"Dad, that's not going to help." Sydney said, attempting to stop her father from pouring a third shot of scotch.
"She's right, you know." They turned as Jack's father entered the room. "Whatever's bothering you isn't going away by using that stuff."
"When the hell did you start preaching temperance?" Jack asked, not really wanting an answer.
"Haven't touched a drop in almost 15 years." His father told him.
"Good for you." Jack replied as he drank down half the glass.
"Jon, I'm sorry. That protest crack was uncalled for." Don said apologetically.
"Yes, it was. How dare you question my father's patriotism?" Sydney chided him.
"Spunky little thing, isn't she?" Don said to Jack.
"Yea," he answered.
"Guess she's got more than just Laura's looks."
"Yea," he answered again.
Don wanted to say more, but he could tell by the coldness in Jacks voice that he wasn't ready to talk. "Well, I should be going." As he started to walk away, he turned around and said, "Jon, it was good to see you again. You too Sydney."
As his father left the room Jack finished the last have of his drink.
Sara gave her brother a hug as he left the house. She told him that she was sorry things hadn't gone well. He told that he really didn't expect anything different.
After Don left Sara went into the dining room and instructed Jack and Sydney to return to the kitchen as lunch was served. When Jack hesitated she walked over and taking him by the arm she led him back into the kitchen.
"Now sit down and eat, all of you." Sara said as she sat down.
Carolyn tried to lighten up the mood by asking why Jack and Sydney had been to London. They lied and told her that they were on vacation.
"You know, your father's mellowed quite a bit over the years," Sara said, interrupting Sydney's description of a non-existent trip to Buckingham Place.
"I really don't want to talk about him." Jack informed his Aunt.
Sara Bristow Montgomery was never one for holding back her opinions. Against Jack's protests she continued to try and convince him to give his father a chance to make amends for the past.
When he realized that Sara was not going to drop the matter, Jack stood up and said, "That's it, Sydney, we're leaving."
Before Sydney had a chance to react, Sara raised her voice and ordered Jack to sit down.
"I am not a child anymore Aunt Sara, I will not be talked to like one." Jack informed her.
"Then stop acting like one and sit down." Sara barked at him.
Reluctantly, and to Sydney's surprise, Jack sat down as he was instructed.
"I know your father made a lot of mistakes, but at least he tried to fix things with you." Sara pointed out.
"I don't know what he told you, but I haven't talked to him since ...."
"Since you threw him out of your house?" Sara said, interrupting him.
"Yes." Jack answered, callously.
"Dad, why did you do that?" Sydney asked.
"I threw him out because he accused your mother of industrial espionage." He let the irony of that sink in.
"I don't understand." Sydney replied.
Jack was really not in the mood to discuss any of this. As hard as he tried to block out the memory, the argument was as clear today as it was the day that it happened. Reluctantly he continued with the story.
"At the time I was working for Aero-Tech." Sydney knew that Aero-Tech was just a CIA operational cover. "We had been living in California for about 2 years, when he came for a visit. He had only been there for three days before he started to tell lies about your mother. He accused her of going through my briefcase and taking pictures of the documents that were in there. Then he claimed that she had a wireless telephone and she was making calls in the middle of the night to someone with whom she spoke to in Russian. Ridiculous wasn't it?"
Sydney heard the sarcasm and pain in Jack's voice as he continued with the story.
"After he told me about this I asked her for an explanation. Although she was very hurt that, I would mistrust her, she effortlessly offered perfectly reasonable explanations for everything that he thought he saw. The cold war was still in full swing when I married your mother. My father hated her simply because she was Russian. So of course he wouldn't accept her perfectly reasonable explanations. He called her a liar and me a jackass for believing her. I told him to apologize to my wife or leave my house. He said he would never apologize to a communist, for anything. So I told him to get out."
Sydney did see the irony in the story. Jack stopped talking to his father 25 years ago because he discovered the truth about her mother and he tried to tell him.
"So you haven't talked to your father in all this time because he never apologized for calling Mom a spy?" Sydney asked incredulously.
Before Jack had a chance to answer, Sara pointed out that Don did apologize. She claimed that he called about 3 months later and apologized directly to Laura. He then spent the next six months attempting to reach Jack by phone. Not only did Don attempt to contact Jack, but so did Sara and Carolyn. Whenever anyone called Laura informed them that Jack was not available, but that she had given him the messages.
"We stopped calling after you sent that terrible letter, telling us to stop bothering you." Carolyn told him.
Jack turned to his cousin. He looked at her as though he was trying to comprehend what she had just said. He then looked down at his hands. He didn't know what to say.
"Jon," Sara called to him. "Look at me Jon." She waited until he looked up. Even after all these years, she knew how to read him. "You never sent that letter, did you? You never got any of those messages, did you?"
"She's right, you know." They turned as Jack's father entered the room. "Whatever's bothering you isn't going away by using that stuff."
"When the hell did you start preaching temperance?" Jack asked, not really wanting an answer.
"Haven't touched a drop in almost 15 years." His father told him.
"Good for you." Jack replied as he drank down half the glass.
"Jon, I'm sorry. That protest crack was uncalled for." Don said apologetically.
"Yes, it was. How dare you question my father's patriotism?" Sydney chided him.
"Spunky little thing, isn't she?" Don said to Jack.
"Yea," he answered.
"Guess she's got more than just Laura's looks."
"Yea," he answered again.
Don wanted to say more, but he could tell by the coldness in Jacks voice that he wasn't ready to talk. "Well, I should be going." As he started to walk away, he turned around and said, "Jon, it was good to see you again. You too Sydney."
As his father left the room Jack finished the last have of his drink.
Sara gave her brother a hug as he left the house. She told him that she was sorry things hadn't gone well. He told that he really didn't expect anything different.
After Don left Sara went into the dining room and instructed Jack and Sydney to return to the kitchen as lunch was served. When Jack hesitated she walked over and taking him by the arm she led him back into the kitchen.
"Now sit down and eat, all of you." Sara said as she sat down.
Carolyn tried to lighten up the mood by asking why Jack and Sydney had been to London. They lied and told her that they were on vacation.
"You know, your father's mellowed quite a bit over the years," Sara said, interrupting Sydney's description of a non-existent trip to Buckingham Place.
"I really don't want to talk about him." Jack informed his Aunt.
Sara Bristow Montgomery was never one for holding back her opinions. Against Jack's protests she continued to try and convince him to give his father a chance to make amends for the past.
When he realized that Sara was not going to drop the matter, Jack stood up and said, "That's it, Sydney, we're leaving."
Before Sydney had a chance to react, Sara raised her voice and ordered Jack to sit down.
"I am not a child anymore Aunt Sara, I will not be talked to like one." Jack informed her.
"Then stop acting like one and sit down." Sara barked at him.
Reluctantly, and to Sydney's surprise, Jack sat down as he was instructed.
"I know your father made a lot of mistakes, but at least he tried to fix things with you." Sara pointed out.
"I don't know what he told you, but I haven't talked to him since ...."
"Since you threw him out of your house?" Sara said, interrupting him.
"Yes." Jack answered, callously.
"Dad, why did you do that?" Sydney asked.
"I threw him out because he accused your mother of industrial espionage." He let the irony of that sink in.
"I don't understand." Sydney replied.
Jack was really not in the mood to discuss any of this. As hard as he tried to block out the memory, the argument was as clear today as it was the day that it happened. Reluctantly he continued with the story.
"At the time I was working for Aero-Tech." Sydney knew that Aero-Tech was just a CIA operational cover. "We had been living in California for about 2 years, when he came for a visit. He had only been there for three days before he started to tell lies about your mother. He accused her of going through my briefcase and taking pictures of the documents that were in there. Then he claimed that she had a wireless telephone and she was making calls in the middle of the night to someone with whom she spoke to in Russian. Ridiculous wasn't it?"
Sydney heard the sarcasm and pain in Jack's voice as he continued with the story.
"After he told me about this I asked her for an explanation. Although she was very hurt that, I would mistrust her, she effortlessly offered perfectly reasonable explanations for everything that he thought he saw. The cold war was still in full swing when I married your mother. My father hated her simply because she was Russian. So of course he wouldn't accept her perfectly reasonable explanations. He called her a liar and me a jackass for believing her. I told him to apologize to my wife or leave my house. He said he would never apologize to a communist, for anything. So I told him to get out."
Sydney did see the irony in the story. Jack stopped talking to his father 25 years ago because he discovered the truth about her mother and he tried to tell him.
"So you haven't talked to your father in all this time because he never apologized for calling Mom a spy?" Sydney asked incredulously.
Before Jack had a chance to answer, Sara pointed out that Don did apologize. She claimed that he called about 3 months later and apologized directly to Laura. He then spent the next six months attempting to reach Jack by phone. Not only did Don attempt to contact Jack, but so did Sara and Carolyn. Whenever anyone called Laura informed them that Jack was not available, but that she had given him the messages.
"We stopped calling after you sent that terrible letter, telling us to stop bothering you." Carolyn told him.
Jack turned to his cousin. He looked at her as though he was trying to comprehend what she had just said. He then looked down at his hands. He didn't know what to say.
"Jon," Sara called to him. "Look at me Jon." She waited until he looked up. Even after all these years, she knew how to read him. "You never sent that letter, did you? You never got any of those messages, did you?"