“I suppose you could say that,” he sighed.
I walked to the room that Stephen and I shared. When I opened the door, everything was still exactly the way I left it. Ian walked in behind me and looked around. I was embarrassed to have brought him here and I shouldn’t have agreed to it.
“Is this where you slept?” he asked as he pointed to the mattress on the floor.
“Yeah,” I said as I turned around and walked out.
I looked out the kitchen window at the barn that sat in the back. The place I would go to and escape.
“You were always a good kid, Rory,” Shane said as he walked up behind me. “Is that your boyfriend?” he asked.
“No, he’s just a friend. He saved my life.”
“Have you been practicing those moves I’ve taught you?”
“She sure has,” Ian spoke.
The door opened and Nancy stopped when she saw me. “Rory, what are you doing here?” she asked nervously.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of her anymore. “I’m here to put closure on my past. You know; the one you f**ked up,” I spat.
“Stephen’s not here, is he?”
Shane walked over, took the bags from her hands, and set them on the table as she walked inside.
“No, Stephen’s not here. He’s locked away in a psychiatric hospital in California.”
“Good, that’s where he should be,” she said.
My emotions were running rampant and the hate that I thought I had buried came rushing back to me as I looked at her.
“Who’s this?” she asked as she pointed to Ian.
“This is Ian. Ian, this is my Aunt Nancy.”
The two of them said hello and Nancy walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. That was all the house reeked of: stale beer and cigarettes. It was a smell that I would never forget.
“I know damn well you didn’t come here to say hi. So, say what’s on your mind and then you can get going.”
I couldn’t say anything to her. I just stood there and stared at her, shaking my head. “I hope you rot in hell. Come on, Ian; let’s go,” I said as I walked to the door.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I stopped as soon as she said that. Nancy had never been sorry about anything in her life. I turned around and glared at her. “You’re sorry? Sorry for what?” I asked as I slowly approached her. “Sorry for ruining mine and Stephen’s lives? Sorry for not being there for us and letting us raise ourselves? Sorry for never celebrating our birthdays, Christmas, or any other holiday that all the other families celebrated? Sorry for what!” I screamed.
At that point, I was shaking and Ian walked over and clasped my shoulders. She looked at me with those stone cold eyes. The eyes that had the same look in them every single day. She wouldn’t say a word. I shook my head and turned away.
“Your daddy. He was my life until your mom got drunk one night and slept with him.”
Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. “Rory?” Ian said.
I wouldn’t turn around and look at her when I spoke. “You know who my father is?” I asked with a shaking voice.
“Why do you think you didn’t meet me until you were seven years old? When your mom told me that she was pregnant, we didn’t speak for seven years. You and Stephen are the spitting image of him. That’s why I didn’t want you because every time I looked at the two of you, it was a reminder of how you ruined my life. What did I ever do that was so bad to deserve that?”
I didn’t hesitate to whip my body around as fast as I could when she said that. “Did it ever f**king occur to you that it wasn’t about you? That it was about two poor innocent children that lost their mother and had nowhere to go.”
Tears started to pour down her face. “I just couldn’t. I couldn’t be a mother to you. I hated everything you represented.”
“Nancy, that’s enough,” Shane said.
“What’s my father’s name?” I asked. She didn’t answer me. I lunged towards her and Ian grabbed my arms. “What’s his name?!” I screamed.
“Jimmy O’Rourke. His name is Jimmy O’Rourke.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“No. After he found out your momma was pregnant, he took off. He told me he was sorry and he left. I have no idea where he went. He was the love of my life.”
“Really? The love of your life slept with your sister and got her pregnant and then took off. What kind of real man does that?”
“Rory, we better go, sweetheart,” Ian said. “I think you’ve heard enough.”
“You’ll never see me or Stephen again. Goodbye, Aunt Nancy. Have a nice life.”
I walked out the door and climbed into the rental car. Ian started the car and pulled out of the driveway. I needed to hold it together. No more pain. No more hurt. No more past.
“You need to find us a hotel, Ian. Like now.”
“Okay,” he said.
“Seriously. This is no time to be fancy. Just pull into the first hotel you see.”
“But, Rory—”
“There’s no buts, Ian. Just f**king find a hotel, now!” I snapped.
“Oh thank God,” Ian whispered as he pulled into the Hyatt Regency.
He parked the car, grabbed our bags, and helped me out. “I saw a Holiday Inn Express a few miles back,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Rory, but I’m not staying at a Holiday Inn.”
We walked inside the hotel and one tear fell. The clerk handed Ian the key and we took the elevator up to the top floor. Ian found our room and slid in the key. He opened the door and when I stepped inside, another tear fell. I was losing control.
“Rory, are you okay?” Ian asked.
The sound of the hotel door shutting was the detonator that set off the tear bomb inside me. I sat down on the edge of the bed and cupped my face in my hands as the sobbing began.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Ian said as he wrapped his arms around me.
“I hate her, Ian.”
“I know, and she’s an easy woman to hate. I’m sorry you had to hear the things she said. It’s over now,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
My tears started to slow down and I looked up at Ian. He smiled softly at me as he wiped the tears from my face. “Do you feel somewhat better now?” he asked. “I’m going to start a bath for you.”
While Ian was starting the bath water, I twisted my hair up in a clip and took off my makeup. I got undressed and Ian held my hand while I climbed down into the tub.