“No, she’s a part of mine, I haven’t seen any part of you in her, she’s a sweet, kind hearted young lady who now falls under my care as head of this family. Trust me, you don’t want to piss me off anymore than you already have. Stay away from my son and my new daughter.”
“Just as I thought, bullying tactics.”
Dad laughed her off, I kept quiet and let him finish them off, I had no idea he felt so strongly about the whole situation, but the anger was coming off of him in waves. We’d discussed the issue of course, but not once had he let on that he was this angry.
I should’ve known, both my parents loved my Delia and were looking forward to their first grandchild. I had no doubt dad could use his formidable power to bring them down, but I don’t want him to. This is my fight, I have to do it, for her.
Maybe some of that was my guilt for how I’d treated her in the beginning, when I’d set out to use her for my own end, but mostly it was because I hated what they’d tried to do to her.
Dad’s voice intruded on my thoughts once again.
“Call it what you will, I’m sure my son has already told you, but if he hasn’t let me warn you now. Delia is now a Thornton, she carries the name and is accorded everything that comes with that. That means she now has access to heads of state, not only in this country, but quite a few in other parts of the free world. She’s not to be touched, if she so much as stubs her toe while you’re in the vicinity, run and hide……. Chase you have a patient waiting.”
Dad turned and left, I raised my brow at the now sheet white pair.
Oh well, I had only intended to play with them for a while, but papa bear had brought the hammer down on them.
I wanted to laugh my ass off.
“If you’ll excuse me, unless you have something to tell me?”
I waited to see if they would give her up, Carl made as if to speak but once again he was beaten to it by his lovely wife.
“We don’t know anything, this is just an attempt to get back at us for some imagined slight against that…that…she spluttered as I felt my ire rise.
If she wanted to play it that way, so be it.
“I warned you against speaking against my wife, but as usual you choose to ignore that, as my father has said, you’ve overstayed your welcome, leave or be escorted from the premises.”
I watched them walk out the door before leaving the room myself. “That’s one nasty piece of work there son, he’s a complete tool and her, well, I think she’s a bit deranged, you and Delia be careful.”
“We will dad, not to worry.”
“Okay son, you go see your patient, I think I’ll hang around ’til you’re done for the night.” He looked at the door where they’d disappeared.
I hid my smile. See that’s a father, still watching out for me although I’m a grown man, I will never stop being his responsibility. I’m glad Delia had that now too. My sister and her were always chatting away on the phone , or it was her and mom. Even Drew and her were building a fondness for each other, though their relationship was a bit more antagonistic.
Drew being the overgrown ape he was compared to her tiny stature loved to make fun of her. She gave as good as she got though, and now instead of cowering or trying to blend into the woodwork, she had laughter and teasing.
All in all things were good except for her family’s continued existence.
After my consult I called Jameson for an update on his search for Celine and was disappointed once again to learn that there was o sign of her. Disappointed but not completely put off. I know it’s only a matter of time. In the meantime…..
Joann had finagled her way into the pretentious country club set that she erroneously thought was a way into my mothers’ good graces. Though mom did attend certain charity events there, my family hasn’t been members for years, not for lack of trying on the committees’ part though.
I know the yearly fees are astronomical, another sign of how they stretched themselves beyond their means to appear to be something they aren’t.
I’m sure they’d been relying on my marriage to Celine to afford them certain things in the long run. I wonder if they’d listened closely to that tape, if they’d heard her talk about shedding them like unwanted refuge. Probably not, they were so blinded by her that they probably just heard what they wanted to.
I called up Janice the head of the committee who was only to happy to comply with my wishes, seems she was none too fond of Celine, yet another person she had pissed off with her snotty bullshit attitude, and Joann of course was thrown into the mix.