“Are you sure George?” Clare coaxed. “The kids have worked really hard on this. You should at least hear what they’ve found.”
“Dagnabbit, Woman! Can’t you let a body be? I told you I swore an oath that I would never speak to my brother again. That he was dead to me.”
“And you’ve kept that oath. You never did speak to him while he was living. But Honey, he’s been gone nigh on 50 years. You might get over your bad self and at least hear what became of your older brother.”
“And you might keep your self to your self and out of my business.”
“You know my sister Pat had a thing for your brother. She kept hoping he’d come back from school, all grown up, and realize she’d grown up too. She had it all planned – a double wedding, the Breen Boys marrying the Griffin sisters.”
“That was never happening.” George shuddered. “Even thinking about him “that way” gives me the heebie jeebies. I know it’s not logical, Clare, but can you understand that I’d always looked up to my brother. He was the smart one, he got to go to college, the family doted on him. I was able to keep up. Pops worried about stupid me managing the store and taking it over because my reading and numbers are so poor. Gerald had a way of explaining things so they made sense. Except this. He never explained it. He just dropped it on me.”
“Just you shush.” Clare retorted. “You are not stupid. I have not once in 45 years tolerated that adjective for you. You are smart, you are also dyslexic. Like your grandson I might add.”
“Yeah, so what, he’s smart. He’s a smart kid, this dyslexia thing, it hasn’t held him back any.”
“And that’s because he’s got teachers who recognize it for what it is. You and I didn’t have that back in the day. They tested your eyesight, they held you back a year, but no one knew that your brain just works differently than the next persons. You’ve come a long way learning tricks to reading. Learning tricks for getting columns of numbers to add up. Checks and balances. Same thing Jamie does, but he’s got teachers who are showing him the tricks. You learned them on your own. I’d say that was pretty smart.”
“Next you’ll be telling me that Gerald was just born the way he was. There was no changing it.”
“And that is correct, and you said it, so I don’t have to. You don’t have to think about what two people do behind closed doors – doesn’t matter if it’s a man and a woman, two men, whomever. It doesn’t matter. On the outside a gay person is just the same as you and me. It’s who they love that’s different. And that’s the key word here, Love. As for Gerald just dropping this on you. Back then, no one was open about such things. He was probably terrified. He was probably sharing his huge secret with the one person he trusted most in the world.”
“Oophf! Way to take the wind out of my sails.”
“Do you miss him, George? Have you thought about him at all over the years or did you dig your stubborn heals in and truly forget you had a brother?”
“I swore an oath, Clare. You can’t ask a man to go back on his oath.”
“You were what, seventeen, eighteen. Just who did you swear this oath to? Was this like the president taking the oath of office? Was it an oath before a judge in a courtroom sworn on a bible?”
George was looking at his shoes. “Beneath a full moon at a stop in Oklahoma. I’d been stewing on this for a day and a half. I just didn’t understand. Still don’t. Don’t know why the type of oath makes a difference to anyone but me.” He was suddenly very defensive.
“It’s not like you are going to perjure yourself. Or break a promise to God. You were a young man. Only a couple years older than Jamie is now. And you were confused because this was information out of left field that didn’t fit into your world view at all. Furthermore, it was about a brother you respected and loved above anything. So I get it. There were a lot of big emotions going on. But this is your brother. You can find out about the person he was. The PERSON, not that little part of him.”
Clare gently swatted him on the bottom and shooed him off toward the workshop. She just hoped she’d been able to talk a lick of sense into the man. Oh, Lord, how stubborn men in general and that husband in particular could be. She glanced out the window and saw Jamie headed up the drive toward the workshop on his scooter. She’d have to take a tray of cookies and some lemonade or tea to the boys, if only so she could hear a bit of the conversation.
— Lkai
“Dagnabbit, Woman! Can’t you let a body be? I told you I swore an oath that I would never speak to my brother again. That he was dead to me.”
“And you’ve kept that oath. You never did speak to him while he was living. But Honey, he’s been gone nigh on 50 years. You might get over your bad self and at least hear what became of your older brother.”
“And you might keep your self to your self and out of my business.”
“You know my sister Pat had a thing for your brother. She kept hoping he’d come back from school, all grown up, and realize she’d grown up too. She had it all planned – a double wedding, the Breen Boys marrying the Griffin sisters.”
“That was never happening.” George shuddered. “Even thinking about him “that way” gives me the heebie jeebies. I know it’s not logical, Clare, but can you understand that I’d always looked up to my brother. He was the smart one, he got to go to college, the family doted on him. I was able to keep up. Pops worried about stupid me managing the store and taking it over because my reading and numbers are so poor. Gerald had a way of explaining things so they made sense. Except this. He never explained it. He just dropped it on me.”
“Just you shush.” Clare retorted. “You are not stupid. I have not once in 45 years tolerated that adjective for you. You are smart, you are also dyslexic. Like your grandson I might add.”
“Yeah, so what, he’s smart. He’s a smart kid, this dyslexia thing, it hasn’t held him back any.”
“And that’s because he’s got teachers who recognize it for what it is. You and I didn’t have that back in the day. They tested your eyesight, they held you back a year, but no one knew that your brain just works differently than the next persons. You’ve come a long way learning tricks to reading. Learning tricks for getting columns of numbers to add up. Checks and balances. Same thing Jamie does, but he’s got teachers who are showing him the tricks. You learned them on your own. I’d say that was pretty smart.”
“Next you’ll be telling me that Gerald was just born the way he was. There was no changing it.”
“And that is correct, and you said it, so I don’t have to. You don’t have to think about what two people do behind closed doors – doesn’t matter if it’s a man and a woman, two men, whomever. It doesn’t matter. On the outside a gay person is just the same as you and me. It’s who they love that’s different. And that’s the key word here, Love. As for Gerald just dropping this on you. Back then, no one was open about such things. He was probably terrified. He was probably sharing his huge secret with the one person he trusted most in the world.”
“Oophf! Way to take the wind out of my sails.”
“Do you miss him, George? Have you thought about him at all over the years or did you dig your stubborn heals in and truly forget you had a brother?”
“I swore an oath, Clare. You can’t ask a man to go back on his oath.”
“You were what, seventeen, eighteen. Just who did you swear this oath to? Was this like the president taking the oath of office? Was it an oath before a judge in a courtroom sworn on a bible?”
George was looking at his shoes. “Beneath a full moon at a stop in Oklahoma. I’d been stewing on this for a day and a half. I just didn’t understand. Still don’t. Don’t know why the type of oath makes a difference to anyone but me.” He was suddenly very defensive.
“It’s not like you are going to perjure yourself. Or break a promise to God. You were a young man. Only a couple years older than Jamie is now. And you were confused because this was information out of left field that didn’t fit into your world view at all. Furthermore, it was about a brother you respected and loved above anything. So I get it. There were a lot of big emotions going on. But this is your brother. You can find out about the person he was. The PERSON, not that little part of him.”
Clare gently swatted him on the bottom and shooed him off toward the workshop. She just hoped she’d been able to talk a lick of sense into the man. Oh, Lord, how stubborn men in general and that husband in particular could be. She glanced out the window and saw Jamie headed up the drive toward the workshop on his scooter. She’d have to take a tray of cookies and some lemonade or tea to the boys, if only so she could hear a bit of the conversation.
— Lkai
GREAT scene. I love the conflict. Exciting. And Clare is REALLY going strong after a bit! Good for her! So difficult! Glad she has the energy for it! She may have done some good! All very real to me! (Macoff)
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