“Well, you are always welcome in God’s kingdom… no matter how much you deny love.”
We both laugh a little at his analysis referring to the last time I visited.
“A lot has changed,” I confess to him. “That girl that makes me feel so inferior yet powerful… love is all I have for her.”
His smile is appreciative. “Good.”
I stand up and adjust my tie, preparing to face the storm.
“Until next time, Father.”
“Do we have to do this, Hugo?” he nervously asks me before we walk through the doors.
“Yes.”
“Okay… ju-just make me brave. You’re brave, I’m brave, right?”
“No, August.” I look at him and he looks back at me. “You make me brave.”
I push through the doors and there’s my father on his phone discussing business like the good businessman he is. He holds up his finger signaling me to hold on and, well, that just won’t do. I walk up and grab the phone away from him and hang up.
“What the hell are you doing?” He stands up, pounding his fists on the desk. “Hugo, I don’t have time for your bullshit today.”
“Well I wouldn’t be me without the bullshit today. We need to talk.”
“Seeing August is here, I am guessing this is you wanting to get the trust your mother left you.”
“We-we don’t really need it anymore because the woman that’s our evil grandmother left us everything,” August says nervously.
My father’s eyes widen. “She did what?”
“We just came back from her funeral and reading of the will.”
He opens his mouth and steps back, but doesn’t respond. His hand covers his mouth as he walks away towards his window. He spins around and points. “You mean to tell me that Goergette Voncliff… she left you everything. The Voncliff fortune?”
“Yes, also Oliver and Suzannah,” I say.
“What on earth was she thinking?”
“I suppose, ‘Let me pay for letting my son get away with molesting my daughter.’”
His lips are pressed and he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
“Karlie told me she told you.”
“Yes, so I suppose you want to come here and tell me about how I failed you. How I failed you as a father. As a husband to your mother.”
“As a son to your father.”
He looks at me confused. “What?”
“That’s why you are the way you are. You probably did have a moment when you were a child. Full of hope and possibilities, but then it was shut down by the harsh formulated realities. They tell you what you are here on this earth for before you even discover the possibility of something else. It’s narrow minded. It’s sad and it is the greatest sin if ever there was a sin greater. I have hated you for a long time.” My speech begins to mute as I wonder if I should stop now. Stop from confessing the truth, but then I remember what this whole summer has been about really. No more. No more running. No more lying. No more secrets. “But I have needed you for all my twenty-three years.” His face softens the same as mine. His body transforms just as easy as the words escape from my soul. “I…” I look away. Out the window I see the tall skyscrapers. “I watched my mother kill herself…” I point to the window as if she is there now. “She looked at me… and she smiled. And then she was gone… and that night I had no one to hold me. I had no one to tell me that everything would be okay.” I look back at him and I am shocked by the emotion that covers him. His eyes are shining with tears that won’t fall. “Instead I held August, and Gabriel… Gabriel locked himself in the bathroom because he couldn’t let us see him breakdown. You broke him when you asked him where he was. When you put it all on him. I didn’t break down… Dad. I just… I just tried to block it all out. But I just needed you. We needed you. So much pain. So much anger. So much. We all get a visit from karma in our lives… well, this is yours and it’s not me getting some petty vengeance on you. It’s nothing but… but the truth. A truth you can’t hide from… not any more than I have tried to. It is my sacrifice to tell you. To let you know that… no matter how much I want to literally tear it out of me… I love you. You’re my father and I love you… and I loved my mother… and I loved Gabriel… and I just wanted you to love us too.”
“But we don’t need it anymore,” August finally speaks once I wipe the tears from my eyes and his hand comes across my shoulder. “I may not be… I may not be normal or tough as you would say a man should be but… I’m a genius… and your son. Your job no matter what is to love us. That’s all it is. Not that hard. I never understood why it was so hard for most of you. I don’t understand why it’s hard for people. I am mentally and emotionally nervous due to being autistic. What’s you guys’ problem?” I almost break out into laughter, but August isn’t finished. “But Hugo loves me though and… unlike him I don’t care if you ever don’t be a good dad to us, because I got Hugo. And now we got Ollie and Suzie.” He starts to smile. “And Karlie… Juliet, Ms. Eleanor and the rest of the gang. So yeah we don’t need you to love us anymore.”
“That’s right.” I place my arm around my brother’s shoulder, smiling and proud at him.
“So on that wonderful finishing statement, I believe we must be going. Our niece and nephew will be departing today and we need to be home when they come to say goodbye.”
I don’t know if he wants to say anything or not, but I think it’s more of my selfish need to want to hear it. Besides, if he needed to say something now he would’ve stopped us. Once were in the elevator, I put on my sunglasses. Letting my armor cover the flesh I have hid for so long.
“We did good, right Hugo?” August asks me.
“Yes, August. We did.”
22
JULIET
I watch from the window. I watch as August and Hugo sit with their niece and nephew on a stone bench on the back patio. The children are laughing at something Hugo has said and something tells me it’s probably not even funny.
“I think they find the seriousness of Hugo hilarious,” Karlie says beside me.
“I agree.”
“I better get out there or the kids will talk them to death.”
“I don’t think they’ll mind at all.”
“Take care of them,” Karlie suddenly says and that causes my head to turn towards her.
“And you take care of yourself,” I say to her and she smiles.
“You too.”
“Twins can be a handful,” I joke.
“Hell yes.”
We laugh together and continue watching the new generations of Mandrake that neither of us doubt will start their own legacy. A legacy without the turmoil they have been born into.
HUGO
“So now we all have the last name?” Ollie asks me.
“Yes.”
“Mandrake… I like that name,” Suzie smiles
“It’s a badass name!” Ollie yells proudly.
“Don’t curse, kid.” I figure now is the time to act like a good role model, but there isn’t a problem with being truthful. “And yes… it is a badass name.”
“Will you visit us in Chicago?” Suzie asks, laying her head on August’s shoulder. He flinches a little but relaxes and lays his head on hers.
“Yes. We will.”
“We’ll visit here?” Ollie asks.
“Yes. You will,” I go on to say. “And we will go on trips everywhere. Our family has homes and land in almost every country. Life is going to be amazing for you. Not a false advertisement like most people you will know in this world. You will be okay.”
Ollie nods and even though he’s just a kid, I feel he understands what I am saying.
“I get it,” Suzie suddenly says and I look at her. “Our real daddy was sad… and you and Mommy don’t want us to be like that.”
“Yeah.” I nod and see the wisdom in Suzie’s blue eyes and I see excitement and ambition in Ollie’s. He might be reckless and with recklessness comes fragility. This means I wi
ll need to be a man for him and show him what a man is. Suzie will be more like Karlie. Trying to hold everyone together. She will be the heart and I must make sure her heart won’t be broken. Or at least not so brutally that she won’t be able to make it. The only thing that saved Karlie was them. They stopped her from tumbling over along with the fated meeting with William Fairchild, a blessing disguised by a dying self-pitying man in a suit. I will help protect them both.
“Can I still get my gold inhaler?” Ollie asks before he puffs on his current inhaler and I laugh a little.
“Sure kid.”
“Is that even possible? I don’t think a gold inhaler would be healthy material for an asthmatic person,” August spits out this information. His brow is creased and he’s irritated in trying to find the logic. “People and their materialistic things.”
Suzie waves her hand for me to lower my head. I do and she whispers.
“What is he talking about?”
“Uncle August logic,” I easily say.
She looks at him and so does Ollie.
“You’re weird, Uncle August,” Suzie says and Ollie agrees.
August shrugs. “Uncle Hugo’s been called worse.”
We all break into laughter as Karlie comes out with Juliet.
“Time to go.”
“Bittersweet words,” I say then take off my sunglasses as everyone stands up and follows them back in. “Ollie.” I stop him. He turns around and comes back over to me. “These were your father’s and I think he would like you to have them.”
Ollie smiles and takes them from me. “Cool.” He puts them on and smiles at me.
“Cool,” I say.
KARLIE
“Sure you don’t need me to come with you and Ma?” Anika asks me. I smile and place my hands on my baby sister’s face.
“You live your own life. Take care of yourself… and I’ll see you on Thanksgiving.”
She laughs and hugs me.
“I love you, Karlie. You’re my hero, always have been. Always will be.”
“I love you too… and you’re my hero too.”
We slowly break away from each other. Tears come down my face and the same for her. Cody walks over as Anika says goodbye to the kids.
“You hurt her, I kill you,” I warn him and he looks a little nervous but brushes it off laughing.
“Got it.”
“Take care of yourself, Cody.”
“You too.”
I walk over to the rest of them and bid my farewells. I watch as Ms. Eleanor smothers my children with her chest as she squeezes them and taints them with red lipstick on their cheeks and forehead.
“Let us know how Chicago is,” Jordana says. “I hear they might be worse than us.”
“God let us pray not.”
She laughs a little as Poppy pulls me in for a very tight hug.
“It was so nice meeting you!”
“You too, Poppy.” I laugh and say goodbye to Jaz, Margaret Jacobs, and Juliet. August and Hugo walk us outside to our limo.
“Who’s that?” Suzie asks and we all stop.
The person Suzie is referring to is her grandfather, but I can’t tell her that. I don’t even know where to start.
Jonathan Mandrake is just standing there, staring at my children. Seeing his grandchildren for the first time. He just looks at them with his hands in his pockets and this strange look on his face. A look of wonder and I believe… well I believe it might be love at first sight for him.
He blinks twice then looks at all of us. His eyes set on Hugo who nods at him in understanding. Jonathan nods back.
“I’ll be in touch,” he says before heading into his limo and pulling off.
“That was interesting,” I say.
“I think it was a miracle,” Hugo says and quickly picks up Suzie who is still looking confused.
“Who was that?” she asks again.
“Um… a friend,” he says and kisses her on the cheek before putting her back down.
“Bye Uncle Hugo! Bye Uncle August!” Ollie yells once inside along with Suzie as they wave. Before I get in, I look back at the Mandrake boys. August has this adorable smile on his face as he looks down at his feet, biting his thumb. Hugo looks at me with the usual stoned face. I place my hands on his cheek, softening him up.
“You be good,” I say to him.
“I will. You too.”
I kiss him on the cheek and then grab a hold of a nervous August, hugging him. He moans in discomfort and I laugh.
“You be good too, August.”
“Okay,” he says nonchalantly.
I laugh again and I am delighted to laugh. I have a feeling I’ll be laughing a lot for the rest of my life.
I get in the limo with my babies and watch from the window as we pull off. We keep waving to our family until they disappear from sight. I sit back and finally I can rest with Suzie on one side, Ollie on the other. It’s interesting how I came here for less and came out with more. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know I’m not going at it alone anymore. I have my family. As I look out the window, I see the steps of the Met, the same steps I would go to meet Gabriel when we were teenagers in love. I feel now I have everything and I say goodbye to those steps. I say goodbye to the past and I swear I see Gabriel standing on those steps wearing those same sunglasses and flashing that same crooked smile. I swear I see him… so I say goodbye to him too.
JULIET
“So what now?” Jordana asks.
“I guess we live our lives… differently,” Cody says.
“Well, Jaz and I are going to travel!” Poppy says in excitement.
“Really?” I ask.
“Yeah, and I’m also going to introduce Poppy to the family,” Jaz says and I cringe.
“Good luck, Poppy,” I say.
“I’m good with dads mostly… not moms. Well unless I sleep with them too.
Margaret Jacobs almost spits out her drink as Jaz nervously laughs.
“Yeah, we’re working on our self-discipline,” he assures us.
“Well, life for me definitely will be different,” Margaret says.
“Well, you won’t be alone,” I assure her. “Neither of us will be alone.”
“My darling children,” Ms. Eleanor says, “there is nothing more draining than life. But the thing you need to keep you going, to give you energy… is people, my loves. People that represent beauty, truth, love. That is your energy. That is what keeps you going through this life.”
Ms. Eleanor once again with the wisdom. It is wisdom that sends silence through the room. We all listen and we all wonder what tomorrow will bring. I believe I know. I am psychic you know.
HUGO
I watch them all dance around. They’re all annoyingly happy… and I am enjoying it. I enjoy Cody finally getting some and being happy with Anika. I enjoy Jordana and Margaret Jacobs doing the PDA thing out and proud. I enjoy Poppy and Jaz, who oddly loves the thing in her head she calls a brain. I enjoy seeing Ms. Eleanor getting her feet rubbed by her Latin lover and drinking her usual. Bloody Mary with an extra kick. I enjoy seeing August draw a maze in his sketchbook. His eyes peeking at the dancing around him and the corner of his mouth turning up at what he views as his life and I see that he is happy. Truthfully. None of this would even be remotely possible if it wasn’t for that woman standing outside on the balcony, staring up at the night sky.
“It’s so exceedingly joyful in there,” I say in disgust and she laughs in her beautiful white sundress.
“Well you should get used to that,” she says as I lean over the balcony rail.
“Should I now?”
“Oh yes. That is your life and it’s only going to get more complicated and better from here.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” She faces me. “Ready for the new school year?”
“Actually I am.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm. I have even declared a major.”
“Really? What?”
>
“Philosophy.”
She arches her brow at me and shakes her head. “Not shocked.”
“Didn’t think you’d be.”
“You should add unsung hero to that. Karlie told me you already employed her hacker into searching for the victims of the Club… and that you plan on magically depositing money into their accounts.”
“Least I could do. I’m gonna make sure first that they are getting proper care or… that they’re happy, I don’t know.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“No, I’m not. But you are. You changed everything, Juliet. Everything.”
She smiles and tilts her head. “I only influenced change. You did it all yourself.”
I don’t argue with her. I just brush the strands of hair behind her ear and sigh annoyingly loving at her.
“So,” I say. “What happens now? You are psychic.”
“Oh yeah, well…” She clears her throat and stands up straight, closing her eyes for a moment. Her green eyes come back in view and they have this brightness to them. As if she really can see the future.
“Well… Cody will get dumped a couple times by Anika because Cody can be a bit much and Anika will go through a phase of being unsure and besides you have to go through heartbreak at some point at your life. But Cody will marry her. I can see it. He will marry her and they will be like the bloody Obamas most likely. Poppy and Jaz will journey through the world. At some point they will probably get separated through random circumstances, like literally Poppy will probably see a bird fly and follow it to the ring street corner or something. They won’t marry, but they will be together for a very long time. If they do break up… they’ll still shag for the rest of their bloody lives. Jordana and Margaret Jacobs will make it. I don’t see marriage for Jordana, but because that might matter to Margaret, she’ll do it just for her. Margaret’s father will never come around, poor girl. He’ll die not speaking to her and in that moment he will realize what a bastard he was. Mostly because he’s going to hell. Her mum will come along though for her.” She thinks again for a moment. “August’s mazes will be shown all over the world. Literally they will. We didn’t want to tell you yet, but someone called from a museum in London. I may have spread information about the most amazing mazes I’ve ever seen drawn. They want us to email them photos of them next week. And before you fall more in love with me for that, let me finish my prediction. Us. You and I… well… we’ll go through our shit. I mean I’m always right and you’re always stubborn and I talk too much and you talk not enough, so we will clash, but fuck it if we won’t love each other for it. We will literally love each other till the ends of the earth. We will need our love for when Scarlett comes back and shut up, don’t say anything. The bitch is mad. Don’t know when or how, but she will be back… but we’ll be ready because you and I, we’re it. We’re love and happiness and torture and trouble. The only people who we’ll love as much as we love each other is August, or families and friends… and our three kids.”
Reckless Karma (Sinners & Saints #2) Page 25