Family Reunion

Nathan Callaghan walked up the steps of the same single family South Boston home that had been his family’s home for years. Through sickness and health, richer or poorer and even divorce he’d lauded over his fucked up family from this very home. He grimaced as he slung his travel bag over his shoulder. His back was acting up. He was literally too old for this shit and everything that went along with it. Dressing up in his leather jacket, wielding a barbed wire bat, hanging on to what little control he had over the powder keg of a company he’d built from the ground up. Lily wasn’t making things any easier. Brendan wanted answers. Liam was in the hospital and only God knew where Sean was. Nathan should be on a beach somewhere with the twins, not worrying about this shit. He turned his key in the door and walked inside. Tossing his bag to the floor he called out even though he knew damn well he was the only one there.

Nathan: Honey, I’m home!

He chuckled to himself. Reaching back to scratch his ass Nathan winced, he definitely wasn’t as flexible as he used to be. This drew a loud laugh, at least he was good company. Walking into the kitchen he stretched and headed straight for the fridge. He opened the door, bent over and reached inside to grab a beer but something wasn’t right. He paused, reviewing his steps in his head before he bolted upright, spinning the beer bottle in his hand so that it was now a weapon.

Nathan’s eyes fell on the kitchen table where Paz Guevara sat calmly, an Easton Black Magic bat flat on the table, her fingers gently rolling it back and forth. Paz wore dark jeans, a white Playboy tee shirt tied above her midriff and a light denim jacket. Nathan's first question was answered when he saw her house keys lying on the table. Liam never took them back. Fucking kids were so irresponsible. Breathing a sigh of relief Nathan popped the beer and took a long swig before wiping his lips with the sleeve of his jacket.

Nathan: Jesus Christ kid, you nearly gave me a heart attack.

He took another swig of his beer before placing it down on the counter and turning his gaze towards Paz.

Nathan: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I did say you knew where to find me when you wanted to talk. I just didn’t expect you to be sitting in my kitchen in the dark like the fucking Batman or whatever. You kids always have to make an entrance, don’t you?

Paz’s eyes followed his every move, her fingers never leaving the bat.

Paz: Talk?

Her head tilted as her lips pursed.

Paz: Sure. Let’s try talking and if that doesn’t work we can move on to other things. I have questions. I’m sure you do as well. I’ll start. What the fuck were you thinking?

Nathan was taken aback for a moment, even a bit offended as he blinked.

Nathan: Excuse me? What was I thinking? First of all, before you start asking me questions? How about you answer some? Like how in the hell did Lily find you? Do you know how much of my money Liam wasted looking for you? And secondly, what in the hell did that wench tell you? Because if you’re here on her behalf, then you can march your tiny latina ass right out that door.

He turned and pointed towards the front door with his beer. Paz’s brow arched in amusement as she glanced at the door before focusing on Nathan once more.

Paz: I’m here on my own behalf and I’ll march my tiny latina ass wherever I damn well please. Back when we first met, when I was nineteen and Liam and I had just started dating, you intimidated me. Not now. For years I’ve watched you destroy your family under the guise of protecting it. You have a million kids yet somehow you’ve managed to offend every single one. You think your bullshit tough guy routine makes you a man. You’re not a man. My father, he’s a man. He worked every day of his life to provide for his family. To feed us and cloth us and all that good happy bullshit you’re supposed to do when you’re a parent. But I guess you missed that day of parenting class, or maybe you’re too much of a narcissist to put others first. So here you are, in this broke ass house, alone. You can’t even run the company you built without someone else footing the bill. So save me the sob story about how you wasted money looking for me. And Lily? Fuck her too. I don’t care about your marital strife. She told me you hung Liam and the Brothers Dim out to dry. I went back and watched with my own eyes. She wasn’t lying.

Nathan slammed his beer down on the counter, shattering it into pieces as the contents went spraying every which way.

Nathan: They turned their fucking backs on me! For what? For her? Liam didn’t come to me first. He didn’t ask me why his mother was suddenly ‘alive’ again. They all just willingly went along with whatever she asked of them. I’ve never claimed to be father of the year but you have no idea what I’ve had to do to protect them, you cocky little shit. If it wasn’t for me? This entire family would be ashes. For years, I was cleaning up after Lily’s gambling habits. You want to know how Ryan ended up in trouble with the Irish mob and then in prison? It was Lily’s BULLSHIT! And what happened to Ryan in there, huh? You remember. He had to kill his cellmate because the warden wanted to have his little prison fight club and he threatened my family to get Ryan to oblige.

Nathan looked down at his hand and it was bleeding slightly from the broken beer bottle. He chuckled before wiping it off on his shirt.

Nathan: You want to know what happened to that warden when Ryan told me about it?

Nathan leaned forward and lowered his voice for effect.

Nathan: I ended him. That’s right. And the reason nobody ever fucked with Liam? Sean? Brendan? It’s because of me. I protected them. I’ve been paying off that whore’s debts for all these years. Why do you think Liberty has gone belly up three different times? Because it was either pay up or somebody is going to get hurt and now? I got my own toddler to think about but not just that, a grandchild from Sean. You have no idea the pressure I’ve been under and how much I’ve had squeezed from me. And Lily?

He paused and scoffed before shaking his head.

Nathan: From what I’ve gathered, she faked her death to go and be with those assholes. That’s right, the people that have been making me fork over money for god knows how fucking long. So before you come in here and start judging me for the actions I’ve had to take, how about you look at the big picture. I brought in The Society because I needed trash to take out the trash. I didn’t expect Lily to beat up Becky’s little girlfriend and for it all to go to hell. But what else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t back down. Lily has to go.

Paz watched and listened and when he was finished she clapped.

Paz: Bravo. That was quite the speech. Careful, someday you might actually inspire someone. First off, you’re worried about me giving you a heart attack when clearly you’ve got anger issues. What you need is some blood pressure meds and a nice bed in an assisted living facility, but your health isn’t my concern, neither is that tangled web of family history you just wove. That entire speech was basically about Ryan. Ryan this, Ryan that… and oh yeah Liam was there too. Newsflash, Ryan should’ve died years ago. Awwww, you’ve got a toddler and a grandchild now? Please send them my condolences for having to spend the developmental stages of their life with a douche bag like you. I don’t care about the past. I care about the here and now. I care about Liam lying in that hospital bed because of a decision you made. Don’t blame Lily. Your actions created the opportunity. Now you’re whining like a bitch, claiming you’ve got no say over what happens under your own roof. Here’s what I need to know from you, right now. Are you still going to protect them? Are you going to stand beside The Society when I come calling? It’s a simple question. I just need a yes or a no. I don’t care to hear your reasons.

Nathan listened carefully to every word and while some of it definitely stung, he wasn’t offended. He didn’t respond at first, instead he grabbed a rag and wrapped it around the laceration on his hand before opening the refrigerator and grabbing another beer. He walked over to the table and took a seat. He looked away from Paz for a bit, his brain was all over the place. A few more moments passed before he raised the beer bottle and chugged the entire thing. He wiped his lips with his arm before finally looking up at Paz and giving her the answer she wanted. Not a long sob story about why he did this or that. Just a yes or a no.

Nathan: No.

Paz exhaled and stood, leaving the bat on the table. She fixed the collar on her jacket and stuck her hands in her pockets as she gazed down at the man that was once her father-in-law.

Paz: Good.

She started towards the door but stopped.

Paz: To answer your question, I was in Vegas. After I disappeared from the scene Joey Reyes reached out to me and offered to train me. She had a lot of insight into what it’s like for someone like me in this business. I spent some time there reinventing myself. Curbing my need to risk it all. Learning how to wrestle instead of flying around like a goddamn spot monkey. Julian Savell swung by a few times, he had some interesting insight as well. Guess the two of them were a thing back in the day.

Paz shrugged.

Paz: I needed to figure out who I was as a wrestler instead of drowning in the expectations of what my brother wanted to be. My game’s well rounded now. More dangerous. Even spent a little time in Mexico under a lucha mask to hone it all. It was cathartic but I’m needed here. I’ll expect a contract to make it all official and I want to be Liam’s primary contact from here on out. You’ve obviously got enough on your plate, grandpa.

She scoffed at the notion of Nathan bouncing a grandchild on his knee. She looked like she was about to say something else but instead just headed for the door.

Nathan: I'll have the contract drawn up in the morning and I’ll let the hospital know.

He paused and almost let her leave before saying the one thing he'd wanted to say to her since finding out she was back.

Nathan: Thank you. You probably don’t give a shit what I have to say but I mean that. Thank you for coming back for Liam.

Paz stood there for a long moment, hands in her pockets, her back to Nathan.

Paz: When the time comes I’ll help you get rid of Lily. I don’t want her around him. She’s dangerous. Who does that to their hair?

With that Paz shouldered through the door and down the stairs into the cold air of the night.