too."
"So then what happen?" Patty coached.
"When he told his parents that he thought he might have heard the call to be a priest, they were so thrilled and proud, that he knew he had to go through with it and make them happy for the son they had only been worried about up until then," Helen explained. "So your uncle set out to be what his parents wanted him to be, and he eventually became a priest."
"I remember that, now," JJ smiled. "I remember him wearing the collar when he would come over for dinner after church every Sunday."
"That's right," Helen grinned back. "He was ordained three weeks before you were born, and at your father's request, you were his first baptism."
"That's important, isn't it?" Will asked looking up into JJ's face.
"Yes," JJ stared down wrapping his arms around his little brother's belly. "Yes it is, Thrill."
"So Dad was happy about Uncle Richie being a priest?" Meg asked with a nod.
"The entire Pryor family was thrilled," Helen smiled. "To have a son enter the priesthood is every catholic family's dream. Your grand mother was besides herself with delight."
They all noticed as her mood became quiet again.
"But then something happen, didn't it?" JJ asked with concern.
"Yes," Helen nodded dropping her gaze. "Richie would never talk about it, and I don't think we ever learned why, but about a year after he was assigned to Saint Catherine's, he didn't seem to be the happy man he was when he went into the priesthood. He was becoming quiet and withdrawn from the family." She toyed with her hands over the table. "Richie didn't much seem like Richie anymore. His moods were dark and he just kept to himself more."
Her eyes met JJ's again. "About all he would ever do was spend time with you on the living room floor playing with you and your toys when he came over. His time with you seemed to be his only escape from what ever was torturing his soul at that time."
The sides of JJ's lips tilted up slightly as he tried to remember the happy time with his uncle. He was so young and it had been so long ago, that most of those images were lost in time.
Helen took a deep breath and continued. "It was about a week before he disappeared when Richie approached his parents and told them that he had decided to leave the ministry and had already started the lengthy process months earlier. No one had questioned why he was no longer saying services since he had been sick a few times during his stay here in Philadelphia and had had to miss several services in a row. We just thought he was not feeling well, and as Richie had always done, that he was just keeping to himself."
"There must have been something going on," JJ voiced the thought of the group.
"Like I said," Helen repeated softly. "Richie never talked about it."
"What happen when he came here?" Meg asked. "JJ said that there was some kind of fight here on that last night."
Helen eyed her son with concern. "You remember that?"
"Only bits and pieces," he said rocking slightly with Will in his arms. "Mostly I remember allot of yelling and slamming of doors."
She cocked her eyebrows quickly as she stared at her hands again. "Richie came and tried to tell your father his reasons for leaving the church, and when I had left the room, I could hear them in loud whispers talking about something that was very bothersome to each of them, but even with all the screaming, they never told me what was so upsetting."
"So Dad threw him out?" JJ said as Will nuzzled closer.
"There were allot of harsh words and threats before then," she said with a heavy sigh. "But yes, your father asked him to leave and he never came back. After your grand parents said he was no longer their son."
"That was so harsh," Meg spoke up with disgust. "Just because they didn't agree with him was no reason to cut him out of the family."
"Grand Mom and Grand Dad were very old school Catholics," Helen told her. "Your Uncle was denounced and ostracized by the church, and it would be expected for all good Catholics to shun him from that moment on."
"But he was their son?" Meg added.
"I don't understand fully why they did what they did either, Meg," Helen said with a hint of exasperation. "All I can tell you is what happen, and that was the question you wanted answered."
"If I'm bad?" Will spoke up from JJ's lap. "Will you 'shunt' me?"
"The word is 'shun', honey," Helen touched his cheek with a smile. "And no I don't think I will ever shun you."
It was then that they heard the front door opening. The familiar shuffle of Jack's things in the hall could be heard as he removed his coat and hat placing them on the hook in the foyer.
"That's your father," Helen jumped up. "Girls hurry up and set the table, and Will, would you please go wash up before dinner."
"But I'm clean," he protested from his comfortable position lean against JJ's shoulder as the two girls disappeared into the dinning room without a word.
JJ pushed his up slightly and patted his head. "Why don't you do what Mom ask and I'll be up in a minute to help you pick out a clean shirt for our company."
"Okay," Will agreed reluctantly sliding off his brother's knee. He turned and saw a concern look on the older boys face. "JJ," he shook his hands. "You would never 'shush' me, would you?"
Raising his head to look into the little boy's eyes, JJ pulled him in for an unexpected hug. "Not in a million years, Will."
Will was caught off guard, but managed to return some semblance of affection towards his bigger brother by patting his arms. "That's good to know."
Watching the touching exchanged, Helen waited a few second after they had separated and she reminded, "Now go up and wash."
"Okay," Will grunted swinging his braced leg around and began his slow walk towards the hall. In the doorway he passed his father who patted him on the head.
"Hey sport," Jack greeted.
"Can't talk now," Will remarked very deflated. "Gotta go wash up."
"Okay," Jack chuckle as he took a minute to watch his son walk away.
"Hi Jack," Helen turned slightly from the stove and kissed his cheek. "Dinner should be ready soon."
"That's fine," he commented giving her a careful look. "If Pete hadn't filled me in this afternoon about our dinner guest, I would have thought I walked into the wrong house just now," he gave her a smile. "I mean the girls are in the dinning room setting the table with out so much as a word between them. Will is off to clean up and JJ is actually here early. Not to mention how quiet everything is around here for a change."
Helen studied her pot before her. "Everyone is a little concern with how you would take the news about Richie."
Reaching up over the stove, Jacked pulled a piece of bread from the loaf just as his son had done. "What is there to be concerned about? My brother is in town and wants to have dinner with us."
Helen watched as his hand shook slightly dipping the bread in the sauce. "He'll come in here, give us more depressing news, and then disappear for another twelve years. It's like a manuscript for him. The story never changes."
"Jack," Helen let out in a slow breath.
"I'm not going to do it Helen," he turned away popping the bread in his mouth. "It Richie has come all the way back here from where ever he has been hiding out these past few years, he's welcome to do so, but I will not let him upset me or my family. The problems he had with my folks are dead and buried with them, and as far as I am concern, so is he."
"Dad," JJ stood up before his father. "Why do you have to go into this with such a negative mind? Maybe Uncle Richie is here to say he's sorry and to try and build a new future with his family."
Jack stopped for a moment and peered into his eyes. "Ted and Pete are welcome to build any relationship they want with my low life of a brother, but I will not have the man who hurt my parents as badly as he did, doing the same number on my kids."
When Jack had passed, JJ lowered his head and muttered, "Maybe we would like to make that choice on our own."
The sudden loud crash behind her forced Helen to turn with a start as she saw Jack had quickly grabbed JJ by the collar of his shirt with both hands and had slammed his son against the refrigerator.
"What was that, JJ?" He screamed into his son's face. "Are you questioning my judgment and right to protect my family?"
"Jack," Helen was at her husband back trying to pull him free.
"What are you not telling me, JJ?" Jack continued as JJ had his head turned and pressed against the cool door. "Are you telling me that you want to take the word of a man who has done nothing but tell lies for the last thirty five years of his life, over the word of your own father who has done nothing but watch over and protect you and your sisters and brother your whole life?"
"Jack please," Helen was pulling with all her might as Meg and Patty came running into the room with astonished looks on their faces. "He didn't mean anything by it."
JJ's face was pressed tightly together with a look of part fear and anger for his father. He could have fought back, but chose not to. "Dad, please."
"What do you want from me, JJ?" Jack snarled into his son's face as he fought to keep his anger inside from turning to grief. "I can't give you anything more than I have already given to him. He bled us dry once, and I don't know if I can stand bye and watch him do it again."
JJ turned his head and looked into his father's eyes. The anger had given way to fear and grief, in spite of his best efforts. His hands remained where they were, but it was JJ's own will power that held him in place to where he was. The force behind Jack's attack was gone, and he now held his son with fear of letting go more than the anger of maintaining control.
Finally Helen was able to pull him away and JJ allowed himself to slump slightly. She led Jack over to the table as JJ leaned forward resting his weight on his bent knees. She held her husband's face and brushed away a few stray tears.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't think I was this upset."
"It's okay, Jack," she smiled sweetly. "We understand."
"JJ," Jack reached over and touched his sons arm. "I'm sorry son, I didn't mean to attack you like that."
Standing back to his full height, JJ tossed his head back as if in a defiant stand. "It's okay, Dad."
"No," Jack shook his head and pulled JJ closer. "It's not okay. You are the only one besides your Mother and I who remembers Richie, so it only stands to reason that you would be having a hard time with this too, and I should have taken that into consideration."
JJ nodded his head, but still had a look as if he were not totally convinced at what his father was telling him. Not saying another word, the father pulled his son into a hug, and much to his own surprise, JJ found he needed to return the gesture and hugged his father back.
After a few seconds, Jack pulled away and turned his attention to all of them who were in the room. "I just want to say something before your uncle gets here," he started. "I loved my brother once deeply, but he hurt me really bad, and I am having a hard time to believe that he would just come to town without an ulterior motive, but I don't want you kids to be upset by what we might say to each other or with our behavior at times during dinner. Richie has hurt enough people over the years, and I will not let him hurt my family again."
"We," Meg licked her dry lips. "We understand, Dad."
Every head in the room shot up and every eye widen as they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. Each gave the other a cautious glance.
"I'll get it," Patty was the first to speak up.
"No you will not," Helen stopped her from escaping. "You girls go finish setting the table and keep an eye on the stove while your father and I answer the door."
"What do I do?" JJ asked quietly.
"Go upstairs and help Will with a clean shirt," she pressed down his collar with her hands. "Please."
JJ nodded and started up the hall before them. He turned up the steps just as Jack, with Helen on his heals got to the phone table in the foyer. Jack stopped sharply and watched as his brothers figure moved slightly behind the thin curtain over the door's window.
"It' him," Helen said almost in a whisper in her husband's ear. "Open the door, Jack."
He nodded and took the last few steps. His hand reached the knob and slowly twisted it and released the grasp of the door to the frame and slowly pulled the object until he had a complete view of his younger brother.
JJ had stopped half way up the stairs and stooped to watch as the two girls huddled around the corner in the dinning room door with a view of the entrance way. They all watched their father attentively as his eyes met with his brother's for the first time in twelve years.
"Hi, Jack," Richie's voice seemed to loose it's breath as he fought to place a smile over his fear. "It's been a long time."
His hand was held out for a shake and Jack allowed his vision to gaze down at it.
"Jack," Helen tried to coax her husband. "Richie wants to shake your hand."
After a few seconds, they both realized the handshake was not going to happening, and Richie lowered his hand back to his side. "You're looking good Jack."
Lifting his eyes again, Jack's view took in his brother's face. He had not aged very much in all twelve years, but he looked haggard and tired. His eyes were underlined with wrings and the white around his corneas were all blood shot. The large braces cover most of his lower body and the slight swagger as if he were not able to stand in one place for very long, gave Jack a cause to worry, but he could not let his memory of his lost brother get in the way of hating this stranger that stood before him now. Jack took a step back slightly pushing Helen to one side.
"What's wrong, Jack?" she asked taking his arm.
Jack's head shook side to side as he continued to step back. "I can't do this," he stuttered. "I can't do the handshake or the small talk."
"Jack, please," Helen, pleaded trying to restrain him from leaving. "We can get through one simple dinner."
"No, Helen," He swung his head and pulled free from her grasp. "I can't do this," he turned sharply. "I won't do this."
"Jack," she yelled out to her husband as he rushed through the kitchen and out the back door.
Not knowing what to say, Helen turned back towards her brother in law with a silent puzzled look.
Richie plastered as fake smile on his face. "Well, that went well."
Again Helen stood silent as they all allowed the shock to set in.
When JJ entered the room he shared with his little brother, he found the young boy staring at his shirt that seemed not to fit very well. A smile came to his face in spite of the turmoil that was going through his mind. It seemed that Will, in his rush to get dressed and return to the action of a floor below, had missed one of the button holes on his shirt, and the left side of his shirt was two inches higher than his right.
With a sheepish look, Will glanced up at his big brother. "I can't get it to work right, JJ."
Sitting on the edge of his bed, the elder son waved him over to himself. "I'll fix it."
Will made his way over to where JJ sat and allowed him to unbutton his over shirt. "I know how to do it, JJ," he insisted as he watched. "This shirt is just broken."
"I can see that, buddy," JJ smiled meekly at him. "I think you might have made it worst by missing a button hole though. Let's see if I can fix both of the problems."
It took a few seconds for the task to be accomplished when JJ patted the shirt down neatly tucking it into his brother's waist. "There, that should work for now. Try not to break it again."
Inspecting his brother's work, Will lifted his head to see that JJ was not smiling anymore. He waited for him to say something, but JJ sat silent staring at the buttons, while deep within his own thought.
"JJ?" Will opened softly.
"Yeah, Thrill?" JJ returned looking up again.
"Why does Daddy hate Uncle Richie?" His innocent eyes bore deep into JJ's soul.
"I," he had to look away. "I don't think Dad and Uncle Richie hate each other so much as they have allot of anger that they haven't been able to work on since Uncle Richie left after the last fight all those years ago, and they haven't had a chance to work out their differences."
"Do you think we will ever fight like that?" Will asked.
"I hope not, Will," JJ patted his arms. "Maybe if we promise not to ever stay mad at each other, then we can make sure it will never happen."
"I promise," Will said nodding his head once, briskly.
"Me too, buddy," JJ chuckled. "Me too."
Will spun his head around and searched the room. "What do we do now?" He asked. "Should we go downstairs and eat?"
"Let's give the grown ups a few minutes," JJ stood up. "Mom will call us when supper is ready."
"Okay." Will spread his arms and then let them fall at his side. "Do you want to play a game?"
JJ made his way over to the window and saw the light in the garage was lit. Jack Pryor had retreated to his usual place of solace in times of distress, and was trying to busy himself with his latest project.
"JJ," Will called out.
"What is it," JJ divided his attention between the window and Will.
"Do you want to play a game with me?" Will asked.
The sight of his Uncle leaving the kitchen door and walking towards the garage got JJ's attention. "Not right now, Thrill," JJ said pressing his forehead to the windowpane. "Maybe later."
Will shrugged his shoulders at his brother's disinterest and reached for a small wooden airplane that sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed and began spinning the large propeller on the nose as JJ kept a watchful eye out the window.
Jack Pryor was sanding a block of wood on his worktable as he heard the old wooden door open and very heavy footsteps walking up behind him. The shuffling sound stopped a few feet away.
"I don't have anything to say to you," Jack said over his shoulder with a mater of fact tone.
"So you are just going to brush me off and ignore me after all this time?" Richie asked.
"Yeah," Jack shrugged his shoulders. "It almost like what you have done to us for the last twelve years."
"I left because I was given little choice in the matter," Richie said walking up next to his brother trying to remain calm. "My own family called me a disgrace and said they wanted nothing to do with me any longer. What was I suppose to do, Jack."
Jack stopped his sanding and leaned against the table. "You could have given us five minutes to work through the disappointment and then tried to meet us half way. But like with everything else in your life, you took the easy way out and then ran."
"That's not true Jack, and you know it," Richie grimaced. "My God Jack, I had to fight for every thing I ever got in my life because there were always people who were willing to beat me down for what I had, but I was tired of fighting. I didn't think I should have to fight for my own family. Not for revealing the truth."
"Why not fight, Richie," Jack turned to face him. "I sure as heck did a lot of fighting for you when we were kids."
"And don't you think I truly appreciated it?" Richie pleaded. "Jack. You were always more than just a big brother to me. You were my hero when we were growing up. I use to brag to all the other kids in school that I didn't have to buy those comic magazines that they were all spending their parent's money on, because I had my own Superman at home."
"Jack," Richie placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I didn't want to leave, but I could not live with the disappointment every time I looked in Pop's eyes. He was heart sick when I left the priesthood and then I had to go up against his church."
"Why did you have to attack the Church, Richie? It only made matters worst." Jack added sharply.
"I had to, Jack," Richie retorted. "I had to tell someone what I knew. To put and end to all the pain."
"Why hurt so many people when you still left the church?" Jack asked.
"You of all people know why I did it, Jack," Richie explained "For God's sake, Jack, how long were we suppose to keep silent? How many more people had to suffer for our secret?"
Jack pulled away from his brother, "Your need to clear the air destroyed our family and almost destroyed a whole church community"
"You don't know how much it broke me up inside to have to leave the church when I did, knowing that it would hurt Mom and Dad so much, but you also don't know what went on while I was in the priesthood," Richie spoke loudly. "I had to leave it to keep my own sanity, and I am not sorry for what I did. I feel that I have done this community a great service"
"You were wrong," Jack tossed his hands in the air. "You almost destroyed Saint Catharine's single handedly, Richie. It took us years to recover, and even more time to forget you ever were a part of our lives."
Richie braced himself against the table. "I never meant to hurt anyone, Jack. Much less my own parents, and it ripped me apart inside to know that they were hurting, but they were the ones who shut me out."
"No one wanted to do that Richie, but you never gave us a chance to work through it," Jack turned away. "You did what you always did, and ran for cover."
"That's not fair, Jack," Richie sniffed. "There were many fights I had to fight on my own when you were not around, but you only saw the ones where you jumped to the rescue before I even had a chance to react. I always ran because that was what you would tell me to do while you handled the bullies."
"You know what?" Jack put his right hand in the air. "I don't want to have this talk, because it doesn't matter. We've been good without you for twelve years, and we will be good for the next fifty."
Richie ran his right hand through the sawdust on the table. "Maybe I'm not fine, Jack. I want my family again. I know I can't begin where I left off, but I am willing to work on rebuilding our relationship."
With swift motion, Jack turned back and stared his brother down. "Don't bother, Richie. I don't want to have anything to do with you, and I don't want you coming around and bothering my family. Go back to what ever rock you crawled out from under and stay there."
The room became deathly silent, and the sound of the soft breeze rushing by the outer window became the over powering noise of the room as Richie searched for his brother behind Jack's steel cold eyes, but the boy he had grown up with and loved was gone, and a bitter middle age man stood in his place.
Slowly looking at the dust on his hand, Richie brushed his right with his left and placed both hands in his coat pocket. "Okay Jack," he said under his breath. "I understand how you feel, but there were things that happen that even you never knew about."
"That's the story of your life, Richie," Jack growled. "You have never been the one at fault."
"You know Jack," Richie stopped at the door and looked up to the heavens. "I can see how you would have me painted as the bad guy in all of this, but it might interest you to know that my idea for leaving Philadelphia was not entirely my own."
Jack looked back over his shoulder.
"I guess in the past twelve years that no one has ever bothered to tell you what happen after I left here that night," Richie added as he held back a few anguished tears. "You might try asking Pete what happen when I showed up at Mom and Pop's later that night. Maybe he could tell you how hurt I was when my own father asked me to leave town to help the family avoid any further embarrassment. My father told me to leave because he was planning on standing with the lies of the church and not me. I didn't fight, Jack, because I had nothing left to fight for."
It took Jack Pryor a minute to take in what he had just heard, and by the time he turned to face his brother again, the younger man was gone, and he stood alone in the cold empty garage with the harsh words between them hanging in the air.
Helen Pryor met her brother in law at the door to the kitchen and saw the hurt look on his face. It did not take much for her to know what had happen. "Oh Richie," she sighed. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Helen," Richie tried to put on a brave face. "Jack has been living with this hurt for twelve years. I was a fool to think he would forget it all in one night."
"I'm still sorry," she stood clenching a dishcloth as if for security.
He nodded and walked pass her. "Thank you for the dinner invitation, Helen. It might have been nice."
"Are you going to be in town a few days?" She asked as he walked towards the hall.
He stopped and looked back at her with a questionable look. "I don't think there is any point. Do you?"
"Please," Helen took a step closer. "Give him a few days and I'll talk to him."
"I don't know, Helen," he lowered his head.
"Richie," she placed a hand on his arm. "Don't run out on him. Not this time, please."
He met with her big blue eyes as he raised his head.
"Two days," she said with a small smile. "Give him two days, and try again, before you leave."
In all the years that he had known Helen, he had never been able to say no to his sister in law. She was the one true person besides Jack and JJ that Richie had been able to keep in his heart, and her power of influence over him was as strong now as it had been on the day she had convinced him to play Santa Claus for JJ's third Christmas when Jack could not make it home from work early enough in the blinding snow storm.
"Okay," he nodded. "For you."
She leaned in and hugged the man. "Thank you, Richie. Jack still cares, he just needs time to work through his feelings."
"I pray you are right, Helen," he pulled away and forced a smile.
It was then that JJ entered the room. "Well?"
Richie turned to his nephew. "Not this time, kiddo," he ginned sheepishly.
Scuffing the floor with his shoe, JJ looked away with a frown. "I'm sorry," he said balling his hands into fist inside his jean pockets.
"Hey," Richie pulled him in close. "Your Mom is right," he touched JJ's arm with one hand. "Give your Dad some time to work this out. Jack may be a strong pillar for you and your brother and sisters, but he's still my big brother who I hurt very much, and he needs a little time to get over the betrayal."
He ruffled his hand through his nephew's hair. "I love you, Jackie, and that will never change."
"Do you have your car?" Helen asked sniffing away a tear before it fell.
"No," Richie released JJ and turned back to her. "I am not able to drive with these braces, so I'll just go to the corner and wait for the bus."
"I'll drive you," JJ spoke up quickly.
"I don't," he started to say as Helen stopped him.
"JJ will drive you, Richie," she gave him a mock stern look. "Would you like me to pack you some food to take with you?"
"As much as I would love to taste your cooking again," Richie returned a polite smile. "I am not much in the mood for food right now. I don't have any way to keep if fresh or reheat it, so I'll pass."
"Okay," she kissed his cheek. "But you come by any afternoon you have a need for a piece of my world famous apple pie."
"I will," he nodded. "Thank you, Helen."
It was about fifteen minutes later when Jack had finally had enough of the cold garage and he made his way back into the house to find Helen dumping the drained noodles into a serving bowl as she stood over the sink with the colander of spaghetti. He made his way over to her and kissed her softly on the cheek.
"I asked JJ to drive Richie back to the hotel," she said as she attended her meal trying not to make it sound like anything out of the normal.
Jack walked over to the sauce and ran the large spoon through the thick red juice. "I'm sorry I ruin your dinner plans."
"I'm sorry Richie felt he couldn't stay," she said stepping to his side with the bowl.
"Uncle Pete is here," Patty entered the room with her youngest uncle in trail.
A stern look came to Jack's face as Helen turned to him.
"Patty," Helen handed her the bowl. "Could you take this into the dinning room and then run up and get Will for supper?"
"But JJ is not back yet," Patty protested taking the food.
"I know," Helen returned. "Just do it anyway."
Patty shrugged and left the room as instructed.
"Hey Jack," Pete smiled widely. "Hasn't our long lost brother showed up yet?"
"Helen," Jack spoke never once taking his eyes from his brother. "Could you give us a minute?"
"Sure," Helen said cautiously pouring the sauce into another servicing bowl. "I'll just take this into the dinning room."
Waiting for her to leave, Jack then spoke to his youngest sibling. "What happen that night after Richie left here for the last time, twelve years ago?"
Pete looked at Jack with a puzzled stare. "I don't understand," he spoke. "What did Richie tell you?"
"He said that you were the one who could tell me," Jack replied.
"I don't know what he was talking about," Pete shifted his weight nervously.
"Did Rich go over to Mom and Pop's after he left here?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, he might have," Pete rubbed his neck.
Jack allowed his eyes to drop to the floor.
"Come on Jack," Pete sighed. "What did Richie tell you?"
Jack pushed himself away from the counter and walked pass his baby brother. "Exactly what you are hoping he didn't, Pete. It seems while everyone was hating Richie, you were all lying to me."
"Jack," Pete turned quickly to him. "No one lied to you. Pop handled things in the best way he could. He wanted the family to be spared any further embarrassments, and he thought the best way to do that was to get Richie out of town for a while."
"Twelve years, Pete," Jack turned back sharply. "Pop has been dead for a long time, and still Richie didn't feel he could came back because he thought we all felt the same way."
"Pop was a stubborn man. He wasn't going to let anyone destroy his family or his church," Pete tried to explain. "It was better for everyone concerned if Richie just disappeared."
Jack stopped at the doorframe and rested his hand against it as he looked over his shoulder. "Pop was wrong, Pete. He was wrong about a lot of things."
When Jack and the others were in the dinning room, the doorbell rang. Meg jumped up from her seat and announced. "I'll get it."
Jack gave a disapproving sigh as she rushed away. "Who ever it is, telling them we are just about to eat and it will have to wait."
Pete came into the room and sat in the seat next to Will. He gave his older brother a careful glance. "Jack," he started.
"Not at my dinner table," Jack stopped him picking up the bowl of noodles.
The conversation went silent as each would look over at the other from time to time to try and gauge what the other was thinking.
When Meg had reached the door, she was both surprise and happy to find her best friend Roxanne standing there wearing unusually modest cloths for her. She wore a pale gray dress that almost hung to her ankles and a heavy navy blue sweeter under her full-length coat.
"This is a new look," Meg smiled in her usually perky way to her friend who seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Does this have anything to do with why you were not in any of your afternoon classes and didn't show up for Bandstand?"
"I'm in trouble, Meg," Roxanne pulled a stray string of hair from her face. "Sister Mary Margaret saw my slit skirt at school today and called me into her office. She had them call my mother out of work and she had to come to the school and listen as the Sister went over my entire school life's digressions."
Meg pulled her friend into the hall. "So what, it's not like your mother doesn't know that you been in trouble in the past," Meg frowned.
"Meg, it's time to eat!" Helen's voice called from the dinning room.
"I'll be right there, Mom," Meg called back. "Roxanne and I are going over a homework assignment."
"Meg," Roxanne almost seemed on the verge of tears. "My Mom promised Sister Mary Margaret that I would no longer be a problem to her. At first I didn't know what she meant, but when we got back home, she said that she didn't think she could handle me anymore."
With a grimace, Meg asked, "What does that mean?"
"She wants to send me away," Roxanne said looking deep into her friend's eyes.
"Roxanne," Jack's voice called out. "Take your jacket off and join us for dinner before Meg's plate get cold."
"We'll be right there," Meg called back.
"Roxanne," she took her arms and leaned in close. "What does your mother mean that she wants to send you away?"
"My Grand mother's sister Ester," Roxanne looked away with tears flowing. "She lives up in Boston, and my Mom wants me to go live with her for a while. It seems that even though Aunt Ester has never had children of her own, she is very discipline with other people's problem children."
"Boston?" Meg repeated. "That's like a thousand miles away."
"Closer to five hundred," Patty's voice came from the doorway a few steps away.
"Patty," Meg gave her a dirty look. "Were you listening in?"
"Dad told me to come get you so he could say the blessing," she replied looking at Roxanne. "Are you really going away?"
"I may have to," Roxanne wiped away some tears. "My Mom is really mad at me right now, and she said she doesn't know what else to do."
"She'll calm done," Meg tried to console her. "When everything settles down, you can talk to her and tell her that you are sorry, and everything will be okay."
Roxanne forced a small smile for a second, and then with a deflated tone, she spoke, "I have my bus ticket and the plans are made. I leave Friday after school."
Meg and Patty were both lost for words as Meg wrapped her arms around her best friend. "We'll figure something out," she said softly. "You are not going anywhere."
For most of the ride across the rainy city of Philadelphia, Richie had remained silent and watched out the window as the building and streets passed bye. Each streetlight was a fussy glow against the damp windows, and from time to time they would see a brave soul who had ventured out on the cool night. His mind wondered and his thoughts drifted as the scenery flashed past. In the previous months, he had learned to be a lone creature and did not want to long for the comfort of conversation. His nature had become that of a loner, and he was not even aware that he had not spoken for over ten minutes when JJ decided to break the silence.
"So what do you think of seeing Philadelphia again after being away for so long?" His voice seemed to echo in the silence of the large seating compartment.
"A lot has changed, Jackie," Richie said softly still glaring out the window. "Some for the better, but not all for the good."
"Everyone keeps talking about how the city is setting a trend for the future of this country," JJ smiled sharing his line of sight between looking at his uncle and watching the streets before him. "But I guess we have always been the future of the country ever since the Declaration of Independence was signed here."
"Independence Hall," Richie nodded with a grin. "I went there a few times when I was a kid. Your father and I use to like running through the courtyard over to the Liberty Bell. He use to joke about how all we needed was a big vise grip and some Elmer's Glue, and we could have that thing up and running in no time."
"Really," JJ chuckled as he drove. "Dad never told me that story. You guys must have had a million stories like that when you were growing up."
"Jack and I had allot of fun, Jackie," Richie kept grinning as his eyes looked over at him. "You remind me of him when he was your age."
"Really?" JJ shot him another glance. "I always thought I took more after Mom."
"The hair and the complexion maybe," Richie noted. "But you have your father's good looks, and dashing personality. I'm sure you are fighting off the girls just like he had to."
"I wouldn't say that," JJ laughed. "But I had a girlfriend or two in my time."
"I'm sure you do," Richie agreed. "You've grown up to be a good kid, Jackie. I'm sorry I wasn't around to see it happen."
"You're here now, Uncle Richie," JJ said with a serious brow. "Maybe we will have a chance to make up for some of the lost time."
Richie sat silently for a few minutes.
"Are you going to wait for a few days like Mom asked?" JJ broke the silence again.
"Yeah," Richie took in a deep breath. "I promised Helen, and I have never been able to deny her what ever she wanted."
"I'm glad," JJ smiled taking a long stare over at him. "Maybe we can go and get a burger some time while you are in town."
"I think we can do that," Richie nodded with a big grin. "I think I would really like that."
"Is this it?" JJ said leaning forward to look out the windshield.
"The Belmont," Richie read. "This is it Jackie."
JJ slid the car into a parking place a few yards from the door and Richie looked over at him with surprise as to why he hadn't driven up to the entrance.
"Is something wrong, Jackie?" Richie asked with concern.
"There might be," JJ reached back and pulled out his wallet. He unfolded it and pulled out a small metal medallion barely the size of an oblong nickel. The medal was pressed with the image of a young teenage boy holding a Bible and around the edges on either side of the figure were the words 'St. Dominic Savio.'
The sight of the long forgotten object took Richie's breath away. "Oh my God," he finally gasped. "You still have that?"
JJ turned slightly and held up the medal for his uncle who took it into his grasp. "It was first thing I ever remember you giving me, and the very last thing I kept."
Holding it to the dim light, a tear rolled down Richie cheek. "After all this time."
"I never told Mom or Dad I still had it, and I hid it from them so they wouldn't get rid of it like they did all the memories we had of you," JJ explained. "After Mom would come up and make sure I said my evening prayers, for the first few years after you left, I would pull that out of my secret hiding place and I would say an extra prayer for God to watch over you and to one day bring you home."
"Jackie," Richie looked up at his nephew who was fighting back his own tears. "I can't believe you would still have this and it would be so close to you."
"I always have it in my wallet under my picture of the family," JJ said. "I can still remember the day you gave it to me. You said he was the patron saint of boys and children, and he would look out for me because he was always the protector of good and Godly children just as himself."
"He was also known as the saint of Juvenile delinquents," Richie chuckled. "One time when he was away at boarding school, two boys had filled the stove with snow and garbage on a cold winter day, and when he was accused of the crime, he never spoke up even though he had not done it and was punished. When they later found out that he was innocent, he was asked why he didn't speak up, he said that he was imitating Jesus who remained silent during his persecution and crucifixion."
"He was born in Italy in the mid eighteen hundreds and was known as a great prayer and remarked that he wanted to be tailored into a new suite for the Lord," JJ remembered back. "He would always be praying for the other kids because he was afraid that they would fall into sin."
"Yeah," Richie sniffed. "You remembered everything I told you."
"I remember you said that he died when he was fifteen," JJ went on. "But he wasn't afraid because he was looking forward to seeing Heaven."
"His last words were," Richie stammered past his tears. " ' I am seeing such wonderful things.'" He paused for a moment. " Earlier in his life he said, 'I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God.'"
"I remember all of that," JJ remarked with a sniff. "I was barely five years old, but I remember everything you said. I remember all of our times together."
"That means the world to me, Jackie," Richie brushed away a tear. "I thought of you so often after I had left, but I could not bring myself to pick up a phone and just give you a call to say 'Hi'. I was afraid that your Dad wouldn't let me through, and I would only make matters worst."
After having turned away for a minute, JJ turned back with red eyes, but they were dry now. "This is a new day, Uncle Richie," JJ said with a week smile. "So I want you to take this medal, and hold onto it for a few days."
"I can't take this from you, Jackie," Richie protested.
"I'm not giving it to you," he returned with the same soft smile. "I want you to promise me that before you leave town, you will return that medallion to me personally. You can not leave without giving me back the only thing I still have from you, and without saying goodbye to my face this time."
Richie looked at the silver object for a long moment, and then wrapped his hand entirely around it. "I promise, Jackie."
They both leaned over and gave each other a long hug. "I'm glad your back, Uncle Richie."
"Me too, kiddo," Richie grinned pulling away.
JJ drove the car the last few yards and stopped before the front door of the Philadelphia Belmont Hotel. A uniformed dressed doorman opened the car door and helped Richie to climb out. Richie leaned his head back in and winked at JJ.
"See you in a few days, Jackie" he said with a large smile.
"I'll be waiting," JJ said back, and then Richie closed his door and stepped away from the curb. We watched with an aching heart as his favorite nephew drove off into the night.
Once JJ was out of sight, Richie turned around and found that even though the doorman had returned to his post, he was not alone. A tall stately looking man with the same handsome Pryor features from his brothers with the dark hair and square jaw stood before him. His temples were slightly grayer than the others, and his build a little more filled out. It did not take long for Richie to recognize the man.
"So Ted," he greeted his eldest brother. "To what do I owe the honor of you drudging all the way down town?"
"I heard you were back in town, and I have as little time for you now as I always have, Richie," Ted spoke coldly with a scowl. "So I'll make it quick and easy. How much will it take to get you out of town this time?"
Richie did not say a word, but simply stared up at his brother with a frown of disapproval.
To Be Continued:
Author's notes:
Thank you to any and all who have taken the time to read this story. I hope I am making it worth your while with all the trouble I seem to be having getting onto Fan Fiction .com these last few days.
To Sarah: Thank you for the kind words. I hope you will continue to read.
To Danielle: Thank you for your raves, and I would be happy to read your stories if I could figure out which ones they are. There are a million listed Danielle on this sight, and American Dreams has a Dani which I read both stories and have liked, so if you could help me pin point your by logging in before your next review, (If you choose to give one.) then that will help a bundle.
To Sevhevcracksmeup: Thank you for the rave. I do try hard to please you and myself, so I hope the rest of the story is to your liking as well. Please keep the comments coming.
Thank you all again and I look forward to more reviews.
PS: I have been trying to post this chapter for days, and have not been able to. SO if you are reading this, I am sorry, and I will have the next chapter up ASAP.