"Johnny, are you hungry? We kept a plate for you." Sara told him.
"No," he answered. "We have to go. Are you ready, Sydney?"
Sydney told him that she had accepted Sara's invitation for them to spend the night. Jack tried to argue with her about why they couldn't stay, but he was too exhausted to put up much of a fight.
Once it was determined that they were going to stay the night, Don started to leave. Before he left Jack said to Sydney, "Do you want to hear something funny?"
"Maybe in the morning Dad, you need to get some rest."
"He thinks I've been a good father to you. Isn't that funny?" Jack said, ignoring her comment. "Tell him Sydney. Tell him what kind of father I was to you."
"Dad, don't do this." She pleaded with him.
Jack sat back and slouched down in his seat. "Sydney, you don't have to lie. These people are your family. Family always knows your flaws. But you wouldn't know that, would you?"
He turned his head to look at his father and said, "You see, Sydney grew up without a family. She didn't have an Aunt Sara to take care of her after her mother died. She didn't even have a father to tuck her in at night, or teach her to ride a bike, or go fishing, or..." Then he turned to Sydney and said, "Or what Sydney? I don't even know what a father does."
Sydney had seen her father in a lot of different moods, but self pity was never one of them. She knew it was coming from more than just the fact that he had too much alcohol and not enough rest.
"Dad, we had long trip, you should go lay down."
Still slouched back on the couch, he said, "No, I didn't get a chance to visit with Aunt Sara."
Then asked, "Did you have a nice visit with her?"
Before Sydney had a chance to answer, Sara told him, "We can visit in the morning, before you leave."
Don sat down on a straight back chair. He decided that maybe it would be best if he stayed awhile longer. Jack turned to him and asked, "You still babysitting me?"
Don didn't answer.
Then Jack saw the photo album sitting on the end table. He sat up and started to flip though the pages. "Did you tell her about everyone?" he asked his aunt.
"I did," Sara told him.
As he continued to flip though the pictures he asked her, "Did you tell her everything?"
"We talked about a lot of things. I told her everything that was important for her to know," Sara answered him.
Jack stopped at the last picture that was taken of the four Bristow's. Sean was in his Army uniform. It was taken the morning he shipped out.
Without looking up from the album, he said, "You didn't tell her everything, did you?"
"Whatever I left out, you can tell her in the morning," Sara told him. "No!" he yelled as he slammed the book shut. "I've kept secrets from her all of her life because I was too afraid to tell her the truth. You were suppose to do it for me." Then closing his eyes he said, "I've always been too much of coward to tell her the truth about anything."
"Dad, you're not a coward. You're one of the bravest men I've ever known," Sydney said, as she sat on the couch next to him.
"No, Sydney," he said, as he looked at her and slowly shook his head. "I am a coward. I've run from things all my life. I ran from you, didn't I? I ran from here. Before that I ran from Sean. I couldn't even go and help bury my own brother."
Sydney noticed the rims of his eyes turning red as he quietly said, "I ran away from my mother when she needed me."
Before he had a chance to say anything more Sara said sharply, "Johnny, stop this right now. You've had too much to drink and you're tired. You go to bed now and we can talk more in the morning."
"No," he said as he sat up. "She has to know the truth, right now. You too, Dad. It's time you heard the truth, too."
Don had no idea what truth they were talking about. He also wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Listen...Jack, you need to go to bed before you say something you'll regret for the next 25 years."
"No," he said, as he stood up and started to pace the living room. "I'm sick of lies and cover-ups and deceit. It has to stop now."
Sara walked over to him and placing her hand on his arm she told him, "Stop it right now. There's been enough talk for one day. You've got all day tomorrow to talk." It was obvious that she was trying to prevent him from saying something.
Jack placed his hand on the side of her face and said, "Its OK, you kept my secret for long enough. You don't have to do it anymore."
"Johnny, please. Do this in the morning." Sara pleading with him.
"No," he said softly. "I have to do this now." With his hand still resting on Sara's face he looked at this father and said, "Aunt Sara didn't find her first. I did."
It wasn't necessary to say who the 'her' was. Don knew immediately that he was talking about Rebecca. Jack sat down in the chair that Sara had been sitting in earlier. His breathing sped up as he watched a look of confusion appear on his father's face.
Sydney walked over and sat on the ottoman that was in front of him. "Dad, are you sure you want to do this, now?" she said as she placed her hand on his knee.
"Yes," he said, as he looked over at his father. Carolyn had moved over to Don and had her hands resting on his shoulders for support. She always knew there was something out of place in the story of her aunt's death.
Jack swallowed the lump that has formed in his throat. He looked directly at his father and said, "I heard you talking once. You said that the doctors told you that if Mom was brought in an hour earlier they could have saved her."
"That's right," Don confirmed for him.
Sydney watched as the rims of Jack's eyes started to turn red again. He looked at his father and told him, "I found her an hour earlier. I came home from school and saw her. I ran out of the house to Aunt Sara's. But she wasn't home. I sat on the back porch and waited for her to come home."
This was not what Don was expecting. He didn't understand why his son would do something like that.
"Why didn't you call for help?"
He started to give an excuse or was it an explanation? In the end, he didn't do either. Instead he sat back in his chair and said, "I don't know."
"Wait a minute," Sara said, as she came and sat on the other half of the ottoman and said to Jack, "That's not the whole story. If want them to know everything, then you tell them everything!"
"No," he answered. "We have to go. Are you ready, Sydney?"
Sydney told him that she had accepted Sara's invitation for them to spend the night. Jack tried to argue with her about why they couldn't stay, but he was too exhausted to put up much of a fight.
Once it was determined that they were going to stay the night, Don started to leave. Before he left Jack said to Sydney, "Do you want to hear something funny?"
"Maybe in the morning Dad, you need to get some rest."
"He thinks I've been a good father to you. Isn't that funny?" Jack said, ignoring her comment. "Tell him Sydney. Tell him what kind of father I was to you."
"Dad, don't do this." She pleaded with him.
Jack sat back and slouched down in his seat. "Sydney, you don't have to lie. These people are your family. Family always knows your flaws. But you wouldn't know that, would you?"
He turned his head to look at his father and said, "You see, Sydney grew up without a family. She didn't have an Aunt Sara to take care of her after her mother died. She didn't even have a father to tuck her in at night, or teach her to ride a bike, or go fishing, or..." Then he turned to Sydney and said, "Or what Sydney? I don't even know what a father does."
Sydney had seen her father in a lot of different moods, but self pity was never one of them. She knew it was coming from more than just the fact that he had too much alcohol and not enough rest.
"Dad, we had long trip, you should go lay down."
Still slouched back on the couch, he said, "No, I didn't get a chance to visit with Aunt Sara."
Then asked, "Did you have a nice visit with her?"
Before Sydney had a chance to answer, Sara told him, "We can visit in the morning, before you leave."
Don sat down on a straight back chair. He decided that maybe it would be best if he stayed awhile longer. Jack turned to him and asked, "You still babysitting me?"
Don didn't answer.
Then Jack saw the photo album sitting on the end table. He sat up and started to flip though the pages. "Did you tell her about everyone?" he asked his aunt.
"I did," Sara told him.
As he continued to flip though the pictures he asked her, "Did you tell her everything?"
"We talked about a lot of things. I told her everything that was important for her to know," Sara answered him.
Jack stopped at the last picture that was taken of the four Bristow's. Sean was in his Army uniform. It was taken the morning he shipped out.
Without looking up from the album, he said, "You didn't tell her everything, did you?"
"Whatever I left out, you can tell her in the morning," Sara told him. "No!" he yelled as he slammed the book shut. "I've kept secrets from her all of her life because I was too afraid to tell her the truth. You were suppose to do it for me." Then closing his eyes he said, "I've always been too much of coward to tell her the truth about anything."
"Dad, you're not a coward. You're one of the bravest men I've ever known," Sydney said, as she sat on the couch next to him.
"No, Sydney," he said, as he looked at her and slowly shook his head. "I am a coward. I've run from things all my life. I ran from you, didn't I? I ran from here. Before that I ran from Sean. I couldn't even go and help bury my own brother."
Sydney noticed the rims of his eyes turning red as he quietly said, "I ran away from my mother when she needed me."
Before he had a chance to say anything more Sara said sharply, "Johnny, stop this right now. You've had too much to drink and you're tired. You go to bed now and we can talk more in the morning."
"No," he said as he sat up. "She has to know the truth, right now. You too, Dad. It's time you heard the truth, too."
Don had no idea what truth they were talking about. He also wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Listen...Jack, you need to go to bed before you say something you'll regret for the next 25 years."
"No," he said, as he stood up and started to pace the living room. "I'm sick of lies and cover-ups and deceit. It has to stop now."
Sara walked over to him and placing her hand on his arm she told him, "Stop it right now. There's been enough talk for one day. You've got all day tomorrow to talk." It was obvious that she was trying to prevent him from saying something.
Jack placed his hand on the side of her face and said, "Its OK, you kept my secret for long enough. You don't have to do it anymore."
"Johnny, please. Do this in the morning." Sara pleading with him.
"No," he said softly. "I have to do this now." With his hand still resting on Sara's face he looked at this father and said, "Aunt Sara didn't find her first. I did."
It wasn't necessary to say who the 'her' was. Don knew immediately that he was talking about Rebecca. Jack sat down in the chair that Sara had been sitting in earlier. His breathing sped up as he watched a look of confusion appear on his father's face.
Sydney walked over and sat on the ottoman that was in front of him. "Dad, are you sure you want to do this, now?" she said as she placed her hand on his knee.
"Yes," he said, as he looked over at his father. Carolyn had moved over to Don and had her hands resting on his shoulders for support. She always knew there was something out of place in the story of her aunt's death.
Jack swallowed the lump that has formed in his throat. He looked directly at his father and said, "I heard you talking once. You said that the doctors told you that if Mom was brought in an hour earlier they could have saved her."
"That's right," Don confirmed for him.
Sydney watched as the rims of Jack's eyes started to turn red again. He looked at his father and told him, "I found her an hour earlier. I came home from school and saw her. I ran out of the house to Aunt Sara's. But she wasn't home. I sat on the back porch and waited for her to come home."
This was not what Don was expecting. He didn't understand why his son would do something like that.
"Why didn't you call for help?"
He started to give an excuse or was it an explanation? In the end, he didn't do either. Instead he sat back in his chair and said, "I don't know."
"Wait a minute," Sara said, as she came and sat on the other half of the ottoman and said to Jack, "That's not the whole story. If want them to know everything, then you tell them everything!"