Anah could sense a great deal of uncertainty in Troy's decision-making as he drove through the remote wilderness of Wyoming. She slithered up and out of his jacket, and saw a look of tension and anxiety on his face.
"I haven't come up this way in years," he said. "I only visited my mother once after the war. Can you believe that?"
"I can."
"Would you believe me if I said I'm having second thoughts?"
"Yes."
"I don't want to do this."
"You can turn around if you feel that this will not help, dear."
Troy sighed. "I thought you were supposed to be encouraging me to do this, not telling me to quit."
"If you feel that this is only going to cause more pain than it is worth, I suggest you turn around."
"No, I'm going to do this."
Anah let out a sigh of her own. "Alright." She stayed out, taking in the springtime scenery as it rushed by them. The vibrant greens and blooming flowers of all colors would always be preferable to the monotonous tan of the desert. For Anah, it was reassurance that she wasn't in that temple anymore. She settled back against Troy's shoulder. This would be very nice if it were not for the fact that he is terrified out of his mind, she thought.
"I really don't know what I'm going to do if it turns out I've basically been kicked out of the family entirely," Troy said.
"Why does it matter?" Anah asked. "You have a family, one that will never kick you out."
"I know that. I'm kinda just… thinking out loud right now."
"Keep doing that. It will help. Moffitt does it all the time."
"You're not going to make wisecracks like you usually do?"
"No, of course not. Not in this situation."
"Thanks." Troy drew in a breath. "Things changed so much when… everyone started dying. Especially Mom. I know that's no excuse for how she treated me, but… I don't think I helped by being difficult."
"You have told me many times that you were extremely unhappy. That alone is reason enough for you to have left. You needed to step away, and now it is time to see if things have changed."
"I hope they have, but… I doubt they have."
"There is only one way to find out."
The remoteness of the town they were headed to made Anah a bit uneasy. She tightened her grip around Troy, suddenly feeling as though the colors of the forest and flowers they were driving past had begun to dull.
"You okay?" Troy asked.
"Something feels… off about this place," Anah replied.
"I know. I feel it, too." Troy sighed. "Think we should turn around."
"No. This is something you must confront."
They eventually parked near an isolated house just outside of town, situated on a hill overlooking the dense montane forest. Troy paused when he saw David's car in the driveway. "Not good," he said. "I don't want him getting caught in the middle of this. I came all this way, though. You ready, Anah?"
"As ready as one can ever be for something like this." Anah disappeared into Troy's shirt, wrapping herself around his torso. She rested her head near the base of his neck, and allowed herself to feel the gentle throbbing of his heart beneath her scales. It ceased being gentle when he approached the front door.
There was nothing familiar about this place. It wasn't the home that Troy had grown up in. There was nothing comforting about it. It was strange, and Anah could feel that frightened him a little.
She made herself as still as possible when the door opened. She sensed David's presence.
"Hey, Sam," David said. "What're you doing here?"
"I… came to talk to Mom. Like you suggested," Troy replied.
"Oh, okay. Um… do you want me here, or do you want to be left alone?"
"I don't know."
Anah sensed another presence in the house. One that was so bitter that she resisted the urge to coil up on herself in disgust. That must be his mother. Please, tell me I am mistaken with what I am feeling. She continued to cling tightly to Troy.
"I'll leave you two alone," David said.
"Thanks. I… don't want you involved, in case it goes wrong," Troy replied.
"Okay. She's in the sunroom."
Anah adjusted herself a little as Troy headed through the house to reach the sunroom. His apprehension was so strong that it was difficult for Anah to sense anything else. She stiffened when he stopped.
Troy drew in a breath. "Mom?"
Anah heard a woman's voice, scratched up from decades of smoking, respond. "You have some nerve coming here, Sam."
"Not nerve," Troy said. "I came to give you a second chance."
That seemed to set her off. "Give me a second chance? Me? Oh, no, you're the one who needs to pray for a second chance. What you pulled back when the war started cost us everything. Everything your grandparents worked for and built up when they came here—gone. Because of you. They'd be disappointed—ashamed—to be associated with you now. I was willing to give you a second chance when you came home. My two sons, war heroes. Instead, you refused to talk about it. Commando in the desert." His mother snorted. "You probably got stuck with some pencil-pushing job far away from the front. That's why you wouldn't talk about it, because you didn't actually do anything. You lied."
Troy was incredulous. "Did David not tell you that I rescued him from a minefield?"
"Oh, he did, but you denied it."
"I never denied it! Where the hell did you get this idea that I denied it?"
"You don't want to talk about it, so you must be lying. Nothing actually happened when you ran away."
Anah could feel pain and anger rising up inside Troy. She wished she could diffuse it.
"Sure, Mom," Troy growled. "Do you want to hear about how I got captured and tortured by the Germans in North Africa? I'll tell you every detail. Do you want to hear about how I nearly had to shoot a man that I consider a friend? Or how about when I was temporarily made blind? I'll tell you every gory detail of every damn day I was in that war. Every last detail, because I can't forget them, no matter how badly I want to!"
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?"
"I didn't come here looking for sympathy. This didn't have to happen."
"No, it didn't, but you made it happen. For what? So you could leave the rest of us in the dust and keep your wealth to yourself?"
"If you hadn't been trying to force me into something I didn't want to do, I wouldn't have left."
"You disrespected your grandparents, and your father. That's all you're made of—disrespect. That's another reason I find it ridiculous that you did anything in the military. You can't follow rules."
"Oh, so it was a 'rule' that I had to go to college?"
"Are you mocking me, Sam?"
Anah sensed the woman standing up. The cobra shifted slightly, begging, This will not end well. It is time to go, Troy. Leave this behind.
Troy stood firm. "You know what? Yes. I am. Things did not have to go this way. The only failure in this room is you. You let your grief take control. You decided it would be easier for you to blame me for everything, instead of doing something for yourself. I'm happy where I am. I'm successful. I have a wife who loves me, and I love her more than life itself. I have a much better family now."
"David's told me about them. That Cambridge graduate should be ashamed of having you in his presence. I'm disgusted that you made friends with a German officer. The kid who went to Wake Forest needs better taste in friends, and of course, you became friends with an illiterate lowlife. They're not your family. Then again, you belong with such misfits."
Anah flattened her hood, and resisted the urge to lash out. How dare she talk about my family that way!
Troy was silent, getting his breathing under control. "I've tolerated a lot of things you've said so far, but I am not going to tolerate what you just said about Dietrich and Tully, especially what you said about Tully. He's not illiterate, and he's not a lowlife. He's one of the smartest people I know."
"Is he? Prove it. Bring them here."
"They live in different parts of the world, and they're all busy with their own lives, and to be honest, I don't think any of them should be exposed to you. That would be a waste of their time." Troy turned to leave. "We're done. I got what I came here for."
"And what did you come here for?"
"Answers. Nothing's changed. I don't even care that you called me a liar, but you crossed a line when you insulted the people I care for, and they're not even here to defend themselves. I can't even begin to describe how shameful that is." Troy paused in the doorway. "I'm not even angry. I feel sorry for you. This is for the best." He was quiet for a moment. "Goodbye. I hope something comes along that makes you truly happy."
Anah remained silent until they left the house. She could still feel pain in Troy's chest, and a choking sensation building in his throat. She didn't emerge from his jacket until he was in his truck. As she looked in his eyes, she didn't know what to say. She could feel all of his pain, and made an attempt to diffuse it.
"Don't," Troy said.
"What?" Anah asked.
"Don't… Don't try to take it all away."
"Why?"
"Just don't. Please. This is my problem."
"You wanted me along, dear."
"I know, but… I don't want you feeling it, too."
"I told you when we were at David's that your burdens would not be too much for me to help you carry. Let me."
Troy sighed. "Alright." He was about to continue speaking when a rather frustrated-looking David walked over to the driver's side window. Troy rolled the window down. "Everything okay?"
"I can't believe she accused you of lying about what you did in North Africa!" David said.
"Yeah." Troy nodded a little. "I did nothing, apparently."
"You know that's not true, and I know that's not true—hi, Anah."
"Hello, dear," Anah said.
"Did you confront her about it?" Tory asked.
David paused. "I did." He drew in a breath. "Would you mind if I followed you home in my car? I'm not comfortable staying here."
"Go ahead. Let's get out of here."
The brothers were quick to leave. Anah looked over Troy's shoulder to see David trailing close behind. "It is not an easy thing to do, cutting yourself off from your own mother," she said.
"She made it easy," Troy said. "I'm not going to stay in contact with anyone who says such crap about Tully."
"What she said was truly appalling, not just about Tully, but about Moffitt and Hitch as well."
"Yeah. All four—no, five of us came from different places in life. None of us felt superior or inferior to the other just because he had an education."
"You all understood that you had vastly different experiences to bring to the table, and in the end, they helped you survive."
"We were all in the same place, doing the same thing, suffering in similar ways. All that mattered was doing our jobs well."
Anah nodded. "And you did an incredible job. You were also very mature in saying that you felt sorry for your mother, rather than saying you hated her."
"Because I don't hate her. I still have good memories of her. Even if they're all… tainted now. There was a time when things were different."
"We all face the challenges of life in different ways. Some people become fed up with it and become bitter, like your mother. Others are a bit more resilient, like you, dear."
"You think me destroying everything my grandparents worked for makes me resilient? My mother wasn't exactly wrong about that."
"That was not your doing. You had plenty of good reasons to run off and enlist. She was the one who gave up on your grandparents' hard work. That may sound harsh, but you were not around. She was."
Troy nodded. "I guess you're right. So… you don't think my grandparents would be upset with me?"
"No. I can see from your memories that they loved you. They never would have tried to force a certain path on you. They cared about your happiness, not their legacy—to them, you and David being happy in life was their intended legacy."
"You can tell that just from my memories?"
"You would be surprised, dear."
"I usually don't like the idea of you being in my head, but… it answers a lot of questions. Thanks."
"You are welcome." Anah nuzzled him. "I really am sorry things did not go better."
"It's fine. I didn't expect it to go well."
"I had hoped that you would be able to fix things."
"I kinda did, but… I wasn't counting on it. At least now I know."
"How does it make you feel, knowing the truth?"
"Somewhat better, but also… not. Not sure how to describe it. I wish I could snap my fingers and make things back to the way they were before my grandparents died."
Anah nodded. "At least she will never learn of Antheia."
"No. Never. If she was willing to stoop so low with what she said about Tully, I can't imagine what she'd say about Antheia. At least she didn't say anything about… the fact that Shauna and I can't have children."
"I am not sure David ever told her."
Troy looked in the rear-view mirror at David following them. "No, and I don't think he'll be talking to her anytime soon."
When they arrived at Troy's ranch, Anah stayed around Troy's shoulders as he left his truck and approached the driver's side window of David's car. The younger man looked distraught, and his face and eyes were red and wet.
"Are you alright, dear?" Anah asked.
"No, not really. I… I-I don't know what just happened back there," David said.
"Come on inside. I'll make some coffee." Troy motioned for his brother to follow him. When they entered the house, Troy was greeted by a little girl, her dark red hair in a single braid, running up to him and jumping in his arms. "Hey, sweetie," Troy said.
"Hi," Antheia replied.
Troy held on, and Anah could read his thoughts. He was swearing not to ever treat her the way his mother just did. Despite his sadness, Anah could sense the warmth of love in his heart.
Eventually, Troy turned to face David. "Antheia, this is your uncle, David. He's my little brother."
"Come on, Sam, I'm not little anymore," David said. He smiled. "Hello, Antheia."
Troy set his slouch hat on the table in the kitchen instead of putting it on its hook where it belonged. Anah slithered onto the table, listening and watching while the two men made coffee, and Antheia went back to drawing with a pencil in a sketchbook. Anah turned the hat upside-down, and slithered into it, curling up and getting comfortable.
"So, this is it, huh?" Troy said. "We're not talking to the rest of the family anymore."
"No. I… had no idea that's how Mom felt about you, and your friends. I was lied to, and it's hard for me to process that. All along, I thought… things were going to change, but she lied to me, kept all that hidden. On top of that, she basically called me a liar." David shook his head. "I thought I made her happy."
"If she ever wants to come here and apologize, she can, but that's on her. I'm done." Troy took two mugs out of the cabinet. "Are you going to be okay? You can stay here if you want, for as long as you need."
"I'll be alright. Not sure what I'm going to do come Thanksgiving and Christmastime."
Troy smiled. "You can always spend it with us. I think we're spending Thanksgiving at Hitch's and Christmas at Dietrich's this year."
"No, that's your time to spend with—"
"You're welcome to join us. I don't want to hear that you spent the holidays all by yourself."
David gave up arguing, and nodded. "Alright. I'll… give it some thought."
"That's all I ask." Troy went over to where he left his hat, and sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "You have hundreds of other places in this house you can sit, Anah, but you choose my hat. Why?"
"It is cozy, dear," Anah said.
Troy took the brim of his hat, but then let go, leaving the hat where it was. "Okay."
The two didn't get a chance to talk alone until later that evening. Troy sat out on the front porch with a cigarette, and Anah around his shoulders. The first few minutes were quiet, until Troy said, "Thanks for being with me while I went to Mom's."
"Anytime, dear," Anah replied. "I know I said this earlier, but I really am sorry it did not go better."
"It's okay. Really. I… got my answers, and that's that."
"It still bothers you, though."
"I know. It'll bother me for a while, but I know I don't have to cover it up or pretend I'm not upset. I know perfectly well that I'm upset."
"It still amazes me how much you have grown in the last twenty years."
"Yeah. All thanks to a Cambridge graduate who should be ashamed of being around me, a German officer I shouldn't be friends with, a kid from Wake Forest who needs better taste in friends, and an illiterate lowlife." Troy smirked. "No, you know what they really are? A Cambridge graduate who enjoys being around me because we have a lot of interesting stories to tell each other, a German officer who I'm damn proud to call my best friend, a kid from Wake Forest who's got excellent taste in friends, and a really smart, goodhearted man from Kentucky who's done his best to show me how to enjoy the simple little things in life." He turned to Anah. "And you. A snake. A venomous snake, who also happens to talk and have good advice, and can cook really well, and even though she's immortal and has all sorts of magical powers, she chose to stay with us."
"Exactly." Anah smiled.
"I wouldn't have found any of you if I didn't run away.
"In a way, it was always meant to happen." Anah's smile faded. "Your mother was never told about the prophecy, and it's resolution, was she?"
"I don't think so. I doubt she'd believe it, even if she met Dietrich. Geez, she should never meet Dietrich. I think she'd just make him depressed again."
"Or he would just stand there wondering how you are related to her."
"That, too." Troy let out a breath of smoke. "Why should I worry about this? I'm excited to welcome his son into the world. I'd rather think about that."
"Try not to push this out too quickly, but it is good that you wish to focus on the positive in your life, instead of being weighed down by your past."
"I've spent too long being weighed down by it. I know letting go won't happen overnight, and I know I can't do it alone, but it's something I'm beyond ready to do."
