The Executioner

Chapter 9: Scarlett

After leaving the club house Scarlett had assumed they would be headed to the hotel that she had called from the airport in San Antonio. But pulling out of the gate Tack went left headed out of town and into the suburbs.

"Where are we....? My hotel is that way I think" She asked looking over at the old man with confusion

"Ah sweetpea, no use in paying for a hotel when your pops house is right up the road."

The thought made her pause. The lights from the small, but cozy homes passed by the window in a flash and the truck's cab flickered bright as they passed under each street light. Scarlett stayed quiet, mostly due to the fact that she didn't know what to say. Or what to feel for that matter. Her stomach clinched at the thought of coming into a place so personal to her father. She just learned that he wasn't a deadbeat who left her as a child, could she handle being in the middle of his home, with his belongings?

Tack slowed to a stop in the curb in front of the only dark house on the block, only illuminated by the nearest street light a few yards down the sidewalk. The house, even in the dark looked homey. With its brick walk way that ran parallel to the cement drive where an old, but well kept pickup was sitting under a drive in carport. The house itself was trimmed in white with dark shutters on the windows and window boxes over flowing with some type of hanging flowers. It made Scarlett a little nostalgic. She looked down and a memory almost slapped her in the face. She remembered these bricks, well not really remembered but there was a sense of familiarity. It made her heart jump. This had been home.

"This was where we lived" it was more of an out loud thought than a question but it was answered anyway.

"Yea your old man never had the heart to get rid of it when y'all left. He never remarried so it's kind of a man cave but the beds have clean sheets and we've kept the power on." Tack said, putting the key in the lock. Scarlett became hyper aware of every detail wanting to store it all in her memory so she could visit it later.

When the door opened it was quite obvious that it was most definitely a man cave. Old ragged plaid couches made of that stuff that stuck through your clothes when you sat down on them and one giant newer looking cloth recliner positioned in front of a massive flat screen hung on the wall. The carpet was old shag but clean none the less. The living room looked into the kitchen over a small bar with shutters that could be closed to separate the two rooms. And beyond them Scarlett spotted a stainless refrigerator and an over the stove microwave. So the old mad did update some things. The thought made her smile.
It smelled nice, like new air fresheners. Some sort of floral scent she notice had to be coming from the small lit plugins in nearly every socket.
"I had some of the girls come by earlier and clean the place up a bit, change the sheets and make sure you had everything you need. I think  they left some food for you too if you're hungry"

Tacks voice had faded, she could no longer comprehend the words he was saying because all of the air had left her lungs. There were pictures, old decrepit pictures of her and Cam placed strategically in frames on the walls and end tables. She noticed the one closest to her was a picture of Cameron blowing candles out of a cake at 5. Another beside it was of her, she was only a baby, sitting on the beach with some plastic flamingo sunglasses on smiling a toothless grin right at the camera.

"You okay sweetpea?" Tack must have noticed her silence and the colorless look on her face. She turned to him, eyes welling up with tears.
"Ah now, none of that." He sounded strained. Before she could react Tack walked over and wrapped her in a bear hug. That was when she fell apart. This man, her father, who she thought was a crap father who didn't take care of his children had looked at her and Cameron's face every day of his life. He truly had been forced to give up hope. Her heart shattered. Thinking of how this man had loved her even when he battled cancer alone knowing she was out there. She hated herself. She was a terrible person. She let her father, who loved her, suffer and die alone.

Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as Tack held her to his chest. He must have known she needed to get it out because he just held her tight and let her cry until she physically had no more tears left.

"There now, feel better?" He didn't wait for an answer just looked her in the eyes and said "He loved you both, he didn't want you to struggle with him. He was at peace with his decisions before the cancer got him. You can't change what Tonya did. None of this is or will ever be your fault so don't think like that." All she could do was nod, not trusting her voice.
"Come on I'll show you where the bedroom is."

Tack showed her around the house telling her things that were necessary to function for the night then gave her a hug goodbye.

"Tack, before you go, will you go with me to the will reading tomorrow? I don't know if I can do this all alone."

"I'll be out of town for awhile tomorrow, Elliot can be there though, I'll call him and let him know"

She nodded and he turned to leave. Once the door clicked shut she was left in the past. And she didn't know if her heart could take it.