"Secrets Revealed" Chapter 2
Written by: Erin
Phoebus felt like somebody had punched him in the gut when he heard the words that came out of his own mother's mouth. He opened his mouth to reply, but for the first time, nothing came out. His face went through many different emotions throughout the next few seconds: surprise, a bit of happiness, and then finally anger. Anger at his mother, his flesh and blood.
"Phobus, just say something, please," Maggie pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears at the anger she saw on his handsome face.
"How could you keep a secret such as this from me all my life?" He finally snapped, suddenly realizing that his mother was holding his hand and he yanked it away, "It would have been a little different if you mentioned that I had a long- lost cousin, but to find out that a FRIEND of mine, who has been to hell and back his whole life, is actually a member of my family..."
"Will you please just let me explain why I kept this from you? I seriously thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that it would be better if you never knew about him, after seeing that child as an infant-"
"But you never got a chance to know him, mother," Phoebus angrily glared, "He's Esmeralda's best friend; and not only did he save her life more then once, but mine and the entire city of Paris last year! Just tell me one thing, would you have still kept this from me if I had not written you that letter?"
Maggie was speachless as she contemplated that question. Would she have told him the truth? The answer came as a shock to her, but she finally, reluctantly, shook her head, "No, Phoebus. I would not have."
Shaking his own head in disbelief, the ex-soldier rose from his seat and stared down at the woman who had bore him, "I should have known." He started to turn away and head back towards the kitchen when his mother's pleading voice sounded behind him.
"Phoebus, don't go, please! Just sit back down and talk with me!"
"What else is there to talk about? You already admited that you've lied to me all my life. What else do you want to say? That I have another brother or sister?" Phoebus snapped, turning around and folding his arms.
The tears starting to slowly roll down her face, Maggie tried once again, "Please, just sit down." When her son stubbornly stood in his place, the woman sighed heavily and reluctantly nodded, excepting that it was no use, "Then just hear me out."
Silence followed once more until Phoebus answered, "I'm listening."
"Darling, this was 20 years ago, and I was prejudice back then. More then I am now, even though I wish I wasn't. When your friend the bellringer-uh, Quasimodo, was born to my sister, the first thing that came to my mind was that I didn't want to be in that creature's life. When I found out that my sister had died trying to save him, I took off and it wasn't until after Quasimodo was made bellringer of Notre Dame that I realized that this young man was my sister's child, and was being taken care of by Judge Claude Frollo. I just couldn't bring myself to reveal who I was, even after all the stories I heard about him, and even after I heard about what happened last year. You know how word spreads around here."
"And yet, you still wouldn't tell me the truth if I had not gotten a hold of you," Phoebus stated, his eyes narrowing, "Gosh, mother, you're just as bad as the rest of the town was when Quasi first stepped foot out of that tower! Only this time, one of those people is his own aunt. I think I've heard enough." Turning back around, Phoebus headed back towards the door.
"Y-You're not leaving, are you?" Maggie uttered weakly.
"After I inform Esmeralda of this, we're out of here." He curtly replied, shutting the door behind him.
Surprised and confused that Phoebus never returned to the dinner table, Esmeralda excused herself and went in search for him. The house wasn't all that big, so it didn't take long before the gypsy girl found her fiance sitting by himself in his old bedroom, apparently deep in thought. He looked so upset and disappointed at the same time that Esmeralda could only wonder what had happened between him and his mother moments ago.
"What happeend?" She asked without knocking on the door, as it was wide open. Glad that he didn't appear shocked to see her and happy when he grinned slightly at her, Phoebus moved over on his bed to make room for her. As she sat down, Esmeralda looked deep into his face, questions in her beautiful green eyes.
"I don't even know where to begin, Esme," He shook his head, gazing up at the ceiling, "Gosh, where do I start?"
"Just tell me then," She answered simply with a shrug of her shoulders, winking at him.
"It's not that easy, Esmeralda, although I wish it was," With a sigh, he turned her way, complete trust in his eyes towards her, "I'm about to tell you something, and it's going to come as a complete shock to you. I'm still trying to get over it myself; I just can't face my mother again until after I tell you and until I make sense of all this..." Noticing that her silence meant for him to continue, Phoebus drew in a long breath and let it out slowly, "First of all, my mother has nothing against gypsies, thank God. That wasn't why she left like she did. The reason was...she told me that she had a secret she had kept from me my entire life."
"Phoebus, please, just get to the point," Esmeralda started to grow impatient, wanting just to know why her beloved was acting the way he was.
"You know how Quasi found out just before Frollo's death that his mother died trying to save him?" Esmeralda nodded, "Um...my mother knew Quasi's mother." As his future wife raised an eyebrow, Phoebus concluded, "She was her sister."
Slowly putting two and two together, Esmeralda raised a hand to her mouth and finally whispered, "Quasi's...Quasi's your COUSIN?" As Phoebus nodded her head, Esmeralda became utterly speachless, which was a new thing for her. Her best friend was her fiance's cousin? Maggie was Quasi's aunt, and she had never told him until now?
"What are you thinking, Esme?" Phoebus' voice was suddenly filled with more emotion then he had ever thought possible, "I need to know what you're thinking."
Blinking back tears from her eyes as this sunk into her head, the gypsy whispered shakily, "You have got to tell him, Phoebus. You have got to tell Quasi the truth, that's all I can say."
His eyes widening in shock, Phoebus cried out, "But HOW? What am I supposed to say? 'Oh Quasi, I forgot to tell you. I'm your cousin, and my mother is your aunt.' What's he going to think when he finds out a member of his family is someone he sees every day?"
"You can't keep it from him," Esmeralda firmly stated, a roughness appearing in her voice that he remembered back when they first met, "Either you tell him, or I will. Quasi has always been honest with us, and it's our turn to be honest with him. After all he's done for us, this is the least we can do to reunite him with a few members of his family..."
"My mother doesn't want to see him, Esme!" Phoebus stated.
"Did she tell you that in those exact words?" She shot back, her eyes narrowing, "Or are you just assuming?"
"It's totally obvious after the way she talked about him back there," He replied, growing agitated. He knew his mother better then Sasha, and he could read her like a book.
Sighing, Esmeralda shook her head and looked down at her hands, "Look, Phoebus. He doesn't have to meet her yet, but he already knows you. For God's sake, you're one of his closest friends! You know how much he has been longing for a family, and when he finds out that you're one of them..." Tears started to spring to her eyes just then, "That would just make his day, Phoebus, I just know it." Feeling uncomfortable with the silence that was coming from her fiance, she continued, "You know how much I love you, and how much I love Quasi like anyone would love their best friend. But if you don't tell him this, I can't marry you."
To be continued...
Written by: Erin
Phoebus felt like somebody had punched him in the gut when he heard the words that came out of his own mother's mouth. He opened his mouth to reply, but for the first time, nothing came out. His face went through many different emotions throughout the next few seconds: surprise, a bit of happiness, and then finally anger. Anger at his mother, his flesh and blood.
"Phobus, just say something, please," Maggie pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears at the anger she saw on his handsome face.
"How could you keep a secret such as this from me all my life?" He finally snapped, suddenly realizing that his mother was holding his hand and he yanked it away, "It would have been a little different if you mentioned that I had a long- lost cousin, but to find out that a FRIEND of mine, who has been to hell and back his whole life, is actually a member of my family..."
"Will you please just let me explain why I kept this from you? I seriously thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that it would be better if you never knew about him, after seeing that child as an infant-"
"But you never got a chance to know him, mother," Phoebus angrily glared, "He's Esmeralda's best friend; and not only did he save her life more then once, but mine and the entire city of Paris last year! Just tell me one thing, would you have still kept this from me if I had not written you that letter?"
Maggie was speachless as she contemplated that question. Would she have told him the truth? The answer came as a shock to her, but she finally, reluctantly, shook her head, "No, Phoebus. I would not have."
Shaking his own head in disbelief, the ex-soldier rose from his seat and stared down at the woman who had bore him, "I should have known." He started to turn away and head back towards the kitchen when his mother's pleading voice sounded behind him.
"Phoebus, don't go, please! Just sit back down and talk with me!"
"What else is there to talk about? You already admited that you've lied to me all my life. What else do you want to say? That I have another brother or sister?" Phoebus snapped, turning around and folding his arms.
The tears starting to slowly roll down her face, Maggie tried once again, "Please, just sit down." When her son stubbornly stood in his place, the woman sighed heavily and reluctantly nodded, excepting that it was no use, "Then just hear me out."
Silence followed once more until Phoebus answered, "I'm listening."
"Darling, this was 20 years ago, and I was prejudice back then. More then I am now, even though I wish I wasn't. When your friend the bellringer-uh, Quasimodo, was born to my sister, the first thing that came to my mind was that I didn't want to be in that creature's life. When I found out that my sister had died trying to save him, I took off and it wasn't until after Quasimodo was made bellringer of Notre Dame that I realized that this young man was my sister's child, and was being taken care of by Judge Claude Frollo. I just couldn't bring myself to reveal who I was, even after all the stories I heard about him, and even after I heard about what happened last year. You know how word spreads around here."
"And yet, you still wouldn't tell me the truth if I had not gotten a hold of you," Phoebus stated, his eyes narrowing, "Gosh, mother, you're just as bad as the rest of the town was when Quasi first stepped foot out of that tower! Only this time, one of those people is his own aunt. I think I've heard enough." Turning back around, Phoebus headed back towards the door.
"Y-You're not leaving, are you?" Maggie uttered weakly.
"After I inform Esmeralda of this, we're out of here." He curtly replied, shutting the door behind him.
Surprised and confused that Phoebus never returned to the dinner table, Esmeralda excused herself and went in search for him. The house wasn't all that big, so it didn't take long before the gypsy girl found her fiance sitting by himself in his old bedroom, apparently deep in thought. He looked so upset and disappointed at the same time that Esmeralda could only wonder what had happened between him and his mother moments ago.
"What happeend?" She asked without knocking on the door, as it was wide open. Glad that he didn't appear shocked to see her and happy when he grinned slightly at her, Phoebus moved over on his bed to make room for her. As she sat down, Esmeralda looked deep into his face, questions in her beautiful green eyes.
"I don't even know where to begin, Esme," He shook his head, gazing up at the ceiling, "Gosh, where do I start?"
"Just tell me then," She answered simply with a shrug of her shoulders, winking at him.
"It's not that easy, Esmeralda, although I wish it was," With a sigh, he turned her way, complete trust in his eyes towards her, "I'm about to tell you something, and it's going to come as a complete shock to you. I'm still trying to get over it myself; I just can't face my mother again until after I tell you and until I make sense of all this..." Noticing that her silence meant for him to continue, Phoebus drew in a long breath and let it out slowly, "First of all, my mother has nothing against gypsies, thank God. That wasn't why she left like she did. The reason was...she told me that she had a secret she had kept from me my entire life."
"Phoebus, please, just get to the point," Esmeralda started to grow impatient, wanting just to know why her beloved was acting the way he was.
"You know how Quasi found out just before Frollo's death that his mother died trying to save him?" Esmeralda nodded, "Um...my mother knew Quasi's mother." As his future wife raised an eyebrow, Phoebus concluded, "She was her sister."
Slowly putting two and two together, Esmeralda raised a hand to her mouth and finally whispered, "Quasi's...Quasi's your COUSIN?" As Phoebus nodded her head, Esmeralda became utterly speachless, which was a new thing for her. Her best friend was her fiance's cousin? Maggie was Quasi's aunt, and she had never told him until now?
"What are you thinking, Esme?" Phoebus' voice was suddenly filled with more emotion then he had ever thought possible, "I need to know what you're thinking."
Blinking back tears from her eyes as this sunk into her head, the gypsy whispered shakily, "You have got to tell him, Phoebus. You have got to tell Quasi the truth, that's all I can say."
His eyes widening in shock, Phoebus cried out, "But HOW? What am I supposed to say? 'Oh Quasi, I forgot to tell you. I'm your cousin, and my mother is your aunt.' What's he going to think when he finds out a member of his family is someone he sees every day?"
"You can't keep it from him," Esmeralda firmly stated, a roughness appearing in her voice that he remembered back when they first met, "Either you tell him, or I will. Quasi has always been honest with us, and it's our turn to be honest with him. After all he's done for us, this is the least we can do to reunite him with a few members of his family..."
"My mother doesn't want to see him, Esme!" Phoebus stated.
"Did she tell you that in those exact words?" She shot back, her eyes narrowing, "Or are you just assuming?"
"It's totally obvious after the way she talked about him back there," He replied, growing agitated. He knew his mother better then Sasha, and he could read her like a book.
Sighing, Esmeralda shook her head and looked down at her hands, "Look, Phoebus. He doesn't have to meet her yet, but he already knows you. For God's sake, you're one of his closest friends! You know how much he has been longing for a family, and when he finds out that you're one of them..." Tears started to spring to her eyes just then, "That would just make his day, Phoebus, I just know it." Feeling uncomfortable with the silence that was coming from her fiance, she continued, "You know how much I love you, and how much I love Quasi like anyone would love their best friend. But if you don't tell him this, I can't marry you."
To be continued...