Page 54 of One Quick Obsession

“Damn straight.”

“Will you take the fucking thing now? We can burn it together, but I thought you should get the choice. The will doesn’t specify that you have to open it. Just that it has to get to you. But of course they went about it in a long fucking way because they’re dumbasses that like to break us. Or at least pretend they’re trying.”

I snagged the letter from his hand and stared down at the handwritten addressee.

“At least he didn’t call me dumbass on this,” I said, trying to be funny and yet falling flat.

“Let’s just burn it. I don’t even know why I brought it here.”

“You could have burned it on your own. But then you would’ve felt guilt. Because you have integrity. Unlike our father.”

“With our parents, it’s really shocking that we turned out in any form of normal.”

“I love that you think I’m normal.”

Flynn didn’t rise to the bait, and I wasn’t surprised. Neither one of us knew what we were truly doing.

“Are you going to open it?”

I nodded but didn’t move to open the damn letter.

“He typed the others. Did he handwrite their names too?”

“I know Aston’s was. I’m not quite sure about the others. I don’t even know what most of them say. Probably not the best thing.”

“All he does is berate us. Find a way to cut us from the beyond. He wasn’t a good man, Flynn. Why should we care what he says?”

“I don’t.” Flynn paused. “I do. Talk about needing therapy.”

“Do you go?” I asked, honestly curious.

Flynn shrugged. “Sometimes. You?”

“Not anymore. It got to be repetitive.”

Flynn just gave me a look and I didn’t bother answering. We all had our own reasons.

With a sigh, I tore open the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

“Looks like he spent a lot of time on this,” I said, looking at the small paragraph.

“It could be worse, could be the receipts of your wrongdoing.”

“No, Father just decided to do that himself with his own guilt and wrongdoing.”

Flynn shook his head, and I cleared my throat and began to read aloud.

Hudson –

You failed me. You always did. But you proved yourself in the end.

You fought for our country, and that was something to be proud of. At least they say I should be proud of you as your father.

The one thing I’m truly proud of is that you were never caught.

In order to survive as a man in this world, you have to get your hands bloody. And you did so.

And they never found you.