The Nature of Things

Chapter 32

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Two days later Brian walked into the visitation room of the Pittsburgh jail to confront Casey. He wasn't sure he was prepared to hear what the other man had to say, but he knew that he had to hear it.

Casey was brought into the room hands cuffed behind his back and led to the chair across the table from Brian. After cuffing Casey to the chair the guard stepped out and closed the door, staying close by.

Brian studied the other man and waited for him to speak. Casey sat across from him smiling slyly, refusing to be the first to speak. Brian waited a few more minutes, shifted in his seat and for once in his life gave in and spoke first.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"I believe I said it all in court."

"That's not an answer I'll accept. I want all of it. I want to know everything."

"I told you, Jack's my father."

"I don't believe you."

"Ask your mother, she's known about me for years now."

"You're fucking lying. My mother never would have stood for Jack having a bastard out there."

"She did. She's known about me since my mother went to her and asked for money. Jack wasn't very good about taking care of his responsibilities."

"He wasn't a very good father either; you didn't miss much."

"I missed it all, you son of a bitch. I missed the little league games he took you to. I missed the driving lessons, the soccer matches, the school functions. You got it all and I got nothing."

"News flash, I didn't have any of that either. Jack never wanted me. He told me every single day of my life that I was a mistake and should never have been born. So the way I see it, you're the lucky one. You were spared life with Jack Kinney. Count yourself blessed."

"He was my father. I know he would've loved me if he'd known me. I was the son he always wanted."

"Unless you had money or a pussy, Jack didn't want you. This little revenge plot of yours is all for naught."

"It got the truth out once and for all. You aren't the precious little boy that Jack idolized anymore."

"I never was. The sooner you learn that life in the Kinney household wasn't all fun and games the better off you'll be."

Brian motioned the guard and left without giving Casey a chance to respond.

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Justin waited for Brian at the hospital. They were supposed to sign an agreement to adopt the baby and Brian was running late as usual. Molly was getting nervous, thinking that Brian had changed his mind.

Melanie was about to leave when Brian burst into the room. All eyes focused on the tall ad man, waiting for an explanation. Not getting one, Justin was the first to speak.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Jail."

"What?"

"I went to visit my brother." Brian turned to face Melanie. "By the way do you know a good PI?"

"Are you planning to check out his story?" Justin questioned Brian's motive on hiring a detective.

"Yeah, I'm not taking some rapist's word that dear old dad had a bastard out there."

"What about your mom?"

"What about her?" Brian tried to contain his anger, but was quickly losing the battle.

"Brian, you have to talk to your mom and find out if she knew about this. You can't just forget about it."

"I can and I will. Now stop it, Justin. This conversation is over. Can we just sign the papers so I can get back to work?"

Justin and Molly both knew that this was not the time or place to push the issue, so they dropped it. Once the papers were signed, Brian left without another word.

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Brian stood outside of Joan's thinking back over the life he'd lived inside those walls. He remembered the pain from Jack's beatings and the humiliation the next day at school. He thought about those long nights he sat cowering in his closet listening to his mother's sobs, wishing he could save her from Jack's rage, yet knowing that if he tried he'd be on the receiving end.

He thought of all the birthdays that were forgotten and all the school plays that were missed. He tried to picture the happy normal family that Casey envisioned and laughed sadly at the reality that was his family.

Ringing the bell, he waited with more patience than he'd had in a long time for his mother to open the door. He let himself wish for the millionth time that his family had been normal.

Joan answered the door dressed in her bathrobe and Brian found this a little odd considering it was three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Whath do you wanth?" Joan's slurred speech gave Brian his answer to her dress and unkempt look.

"Celebrating again, Mom? What is it this time, Father Tom's birthday or maybe it's the anniversary of the first time Dad beat the shit out of me? No don't tell me, Claire did something wonderful again."

"You shuth up, you no good little fag."

"Such harsh words of hate from a good Christian woman. Tsk, tsk, Mom, be careful or you'll never achieve sainthood."

"Geth outh."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me all about my brother." Brian plopped down on the couch and made himself comfortable. He put his feet up on the coffee table just to watch the disgust cross his mother's face.

"What are you talking about?" Brian's words quickly sobered his mother and she sat her drink down for the first time since he'd arrived.

"My brother. Casey. Surely you know all about him, Mom. You know Jack's bastard son."

Seeing the look of recognition in her eyes Brian knew he'd hit a nerve.

"Come on, Mom, surely you didn't let dad get someone else pregnant. Or was it that you didn't care as long as he wasn't here bothering you?"

"I didn't know about her until it was too late. She'd already had the bastard by the time your dad confessed."

"Jack confessed, did he? What a fucking joke, Mom. We all knew he was screwing around, even you."

"I had my suspicions about your father, but I kept hoping that I was wrong."

"Even you aren't that naive Mom. I want to know about the kid."

"I don't know much about him, just that he lived across town and your dad worked with his mother. I heard that she passed away last year."

"Did Dad keep seeing her after she had the baby?"

"No, he gave her money every month but he didn't want anything to do with the boy."

"Just like at home."

Joan looked closely at her son and asked the question that had been bugging her since he'd started the questioning. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"I wanted to know if it was true. And it seems that my brother got all of dad's best qualities. He raped Justin's sister and has set his sights on destroying everything I love because I got Dad's love. What a fucking joke, right Mom?"

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