"What is she doing?!"
Dewey looked up to see Webby sprinting across the parking lot towards… our dad.
Huey let go of him and marched into the RV, slamming the door behind him. The door, of course, just swung back open again, the latch dangling off.
But as Huey stewed and paced the length of the vehicle muttering in angst, Dewey stood there. His bones felt like they'd been turned to stone. His breath stilled as he focused on the large duck who was captivated instantly by Webgail and small yellow hat in her hand.
"Gus and Louie could be on their way out of the state right now. We don't have time to waste on him right now!" Huey paused every once and awhile during his rant to peek out of the RV. "What's taking her so long?"
Sam took the small yellow hat from her and nodded his head. His mouth moved but he was too far away for Dewey to make out the words. Somehow, they seemed… earnest? The concern on his face grew. Sam pressed his fingers to his temple, closing his eyes.
"I think something's wrong," Dewey murmured.
"Ya think?" Huey retorted, plopping down onto the step. "She's wasting our time. He's never wanted anything to do with us before. The last thing I want him to know is that we can't take care of our own. That's all we've ever done. We don't need him now…"
His brother's continuous rant faded to the background as Dewey watched the conversation from afar. Webby's mouth moved and then Sam's moved. It went back and forth for a few minutes before Sam looked past her and aimed his gaze straight at him. Dewey's skin went ice cold. What may have been only seconds felt like hours until Dewey's arms broke out into a sweat. He took a deep breath. "I'm going to go talk to him."
Huey choked in the middle one of his long, arduous speeches that Dewey had long tuned out on. "Don't. You'll only feed into whatever mess he's got going on. If he's not man enough to come over here himself then we're better off."
Dewey could tell by the faintness in his brother's voice that he didn't mean a word of it. He glanced over his shoulder at him. "I don't believe that. After your show of pride earlier, I wouldn't come over here either." Leaving Huey completely speechless and fuming, Dewey approached both Webby and their dad.
"We'll find him. We'll find them both-" Webby snapped her mouth shut when he stepped into their conversation.
Holding his breath, Dewey forced his chin up and met eyes with Sam. I've dreamed about this moment my whole life… what I would do… what I would say. He clenched his fists. This feels nothing like I ever dreamed it would.
Sam's face softened. "Dewey."
All of the muscles in his body froze and his eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"
Sam's face shrouded with a mix of sadness and just plain awkwardness. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I owe you boys an explanation. If you're willing to hear me." His eyes moved across the parking lot to the RV.
Dewey could feel his brother's blood boiling from afar as Huey immediately retreated back inside.. He shook his head. "He's not ready… but he doesn't really have a choice." He tried to contain the butterflies in his stomach at the thought of finally getting the explanation he and his brothers had longed for all their lives. Squeezing his arms to his sides, Dewey looked up into Sam's face. "I'm ready."
Sam sighed and set a hand on his shoulder.
Dewey had to bite his tongue to keep from squeaking with excitement. It's happening! Finally!
"I appreciate your openness… but I can't promise you'll like what I have to say. I may disappoint you." And just like that, his touch withdrew just as fast as it had come.
A lump collected in his throat. He glanced back at the RV. There was still time to back out. Still time to go on imagining that Samuel Duck was some modern-day hero who made the ultimate sacrifice to leave them for the good of the world. There was still time-to live in a fantasy world or to join Huey in his closed-minded anger fest.
Webby slipped her hand into his and squeezed it tight.
Dewey gripped it back. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and smiled. "I've been well prepared for whatever you have to say." I mean literally… Huey can't stop talking about how much he'll disappoint us. And between everything that happened with Mom and all the stuff with Louie… yeah, I'm ready. If he thinks whatever he has to say will ruin me, he doesn't know the Duck family at all. He straightened and focused his gaze on the man who held the secret of his past, the other half of where came from. I'm ready. I'm ready for the truth of who Samuel Duck really is… who I am. "I want to know."