Chapter Thirty-Six
O’Connor
Twenty years ago…
“Son? Did you hear me?”
I glance at the recruiter sitting in front of me and do my best to sit up straighter in my seat. “Yes, sir.”
He looks at me indecisively. “Enlisting at 17 means that you won’t graduate high school with your friends.
You won’t be available to walk across the stage with them to receive your diploma.
You will be in boot camp, and you will be treated as an adult.
No one will give you special treatment because you’re the youngest out there. In fact, they might target you for it.”
“I understand, sir. I’m ready.”
“How do your folks feel about this?”
“My parents are both dead, sir.” My voice doesn’t waver, but my throat burns saying those words out loud.
“Ah, I’m sorry for your losses.” His hands fold and unfold atop his desk in discomfort. “Do you have anyone else who might miss you? Any siblings? A girlfriend that you should be discussing this with?”
“I’m an only child. No girlfriend.” My girlfriend dumped me when I told her I was coming here today, and then slapped me when I wasn’t upset about it.
“Well, if there is anyone at all that can support you through this journey, I suggest you stay in contact with them. You get on a ship, and the outside world cannot contact you. If you’re past on rent, you’re homeless once the ship docks.”
“My parents’ estate will be liquidated this week, and I’m selling the house.”
“Right.” He shuffles in his seat. “And you’re doing this all alone?”
“I have a great-aunt who came to help me when my parents died, but she’s going back to Boston.”
“Okay, well put her down as your emergency contact, and I’ll get the rest of the paperwork started.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He hands me the forms, and I fill them all out, leaving the emergency contact blank.
It’s better this way. Being alone in the world means that I’ll never hurt anyone the way my parents’ deaths hurt me.
* * *
“We’re here,” I whisper to Linden. She fell asleep about a half hour ago, and I spent most of that time looking at her reflection in my mirror.
She’s still wearing my hat, and I don’t think I ever want it back.
She sits up, blinking her eyes awake and smiles at Avery. “Sorry, I fell asleep, pretty girl.”
“It’s otay. Mr. Jack was singing songs wiff me.”
“Was he?” Linden asks in amusement.
“Uh…” I jump out of my truck and avoid that admission of truth, and go to Avery’s door. “Listen, I didn’t have a chance to warn her we were coming. So, we’ll go to the door, and then I’ll come back for our bags.”
Linden’s face dulls. “Please, tell me that you’re not hiding a wife behind one of these houses?”
I can’t stop the grin forming. “No. No wife.”
I pluck Avery out of her seat, but one look around at the unfamiliar neighborhood and two-story houses has her clinging to my neck.
Colonial homes shaded by large, old trees, and green manicured lawns that stretch to the street. Old-fashioned lampposts. Not enough traffic to keep kids from riding their bikes down the middle of the road.
“It’s okay. This is a nice place,” I assure her.
Her big green eyes don’t stop scanning her new surroundings as we walk up the path to the front door.
“You should probably knock,” I tell Linden, and she looks at me funny. “I haven’t been here in a long time, and I don’t want to startle her.”
“You’re not that scary looking.” She cuts me a side-eye, but knocks on the big red door.
Avery is glued to me, and I hate to admit that I’m using her as a shield just as much as she’s using me.
The door opens, and a woman a lot older than I remember swings it wide. Her hair is white and clipped back out of her face. But she’s wearing an apron over top of a linen dress that I could pluck out of my memories.
Her curious gaze bounces from Linden to Avery, then to me, and back to Linden before I can speak.
“Hi, Aunt Kay.”
Her eyes ping back to mine before widening, and she gasps. “Jack?”
Her hand flutters over her mouth as she stares at me in shock. Linden is looking between us worriedly.
“I know it’s been a long time, but can we come in?”
She gasps. “Of course, of course.”
She ushers us into the house in a flurry of surprise and fluster, and takes us into the living room that I remember well. “Oh, my boy. You’ve grown a foot since I’ve seen you. I didn’t recognize the giant man on my front porch.”
She grips my hand tightly with both of hers, and mine still dwarfs hers. She seems a lot more fragile than I remember.
“Please, sit down. Is this your wife? She’s beautiful.” She hymns and haws over Linden, and I can see the flush spreading on her cheeks. “And this angel,” she coos over Avery.
Despite the complicated nature of this visit, my pride inflates hearing her praise. Bringing these two to someone who, at her core, is good-natured and loving is something I’m immensely grateful for.
Linden and Avery deserve to be surrounded by people who are good.
“Aunt Kay, I have a big favor to ask you, and I need you to have an open mind.”
She sits in her chair. The one that, even without a plaque, has always been hers. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not in the Navy anymore, and–”
She gasps. “You need a job? I can ask Ricky down at the stockyards for an opening. He owes me one for taking his grandmother to BINGO all last month.”
“No, nothing like that,” I interject. Linden shifts beside me, and I look at her, noting her attempt to hide a smile. “I work in the private sector now. Linden isn’t my wife; she was my neighbor, and this is her daughter, Avery.”
“Oh, Avery. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl! I know I have some toys around here somewhere.” She gets up to search for some before I can stop her, but I know it’s pointless. This is how she has always been.
She helps people. She does for others even when they don’t do for her. She welcomes everyone. And I’ve been away for way too long.
“She’s sweet,” Linden whispers.
“She’s exactly how I remember.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
Shame fills me. “Twenty years.”
A soft gasp of surprise fills the air between us.
“Here you go, sweetie.” Kay puts a box of coloring books and wooden trains on the coffee table, and it does its job, dragging Avery in.
“What’s this?” Avery asks, holding up a small plush toy on a string.
“Oh, that’s a cat toy. My Alberto likes to hide his toys everywhere.”
“A cat? Can I pet it?” She squeals, and Linden’s eyes get big. I know she’s thinking about the little white cat that started the shit storm last night.
“Of course! He’s the friendliest little guy. He’ll figure out you’re here eventually. He’s probably asleep in the window somewhere.”
Linden visibly relaxes as Avery accepts that answer and doesn’t bring up her terror story from yesterday.
Kay’s worried gaze finds me again once Avery is happily playing with the toys. “I missed you, Jack.” She reaches out to squeeze my hand again and a ball forms in my throat.
“I missed you, too.” I clear the gravel from my throat, ignoring Linden’s worried glances towards me. “I, uh, I should have visited.”
“Yes, you should have!” She smacks my hand playfully and smiles.
“You were out living your life. I never blamed you for it. I did worry though.” She looks at Linden.
“Every story on the NEWS made me fret. I just knew wherever there was trouble, Jack was sure to find it. He was just like his mother in that way. He had to be in the fight.”
Linden smiles regretfully. “Well, he found the trouble again.”
Aunt Kay quirks her head, clearly concerned.
“Linden and Avery might be in trouble,” I explain, amending Linden’s statement. She isn’t the trouble at all. “There are people who want to harm them, and I needed to bring them somewhere safe.”
Aunt Kay’s hand flies to her mouth. “You want to stay here?”
“I know that’s a big ask but–”
“Oh, yes, yes! This big house has been so empty; I would love to have you.” She drops my hand and reaches for Linden this time. “You are safe here, my dear. I’m so glad Jack brought you here.”
The surprise is clear on Linden’s face, like she is not used to feeling so welcome anywhere. “Thank you.”
She jumps up from her chair with more agility than she’s had in the last twenty minutes and starts scurrying across the room.
“I have fresh linens in this closet, but the whole upstairs is yours for as long as you need it. I moved my room down here a few years ago because I couldn’t stand going up and down stairs all day. ”
She grabs a rag from the kitchen and hurries back past us. “Come on, come on, I’ll show you.” She summons us and doesn’t check to see if we’re following, but of course we do.
Despite not liking stairs, she ascends the tall flight easily with a pep in her step. Much quicker than us because I’m keeping at Linden’s hobbled pace.
“I kept all the old furniture. It’s exactly the way it used to be, even your room,” she says, and Linden looks at me.
“My parents and I lived here when I was a kid. She’s my dad’s aunt through marriage.”
“I kept my nephew in the divorce,” Aunt Kay quips, digging through another closet in the upstairs hallway.
“This is your childhood home?” She asks in surprise.
“Yeah.”
“And that’s how you got away with the no next of kin thing?” She whispers, leaning in, making our shoulders bump.
“It’s kind of hard to tell you all of my secrets if you’re determined to figure them out on your own.”
“I think you have plenty more stored in the bank.” She raises an eyebrow at me, and I fight the urge to reach for her hand.
Fuck it. I wrap my arm around her waist, lifting her the final five steps to the top.
“Was I going too slow?” She asks breathlessly, leaning into my chest when I don’t let her go.
“No.” Her gaze drops to my lips, and my arm tightens around her.
“Just neighbors, huh?” Aunt Kay says from the other end of the hall, raising her eyebrow dramatically.
“Mr. Jack is a ghost,” Avery says, and Linden and I both stiffen. She must’ve been picking up on more of our conversations than we thought.
“I’ll say. I was startin’ to think so too when he didn’t bother to come visit me for all these years,” Aunt Kay scoffs humorously, none the wiser to Avery’s admission.
“I’m never going to live that down,” I mutter under my breath.
“I’m just glad I’m not the only one who has you on their shit list,” Linden smirks, limping away from me.
I’m starting to feel like I’m in a firefight without a gun.