Last Canadian chapter for awhile. Athena's POV.
Uncle Bret and me met Oje, his wife, Mandy and their five-year-old son Tim, at Mom's house the following morning. Eric decided it would be best if he still didn't show up, considering what happened with Raven at Uncle Bret's. Probably a smart move.
I still felt guilty over what happened with Danny's reunion. I had the feeling that it would go bad, but I didn't then it would go that badly. From what little Danny told me, it sounded like it turned out to be everything that I was afraid my family reunion would be. I truly feel sorry for him. I hope Eddy didn't get too mad at him for this.
We walked into the door to find the house eerily quiet. I was worried. Where were Mom and Dad? I decided to go upstairs and look for Mom in her bedroom to see if she was still asleep. I opened the door to her room peeked in -
- And promptly went right back out flying down the stairs embarrassed.
"EW!" I yelled, which was probably a babyish thing to do, but hey, I felt like I was back to being an eight year old right then and there.
"Athena?" Uncle Bret asked worry in his voice.
"I, I stammered, "I, I, Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" the words forming into one at that point I couldn't process everything.
"Mom, Dad" - I continued to stammer out, the words not quite coming. My brother picked that point to burst out laughing.
"Not funny!" I bit out.
"Yes, it is," my brother said still laughing, "geez, Athey, most people pick when their a lot younger to walk in on their parents. I did it the last time Dad was home," the laughing died out and was replaced by a wistful smile. Suddenly I wanted to kill Vince and his daughter all over again for robbing us of nearly 20 years with our Dad and Mom of her husband. Suddenly I wasn't sure any amount of justice would make things right again.
Uncle Bret and Mandy looked uncomfortable; poor Timmy just looked confused, so Mandy took Tim in the kitchen for some Kool - Aid to drink. The rest of us moved into the living room. I probably looked as beet red as my hair often is at this point.
Mom and Dad came downstairs a few minutes later. Mom was in the same robe she always wears whenever we visit, but Dad was wearing a robe that was vaguely familiar. As Mom laid her head on Dad's shoulder I realized I saw it around Mom a lot around the time Dad 'died.' It must have belonged to Dad before that fateful night in Kemper. I guess that shows just how deeply Mom cared about Dad to not give away or box away or throw out his robe.
I think by that point the unspoken decision was to not bring up me walking in on Mom and Dad. It was probably embarrassing for everybody.
Mandy and Tim came into the living room a few moments later. My Dad went over to Mandy and gave her a welcoming hug. I wonder how she felt about that. I'm not sure how I'd feel if my husband's father suddenly came back from the dead and gave me a hug. But then again I'm sure Oje let her know what was going on and I'm not her. Oje came to join them and took Tim in his arms while Mandy came over to the couch next to me.
"Hey little man," my brother began. "Do you remember me telling you last night that your grandfather managed to come back from heaven?" my brother's son gave a tentative nod. I was suddenly struck by when comparing in my head the pictures of my Dad when he was younger how much my nephew looked a lot like my father.
"Well, this is your grandfather. Dad, this is your grandson, Timothy Stuart Hart. Tim, this is your Grandfather Owen," Oje introduced them. I never knew that Oje used our Grandfather's first name as his son's middle name. Oje moved to Tim closer to our Dad as if to have Dad take Tim into arms, which Dad did.
"Hey little guy, how are you?" my Dad asked. There were a couple of moments of tenseness, wondering if Tim would accept this strange man who everybody had presumed he'd never meet or not.
Suddenly Tim had this great big smile and said "pa - pa" and wrapped his arms around Dad's neck. There were tears in Dad's eyes. I wondered if he ever thought he would actually get to do this while hiding from Vince.
The rest of the day was pretty much of a Christmas morning atmosphere at my parents' house. We caught Dad up on things that had happened while he was 'dead,' the humorous and not so humorous. We looked at some of me and Oje's high school photos (I will never fathom why I ever dyed my hair purple Junior year), and Oje's wedding pictures. Dad also told us the humorous reaction Danny's dad had when Chris Benoit got to the cabin and saw Dad after thinking Dad was dead for five years. Have to admit I laughed at that one thinking of what happened that first night at the cabin. It felt like cloud nine the whole day.
Two things marred it: One was the fact that in a little over a week's time Vince's trial would begin and we'd all have to be in Atlanta for it. I really hoped that what I said to Mom last night before Dad showed up would come true. That Vince WOULDN'T retaliate for being taken down. I'm getting more nervous as the time's coming closer and closer to Vince's trial.
The other was the fact that I was feeling so guilty. I was sitting in my parents' house having the best time I'd ever had in my life while Danny was probably having the worst time of his life in Atlanta. I wish there were something I could've done to make things go better for him.
Pushing those two dark clouds aside and pushed my mind back to the present, determined to enjoy my family being whole again.
Okay on to 80 :-D
Uncle Bret and me met Oje, his wife, Mandy and their five-year-old son Tim, at Mom's house the following morning. Eric decided it would be best if he still didn't show up, considering what happened with Raven at Uncle Bret's. Probably a smart move.
I still felt guilty over what happened with Danny's reunion. I had the feeling that it would go bad, but I didn't then it would go that badly. From what little Danny told me, it sounded like it turned out to be everything that I was afraid my family reunion would be. I truly feel sorry for him. I hope Eddy didn't get too mad at him for this.
We walked into the door to find the house eerily quiet. I was worried. Where were Mom and Dad? I decided to go upstairs and look for Mom in her bedroom to see if she was still asleep. I opened the door to her room peeked in -
- And promptly went right back out flying down the stairs embarrassed.
"EW!" I yelled, which was probably a babyish thing to do, but hey, I felt like I was back to being an eight year old right then and there.
"Athena?" Uncle Bret asked worry in his voice.
"I, I stammered, "I, I, Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" the words forming into one at that point I couldn't process everything.
"Mom, Dad" - I continued to stammer out, the words not quite coming. My brother picked that point to burst out laughing.
"Not funny!" I bit out.
"Yes, it is," my brother said still laughing, "geez, Athey, most people pick when their a lot younger to walk in on their parents. I did it the last time Dad was home," the laughing died out and was replaced by a wistful smile. Suddenly I wanted to kill Vince and his daughter all over again for robbing us of nearly 20 years with our Dad and Mom of her husband. Suddenly I wasn't sure any amount of justice would make things right again.
Uncle Bret and Mandy looked uncomfortable; poor Timmy just looked confused, so Mandy took Tim in the kitchen for some Kool - Aid to drink. The rest of us moved into the living room. I probably looked as beet red as my hair often is at this point.
Mom and Dad came downstairs a few minutes later. Mom was in the same robe she always wears whenever we visit, but Dad was wearing a robe that was vaguely familiar. As Mom laid her head on Dad's shoulder I realized I saw it around Mom a lot around the time Dad 'died.' It must have belonged to Dad before that fateful night in Kemper. I guess that shows just how deeply Mom cared about Dad to not give away or box away or throw out his robe.
I think by that point the unspoken decision was to not bring up me walking in on Mom and Dad. It was probably embarrassing for everybody.
Mandy and Tim came into the living room a few moments later. My Dad went over to Mandy and gave her a welcoming hug. I wonder how she felt about that. I'm not sure how I'd feel if my husband's father suddenly came back from the dead and gave me a hug. But then again I'm sure Oje let her know what was going on and I'm not her. Oje came to join them and took Tim in his arms while Mandy came over to the couch next to me.
"Hey little man," my brother began. "Do you remember me telling you last night that your grandfather managed to come back from heaven?" my brother's son gave a tentative nod. I was suddenly struck by when comparing in my head the pictures of my Dad when he was younger how much my nephew looked a lot like my father.
"Well, this is your grandfather. Dad, this is your grandson, Timothy Stuart Hart. Tim, this is your Grandfather Owen," Oje introduced them. I never knew that Oje used our Grandfather's first name as his son's middle name. Oje moved to Tim closer to our Dad as if to have Dad take Tim into arms, which Dad did.
"Hey little guy, how are you?" my Dad asked. There were a couple of moments of tenseness, wondering if Tim would accept this strange man who everybody had presumed he'd never meet or not.
Suddenly Tim had this great big smile and said "pa - pa" and wrapped his arms around Dad's neck. There were tears in Dad's eyes. I wondered if he ever thought he would actually get to do this while hiding from Vince.
The rest of the day was pretty much of a Christmas morning atmosphere at my parents' house. We caught Dad up on things that had happened while he was 'dead,' the humorous and not so humorous. We looked at some of me and Oje's high school photos (I will never fathom why I ever dyed my hair purple Junior year), and Oje's wedding pictures. Dad also told us the humorous reaction Danny's dad had when Chris Benoit got to the cabin and saw Dad after thinking Dad was dead for five years. Have to admit I laughed at that one thinking of what happened that first night at the cabin. It felt like cloud nine the whole day.
Two things marred it: One was the fact that in a little over a week's time Vince's trial would begin and we'd all have to be in Atlanta for it. I really hoped that what I said to Mom last night before Dad showed up would come true. That Vince WOULDN'T retaliate for being taken down. I'm getting more nervous as the time's coming closer and closer to Vince's trial.
The other was the fact that I was feeling so guilty. I was sitting in my parents' house having the best time I'd ever had in my life while Danny was probably having the worst time of his life in Atlanta. I wish there were something I could've done to make things go better for him.
Pushing those two dark clouds aside and pushed my mind back to the present, determined to enjoy my family being whole again.
Okay on to 80 :-D