Origins: Katy pt 8

November 11, 2008 on 2:06 am | In Dead End Streets Chapters |

He stood, staring at his brother until he noticed, and then the younger man stared back, obviously annoyed.  “Bill, I gotta go.  Some creep is giving me the eye.”  He hung up.  “What the hell do you want?” he asked Patrick, his voice booming across the hall.  Definitely his little brother.

“Brian.  It’s me.  Patrick.”  Brian did not reply.  “Your brother?”

“I don’t have a brother.”

Patrick sighed.  “Twenty years and you’re still an asshole.  Glad you took after dad, huh?  It’s your kid, isn’t it?  The werewolf victim?  What’s her name?”

It was then that Brian collapsed, dropping his cell phone and leaning against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor in the hallway, tailored suit and all.  “My little Katy.  That man’s gone and ruined her.  She’s been ruined.”  He started to sob, a loud, heaving sound.

Patrick approached and bent down next to him.  “Brain, it’s going to be okay.  This is not the end of her life.  She’s only thirteen.  There’s going to be lots of wonderful things for her to look forward to.  Lycanthropy will only rule your lives if you let it, and I know you’re stronger than that.”

“Shut up.  You don’t know anything about it.  What would you know about love and family?”

“Not much,” Patrick admitted, biting back the bitter tone in his voice.  “You and dad and mom made sure of that.  Is the old bastard dead yet?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”  Brian just started crying harder.  “Oh geez.  Cut it out.  You didn’t like him either.”

“Dad was a great man.  It was you.  You made him cut you off.  It wasn’t his fault.  You just had to go along being a pervert.”

Patrick stood up.  “And yet I never regretted a minute of it.  I’ll be seeing you around.  Wait, no I won’t…oh well.”

“Brian, are you alright?” Patrick turned around to see a stunning blond trophy wife trot down the hallway in heels.

Patrick had to grin.  “Amanda, darling!  You married this bastard?  I thought you had more sense.  You look as gorgeous as you did in high school, which is more than I can say for Big Boy back here.”

She didn’t like that, visibly slowing down and wincing.  “Patrick, is that you?”  Amanda had been a fixture at their home since before Patrick had run away, back when she and Brian were almost too young to date.  The girl had known quality old money when she saw it and latched on.  He was surprised she hadn’t let her claws out yet, taken alimony and run with it.

“Yeah.  It’s me.  Look, I’m sorry about your daughter…”

“You don’t need to—that is—thank you but don’t let anyone know—Brian, are you okay?”

Patrick’s brother had gotten back up to his feet and brushing dust from his jacket.  Any possible tears gone.  “Fine, fine.  Imagine, running into good ol’ Patrick here.  Family reunion.  Nice running into you, Patrick.  I’ll see you in another twenty years.”

“Don’t you think it’s time to let that go?” Amanda asked, her eyes shifting between husband and estranged brother-in-law.  “That was years ago, times are different now.  C’mon Patrick.  Come meet our girls.”

“I really don’t think—” Brian protested, but Patrick cut him off.

“It’s okay.  I promise the gay is not catching.”  Patrick followed Amanda into the room with Brian, grumbling, behind him.

He met his nieces.  It was bizarre, they didn’t exist a few minutes ago and now there they were, family.  The little one was a carbon copy of her mother, all blond hair and blue eyes in a My Little Pony t-shirt.  The older girl was sitting up in a chair in green flannel pajamas, her round face unsmiling.  Somehow Patrick got the feeling that she didn’t smile a lot, and that wasn’t right.

*****

Katy was startled when a strange man came into the room with her parents.  Tall, thin and scruffy in dirty jeans and a flannel shirt, not anyone her parents would be caught dead socializing with.  She couldn’t help but stare at him.  “Katy, Alex,” her mother announced, “this is your uncle Patrick, your father’s older brother.  Patrick, these are our girls.”

“Since when do we have an uncle?” Katy asked.  “I’ve never heard of an uncle.”

The new man, Patrick, glanced at her father.  “Somehow that does not surprise me,” he said.  He turned his attention to her, which she did not like.  She’d had enough of older men.  “How are you doing?  Healing up okay?”

“I guess.  Wait a minute—I remember once when I was little, right before mom had Alex, that dad said he had a brother when he was young but he left and never came back.”

Her mother gave her father and evil look.  “I told you she remembered that.”

“Let it go already, Amanda.  Yes, this is my brother.  He ran away from home when he was sixteen.  And look at him now.  You see what happens girls, when you go against the system?  You turn into white trash.”

“Not only do I wear greasy jeans,” Patrick offered, “But I drive a pick-up.”  This uncle seemed strange, amused with taunting his brother.  Katy was already starting to warm up to him.

Katy shook her head.  “I figured you died or got turned into a vampire or something.”

“Are you a vampire, Uncle Patrick?” Alex asked eagerly.  “We’ve been learning about vampires in school—how many people have you killed?”  Katy almost smiled as her mother hushed Alex.  She always enjoyed seeing her mother embarrassed.

Patrick sat down on the empty bed next to Katy.  “Actually,” he said, looking only at Katy and no one else.  “I’m a werewolf, just like you are.”

Her mother gasped, but Katy didn’t hear her.  “You’re a werewolf?”

“I’m not surprised,” her father scoffed.  “With the lifestyle you lead?”

Patrick ignored her father, still looking at her, and nodded.  “I am.  I’ve been a werewolf since I was twenty years old.  That was a long time ago and as you can see, I’m still up and about like normal.  Never been healthier.  I work with the support group the hospital runs, helping people accept who they are, now that they’re changed.  Would you like to join a group like that?”

“She doesn’t need it,” her father said, face turning pink.  “She’s a bright, sane girl.  Maybe your type need psychiatric care—”

“What’s wrong with you?” Katy asked Patrick.  “What is my dad ranting about?”

Patrick laughed.  “I’m gay.”

“Are you really?” Alex asked, wide-eyed.  “That is so cool!”

Katy’s mother clamped a hand over her daughter’s mouth.  “You’ll upset your father dear.  We wouldn’t want him thinking his daughter is turning into a raging lesbian at age nine…”

“Age nine?” Katy asked.  “Can you be a lesbian at nine?  And here I thought I was going to have to wait for college.”

“What!”  Her father’s complexion had gone from pink to red to purple in a short thirty seconds.

“Katy,” he mother warned.

“I’m already fat and a werewolf.  I might as well be a lesbian too for they way you people have been acting.”

“Patrick,” her father said through clenched teeth, “leave now.”

“You better,” Katy said.  “He looks like he’s gonna pop.”

“I can come back later,” Patrick offered.

“The hell you will!”

“They’re discharging me tomorrow,” she said.  “But Dad and Alex will go home soon, if you want to come back tonight.”

Alex started to pout.  “But I want to see Uncle Patrick again too.”

“You will,” Patrick assured the little girl, and it assured Katy as well.  “Keep your chin up, Katy.  I know it looks bad now, but really, it’s not the end of the world.  I’ll be back later.”  Patrick got up.  “It was a pleasure meeting you Alex.  Amanda, you are radiant as always—”  He glanced at his brother.  “Um, Brian, not to be rude or anything, but I think you’ve put on a few pounds.”

“Out!”

*****

Patrick managed to make it to his truck before collapsing in a fit of laughter.  People were dying, a little girl was sick, but damn, it felt good to get under his brother’s skin like that.  He hadn’t enjoyed himself so much in years.  Childish?  Yes.  Petty?  Without a doubt.  The fat jokes?  Entirely unnecessary and politically incorrect.  And the kids had been perfect.  How did a stuffed shirt and an airhead manage to raise such fine kids?  It must have been Amanda’s doing.  He always liked her.

And Katy had come very close to smiling.  He wanted to see her smile a lot.  To prove to her it was still possible.

*****

I had a lot of fun with the argument at the end of this chapter.  (or is it the entire chapter?)  I think Katy enjoyed it too.  Alex was a hoot to write.  It makes me want to write more of her–like the playground fights she’s bound to get into when her classmates find out her sister is a wolf.  I bet that would lend to some hilarity.  And her wanting to be gay just like Uncle Patrick.  I think that’s something she would do.  Her poor parents are doomed.

This storyline is going to wrap up really soon now.  no more than two parts after this, possibly only one.