The Black Sheep, Part 2: Greed (The Seven Deadly Kins #4)

Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Time Heals All Wounds

T ony tossed another fry into his mouth, then looked towards the Buffalo Bayou River. He sported his Astros baseball cap and jersey while Roman wore a plain white shirt and jeans. It was a breezy day—the sun was bright and the smells from the river were earthy and nostalgic. Roman dipped a long fry in his mound of ketchup and swirled it about as he and his buddy sat at a bench, talking and catching up.

“Yeah, I could do that but it’s not just my choice. If there was no one else to consider, this would be easier,” Tony said after slurping up some of his Diet Pepsi. “The counseling isn’t helping much.”

“Tony, ask yourself what you want, and what’s best for your family.”

“It’s not that simple, man.”

“It is.”

Tony was quiet for a spell, his angry gaze setting on him. Then he took a bite of his hamburger, chewing it roughly.

“You haven’t been married yet, Roman,” Tony stated around a mouthful of food. “This isn’t the stock market. We’re two people who fell in love, and now the feelings aren’t the same because—”

“That’s the problem. You only fell in love. Anything you can fall into; you can fall out of. You have to BE in love. Not just fall.”

“You ain’t Oprah, man. Don’t act like a love specialist, or some relationship professional. This is your first successful rodeo. All up until this point with my sister, you been out here wildin’ out.” Tony rolled his eyes, then laughed.

“Okay, that’s fair, but let me finish. Loving someone is partially a decision, and the other portion is what our hearts and souls do all on their own. Regardless, our brain has the final say. I fell in love with your sister, but I chose to BE in love with her, going forward. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You don’t understand. Genesis isn’t like Penny, and you and I, though we have a lot in common, we’ve got differences, too. Plus, this isn’t how I wanted everything to go. I value marriage, man. My vows were serious to me, and I know the disappointment this would cause to not only myself, but also my kids, and the entire family.”

“Okay, look, Tony. You’re right. I know that I’ve never been married. I was that guy running the streets.” Roman threw up his hands. “But I have been a front row witness to what a bad marriage can do to children.” Tony sighed, then reached for another fry. “If you’re fightin’ and going off on each other in front of your kids, it will affect them, man. I’m not talkin’ about the little tiffs here and there, either. That happens. We’re human. I’m talking about toxicity. The kind where she’s every bitch in the book, and you’re every fucker she can think of. That’s not healthy for the kids, you or Penny. It’ll wear you down, and then you risk your children doing the same thing when they start dating and being in relationships. I’m proof of that. I ended up dealing with a bunch of women, just like my father. Unfaithful. Kids repeat what they see. Good, bad or indifferent.”

Tony nodded in agreement, then ate another fry. He ate so fast, Roman doubted he tasted the food.

“Do you still love Penny, Tony?”

His friend took a long while to answer. “Yes, I do, actually. But I don’t like her. At least, not right now. It’s her lack of accountability that drives me crazy. It doesn’t help that Genesis never liked her, either, but was still supportive and kind to her, and now here I am, crashing over my sister’s house whenever I get depressed and don’t want to be alone, and whining to her like some baby.”

Yeah, I know. There’s been at least five or six times I didn’t get any pussy because of you. Irritated, Roman kept those deliberations to himself.

“She tells me all the time: that’s what sisters are for. You know she reveres you, Tony. Besides, you’d do the same for her.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s think of this proactively. The parts that you don’t like about Penny, is she willing to work on?”

“Well, she did apologize for everything a couple of nights ago. Finally.” Tony rolled his eyes. “Said she didn’t want our marriage to end, too. It seems I had to move out for her to see how serious things were, and for her to miss me and understand the damage she caused. And I know that I’m no angel.” He shoved another fry into his mouth, chewed quickly then swallowed. “I’ve never cheated on her, nothin’ like that, but I’ve lied about things I shouldn’t have in the past. And I’m away from her and the kids far too much. She complains about it. I also didn’t tell an ex-girlfriend of mine a few years ago to stop messaging me on social media. I entertained it because I liked the attention.”

“Well, that’s real.” Roman shrugged. “Facts. People can change if they choose to. Time will tell if she’s being sincere. I want to see you smile again. You’re my brother. We’re about to be brother-in-laws.”

Tony smiled at that, then laughed.

“Damn. Not just a figure of speech anymore… we are really about to be family.”

“Crazy, right? But I say that to say, I want you and your children happy. If you two can work on the big stuff, the small stuff will get better, too. But you have to make a choice. Let’s look at the positives.”

“Okay. Pros, not just cons.”

“Yeah.” Roman began to count off of his fingers. “Penny is now acknowledging that she did wrong. She understands trust is the foundation of a marriage based on stuff you said to earlier today. You both want your children in a stable and positive environment. You don’t want to lose everything you’ve worked for in a messy divorce. Penny wants to stay married to you. I know I’m not an expert in mental health,” he chuckled, “but maybe you should get a different marriage counselor, too. That could help and turn one of the cons into a pro. I heard it’s not uncommon to have to try a few out first before you find one ya like. Kind of like a dentist. Shit, I mean, I don’t know if she told you or not, but Genesis and I talked to a premarital counselor. Had a couple sessions. It was enlightening.”

“Yeah, I thought about that. Switchin’ up to someone else.” Tony looked contemplatively at the sky. “Marriage is hard, Roman. You’ll find out soon enough, but I have a feeling you and Genesis are going to make it. I was definitely worried when you first started dating my sister. You and I are super close, but I didn’t believe you’d grown in the context of how to treat women. You proved me wrong. Again, I’m sorry for how I jumped on you when I first found out about you two. You said you wouldn’t do anything to her, and I can see you’ve matured.”

Roman’s mind drifted to when he was eating Genesis’ pussy the prior evening. He decided after she orgasmed that it was a good idea to commemorate her pleasure by humming the SpongeBob theme song against her clit. Gen had the big Ohhhhhh!

“Hahaha!!!” He burst out laughing as the memory resurfaced, unable to control himself.

“Yeah… I’ve matured a great deal.”

Tony looked at him curiously, scowled, then shook his head. “I don’t even wanna know whatever it is you’re thinkin’ about, Roman.”

“It’s nothin’. I know we don’t say it often, it feels a little awkward, but uh, I love you, Tony. You are without a doubt one of the best people on this planet.”

“I love you, too, man. My sister is happy with you. That’s all a big brother could wish for. I’m glad y’all are together.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

They bumped fists, and continued on with their lunch…

Roman sat on his bed in silence, except the sound of his air conditioning blowing. He must’ve sat there, immobile, for at least ten minutes. He barely breathed. It had been a long week… especially emotionally. Things he never thought he’d have to do again once he was released from the Marines had to be done to bring a nightmare to a close. He took a deep breath, and when his phone lit up, he swallowed hard.

“You have a collect call from Angola State Prison…”

Roman went through the motions of accepting the call. His father said nothing, but he could tell by the breathing, his old man was there. Listening.

“Hi, Daddy. I know you can’t say nothin’.” He blinked back tears. “I just uh… wanna let you know that I saw what I needed to see. The other day, you and I were emailing each other about new TV shows, movies and such. Well, I’m going to tell you about a movie I saw at an independent theater with my fiancée.”

He heard some shuffling noises, and then things grew quiet on the other end of the line. “I saw this movie about this soldier, right? His father was a soldier, too. They had a difficult relationship when he was comin’ up as a boy, but got to the point where they were talkin’. Gettin’ to know each other, finally gettin’ along. Years passed and they actually became friends. Well, one day, the world was threatened. Our peace. An invader came to Earth. See, there was this evil alien that looked human, looked like the father and son, actually, but it wasn’t. Not like the movie, ‘Predator,’ or ‘Aliens,’ where the creature looks scary. Nah, this alien walked ’round in suits ’nd such. Mingled with folks. Blended in perfectly. Well because of this threat, that son and father duet were called back into service—this time, together.

“Father and son soldiers. Fightin’ on the frontline. Shoulder to shoulder. So the alien is takin’ out folks, right? It’s makin’ these pods, procreatin’ if you will, but for some reason, if the pods didn’t come out exactly like it wanted it to, it would eat it. Like, eat its young. It did this over and over again ’till it had the pods it wanted. The alien wanted to turn some people into these pod—like creatures, too, but it was selective about which ones it was gonna turn. Well, in one part of the movie, the father got injured and was stuck in an infirmary. It was all on the son’s shoulders to save the planet. The father, though, told him about this magic emblem to be found inside a wooden locket underground, one he could use to help stop the alien invasion.” He heard his father take a deep breath. That let him know that his daddy was following the story just fine. “So, the son took that emblem and studied it.

“It was one of the ugliest emblems he’d ever seen because it let him know just how evil this alien was, see? And, uh, well, he used it to help stop the alien from destroyin’ the planet.” Roman paused, tears welling in his eyes. Taking a sharp inhale, he carried on. “…At the end of the movie, the soldier went to visit his father in the infirmary. His father was healin’, gettin’ better.

“And after that, the two soldiers were no longer fighting a long alien invasion war. They were no longer at odds. They understood each other in ways that words couldn’t express. They had suffered at the hands of this same alien, but this taught them how important it is to listen, even when words can’t be expressed. To watch and pay attention, even when our eyes are closed. I liked the movie, Daddy. I think you’d like it, too.”

A few seconds passed, and he heard his father grunting, as if the man wanted to say something but couldn’t. However, this was enough to let Roman know that he heard him loud and clear, and he appreciated the message. Then, a song began to play… ‘Love Without End, Amen,’ by George Strait. Daddy was playing the song for him.

Roman sat on the edge of that bed, his head down, crying his eyes out. He then smiled through the tears. The release of a lifetime of anger, sadness, and depression.

“Thank you, Daddy. I love you, too…”

…Several months later

Grandpa laughed at Mr. Newman’s joke; a bit distracted by the vibration of his phone in his suit jacket pocket. He looked at the screen to see an email had come in. Old fears were aroused.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” He stood from the table at the Vic blood keeps it running. I made a pact with God. I promised Him that if he should grant my prayers and give me the desires of my heart, I would reward my bloodline. Surely, that motivation can be respected.

Respect is something you lacked most of your life. Speaking of life, your son is beginning a new chapter of his own. Roman, as I’m sure you’re aware of, is getting married soon. Naturally, due to the circumstances, I wasn’t invited to his wedding, but I am always in the know of such things. Honestly, there shouldn’t even be a wedding. The reason being is because the groom should have met a different fate. Please believe that I contemplated “removing” Roman from the family tree, after the experience we shared in the woods. It was theatrical and unnecessary. The only reason he is still breathing is because of the provisions he put in place to make it not to my advantage to do so. To add insult to injury, Jasper was wounded, his entire knee shattered, but is recovering well.

I’m assuming that Roman filled you in on the occurrence that led to the injury. Nevertheless, it became quite clear that he was no longer a good candidate to work in the family business. Roman presented some footage during our nature-walk meeting, if you will. I’m not sure if he somehow obtained it from my home on his own or got it from you. Regardless, I heard and saw it. Just like you wanted me to, no doubt.

If you are expecting an apology for what happened the day you and I were hunting and you disobeyed orders, I can’t offer you one. I can’t apologize for something that I’m not sorry about. Death in hunting is a part of life, Reeves. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s natural, and it’s how strong men survive. Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. A wrong was done to me, and that wrong needed to be accounted for. No man at the top of the food chain gets to the pinnacle without blood being shed. You needed to learn that lesson early, not later in life. Modern day civilization doesn’t understand the definition of a true man. We are being ruined by feminism and this new woke ideology.

Everyone is politically correct nowadays, sensitive snowflakes. People can’t handle the truth anymore. They cry and complain at the drop of a hat. They become drug addicts or drunks to flee from authenticity. If Roman got that tape recording from you, I’m assuming that you somehow obtained it by picking the lock to that closet where I kept certain items when you and your siblings were children, so long ago. That shows your intelligence, seeing as how it not only was purposefully difficult to open, but the closet was hidden, appearing as part of the wall. It seems you passed on that intelligence and sneakiness to your middle child. Roman is an efficient remover, but somewhat messy in his eliminations.

I did his dirty work as a favor to you, an act of kindness, and got rid of his shambolic aftermath which consisted of three split trees that I had grown myself. I did this in spite of the fact that he left me, Jasper, and my cowardly driver in the wilderness with a SUV that had a blown-out tire and shattered windows, thanks to your child. I found that tire situation amusing, believe it or not. After that son of a bitch said his final words, he just kind of disappeared into the forest, like the deranged, bowlegged monkey that he is, leaving us there after he was finished with his power play.

He is a lot like you it seems. Resilient. Crafty. Childish. He’s smarter than I took him for. Typically, ‘pretty’ men are not mentally agile, or blessed in the brains department, but he beat the odds. Don’t get me wrong, I knew he was bright and stated as such many times over the course of his life or I would have never wished for him to be a team member, but I undeniably underestimated him. Greed is usually synonymous with impatience. Roman I’m sure is still greedy, but he proved he is no longer impatient. However, he’s a poor listener.

That’s the only issue with this process of getting my grandsons to see the error of their ways. I’m not the enemy. I’m tough, and I mean business. That’s all. I’m the only one willing to stand up for what’s right. I am your father. Not your friend. Children change so quickly, nowadays. Reeves, Wilde men don’t cower. We don’t beg. We fight. We live to see another day. Survival of the fittest. You’re my flesh and blood. The facts are, since your teenage years, you did not like me, and I never liked you. It was no mystery. I know you don’t believe this, but I did the best I could with you, Reeves. I wanted you to be strong physically and mentally, read your Bible, and to understand how the real world works. You’re my son, regardless of our disdain for one another.

Take care of yourself,

Daddy

Before hitting ‘send,’ he re-read the whole thing, wondering if he should delete it or simply keep it as a draft. For a moment or two, he thought about Reeves’ mother, and the brief time they were together before she passed. A beautiful, quiet woman with medical issues that he knew nothing about until it was far too late. She’d hidden her frail heart from him, and that betrayal angered him to this day. Reeves was the kind of boy who needed his mother, and he simply could not fill her shoes.

With a sigh, he opened the restaurant door and walked in again. Pausing for a brief moment, he hit the send button before returning to his party of eight…