Forgiven 2 of 4

Chapter 16

Adam was pounding the heavy bag when Jay walked in, oblivious to his presence.

"You didn't work things out with Kim, yet?" Jay asked as he braced himself against the bag startling Adam.

"We did" he wiped his brow, "you know I had a brother, right?"

"Yea, he died when you were a kid"

"I was told he was accidentally shot and killed, only to have my father tell me a few nights ago that he actually killed himself" Adam grabbed a towel and wiped his face, "worst part is my father turned his back on Anthony, when he needed help"

"Shit, Adam"

"Plus, he only told me because my mother is back in town, and he was afraid she would tell me. He's trying to save his own ass, it had nothing to do with me needing to know the truth"

"That's rough, what are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to talk to my mother, I think my father is leaving stuff out. He dropped this in my lap I need to know everything, you know?"

"I get it, I hope you get the answers you're looking for"

Linda sat at the table, her leg bouncing up and down nervously. She hadn't seen Adam since he was about nine, and Bob refused to send her pictures. She wasn't sure if she would recognize him when he arrived, it was really sad she thought.

Though as soon as he stepped foot inside the hotel's restaurant she knew it was him, he looked a lot like Anthony.

She approached him, "Adam?"

He tried to remember her face, but it was hard for him. His father removing all traces of her from the house, "yeah?"

"It's me. Your mother" she said, through her tears she reached for him.

Adam stepped back out of her reach "we need to talk about Anthony" he said he wasn't ready for a mother son reunion.

She was shocked, and wondered if and what Bob had told him "what about your son?" She was going to feign ignorance on this for a minute to see what Bob had told him.

"Not my, son." He told her "but yours, my dad told me his version, I would like to hear yours" he slid the menu away, he didn't plan on staying long enough to eat.

"What did your dad tell you?"

"Never mind what he said, I want to hear your side" Adam didn't remember a lot from when he was a kid, but he remembered them always fighting.

Linda shifted in the chair, "Adam I tried to tell your dad that Anthony was in trouble but he wouldn't listen. That son of a bitch was too busy getting drunk or sleeping with his slut on the side"

"What?"

"Let me guess, he left that part out, right?" she couldn't help but smile. "Everyone tried to tell him, even the guys at work"

Adam sighed, "he did nothing at all?"

"Never lifted a finger to help your brother, and because of that your 17 year old brother put a bullet in his head" she wiped her face "all while your father played house with another family"

Adam felt as if he was going to throw up, "I gotta go" he said as he stormed out of the hotel, he didn't know who to believe.

"Hey Adam, are you okay?" Phil asked when he saw Adam crouched down against the side of the hotel, he knelt down in front of him "what is it?"

Adam looked up, "I'm fine" he stood up.

"I don't think you are, come inside I will buy you a drink. You look like you could use one or ten" he laughed.

Adam couldn't believe he was about to accept the offer, but he needed to talk to someone who was completely free of bias towards either one of his parents and Phil was. "Yea, that sounds good"

They went to the bar and sat down, Linda had already gone to her room.

"What's going on?" Phil asked as he sipped his beer.

Adam relayed the whole story to Phil, he couldn't help but start to like the guy.

"So, now you know why I am so confused by the whole thing, I don't know who to believe. I had no idea my dad had a girlfriend, I knew he drank a lot but he's a cop that's what we do" Adam said as finished his drink.

"Adam, I'm sorry about your brother it's awful, Kim told me about him" he remembered Kim explaining how Anthony was named after Adam's late brother "I don't know either one of your parents but my gut tells me to trust your dad over your mother, he didn't run when shit got tough. He stayed Adam, and how's he treated you the last twenty years?" He asked.

Adam played with the empty mug, "he's been a great father, that's why all this has my head spinning"

"You've got your answer Adam, your dad may have screwed up in the past but it sounds like he's changed, and for the better"

Adam laughed, "thanks Phil. It's kind of funny this here" he pointed to the two of them "us having a few beers, Kim would be pleased" he shook his hand "I mean it thanks"

"Your family Adam, and at this point you, Kim, and my amazing nephew are the only family I have" Phil told him.

Adam checked his watch, "I gotta go, but thanks for hearing me out. You'll have to stop by the house soon. Anthony would love to see you again, and I know Kim would too"