Tacoma Falls: Blazing Hearts

Family

Maury

When you're younger, you consider blood your family until you realize it's not. Your blood can destroy you faster than a tornado when it rips through town. You don't hear the sirens or see it coming until it's upon you. You take cover, hoping to survive the mighty destruction it leaves behind. Maureen was my tornado.

She entered my life when I was a mere three years old and proceeded to wreak havoc and cause destruction because of her jealousy. She saw dollar signs with my daddy, but I was an obstacle to her greed. She needed to get rid of the obstacle to gain the prize. So, she did.

Maureen portrayed a caring mother at first. She weaseled her way into our family, creating a festering sore until she created the destruction. By then, she had alienated me from everyone except Papa and Granny. They saw Maureen for the snake she was and helped me when they could.

Waylon was the other person who helped me after the destruction. He saved my life when I helped him and protected me afterward without mentioning a word. I was thankful he did. I hated pity.

I never realized Waylon considered me family until he said it. I understood at that moment the family wasn't always blood. The people protected and cared about you without expecting anything in return. They helped you rebuild after a tornado ripped through your life and destroyed it.

Shep turned into family when he worked tirelessly at rebuilding our home after Billy Gilroy, Maureen, and the town worked to destroy me. He started with the foundation, reinforcing it until he got to the roof while I fought him every step of the way. I didn't want you to develop hope and have another tornado rip through it. I couldn't survive another mass destruction.

I sat in my therapist's office and pondered everything.

"Maury, what are you thinking about?" She asked, studying me.

"Tornados."

"Why are you thinking about tornados?"

I rubbed my hands on my pants and sat up while leaning forward with my arms on the chair arms. "Tornados appear out of nowhere and cause mass destruction in its wake. It destroys people's homes. It's the same with people ripping apart relationships. Maureen and Will were my tornados. Maureen destroyed my relationship with Daddy, while Will did it with Shep. The town ensured I couldn't rebuild my home. But they failed."

"How so?"

"They didn't account for others helping me rebuild like Papa, Granny, Waylon, Shep, the girls, and others. They didn't realize Daddy would come to his senses and see the light. They didn't see the truth would come out. They account that their plan would fail. You can't win when you let bitterness, jealousy, and greed consume you."

My therapist's lips twitched into a smile. "No, you can't. You've come a long way since you started seeing me. But you kept your kindness throughout it all. It's an admirable trait."

"No, I didn't want to become like them." I shook my head before smiling. "I want to be happy."

My therapist smiled and nodded in agreement.

*******
Shepherd

I sat with my brothers in Sue Ann's Diner while Maury had his therapy appointment. My knee bounced while I sipped my coffee.