Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 97951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Well Silva, when we love and trust someone, it’s easy to think everyone else is the bad guy, ’cept for them. You didn’t trust me anymore. That’s how he was able to keep this charade going.”
“That’s right. I have to deal with that reality, too.” She exhaled loudly, and he heard what sounded like slow walking. Pacing back and forth, maybe?
“Where are you?”
“Outside on the deck.” He smiled at that. “With a cigarette ’nd coffee.” Now he was laughing. “I’m faced right now with the fact that a man I adored, practically worshiped, is nothin’ like what I thought he was. I feel like my whole damn childhood was a lie. In my effort to prove you were full of shit, I did call our cousin.”
“Which one?”
“Kage. Problem was, he didn’t pick up when I called. Or he might have me blocked.”
“What makes you think he’d block you?”
“Because I cursed him out last Thanksgiving. He’d been drinkin’ and acted a plum fool. You weren’t there, of course. You haven’t come by Grandpa’s in a long while.”
“No, not voluntarily. Anyway, Kage wasn’t invited, Silva. Kage isn’t even allowed on the property anymore from what I understand.”
“Oh, he showed up all right… smashed and ready to rumble. He was escorted away. That’s a polite way to put it. As security was draggin’ him out the door, I gave him a few choice words. He jerked his head in my direction, and he sported the evilest look on his face, Len, paired with a sick smile. He told me he hoped I’d get what I deserved and some other crap I’d rather not repeat. He was real offensive. On purpose, naturally.”
“…Naturally.” He stifled a desire to burst out laughing.
“I don’t know if it was the booze talkin’ or truly his thoughts of me, Lennox. Something tells me it was the latter.” She exhaled loudly. “That was that.”
“Yup. Sounds like Kage.” He sighed. “His patience is a hell of a lot shorter than mine, and Grandpa has taken him through the wringer.”
“Kage is no angel, but I can only imagine. So, since I couldn’t get a hold of him, I called Roman.” Roman was another cousin on the outs with Grandpa. He’d been a Marine, but his record was marred with petty crimes, elaborate schemes, and other offenses instead of his great military service to the country. On top of it, Roman had a strange ability to memorize practically anything he laid eyes on. It helped him cheat in Vegas, and win big. His face was now on posters to never allow the bastard back into several casinos. “Have you spoken to Roman any time recently?”
“Yeah, I have actually, but we didn’t get too deep. Roman prefers to be the class clown, so to speak, so he wouldn’t really let on how he was feelin’ about all of this shit to me. I don’t even know if he’s takin’ it seriously, to be quite honest, but I damn sure hope so because Grandpa truly hates his guts. Makes everything even more ironic if you ask me. Anyway, what’d he say?”
“Well, he corroborated everything you said regardin’ the letters. Said y’all all got them, and were essentially abducted and required to have a meetin’ with Grandpa, the seven of ya. Said it was a real shitshow.” Silva went on to recap what had gone down, and he offered a nod here and there. What sounded completely absurd was in fact what had transpired, and only his family would do and condone such a thing. The Wildes were wild. Amen. “…And so, that’s that. I’ve been such a damn fool.” She laughed dismally. “You always told me, even when we were kids, that I was too naïve… your codeword for stupid.”
“Nah, I called ya stupid sometimes, too. No codewords needed.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. I appreciate you clearin’ that up.” They both had a good laugh at that.
“I’m sorry, well, kinda, but it’s obvious why. You’ve got a trustin’ heart, Silva.” He stroked his beard as his thoughts weaved together like a basket. “You believe people at their word unless they make you think otherwise. It makes you susceptible to attack from people with ill intentions is all.”
“Gullible? Well, I guess sometimes I can be.”
“It’s just that you’re a real good person, and you don’t see evil in the world because well, people like you have a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that such wickedness exists in the first place. To you, that type of shit only takes place in movies, ya know? I mean, despite the dysfunction in our extended family, what was goin’ on under our roof was good. It was wholesome. We had two parents who loved one another. They loved us, too. We never wanted for nothin’, and Mama taught manners and respect. Dad was funny, Mama was about business—but she was kind, too. After we walked out of that front door though, Silva, it was an entirely different world. Mama dyin’ was the first brick to fall. Then the whole damn thing came crashin’ down.”