From Uncles to Memiors

The Long Lost Uncle

The Long Lost Uncle

By: BookFlower

“Leave me alone! Why don’t you let me go? You’re the worst father ever!” I screamed. We were driving home on Main Street from my ballet lesson. I told my upset father about the upcoming party at Richard Laquer’s house.

“You can not go and that’s final! Your Grandma Lilli is coming over and-“CRASH! In every direction, I heard people screaming their heads off in fear as my sight went blank.

Every night for the past couple weeks, this scene plays repeatedly in my head, dream, and thoughts. I don’t know who gets the blame for this, me or my father.

“Sammy? Are you alright?” my depressed mother asked. She was dressed in a plain lovely black dress that my father would’ve loved.

“I’m okay. Let’s get going,” I rushed. I didn’t want to talk about it yet. I could tell she didn’t also.

We walked towards the building that was starting to fill up with people who knew my father, loved my father, or simply was forced to. Everyone who passed my mother and I said, “I feel greatly sorry for your loss! I hope I will be some help for you!”

Nobody in town knew what really happened. All they know is that father might have been distracted and crashed into the clock on Main Street.

Mother and I ignored everyone and sat down at our reserved seat right in front of father’s new home. Before I knew it, mother slightly nudged my shoulder with her hands and walked towards father. Tears blurred my huge green eyes as I followed mother and silently said goodbye for the last time.

A man, with wavy brown hair that flowed down his long back, held me back. “Let your mother go alone first.”

Agreeing with him, I nodded and I watched my mother cry over my father’s peaceful body. The strange man watched me without looking away as if I was a criminal. He wore a filthy suit that looked a hundred years old with a dirty white tie that has a tiny moth hole right in the middle of it. His face was just like my father’s but there was way more wrinkles on his face, as if he was stressed.

“John! You’re here!” my mother exclaimed as she threw her long slim arms around the strange man’s neck, a man who my mother called John.

EEEKKK! EEEKKK! EEEKKK!

“What’s that? Sammy! Sammy run! RUN!” my mother screamed over the noise as she rushed John and I towards the exit. The room collapsed within minutes after we were out of the building.

“Is everyone okay? Is everyone here?” a voice yelled over all the noise.

A thought hit me in the head. “Where’s my father? He’s still in there! Mother! Father is still in the building!”

I ran towards the burning building just to be pulled back by a firefighter.

I started to run as far away as I possibly could when I was stopped by a red convertible. “Please get into the car! It’s safer in here! I promise!” a voice said from inside the car.

“No! Leave me alone! I don’t talk to strangers!” I frantically said as I ran away like a grasshopper stuck on a spider web.

“Samantha Ann Juliet Wiligor! Get your butt into the car this instance! Don’t question!” a high-pitched voice called out about a hundred meters away.

Without a second thought I got into the car as my grumpy mother stepped into it also. John sped away faster than lightning.

“Sammy? I’m so sorry! I don’t know how the fire started but someone might have done it on purpose,” my mother whispered after a while. “This is your long-lost uncle Johnny. You’ve never met him before but he’s your father’s brother.”

My heart literally stopped as I replayed the thought of the fire, my father and why someone would be mean enough to burn his body. Then I processed what my mother just said. Why have I never heard of this Johnny before? Father was an only child. If he had a brother, he wouldn’t lie to me. Would he?

“You’re lying! Father never had a brother, or any other sibling!” I screamed.

“Please just listen to my story then I’ll be out of your life for good,” he began. “I was the child who my parents disrespected. I was always known as the bad child to my parents although I never did anything. They never wanted me in their lives. I was just an accident,” Uncle Johnny began in a trembling low voice. I stiffened up.

“When I became a legal adult, they kicked me out and disinherited me. I went off to college and got myself a good education. I became an archaeologist and moved to Egypt to study the ruins for over 20 years.”

Uncle Johnny parked the car on a side of a street and walked out. Mother followed and beckoned for me to do so also. When I finally analyzed my surroundings I started to freak. We were on Main Street. Not anywhere on Main Street but we were right next to the clock where everything happened. The pole that held the clock up was badly dented.

I thought of Uncle Johnny’s story and started to think of how his life was as I got out of the car slowly. I smiled at the thought of having an uncle who I could finally hang with.

“We all need to get rid of the thought, the memory of what happened here,” Uncle Johnny explained. “I want you to replay everything that happened and say it aloud for me. Can you do that?”

I nodded and slowly repeated what happened. It gave me the chills as I got to the accident. “So that’s what happened,” I finished.

Uncle Johnny walked towards me and hugged me tightly. “I miss you so much Max,” he mumbled.

I froze. What did he say?

“Uncle Johnny what did you say?” I started. I stared into his deep eyes. “Are you going to be leaving soon?” I changed the topic.

“Um… Do you want me to leave?” he replied instantly with a sigh. Do I want him to leave?

I shook my head unable to speak waiting for his answer. “No, I’ll never leave you.”

I felt relieved, hoping he didn’t break promises. I ran into the car with a smile, something I haven’t done in a while. Maybe if mother saw how much of an influence he was in my life, she would persuade him to stay no matter what.

As we got home, I prepared dinner for three. We ate dinner like a nice happy family. We laughed and cried and talked and screamed at one another.

Allowing my dinner to slowly digest, I popped in a movie and sat down in my father’s fluffy beige couch. I slowly fell asleep only to be awaken by yelling coming from one of the bedrooms.

“I’m leaving and that’s final! I have to leave! I can’t stand looking at her! Everything about her reminds me of him and… I-I just have to leave!”

“Shhh… she’ll hear you!” whispered mother loudly.

What did that mean? I can’t stand looking at her! Why can’t he stand me? I ran loudly to my bedroom and slammed my door.

“See what you did? Sammy?” mother called after me.

“Leave me alone!” I yelled out. I spent the whole night weeping my eyes out. By noon I ran out of tears and decided to check up on my mother.

I faced my worst fear, my mother crying her eyes out. I ran to her and hugged her with all my might. We released all our stress with that hug.

“He left last night after you ran into your room. I’m sorry; I never wanted to hurt you. I just thought that if he came then you’ll be happier, which you were.” mother whispered into my hair. “He also told me, before he left that the he was the person who set the place on fire.” I stared into her empty eyes and hugged her even tighter.

“I’m sorry mother!” I whispered. I now knew who was to blame.