RDR2: Faithless

11: I Loved Once and True

"Yes, dad," I said with a wink, and we parted ways.

I didn't head directly back to camp, I went to Saint Denis again. Mainly I was letting the mockery I was gonna get die down before I went back, but really I don't know what I was hoping for, I just headed straight for my old house.

To my surprise, another letter was waiting for me. I leapt over the fence, grabbed it, and sat down in my usual spot.

I scanned the letter, a small frown on my face as I took it in.

Ann,
We will say it again. We don't care who raised you, we don't care what you've done. Please come home to us.
We might not mourn your death, but we'll mourn the lost relationship. We want to know you!
Love
Your parents

I thought about my response when someone cleared their throat above me.

It was William, my father!

I jumped up, ready to run, when he grabbed my arm.

"Please, at least let us talk," he begged as I struggled from his grip.

I stopped fighting and sighed.

"Fine," I said in a quiet voice, "But please don't expect anything to come from it."

"We won't, just come inside and talk," he let go of me and I climbed over the wall, following him towards the house.

The inside of the house was even grander than the outside. It was magnificently decorated, with fancy wallpaper and proper carved wooden furniture. It was no secret that my parents were rich. I stared around in awe, not hiding how shocked I was at the interior. Everything was decorated with care, nothing looked like it had just been placed down. Maids bustled around, dusting cabinets, and I could frankly see my face in the shine of the floor.

"Sit down here," my dad said, signalling to a cushioned sofa.

He sat across from me with my mother, and they both stared at me in silence for a long minute. I felt very out of place, my father and mother were well-groomed and dressed nicely. I, on the other hand, was covered in mud, wearing clothes that had last been washed... well, who knows! I felt very self-conscious and frankly, I was terrified! I was meeting my parents for the first time! 

"So..." my dad finally spoke, his voice shaking, my mother was just staring at me tearfully, "We finally meet. All these years, we... we assumed you were dead! What happened?"

"Well..." I took a deep breath, controlling the shakiness of my voice, "Dutch and Hosea were partners, outlaws, when they found me just outside of Saint Denis. They rescued me, they had no idea what had happened, but they took me in and raised me as their own, alongside Arthur, he's a few years older than me, I guess he raised me somewhat too. They taught me to read, write, how to use a gun... When I was old enough, they gave me an out. The rule of gang life is once you're in, that's it. You're stuck. But they gave me the opportunity to leave and do something else with my life.

"I refused, they were all I knew and I owed them. Eventually, the four of us turned to five, six, and eventually the notorious Van der Linde Gang," I continued, "I never knew anything about why I was abandoned, I always assumed you didn't want me, so when Dutch told me how to find you, I expected to hate you. Then, I learned the truth. I didn't want you to see me once I knew you were good people, but I obviously failed at that."

"But you've had a good life?" my father asked and I nodded, "Well, that at least makes us feel a little better. We might have missed you, but you not living as a complete orphan gives us some happiness."