Flying from New York to Dallas takes about three hours.  We’re close now.  During the flight, I must’ve read my fathers letter a hundred times.  When I wasn’t reading it, I stared out the window at everything and nothing in particular.  I wasn’t sure what I was feeling.  I wasn’t sure what I was thinking.  I was just in a hurry to get to Dallas and there is no such thing as hurry when you can only fly so fast.

Over the course of those three hours I’d gone through several emotions.  The most prevalent of those was anger that I wasn’t told sooner, and happiness that I in fact have a little sister.  What makes it strange to me is that it’s not even someone I’ve never met.  My sister is someone I’d met when she was a baby.  Then I didn’t see her again for many years.

Until I bought the wrestling promotion her mother worked for.

It’s strange sometimes how life works out.  I don’t believe in God’s or higher powers.  I believe your life is what you make it.  I believe that your own choices aren’t guided by some deity in the sky, but by your own free will.  Maybe I just romanticize things in a way, but I do believe in some sort of fate.  I believe that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, at every mile marker on the interstate of life.

Take Frankie for instance.  Fate decided he would be at home with his father when I went to collect a debt instead of with his mother like he was supposed to be.  That’s how we met.  That’s how we became friends first.  When his world fell, it was me that cradled him in my arms so he didn’t fall with it.

Is that not some sort of fate at work?

What about my two youngest?  Had my plane not gone down over Long Island Sound, there’s a good probability I never tried to avoid my own life.  I still might have found my mothers birth father one day but I wouldn’t have felt the desire to do work for him.  I never would have stolen his arm candy wife and the twins wouldn’t be here today.

Is that not fate?

Lauren?

When I met her she was the girlfriend of one of my best friends, Ricky Rodriguez.  She and I surely didn’t get along and I hosted Ricky and Jennie Fenix for some ‘play dates’ as they called them.  I thought they were a great match.  Far better than Ricky and Lauren were.  I actively pushed Ricky to split with Lauren and go with Jenny.  Things didn’t work out for them in the end but things happened the way they were supposed to.

Lauren was a free woman, not that that would’ve necessarily stopped me when I was whoring myself out all over New York City.  While I am a man that believes we shouldn’t judge others without getting to know them, I am still human.  I make mistakes too.  I judged Lauren MacKay a certain way and she called me on it.  She challenged my thinking and I gave her a chance.

I’m sure glad I did that.  We’re two very different people, but I believe that we make each other better versions of ourselves.  We make a fantastic team.  What about her specifically?  Here’s a woman that her entire life manipulated people to get what she wanted.  A woman who, while not very kind to most, dreamed of something she could never have.  Lauren is unable to carry children.  Maybe being unable made her want it more, but she ends up falling in love and marrying a man that already had three children.  One of which needed a mother to step in for the one he lost.

How is that not fate?

Fate allowed me to meet Frankie.  Fate saved him from an uncertain outcome and saved me too right along with it.  Fate brought me the mother of my two natural born children.  Fate gave me my wife.  Fate gave her the family she always dreamed of but would never obtain through natural processes.  And now, fate was at work again as life brought my sister's mother and I to the same company where she and I reconnected after almost a decade apart.

”Lauren,” I said quietly to myself with a smile as the ‘fasten seatbelts’ light popped on.  ”OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO CALL LAUREN!”

Quickly, I dialed her up on my phone.

”Hey Babydoll,” I said as she answered.  ”What are you up to?”

”Pickin’ Frankie up from practice,” she replied.

”Oh wow,” I thought aloud.  ”Didn’t realize it was already 2:30.”

”You gonna be home in time for dinner?”

”No, I’m in Dallas,” I answered her.  ”Or, I will be in a few minutes.”

”What are you doing in Dallas?” she asked with a bit of confusion evident in her voice.  That’s not uncommon.

”My father’s estate attorney came into the office today,” I began to explain.  ”They found a letter from him to me in a deposit box and…” my voice trailed off.

”And what?”

”Nothin’,” I answered quickly.  ”It’s hard to explain so, I’ll tell you about it tonight when I get home.”

”Aww, Berta was makin’ chicken broccoli alfredo today,” she advised me.  ”Your favorite.”

”Save me a plate?” I asked.

”Doubt it,” she answered quickly.

”Really!?”

”I’m just kidding, of course we will,” she said sweetly.

That’s the side no one ever sees.  Unless you know her, unless you’re in her life on a regular basis, all you’ll ever get is Sahara.  Sahara is a total cunt.  Lauren though… god I love her.  Sahara is so easy to hate.  Lauren though, I’m almost glad so few get to see that side of her.  It makes it more special to me.

”What time you think?”

”Around 8 maybe?”

”Just in time for dessert,” she added.

”...What?”

She doesn’t answer.

”OHH!  Definitely save me some of that,” I joked.





”Alright we’re landing, so I gotta go,” I said to her.

”See you tonight Baby,” she said sweetly.

”I love you.”

”Love you too.”

After hanging up, we touched down at Love Field just a couple minutes later.  With the plane taxiing off the runway, my mind wanders again.  In hindsight, I wish I’d remembered to call Lauren when I first boarded.  I could’ve just left it on speaker and even though I was alone, maybe I wouldn’t have felt like it.

Solitude can be a killer.

I’m a man that is extremely emotional.  That’s never been a secret.  I wish I wasn’t always.  There seems to be no levels to it.  Whatever I’m feeling, it’s always ten.  Anger?  Hurt?  Happy?  It’s always at the maximum with nothing in between.  Had I called Lauren earlier, perhaps I could’ve gotten some things off my chest.  Maybe I could’ve worked through the anger some.  Instead, as I make my way to the cargo bay while the crew releases my car from the tie down straps, all I feel is anger.

To be certain, I’m not mad that I have a sister.  I love that.  My whole life all I ever wanted was family.  What I’m angry about is that my father never told me while he was alive.  I’m angry that one of my closest friends never told me the truth.

She’s been at my house.  With the little girl that is my sister.  And it never crossed her mind to pull me aside and be like “Thad, your dad and I had a kid.”  I get that that might be a difficult topic to bring up, but even still, I should’ve known!  Someone should’ve told me.  Someone should’ve told her!

In a neighborhood outside of Dallas, I slowed the old Monte Carlo to a stop in a driveway.  I sat there for a few minutes with the 454 idling.  I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach it.  Being lied to by someone I care so deeply for… that hurts.



Not knowing how I got from the car to the front door, I looked around in a bit of confusion.  I don’t remember a single step.  Even still, with my father’s letter in hand and that hand trembling with anger, I ring the bell.  Moments later, the front door swings open.

”Thad?” says Alexandra Callaway as she’s obviously a little surprised to see me.

”You fucking lied to me!” I subduedly shouted as I pushed by her and into her home.

”Please,” she says sarcastically.  ”Do come in.”

”You lied to me Ally,” I say in my subdued angered state.  ”You’ve had opportunity after opportunity to tell me the truth and you chose not to.”

”Okay, I’ll bite,” she says as she folds her arms in front of her.  ”What did I lie to you about?”

Saying nothing for the moment, I instead, slapped my fathers letter to her chest.

”What’s this?” she asked as she took it from me.

”A letter,” I answered.  ”From my father,” I said with a bit more anger than I intended.

Ally says nothing as she starts to read over my father’s words.

”How could you not tell me!?” I asked as she continued to read.  ”She’s mysister and you never told me!  You said you never slept with my dad and that’s clearly a fucking lie!

“Hell, Ally,” I quieted my own demeanor into more of a hushed anger.  ”We’ve fucking slept together!”

SLAP!

That shocked me, I’m not gonna lie.  I was totally unprepared for the slap.  While it wasn’t as hard as she could have slapped me, it was hard enough to stun me.  It was hard enough that I took a few steps back.

”There’s things you need to understand, Thaddeus,” she began.  ”I was a single mother.  Her father… your father, when she was born, had people trying to kill him.  Acknowledging Sebastian as her father was as good as putting a gun to her head and that’s one thing I’d never do.

“You can hate your father all you want.  You can blame him for so many things and you’d be right to do it.  This isn’t one of them.  And let’s not bring up what we’ve done.”

”I would’ve protected her Ally,” I informed her quietly.  ”You’ve seen what I do to those that threaten my blood.  And she’s my blood.”

”It isn’t that simple,” Ally tried to rationalize.  ”When you took over your family business, they were gunning for you far harder than they ever gunned for him.  Even after he died, it wasn’t safe.  That’s all I think about is her safety.”

”I closed that business over a year ago Ally,” I said quietly.  ”I eliminated our final enemy and dissolved that business.  There are no more threats.  You should have told me,” I concluded.

”Told you what?” comes the voice of a young girl from the opening to the hallway behind us.

Her sudden appearance grabbed both of our attention.  One look at her and it’s obvious.  I was a fool to never see it before.  Her wavy, long red hair is very much reminiscent of my father’s.  Like me too, she also has his ears.

”Ash,” I said with tears welling up in my eyes.

Taking a few steps toward her, I stopped and looked back to Ally.  She nods with some hesitation.  ”Go ahead.”

”What’s going on?” she asked with trepidation building inside her.

”I have something to tell you,” I informed the 11 year old girl.  ”Sit with me?”

Ashlynn nods in agreement with a fair amount of hesitation as the two of us sit on the sofa.  The poor girl has been through so much over the last couple years.  The news she’s about to receive could knock her on her ass like it did to me a few hours ago.

”Ashlynn, I don’t know how to tell you this, but…” my voice trailed off as I quickly searched for the right words.

”Just say it,” she insisted.  ”Whatever it is, just tell me.”

”12 years ago,” I began.  ”My father and your mother started having an affair.  Do you know what I mean by that?”

”I’m eleven Thad, I know what that means,” she answered.

”Okay well,” I hesitated to continue, but found the nerve to do so.  ”The result of that affair produced a fun, beautiful little redheaded girl.”

”What!?” she blurts out as she processes what I’ve just told her.

”Ashlynn, I’m your brother,” I dropped the other shoe.

”WHAT!?” she says in a shaky, almost panicked voice.  Leaping from the sofa she starts to pace tracks on the floor in front of me.

”Ash…” I began but was immediately cut off.

”I’m gonna be sick!” she said as she continued to pace.

”This is a good thing honey,” I said with a reassuring smile.

”It isn’t!” she yelled.  ”You don’t understand!”

”Try me,” I said in a challenging manner.

Ashlynn stops and looks me in the eyes.  ”I’ve had a crush on you since I met you!”  Her own eyes grow wide at her own admission as she clamps both hands over her mouth.

”Aww,” I said quietly.  ”You prolly wanna give that up though.”

”Now it’s out there!  Oh my God!” she continued to panic.  ”I think my brother’s cute!”

”If it makes you feel any better, a lot of people think I’m cute,” I argued.

”Shut up!” she yelled at me.  ”It doesn’t help at all.”

“Ashlynn…” Ally stepped forward.

”Shut up, you don’t get to make me feel better about this.”

Alexandra turned away, tears welling up in her eyes. Ashlynn was at a tender age still, finally starting to find herself. Alexandra knew she had every right to be upset at her. She hated that she had to carry this secret for so long.

“Ashlynn… I had to keep this secret. It wasn’t my choice.  You and Thad’s father paid for me to disappear, to keep the secret of our affair.” She covered her mouth for a moment, trying to find the words to say. “Ash, I’m so sorry and I hope you can come to understand why..”

Ashlynn reached up and slapped the hell out of her mother. “You don’t get to say that to me. You LIED to me my whole life. I asked you about my father over and over. I told you I wanted to get to know my family.  All I have ever wanted was siblings and all this time YOU KNEW.  YOU FUCKING KNEW AND YOU LIED!”

Alexandra held her face. “Ashlynn Marie Calaway!”

“I’m going to pack and I’m leaving.” Ashlynn headed back towards her room, with Alexandra in tow.

“You can’t just leave, you are still a child. My child.”

“I want to go with Thad.  He at least told me the truth. The only one who DOESN’T lie to me. You lied to both of us.”

Ashlynn stomped away.  Moments later came the inevitable slam of her bedroom door.  Sitting on Ally’s sofa, I’m not sure what to say.  This went off the rails more than I imagined it could.  Since the moment I deciphered the letter and found out who my sister was, I had been enraged.  Emotions sometimes get the better of me as they did today.  Coming here in the manner I did was selfish.  I was too caught up in what it meant for me that I refused to see what it meant to anyone else.  Including Ally.

One of my dearest friends stood still.  Quietly.  She’s stunned and I can’t blame her.  Her eleven year old daughter just slapped the shit out of her.  She’s been assaulted and insulted since the second she opened the door and I feel terrible for that.

”Ally,” I said quietly as I stood from the sofa.  She didn’t acknowledge my advance one way or the other.  Instead, she stood there in the middle of her family room trembling as I pulled her into a hug.  The moment she sensed my touch, Alexandra broke down.

For a time, I said nothing.  Neither did she.  Instead, she openly wept and sobbed against my shoulder.

”Give her time,” I said finally.  ”She can come home with me and…”

”She hit me, Thad,” Ally interrupted quietly.

”Yeah well, she gonna learn today,” I said lightheartedly.

”I’m ready,” Ashlynn says from the hallway as she pulls her suitcase behind her.

”I hope you brought some work clothes, kiddo,” I said to her.

”Huh?”

”Don’t live in Manhattan anymore,” I informed her as Ally peeled away from me.  ”We moved to Long Island and we’re building things.”

”Yeah I can help,” Ashlynn said eagerly.

”I wasn’t asking,” I informed her.  An awkward silence followed before I knelt in front of her.  ”Honey I’m your big brother now.  If you ever raise your hand to your mother again, I will kick your little ass from coast to coast, do you understand me?” I asked her calmly.

She didn’t answer immediately.

”We don’t bring violence down on our family no matter what we’re feeling,” I said to Ashlynn.  ”You’re right to be upset.  You’re right to have a lot of questions and later I’ll try to answer a lot of them.  You owe your mom an apology and I’m gonna work your ass off until you do it.  Go put your bags in the car.”

Minutes later, Ashlynn and I are rolling down the highway toward Love Field in the old Monte.