Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 15
Colonel Robert Clayton returned to his apartment nearly three hours after he had abruptly left Lee at the front door. He entered quietly so that he wouldn't wake his sleeping nephew and walked straight to the apartment's small kitchen. Clayton placed two bags of groceries and a file folder on the counter. I wish I had paid attention to his likes and dislikes when he was growing up. There's bound to be something in these bags that he'll like. I'll just put all this stuff away and then I'll start making us some lunch. After putting some canned goods in one of the cabinets he accidentally slammed the door. He walked to the door to the guest room to see if the noise had woken Lee and was surprised to hear Lee's voice from inside the room.
"Don't go; don't leave me", Lee yelled.
Clayton hurriedly opened the door and saw that Lee was in the throws of a nightmare. He rushed over to the bed and touched Lee's shoulder to wake him up.
"Lee, wake up. C'mon Lee, wake up", he implored as Lee appeared to respond to his voice.
Lee opened his eyes, felt tears streaming down his face, and saw his worried uncle standing over him. Both men, uncomfortable with open displays of emotion, turned away from each other. The colonel retreated to the door and then stopped.
"I'll give you a chance to get cleaned up from your trip here. I'm going to get our lunch ready. Come out to the kitchen when you're ready to eat."
A little while later Lee stood at the doorway to the kitchen, freshly showered, wearing a chambray shirt and well worn jeans. The colonel was busily breaking eggs into a bowl at the table that was already laden with the other ingredients for their meal.
"Wow, what's all this", Lee asked, shocked by the sight of his uncle actually preparing to cook a meal.
"I was going to make us omelets. I thought you needed more than just a sandwich; I'm sure you didn't have breakfast. I can make something else-"
"Omelets are fine, I'm just shocked, you don't cook", Lee responded, surprised by his uncle's eagerness to please him.
"I've learned; I just wasn't smart enough to learn from Barney back when you did."
"What can I do to help", Lee asked as he awkwardly shuffled his feet.
"I've got two kinds of cheese here. If you want some in your omelet you could dice it up", the colonel answered as he began to add diced onions to the bowl of eggs.
The two men worked in companionable silence for several minutes until the older man couldn't wait any longer for some clue as to what had upset his nephew. The colonel cleared his throat and turned towards where Lee was standing.
"Whatever you did; she'll forgive you", the colonel blurted out.
"I don't know what you're talking about", Lee answered without looking up from his task.
"Don't give me that bull. I'm proud of you for staying in a serious relationship for so long; don't blow it now. Amanda is a wonderful woman."
"That she is; but how did you know that I'm still seeing Amanda", Lee asked as he gave his uncle a hard look.
"Don't look at me that way. Amanda and I keep in touch; it was her idea. She knew that you and I wouldn't stay in regular contact so she decided to help us along a little bit. Don't be angry at her. She hasn't told me anything classified or private."
"I probably should be annoyed at her for not letting me know that she's been keeping in touch with you; but she means well. What I don't understand is why you think that she's annoyed with me."
"You're miserable and you're having nightmares. You begged her not to leave you. I'm sure she'll give you another chance if you don't wait too long to make things right with her", the colonel admonished.
"I wish what's bothering me was something as simple as an argument with Amanda but it is not."
"If that isn't bothering you than what is", the colonel demanded.
"It's the other secret that you've been keeping from me. The one you've been keeping for over thirty years", Lee responded bitterly.
"Lee, I can see that you're upset but I honestly don't know what secret you think I've kept from you."
"I want you to stop lying to me about the night that my parents died", Lee yelled at his clearly stunned uncle. "Don't you think that all the lying has done enough damage already?"