For the Good of the Family

Goodbye Brother

Losing a sibling is the worst feeling in the world. Worse than losing a parent. A gaping whole in your chest and your heart in your throat. Hard to speak without choking on your despair.

Time moves slowly. I watch my family place their gifts and  letters to John on the Vardo to be burned with his body. All his most important possessions will be lit aflame for his spirit to take wherever it passes to.

I know that my  second oldest brother Tommy is speaking. I can hear the gravely baritone of his voice but I can't focus on the words. I stare at my goodbye letter to our beloved John, tucked under his left foot. My stare doesn't break even when the Vardo is lit. The flames spreading from the petrol covered kindling to the painted panels of our brother's final bed.

My staring is broken by a gunshot.  I am shoved to the ground by someone behind me. I landed half on top of my only sister Ada, shielding her upper body with my own. My hand reaching for my gun, hidden the folds of my skirt.

"At Ease! Do not return fire! I repeat do not return fire!" Tommy yelled across the field. "The men are doing the firing are on our side!" A second gunshot rings out. "I took the trouble of getting an invitation to Aberama Gold." As he speaks everyone slowly makes it to their feet. I helped Ada stand up once I got myself off of her back.

Johnny Doggs pipes up from the right side of the group, "Oh fuck, now it's begun." His complaints against the savages of the Gold tribe at this mornings family meeting apparently did nothing to sway Tommy's decision.

From her seated position at the whiskey table Aunt Polly frantically looks around the group. "Put us out in the open on purpose. To use John's funeral fire as a fucking beacon."

"We were never in any danger Polly." Arthur said. He stood dejectedly next to Tommy. His head hung low, his voice heavy with grief.

"You set a trap!" Polly yelled back. Angry which was understandable. Our brother was dead and his body was burning just a few feet away from us. The smell of his burning flesh overwhelming as the wind blew it towards us.

Tommy turned to Finn, the youngest of all of us. "Finn? Finn! Go to the yard and light the fires." Our little brother immediately ran toward Charlie's scrap yard.

Polly tired of being ignored got up from the table and stormed up to Tommy. "You set a trap with us as fucking bait! Who's dead?" Her finger pointed to where the shots came from. There was a group of men and horses slowly making their way towards us from the edge of the field.

"Our enemies." Tommy sighed.

"Who's dead?" Polly took another step towards him. Arthur moved near them likely to split them apart if necessary.

Tommy stepped even closer and spoke softly. " You wanna know Pol? Two fucking no good Italians who heard about the vendetta, trying to make a name for themselves. That's who."

"We got word to them about the funeral, the where, the when.  Told 'em where to stand for the best shot" Arthur said from behind Polly. He looked at Ada and I as if the explanation was enough to excuse the disrespect of using the funeral as bait for our families enemies.

"And Aberama Gold will do the rest." Tommy stood straighter, the horses were much closer now. There were four, two with riders, two being lead with bodies slung over their backs. "That's the language of vendetta, they took one of ours we take two of theirs."

"You used your own brother's funeral." Polly growled out. She raised her finger at the rest of the family. "When did we vote on this Tommy?"

If we had put it to a vote. I think I would have voted for the idea. It was a good plan. Simple even. John would have liked it, if he was alive and it was used at someone else's funeral pyre. The disrespect to the rest of the family was not being told about the plan. We could have been prepared for a shooting if Aberama Gold decided not to take whatever deal Tommy offered.

"Curly, get a boat ready to take the bodies to the city. And another boat for anyone, anyone who wants no more part of this. 'Cause this is how it's gonna be. Polly?" Tommy started speaking then grew louder as Polly shook her head and walked away from him.

"I'm not staying for this Arthur. I'm going home." Linda, Arthur's uptight wife spoke up from behind me.

"Oh yeah? Homes 57 Watery Lane. You go to there, lock the doors, you wait for me." Arthur held out the house key to her, only for the blonde to roll her eyes and continue to walk away.

Ada and I shared an annoyed look before she stepped forward and took the key from our eldest brother. Following Linda to ensure she didn't endanger herself and their baby Billy by leaving the protection of Small Heath.

The horses finally made their slow trek to the group. The older man in a brown coat spoke from horseback. "Five hundred each. A thousand for the brace. Where do you want them.

"Charlie take them to the yard. Tommy waved our uncle away before he turned to me. "Olive? We'll be having Christmas dinner at the yard. The Golds will be joining. Johnny will handle the birds-"

I cut him off with a raised hand. "I'll figure out some food. Don't let Curly cook anything, now matter how much he begs." I wrapped an arm around Tommy pressing our cheeks together for just a moment before turning to hug Arthur. "I'll bring cinnamon scones too. They were always John's favorite."