| General Fan Fiction posted June 9, 2022 |
  |
More secrets
Blessed Brother / part 4
by John Ciarmello
Prologue / part 3
“Of course, we couldn’t hear what Claudia was saying, but we heard Thaddeus say that Remi wasn’t his son.”
“That’s impossible; you and your staff must have heard him wrong.”
“Possibly, Father, and I’m not trying to guess what any of this means, but Thaddeus mentioned you in his conversation with Claudia. He seemed adamant with her about the key and that you needed to know the truth about Claudia and Remi.”
Everett lowered his gaze and rubbed his forehead in frustration. “That’s so vague, nurse. Can you recall anything else he might have said about the key? The key to what? I feel like whatever it unlocks, it may have truths.
“I’m sorry, Father, there isn’t anymore. I will add that the conversation about you knowing the truth became desperate for Thaddeus.” The nurse hesitated for a few seconds. “Father, it’s none of my business, but whatever you need to do to unravel this, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.”
Blessed Brother/ Part 4
A year had passed since Thaddeus’s death, and Everett was no closer to the truth than the morning Thaddeus died. His exhausted efforts thus far turned up nothing. Everett realized early on that the key his sister and brother spoke of was not tangible but symbolic, and the events that uprooted Claudia’s and Thaddeus’s lives were now imprisoned in their deaths. Everett needed to understand what they were for Remi’s sake, if not for his sanity.
***
Remi barged through the front door. “Uncle Ev… catch!” He tossed the new remote control, and Everett swiped it out of the air.
“Ahh, thanks, Rem; let me know what I owe you.”
“I got it, and when the old one turns up, we’ll have a spare.” Remi folded his suit jacket at the lapels, draped it over the back of the lazy boy, and flopped next to Everett on the couch.
Everett moved to the edge of the cushion and fumbled with the batteries to the remote. “How was school?”
“Ah, school is school.”
Everett clicked on the settings menu and then on the sports channel.
“Ahh, there he is," Remi blurted. “Tiger Woods and his gang of trailing losers whacking their balls with skinny sticks into tiny holes.”
Everett smiled and tapped Remi on the back of the head. “I’m a man of the cloth, Remi Vitali, have some respect. Are you going to stay in your suit to watch T.V?”
“Nah, I’ll go up and change in a minute.” Remi got up and headed for the kitchen. He swung open the refrigerator door and flipped the tab of a spraying root beer can before he pulled it from the fridge. “You want a soda, Uncle Ev?” He yelled and took a few quick swallows.
“No, I’m fine for now.”
“By the way, this is the last root beer," Remi said and straddled the arm of the couch.
Everett shot him a glance and shook his head.
“What!” Remi smirked.
“You’re the only eighteen-year-old kid I know who wears a suit to school every day.”
“Nah, there’s a few of us, but I started the trend.”
“I have no doubt you did. So, what are we watching tonight?”
Remi pulled on both cheeks and did a weak but effective Marlin Brando impersonation. “We’re going to watch a little God Father ll. You okay with dat, Father Everett?”
Everett blew a short breath of disappointment and pointed Remi toward his room. “Go change.”
Remi made short work of the living room stairs and yelled to Everett from the top landing. “Hey, did you get the big bag of caramel popcorn?”
“I got it.”
“The big bag?”
“Yes, Remi, now, get changed!”
Like clockwork the following morning, Everett pulled back the bay window curtains and recited a short prayer over the neighborhood. He noticed a black stretched limo parked on the corner but dismissed it briefly from his mind when Remi bounded down the stairs into the living room. “Morning,” he said and disappeared into the Kitchen.
“Morning, Rem; I made you a few pancakes. They’re in the warmer.”
“I got them already; thanks, Uncle Ev,” he yelled. “Any Syrup?”
“Fridge, top left..." Everett’s voice trailed off as he pulled the curtains back again. A slender, meticulously well-dressed man now leaned against the limo’s fender and stared in Everett’s direction. “Hey, Rem?” Everett kept his eyes locked on the man as he spoke. “You don’t know anyone that owns a limo, do you?” he dropped the curtain and looked back at Remi, who had a dry pancake in one hand and his backpack straps in the other.
Remi shot Everett a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I wish,” he muttered and averted his gaze. He pulled his bookbag onto his shoulder. "I have to go; I’m late.”
Everett watched as Remi took a few steps onto the sidewalk and pulled out his phone. Everett thought it a coincidence when the man in front of the limo took his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. The limo pulled away a few seconds later and turned right at the next block. Remi crossed at the corner as usual and headed toward the school.
Everett never saw the limo again. However, he hadn’t entirely forgotten how it triggered his curiosity. He would never have imagined its connection to his latest struggles with Remi and dismissed Remi’s mood swings to raging hormones and the lagging part of a teenage boy’s brain that controls his reasoning and common sense.
A few months passed, and with Remi not being home frequently for one reason or another, frustrations and the new norms settled for them for the time being.
***
The front door to the parsonage quietly clicked shut. Remi stumbled on the stair-step of the lower landing and caught himself on the spindles of the railing.
Everett turned off the bathroom light and heard Remi’s breathy mumbles on the stairs. “Rem? I thought you were staying at Blake's tonight?” Everett moved to the top of the stairs. “Remi…?”
Remi appeared from the unlit staircase and righted his stumble with both lapels of Everett’s robe. “Remi? What’s wrong?” Remi stared for a few seconds into Everett’s eyes before he collapsed at his feet. Everett went to his knees beside him. “What in God’s good name…” He checked to see if he was breathing and pried Remi’s phone from his clenched hand. “I need an ambulance at St. Mary’s! Yes, the parsonage door. It’s my nephew..."
To be continued...
Prologue / part 3
“Of course, we couldn’t hear what Claudia was saying, but we heard Thaddeus say that Remi wasn’t his son.”
“That’s impossible; you and your staff must have heard him wrong.”
“Possibly, Father, and I’m not trying to guess what any of this means, but Thaddeus mentioned you in his conversation with Claudia. He seemed adamant with her about the key and that you needed to know the truth about Claudia and Remi.”
Everett lowered his gaze and rubbed his forehead in frustration. “That’s so vague, nurse. Can you recall anything else he might have said about the key? The key to what? I feel like whatever it unlocks, it may have truths.
“I’m sorry, Father, there isn’t anymore. I will add that the conversation about you knowing the truth became desperate for Thaddeus.” The nurse hesitated for a few seconds. “Father, it’s none of my business, but whatever you need to do to unravel this, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.”
Blessed Brother/ Part 4
A year had passed since Thaddeus’s death, and Everett was no closer to the truth than the morning Thaddeus died. His exhausted efforts thus far turned up nothing. Everett realized early on that the key his sister and brother spoke of was not tangible but symbolic, and the events that uprooted Claudia’s and Thaddeus’s lives were now imprisoned in their deaths. Everett needed to understand what they were for Remi’s sake, if not for his sanity.
***
Remi barged through the front door. “Uncle Ev… catch!” He tossed the new remote control, and Everett swiped it out of the air.
“Ahh, thanks, Rem; let me know what I owe you.”
“I got it, and when the old one turns up, we’ll have a spare.” Remi folded his suit jacket at the lapels, draped it over the back of the lazy boy, and flopped next to Everett on the couch.
Everett moved to the edge of the cushion and fumbled with the batteries to the remote. “How was school?”
“Ah, school is school.”
Everett clicked on the settings menu and then on the sports channel.
“Ahh, there he is," Remi blurted. “Tiger Woods and his gang of trailing losers whacking their balls with skinny sticks into tiny holes.”
Everett smiled and tapped Remi on the back of the head. “I’m a man of the cloth, Remi Vitali, have some respect. Are you going to stay in your suit to watch T.V?”
“Nah, I’ll go up and change in a minute.” Remi got up and headed for the kitchen. He swung open the refrigerator door and flipped the tab of a spraying root beer can before he pulled it from the fridge. “You want a soda, Uncle Ev?” He yelled and took a few quick swallows.
“No, I’m fine for now.”
“By the way, this is the last root beer," Remi said and straddled the arm of the couch.
Everett shot him a glance and shook his head.
“What!” Remi smirked.
“You’re the only eighteen-year-old kid I know who wears a suit to school every day.”
“Nah, there’s a few of us, but I started the trend.”
“I have no doubt you did. So, what are we watching tonight?”
Remi pulled on both cheeks and did a weak but effective Marlin Brando impersonation. “We’re going to watch a little God Father ll. You okay with dat, Father Everett?”
Everett blew a short breath of disappointment and pointed Remi toward his room. “Go change.”
Remi made short work of the living room stairs and yelled to Everett from the top landing. “Hey, did you get the big bag of caramel popcorn?”
“I got it.”
“The big bag?”
“Yes, Remi, now, get changed!”
Like clockwork the following morning, Everett pulled back the bay window curtains and recited a short prayer over the neighborhood. He noticed a black stretched limo parked on the corner but dismissed it briefly from his mind when Remi bounded down the stairs into the living room. “Morning,” he said and disappeared into the Kitchen.
“Morning, Rem; I made you a few pancakes. They’re in the warmer.”
“I got them already; thanks, Uncle Ev,” he yelled. “Any Syrup?”
“Fridge, top left..." Everett’s voice trailed off as he pulled the curtains back again. A slender, meticulously well-dressed man now leaned against the limo’s fender and stared in Everett’s direction. “Hey, Rem?” Everett kept his eyes locked on the man as he spoke. “You don’t know anyone that owns a limo, do you?” he dropped the curtain and looked back at Remi, who had a dry pancake in one hand and his backpack straps in the other.
Remi shot Everett a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I wish,” he muttered and averted his gaze. He pulled his bookbag onto his shoulder. "I have to go; I’m late.”
Everett watched as Remi took a few steps onto the sidewalk and pulled out his phone. Everett thought it a coincidence when the man in front of the limo took his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. The limo pulled away a few seconds later and turned right at the next block. Remi crossed at the corner as usual and headed toward the school.
Everett never saw the limo again. However, he hadn’t entirely forgotten how it triggered his curiosity. He would never have imagined its connection to his latest struggles with Remi and dismissed Remi’s mood swings to raging hormones and the lagging part of a teenage boy’s brain that controls his reasoning and common sense.
A few months passed, and with Remi not being home frequently for one reason or another, frustrations and the new norms settled for them for the time being.
***
The front door to the parsonage quietly clicked shut. Remi stumbled on the stair-step of the lower landing and caught himself on the spindles of the railing.
Everett turned off the bathroom light and heard Remi’s breathy mumbles on the stairs. “Rem? I thought you were staying at Blake's tonight?” Everett moved to the top of the stairs. “Remi…?”
Remi appeared from the unlit staircase and righted his stumble with both lapels of Everett’s robe. “Remi? What’s wrong?” Remi stared for a few seconds into Everett’s eyes before he collapsed at his feet. Everett went to his knees beside him. “What in God’s good name…” He checked to see if he was breathing and pried Remi’s phone from his clenched hand. “I need an ambulance at St. Mary’s! Yes, the parsonage door. It’s my nephew..."
To be continued...
 Recognized |
This part is intended to develop Remi's character a bit more. I'm hoping it has also advanced the story sufficiently. Thanks for reading
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Artwork by jodiedikun at FanArtReview.com
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. John Ciarmello All rights reserved.
John Ciarmello has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
