Sunday, August 14, 2005

Avery Legacy - Chapter 80 - Big Decisions



Maybe Weldon was a coward but he couldn't bring himself to tell Binah about her brother. He waited for the family to call with the news. It took much longer than he would have thought. He was currently hiding out and waiting for his marriage to end. How could his wife ever forgive him? He had ordered the fire started. He didn't light the match but he might as well. Banning was dead. He shouldn't be. Weldon had given specific orders. It was only suppose to send him home shaken. Banning was a family man. If he thought that his family might lose him, maybe he'd find another line of work. He should have been able to get out alive. A normal man should have gotten out alive. Captain Hero should have made his own exit.

Most of the family was very upset by the loss of Banning. The Miller kids weren't really among them. They didn't know uncle Banning. They really didn't know all that many of their mom's relatives. How do you miss someone that you never knew? Reuben was more upset over his burned muffin. A pirate shouldn't have to eat a burnt muffin.

The next day when the kids were in school, Binah let her husband have it. She had put all the pieces together. She knew that Weldon was responsible for this. What she didn't understand was why. He claimed he wasn't a murder just a thief. Well he had managed to kill her brother. He WAS a murder now.

Weldon was not about to take this lying down. How could she call him a murder? He was only looking out for his family. He was only trying to get her brother away from his business. He should never have been killed. He should have flown home to his wife and kids that night with only a few burns. It's not his fault that Banning wasn't cut out to be a super hero.

The screaming went on for hours. When it was over neither of them were happy. Weldon told her point blank that if she didn't love him and trust him then she should just leave. This is his life now. If she couldn't accept it then she had a big family who could always take care of her. They would NOT raise his kids though. She could leave but he would be damned if she was taking his kids with her. He had the money and power to vanish if need be. He would never go to prison and he would never lose his kids.

Binah did leave for a while. She needed to calm down. She went to see Ben. She felt the need to tell someone. Maybe Ben would understand.

When she arrived at Ben's home, she overheard a secret. Ben was discussing Banning's death with Blake. They both agreed that this fulfilled Tracy's obligation to DEATH. Binah didn't understand at first. That's why she stayed very quiet and kept listening. Soon she knew the whole story. The more she heard, the more she realized that this really wasn't Weldon's fault. Well not exactly. Tracy had traded the life of one son for another. She didn't realize it but Ben had. He had been waiting for one of them to die. He hadn't even told them. Any of Tracy's sons could have been taken. He could have warned them. How could he not have warned them? Maybe Banning would be alive today if he had. Maybe he wouldn't have worked at such a risky job. Maybe he would have become a stay at home dad. Maybe this was as much Ben's fault as it was Weldon's. Maybe her brother was even more to blame than her husband.

When Binah arrived home she was very quiet. So was the house. The kids were off playing. Weldon had made himself scarce. He was waiting for her to make a decision. He was waiting to see if she left him or not.

As Binah saw it she had two choices. First choice, leave her husband. Pray that she can get away fast enough to keep her kids with her. Hope that his 'friends' won't show up in the middle of the night and steal them away from her. Spend the rest of her days looking over her shoulder and running in fear. Spend the rest of her nights missing the man she first fell in love with. That innocent kid who wanted out of his father's business. The guy who stole her heart and has never once made her want to ask for it back. Second choice, stay right where she was. Accept the cards that life has dealt her. Love her husband for who his is. Forget about who he could have been. Raise her children to be good people. Embrace the 'family business'. Help her husband stay out of prison. Do everything in her power to make sure that she and Weldon grow old together. Do everything in her power to keep HER family safe. Let Ben worry about keeping the Averys safe. He's doing such a fine job of it after all.

When it came down to it, there was no choice. Binah loved her husband. She could accept what he did for a living. She knew that it wasn't his fault that Banning died. She went out onto the balcony and found Weldon gazing at the stars. He always does that when he's worried. She put her arms around his waist. She told him that she loved him. She told him that she trusted him. She told him that he was her family now. She would do whatever was needed to keep HER family safe.

Weldon was amazed by that answer. He was already making plans to flee the country and take the kids with him. He never dreamed that she could accept him as he was. He never dreamed he could be filled with this much happiness.

Weldon had intended to carry his wife up to their bedroom. They never made it that far. Passion erupted and they seized it. Hopefully the kids wouldn't wake up.

After the decision was reached, things started to improve at the Miller house. There was a long talk with the kids about dad's uniform and not telling people. The kids would do as they were told. They didn't really see the big deal. They grew up this way. To them, their life was normal.

When it was time for Calandra's birthday, Binah considered skipping the party. She didn't really want to see everyone. Eventually she did agree to a party. For some reason, everyone there felt more like strangers than family. She could feel the distance growing between herself and the rest of the Avery clan. Honestly, she didn't care.

Calandra is now a teen. She wants to be popular and have at least 20 best friends. I'm sure that won't be a problem with her THREE outgoing points.


As the evening wore down, Weldon watched his daughter with Thomas Wheeler. He didn't like what he saw. He did not like his daughter in the arms of any man whether it was purely innocent or not. Weldon doesn't consider himself a killer. Having a teenage daughter could make him rethink things.

Maybe it's a good thing that Weldon doesn't know what his baby girl has in mind for Thomas. She still wants to marry him someday. Until she's old enough she will just make sure she keeps herself close. As soon as she's of age, Thomas is hers.

1 comment:

tinylittlelibrarian said...

I love the "pirate shouldn't have to eat a burnt muffin" picture. Yarrr, tis not the pirate's way, matey! :)