The Long And Winding Road
Note: Special thanks to Alexis: Digital Survivor, The Vampire Illiana, luvdegrassi12345, Fearless Dreamer, PsYcHoJo & cutiepye06655 for the great feedback.
Chapter 24 -- Family Values
Emma entered Ryan's Grille on Monday evening. After looking around, she walked over to the counter and ordered a glass of ice water from Mrs. Ryan.
"Not going on one of those all-liquid diets are you, Em?"
Emma turned in the direction of the voice and saw Sean sitting alone at a nearby table finishing up his meal. Taking her drink in hand, she walked over to him.
"Hi Sean. No, just waiting. Looks like I'm the first to arrive."
"Oh, that's right. You, JT and his dad – that's tonight. JT still thinking that everyone will get along just by eating together?"
"That was his original idea, but I think he gave that up almost immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if a part of him is now happy that his father wants to have such a limited role in his life. Or I should say, an even MORE limited role. JT won't admit it but I know he's stressed about this. I can see it in his eyes."
"I'm almost done with this," Sean said, pointing to his plate, "but I can always order some dessert and stick around. Keep an eye on the situation in case it gets out of hand."
"Out of hand? What is this, the Old West? Are you expecting a barroom brawl?" Emma asked, laughing.
"When you and JT are on a mission, it's anyone's guess what'll happen," Sean joked. "No, I just don't want anyone disrespecting my friends, even when it's a so-called parent."
"That's nice of you, but I'm sure JT and I are more than capable of handling any situation. Besides, at best JT only tolerates you and even though you'd like to be friends, this isn't the time. I think you'd only add to the tension."
"Makes sense I guess," Sean responded.
Finished with his meal, Sean stood up and the two walked over to the counter. Sean paid for his meal and Emma told Mrs. Ryan that she's need a table for three. At this time, Nathaniel Yorke walked through the door. Emma noticed.
"He's here," Emma announced to Sean.
"Good luck," Sean said.
"Thanks, Sean. Good night."
Sean made his way toward the door, but stopped next to Mr. Yorke.
"I know who you are," Sean said to him.
Yorke looked the young man over.
"Thankfully, I can't say the same of you," Yorke replied coldly.
"I'm friends with JT."
"Splendid. Further proof that my son has poor judgment and even poorer taste."
"Just don't do anything to hurt him or Emma."
"Be assured that I don't make it a practice to hurt anyone. Also be assured that your attempts to sound menacing only make me laugh with abandon on the inside. Now, while I doubt it's possible in this neighborhood, go away and try to find something better to do."
Yorke walked away before Sean could respond.
'Oh yeah, THAT'S gonna be a fun meal,' Sean thought as he walked out the door.
Emma waved Yorke over to her at the counter.
"Hi Mr. Yorke," Emma greeted in a friendly voice.
"Emma."
"How have you been?"
"Quite well."
"I'm doing well, too," Emma said, noticing that Yorke wasn't going to say anything else.
"I didn't ask," Yorke replied. "But thanks for sharing."
A waiter then took them to a corner booth. Emma asked for a refill on her water while Yorke ordered a Scotch. Emma told the waiter it would be a few minutes before they were ready to order their meal.
"Where is James?" Yorke asked after the waiter left. "It's 8 o'clock."
"I'm sure he'll be here in a few minutes. He's probably leaving work right about now. JT does so much over there that he's not always able to leave right when he's scheduled to. You should hear all the good things his boss has to say about him."
"This little get-together was his idea. You'd think he'd show a little more consideration. I have a flight scheduled for later on tonight."
Emma was about ready to reply – loudly – but the waiter returned with their drinks. She then decided, for JT's sake, to try to remain civil.
"So, Mr. Yorke, how is life in Winnipeg?"
"Pleasant. Fulfilling. In short, everything life hasn't been here in a long time."
"I read about that VCC Chemical acquisition. I take it this went through with no problems?"
"Yes. Disappointed?"
"I am. Do you realize what damage having another chemical plant could do?"
"Yes, Emma. Greater employment. A boost to the economy. It's all so tragic."
"I'm concerned with our environment and how this plant would harm it."
"As with all of VCC's plants, I'm certain that once this new facility is in operation it will be up to code in all respects."
"Officially maybe, but we both know that some businesses have a way of working around codes and inspections."
"From what I recall, you'd rather have acres and acres of trees filling the city."
"As opposed to a factory which could potentially create chemical spills and air pollution? You bet."
"Tell that to the hundreds of local men and women who will have less difficulty feeding and housing their families now that they'll have steady work at the new site."
"You have a point, but they could always find work with other companies."
"Emma, I think you'd better stick to matters that are more your speed. Perhaps setting up a lemonade stand or selling cookies door to door. Leave important matters to those who know what they're talking about."
"I know the idea is for me to now feel insulted by that comment. Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Yorke, but it's not going to happen."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"It's simple. In order for me to feel insulted, I'd have to actually care what the person doing the insulting thinks about me. And I might be the first person to ever say this to you, but I don't care what you think about me. Not in the least."
"I'll grant you that. Your feelings about me won't exactly keep me awake tonight either, so we're even on that score. You see, I've never liked you. Not after your little Career Day inquisition. Or rather I should say that I've never liked you when I've thought of you at all, which is seldom. Still, I'd like to believe that my son isn't a complete fool and that it's true that you do care about HIS feelings."
"Of course I care. More than you could ever understand."
"Good, then this shouldn't be too difficult. Emma, you need to disappear."
"Excuse me?"
"Not completely; just from James' life."
"And why would I do that?"
"I don't believe in sugarcoating things, so I'll simply say it. I've done some checking, and based on what I've learned and what I already knew, your presence in my son's life will do more harm than good."
"I see," Emma said, unfazed. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"You come from a modest background. Your mother has a small business – a salon, I believe – and the man she's married to is a teacher. Admirable, but they're not exactly setting the world on fire. Whatever you decide to do with your life, I'm betting it will somehow involve a great deal of complaining, protesting and environmental catch phrases. That's enough to keep you off the streets, but how far will it really get you? Then there's my son. Okay, I cringe at the idea that he's an ASSISTANT manager, but nevertheless he has a chance to make something of himself. Who knew? I certainly didn't expect much from him, but now it might actually be possible. He's still got that gullibility problem, though."
"Gullible? JT? I don't think so."
"Of course you do, because you're working that gullibility. He has money. Even more since his mother died. If he can ever elevate himself to a manager's job someday or even start his own business, he'll earn still more. I've certainly got money as well. So now that James is nearly 18, here comes the old friend with the less-than-outstanding financial background looking for a payday and finding it in my family. Already planning your wedding, Emma? Figuring out how best to divide the family's money among all your little Earth-friendly causes?"
"So you think I'm all wrong for JT because I want what's in his bank account?"
"Oh, there's more reasons you're the wrong person. That was merely the first."
"That's good. I was feeling kind of bad that you might think there's only one thing wrong with me."
"But even if there was only one reason, that would be one too many. My son recently told me that he couldn't imagine his life without you."
"He did?" Emma asked, smiling.
"So you can see why I'm concerned that he's making a bad decision. Which is why I'm trying to make things right before I leave town."
"Well amuse me, Mr. Yorke. What is another one of my faults?"
"The most interesting thing I've found out about you – something I'll bet you're hoping James never discovers – is that you have insanity in your family."
"Insanity? What are you talking about? No, a better question is what are you doing looking into my family background?"
"I have every right to do a background check on someone who poses a threat, and I've already explained the financial threat you pose. But you also pose a threat to my family's credibility."
"Ignoring for the moment what an incredible violation of privacy you've committed, what is this nonsense about insanity in my family?"
"Don't deny it, Emma. My sources discovered that your father lives in a mental institution in Stouffville and has for many years."
Emma was surprised to hear that Yorke found out information regarding her biological father, but she tried not to noticeably react.
"Mr. Yorke, not that it is even remotely your business, but Shane McKay is in that facility as the result of an accident many years ago. His condition is not genetic. If I were ever to become insane, it wouldn't be because of him, but probably because I've been sitting here having a conversation with you. You're enough to drive anyone crazy, or at least to the point of developing one or two addictions."
"Genetic or not, Mr. McKay must have had some prior mental problem to get involved in the circumstances that led to his accident. As I recall, my report said there were drugs involved. Familial stupidity of this magnitude is not something I want my family to put up with."
"And yet JT already does so by putting up with you," Emma snapped back.
"Make all the childish remarks you want, but do you really want my son to find out that his girlfriend's father is locked away for having brain matter on par with a plate of scrambled eggs?"
Emma was determined to remain calm.
"Okay, so to you I'm a golddigger with insanity in my family. Anything else?"
"I know you have a history of delinquency at your school."
"That's news to me."
"Don't play dumb, Emma. I know about the suspensions."
"Oh, those," Emma said, rolling her eyes.
"You're awfully casual about it."
"That happened years ago while fighting for something I believed in," Emma explained.
"The reasons don't matter. What matters is your willingness to cause trouble and disrupt order to get your way. Under different circumstances, I might be able to respect that, but not when your ways could cause problems for my son."
"It's interesting that whenever you refer to JT as your son, your tone makes it sound like you're discussing a piece of property you own."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. To you, JT is like some plot of land that you have no use for and don't really want, so you neglect it for long periods. But if anyone else shows serious interest you suddenly become territorial and claim you know what's best for the land."
"That's outrageous."
"No, Mr. Yorke, YOU'RE the one who's outrageous. If you think your opinion and all this information will matter to JT and make him want to break up with me, it's all the more apparent that you don't know anything about your son."
"I think he'll understand who has his best interests at heart."
"Wouldn't you have to have a heart before you could do that? Unlike you, I do know your son."
"What does someone such as yourself know about anything?" Yorke challenged.
"If I listed what I know about your son, we'd be here so long that you'd miss your flight. But here are a few things I can think of without even trying. I know that JT's always ready with something funny to say. I know that he's very protective of the people he cares about. I know he's a bad speller but is still good with words, even if he doesn't think he is. I know that he can run a business, because even working part-time – yes, as an assistant manager – he keeps that theater running smoothly despite a shoestring budget to work with. And I know that if you weren't such a blind jerk, you'd see that even though you never wanted a kid, you couldn't have asked for a better son.
"But then what do YOU know about JT, Mr. Yorke? Did you know that he's developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of old comedies? He could probably teach a course or write a book on the subject. Not that you'd ever be around to encourage him to try.
"Did you know that there was a girl – and if you think I'm bad news, you wouldn't know what to make of Manny Santos – who broke up with JT on three separate occasions? Yet he's still friends with her as well as with the guy she left him for on two of those occasions. The way JT puts up with you, it shouldn't be surprising that he's willing to be friends even with people who've hurt him in the past.
"Did you know that at first JT blamed himself for the fact that you couldn't be bothered to stay in town for five minutes after your wife's burial last Spring? Did you know that when he stayed over at our house for a few nights after his mother's death, he woke up on the couch in a cold sweat more than once screaming, having dreamed his own version of what her death in the bank looked like? No, you wouldn't know any of this because you weren't around and couldn't care less. But I know. I was there looking out for him.
"I helped get him through tough times the same way he's helped me lots of times. I'm sure you don't know that JT's the kind of person who stays up late on the phone listening when I have panic attacks about upcoming school presentations. Or how, back when I found my loser deejay then-boyfriend going into a motel with some girl, JT hung out with me all night telling me every funny joke and story he could think of so I'd remember I'm special and so I wouldn't feel like crap. No, you don't know anything about JT Yorke. He's just your unwanted property.
"Now to address your concerns: Am I interested in his money? No. I never have been. With the exception of a romantic dinner a few weeks ago which I know must have cost quite a bit but which he did out of love, we've never needed much money – and often not any – to have a good time together. If he didn't have two coins to his name, he'd still be JT.
"Those suspensions? Newsflash – he knows. At the time, he dubbed me 'the good girl gone bad' in class, but what others didn't know was that he came by the house each afternoon that week I was out to bring me the homework so I wouldn't fall behind. He joked that it was the least he could do for a friend who could make Mr. Raditch's life miserable from all the negative publicity I stirred up. Leave it to JT to take pride in my suspension for reasons other than my idealism. But I think even then, deep down, he was impressed by that as well.
"The whereabouts and circumstances regarding my biological father? Even bigger newsflash – he eventually learned all about that, too! Since you're so concerned about losing money because of me, I hope you didn't pay too much to get all this information because it's thoroughly useless. There's nothing about me that you could tell JT that he wouldn't already know. Your fact-finding mission is so pathetic I could almost laugh if it wasn't also so sad.
"I think the one thing you and I have in common is that I don't believe in sugarcoating things either. So know this: I don't like you, either. As far as I'm concerned, you can go ahead and tell JT you learned all of these things about me in an effort to make me look bad and to hurt this relationship. That will only make him resent you more than you might expect. Or you could forget all this nonsense and try to enjoy a meal with your son and me, and then you can leave with the possibility that he doesn't think you're the absolute scum that I know you are. But whatever you decide, I will NOT let you mess with his head anymore than you already have."
Nathaniel Yorke simply stared at Emma, saying nothing.
"Mr. Yorke?"
"Oh!" Yorke said suddenly before taking a sip from his glass. "I'm sorry, were you saying something? It looked like you were speaking with great passion and trying to be slightly intimidating, but I got bored and tuned you out. Honestly, I think I started to lose interest around the time you said 'Hi Mr. Yorke'. Whatever it was you were talking about, you DO seem to like making speeches."
"I think you heard every word," Emma said.
"Yes, well whatever gets you through the day…and keeps you quiet. Oh, did I mention that even if my son is foolish enough to ignore my findings, I have one more enticement which I know for a fact he won't be able to turn down?"
"Enticement? Fancy word for bribe, isn't it?"
"Take your pick. It's just a little reminder to him about family loyalty."
"Isn't family loyalty an unknown concept for you, Mr. Yorke?"
"Oh, I admit, my loyalty pales in comparison with yours. You seem awfully loyal to your vegetating father, your easy mother and my troubled son."
Emma, fed up, suddenly grabbed hold of her glass and tossed its contents at Yorke's face.
"Maybe that will cool you off," Emma stated as water dripped from the man's scowling face.
"Wow! I didn't know Ryan's had started a Happy Hour."
Hearing a new voice, Emma turned around and Yorke looked up and they saw JT standing a few feet away from their table.
"And to think I was afraid I'd get here too late and miss out on all the fun."