Inheritance (6/30)
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The phone rang three times before someone finally answered. Scotty's leg bounced nervously while he waited. He had been putting off this call, but it was time. At the sound of the other man’s voice, he steeled himself for an uncomfortable conversation.
“Dad?”
“Scotty! How are you?”
“Ah, not so good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I, uh, I’ve had an interesting week. Dad, does the name William Walker mean anything to you?”
There was a long pause, and Scotty bent his head forward, running a hand through his hair.
“Yes,” Wally admitted. “We met him once.”
“When?”
“You were still a baby.”
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
“Oh, Scotty. That was a very tough decision for us. You have to understand, when he first contacted us, your mother and I were terrified he was going to sue us for custody and take you away from us. And later, we agreed that we’d only tell you what we knew if you ever wondered about your birth parents. Why bring up all that stuff, if you didn’t want to know anyway? But you never asked. We figured you just weren’t that concerned about it.”
“I was,” Scotty finally confessed in a whisper. “For years, I wanted to know…where I came from. Who I was. I wanted to know why - why they didn’t want me. I couldn’t ask, Dad. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I didn’t want you to think that I…”
“Please don’t worry about that,” Wally replied, his voice gruff with emotion. “We know you love us.”
“I never - I never wanted - you are my parents. My family. I never wanted to change that. I just wanted to know.”
“I understand.”
“Will you tell me about him now?”
Wally sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know that much. I was always too afraid to try and find out more. He contacted us, like I said. He had hired a private investigator, and he told us that your mother had given you up without even telling him she was pregnant. He just wanted to see you once, he said. So, after a lot of indecision, we finally agreed. He came to visit for a few days. He seemed…it’s hard to describe him. He seemed like a good man. Obviously successful, somewhat guarded in his emotions. He didn’t tell us anything about himself, and we didn’t ask. He offered us money - for child support, he said. But we wouldn’t accept anything. We didn’t want that to come back and haunt us. Then he left, much to our relief, and we never heard from him again.”
Scotty nodded. “Did he say anything else about my mother?”
“Only that they had a disagreement and had been separated when you were born.”
Scotty took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“How did you find out about him? Have you been doing research?” Wally asked.
“No,” Scotty answered, clearing his throat. “No, someone called me. He passed away and left me some money. A lot of money. I met his family.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have…brothers and sisters.”
There was a pause. “Wow.”
“Yeah, not that it matters,” Scotty continued. “I don’t think I want anything to do with them. I’m a Wandell, not a Walker.”
“Well…if you should change your mind, remember I’m OK with it. It’s only natural that you should be curious, and if you can form a relationship with them, it might be worth it.”
Scotty sighed, unsure.
***
Holly walked into Sarah’s office without a knock or even a greeting. Sarah looked up at her in surprise, bracing herself for another confrontation.
“I just heard the oddest news from Saul,” Holly said angrily.
“Oh, what’s that?” Sarah asked casually.
“Apparently the Walker family has taken it upon themselves to befriend my son. Without so much as even telling me he lives right here in town.”
Sarah shrugged. “We needed to find him to give him his inheritance. Why shouldn’t we know him? He is our half-brother, after all.”
Holly stepped forward, placing her hands on Sarah’s desk and leaning forward. “You don’t think I have a right to know you found him? You don’t think I have at least some say in how he should be approached and told about William?”
“No, I don’t, Holly. You gave up all rights to him years ago. Don’t pretend like you care now.”
Holly shook her head, tears in her eyes. She held up her hand, turning away from Sarah. “Don’t even presume to think you have any idea how much I care.”
She turned her back on Sarah, storming out of the office. Sarah exhaled, staring down at her desk.
***
Kevin walked into the kitchen, the last to arrive for an impromptu but predictable family gathering that night.
“Hey Columbo,” Justin said.
Kevin sighed, tilting his head back. Then he reached out for the bottle of wine and an empty glass.
“I said I was sorry. Will you let it go already?”
“No!” Justin replied. “I don’t know about you guys, but I would like to know him. He’s our brother, and yet Sarah and I are the only ones who made any sort of effort - ”
Kitty interrupted him testily. “Well, I’m sorry, Justin, but I just can’t accept it as easily as you can. I don’t need to know him. I don’t want to know him. I am tired of dealing with Dad’s mistakes.”
“Oh, nice, Kitty. He’s a human being. He exists. And when I go back, he’s going to lose the best tie he - ”
“Oh, don’t use our fears about you going to war as some sort of - ”
“Fine,” Justin said tersely. “But I think it’s pretty awful of you guys to take your hurt feelings out on him when he has done nothing wrong. You won’t even give him a chance to be part of this family.”
“Sure, we will,” Julia chimed in. “Tommy.”
Tommy turned to look at her, then sighed. “Yeah, fine.”
Kevin stared at the countertop, trying not to feel any guiltier than he already did.
***
Scotty stared warily at his phone as it rang. Frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer it. Within the last ten minutes, he had been invited to dinner at Tommy and Julia’s and invited to meet his niece and nephew by Sarah, not to mention apologized to profusely by Justin. Finally he reached out, picking up the phone.
“This is a Walker, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s Kevin.”
Scotty sat up straighter, a little curious and a little cautious about what he could possibly want.
“Yeah?”
“Look, I know you only know me as a demented hair-yanker, but I can actually appear to be quite normal sometimes."
“I’m sure,” Scotty said dryly.
“So I was wondering if you wanted to get together sometime - you know, go see a movie. Uh, someplace public of course, so you don’t have to feel… There’s a great documentary at the ArcLight. It’s about meerkats.”
Meerkats? Scotty thought, furrowing his brow.
“They’re fascinating animals,” Kevin continued hurriedly. “They form these families and they all have names. It’s really…I’m scaring you again, aren’t I?”
“Little bit. If I agree, are you going to try and take a cheek swab or something?”
Kevin laughed awkwardly. “No,” he said.
Scotty tapped his fingers on the table nervously. He was tempted to say no. And even more tempted to just call everyone back and say it would be easier on his schedule to just do this all at once. But he also wondered if he’d be able to handle the Walker family better in small doses. He took a deep breath.
“Fine. But instead of meerkats, let’s go to Two for the Road. It’s showing downtown.”
“Two for the Road?”
“Yeah. Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. You’ve never seen it?”
“Afraid not.”
Scotty shook his head. “What kind of gay man are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I see I’m going to have to give you a proper education.”
“Oh, come on. What does seeing that movie have to do with - you’re gay?”
“Maybe it’s hereditary,” Scotty joked.
***
“That movie was a little strange,” Kevin observed as they walked out of the theater.
Scotty snickered. “Yeah. But Audrey Hepburn.”
Kevin nodded in acceptance of the argument. “So, ah, did you want to do anything else?”
Scotty turned around, walking backwards as he looked at Kevin. “Dessert? My treat.”
“A movie and dessert? This is the best ‘date’ I’ve been on in weeks,” Kevin joked.
Scotty tilted his head back in laughter, facing forward again as he walked. “Sadly, me too. It’s amazing how much fun gay men can be when you aren’t trying to get in their pants.”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any gay friends. Well, besides my sisters.”
Scotty laughed again. “That’s just sad. Wait! What about Chad? Surely he beats me in the date department.”
Kevin shook his head. “He doesn’t eat dessert,” he explained.
Scotty snorted. “I’d go vegan for Chad Barry.”
“Remind me not to introduce you two.”
They ended up in a small bakery two streets down. Scotty vetoed everything Kevin tried to buy, choosing instead an éclair for each of them, as well as some heavenly-looking red velvet cupcakes.
“I see a gym visit in my future.”
“This will be worth it,” Scotty argued.
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The phone rang three times before someone finally answered. Scotty's leg bounced nervously while he waited. He had been putting off this call, but it was time. At the sound of the other man’s voice, he steeled himself for an uncomfortable conversation.
“Dad?”
“Scotty! How are you?”
“Ah, not so good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I, uh, I’ve had an interesting week. Dad, does the name William Walker mean anything to you?”
There was a long pause, and Scotty bent his head forward, running a hand through his hair.
“Yes,” Wally admitted. “We met him once.”
“When?”
“You were still a baby.”
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
“Oh, Scotty. That was a very tough decision for us. You have to understand, when he first contacted us, your mother and I were terrified he was going to sue us for custody and take you away from us. And later, we agreed that we’d only tell you what we knew if you ever wondered about your birth parents. Why bring up all that stuff, if you didn’t want to know anyway? But you never asked. We figured you just weren’t that concerned about it.”
“I was,” Scotty finally confessed in a whisper. “For years, I wanted to know…where I came from. Who I was. I wanted to know why - why they didn’t want me. I couldn’t ask, Dad. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I didn’t want you to think that I…”
“Please don’t worry about that,” Wally replied, his voice gruff with emotion. “We know you love us.”
“I never - I never wanted - you are my parents. My family. I never wanted to change that. I just wanted to know.”
“I understand.”
“Will you tell me about him now?”
Wally sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know that much. I was always too afraid to try and find out more. He contacted us, like I said. He had hired a private investigator, and he told us that your mother had given you up without even telling him she was pregnant. He just wanted to see you once, he said. So, after a lot of indecision, we finally agreed. He came to visit for a few days. He seemed…it’s hard to describe him. He seemed like a good man. Obviously successful, somewhat guarded in his emotions. He didn’t tell us anything about himself, and we didn’t ask. He offered us money - for child support, he said. But we wouldn’t accept anything. We didn’t want that to come back and haunt us. Then he left, much to our relief, and we never heard from him again.”
Scotty nodded. “Did he say anything else about my mother?”
“Only that they had a disagreement and had been separated when you were born.”
Scotty took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“How did you find out about him? Have you been doing research?” Wally asked.
“No,” Scotty answered, clearing his throat. “No, someone called me. He passed away and left me some money. A lot of money. I met his family.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have…brothers and sisters.”
There was a pause. “Wow.”
“Yeah, not that it matters,” Scotty continued. “I don’t think I want anything to do with them. I’m a Wandell, not a Walker.”
“Well…if you should change your mind, remember I’m OK with it. It’s only natural that you should be curious, and if you can form a relationship with them, it might be worth it.”
Scotty sighed, unsure.
***
Holly walked into Sarah’s office without a knock or even a greeting. Sarah looked up at her in surprise, bracing herself for another confrontation.
“I just heard the oddest news from Saul,” Holly said angrily.
“Oh, what’s that?” Sarah asked casually.
“Apparently the Walker family has taken it upon themselves to befriend my son. Without so much as even telling me he lives right here in town.”
Sarah shrugged. “We needed to find him to give him his inheritance. Why shouldn’t we know him? He is our half-brother, after all.”
Holly stepped forward, placing her hands on Sarah’s desk and leaning forward. “You don’t think I have a right to know you found him? You don’t think I have at least some say in how he should be approached and told about William?”
“No, I don’t, Holly. You gave up all rights to him years ago. Don’t pretend like you care now.”
Holly shook her head, tears in her eyes. She held up her hand, turning away from Sarah. “Don’t even presume to think you have any idea how much I care.”
She turned her back on Sarah, storming out of the office. Sarah exhaled, staring down at her desk.
***
Kevin walked into the kitchen, the last to arrive for an impromptu but predictable family gathering that night.
“Hey Columbo,” Justin said.
Kevin sighed, tilting his head back. Then he reached out for the bottle of wine and an empty glass.
“I said I was sorry. Will you let it go already?”
“No!” Justin replied. “I don’t know about you guys, but I would like to know him. He’s our brother, and yet Sarah and I are the only ones who made any sort of effort - ”
Kitty interrupted him testily. “Well, I’m sorry, Justin, but I just can’t accept it as easily as you can. I don’t need to know him. I don’t want to know him. I am tired of dealing with Dad’s mistakes.”
“Oh, nice, Kitty. He’s a human being. He exists. And when I go back, he’s going to lose the best tie he - ”
“Oh, don’t use our fears about you going to war as some sort of - ”
“Fine,” Justin said tersely. “But I think it’s pretty awful of you guys to take your hurt feelings out on him when he has done nothing wrong. You won’t even give him a chance to be part of this family.”
“Sure, we will,” Julia chimed in. “Tommy.”
Tommy turned to look at her, then sighed. “Yeah, fine.”
Kevin stared at the countertop, trying not to feel any guiltier than he already did.
***
Scotty stared warily at his phone as it rang. Frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer it. Within the last ten minutes, he had been invited to dinner at Tommy and Julia’s and invited to meet his niece and nephew by Sarah, not to mention apologized to profusely by Justin. Finally he reached out, picking up the phone.
“This is a Walker, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s Kevin.”
Scotty sat up straighter, a little curious and a little cautious about what he could possibly want.
“Yeah?”
“Look, I know you only know me as a demented hair-yanker, but I can actually appear to be quite normal sometimes."
“I’m sure,” Scotty said dryly.
“So I was wondering if you wanted to get together sometime - you know, go see a movie. Uh, someplace public of course, so you don’t have to feel… There’s a great documentary at the ArcLight. It’s about meerkats.”
Meerkats? Scotty thought, furrowing his brow.
“They’re fascinating animals,” Kevin continued hurriedly. “They form these families and they all have names. It’s really…I’m scaring you again, aren’t I?”
“Little bit. If I agree, are you going to try and take a cheek swab or something?”
Kevin laughed awkwardly. “No,” he said.
Scotty tapped his fingers on the table nervously. He was tempted to say no. And even more tempted to just call everyone back and say it would be easier on his schedule to just do this all at once. But he also wondered if he’d be able to handle the Walker family better in small doses. He took a deep breath.
“Fine. But instead of meerkats, let’s go to Two for the Road. It’s showing downtown.”
“Two for the Road?”
“Yeah. Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. You’ve never seen it?”
“Afraid not.”
Scotty shook his head. “What kind of gay man are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I see I’m going to have to give you a proper education.”
“Oh, come on. What does seeing that movie have to do with - you’re gay?”
“Maybe it’s hereditary,” Scotty joked.
***
“That movie was a little strange,” Kevin observed as they walked out of the theater.
Scotty snickered. “Yeah. But Audrey Hepburn.”
Kevin nodded in acceptance of the argument. “So, ah, did you want to do anything else?”
Scotty turned around, walking backwards as he looked at Kevin. “Dessert? My treat.”
“A movie and dessert? This is the best ‘date’ I’ve been on in weeks,” Kevin joked.
Scotty tilted his head back in laughter, facing forward again as he walked. “Sadly, me too. It’s amazing how much fun gay men can be when you aren’t trying to get in their pants.”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any gay friends. Well, besides my sisters.”
Scotty laughed again. “That’s just sad. Wait! What about Chad? Surely he beats me in the date department.”
Kevin shook his head. “He doesn’t eat dessert,” he explained.
Scotty snorted. “I’d go vegan for Chad Barry.”
“Remind me not to introduce you two.”
They ended up in a small bakery two streets down. Scotty vetoed everything Kevin tried to buy, choosing instead an éclair for each of them, as well as some heavenly-looking red velvet cupcakes.
“I see a gym visit in my future.”
“This will be worth it,” Scotty argued.
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