Music for the Soul: Book 2

Chapter 5

Dick

"He said WHAT?!?!?!!" I yelled and looked my my siblings.
They were just as shocked as I was. They stared at Tim's phone, as if they were trying to unhear what he said.
"I'm going to kill him!!! You don't say such a thing, ever!!" I yelled and took off.
"Dick, calm down there has the be a reason-"
"NO! He said that to Marinette and she heard him! Whether he knew it or not, that NEVER should have been said. Never! If I said that about Mar'i Damian would kill me! But he can say it about his kid! No!"
I stormed off, grabbing my phone and keys on the way out. I didn't realize I slammed the door. I did not realize that I was trying to calm myself down till I was sober enough to look around. And then I saw her. My niece. With fuffy, red eyes, bright blue eyes. I had to do something.
"Hey, I'm Dick." I said out of no where. She jumped and looked around frantically before her eyes settled on me.
"Clara—your one of my uncles aren't you?"
I nodded. "Dick. My full name is Richard."
"Mom talks about you guys. I know who you are."
"Really? I didn't think Marinette would do that?" I said baffled
Clara giggled "Well, she wanted to make sure I knew my family, even if they didn't know about me."
That worried me. "What did she say about us?"
"Nothing bad. That you guys loved pranking each other, Grandpa Alfred said he kicked you guys out of the kitchen because you kept breaking things. Mom made sure to tell me that dad is more than he seems."
Curious I asked why. Her response is the only thing that prevented me from killing Damian.
"He has a rough childhood, and when she needed him the most, he was there. She said he had a funny way of surprising you, and showing his true colors when you least expect it. I know it's unfair of me to kick you all out, but if you can convince him to stop being a jerk I might want to get to know him. The real him."
I stared at the tiny girl in front of me. Did she just say.....? "You want to know him? Why?!"
Clara laughed. She actually laughed. And it sounded like Marinette's. "Because, I have been waiting for my dad to show up since I was five. And here he is. The only sad part is, he doesn't want me. You came here to get a suit but you found us instead. I don't know weather to shout with joy or cry because he wasn't looking for me."
I watched Clara smile at an old woman as she passed. The lady smiled and wrapped her in a hug.
"Granny, when did you get into town?" Clara asked, obviously excited.
"I just got in. I was heading to Burts for some tea." She glanced at me then looked at Clara. "Who's this?"
"Granny this is Richard, my uncle. Dick, this is Granny Bayfield. She use to babysit me when I was younger. She owns this inn down the street."
Granny gasped and looked from Clara to me. "Your one of the mystery family! Oh my gosh, when did this happen?"
Clara shrugged "just now."
Granny chuckled "of course it did. You have your mother's gift of meeting people."
I laughed "That she does. She's more like her mother."
"Mom says I'm more like my dad than anything. I get her looks and some of her habits, but she says I'm more him."
"How?" Granny and I asked at her same time.
"She says I'm super smart, I get my attitude from him. My anger, suspicion, and fear from him." She looked around and sighed. The gasped. "I have to talk to Jane!" She hugged Granny, waved at me before taking off. I chuckled.
"Just like her mother."
"What was she like?" I looked at the old woman. "What was Marinette like before all this?"
I sighed sadly "afraid. Bullied. Isolated. She wasn't in a good place when she came to us."
"That's what she said. She told me about this Chat Noir. How the scars she has on her side are from him. How she was stabbed by one of her classmates a few times as well. Chloé told me the rest."
"Yeah. When Marinette left.....Damian, Claras father, went to a dark place. He threw himself into cases, he thought she was taken from him. But she left a note for Chloé to give to him. A few months later, he stopped looking. Said that something came up and dropped the cases. After that he rarely spoke to us. He stayed in his room or went to school. Now he's taking over Fathers company, and he's throwing himself into that."
I sighed and shook my head. Granny placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled.
"Did you know when she had Clara she would sit my the mailbox and wait. She would wait for Damian to write back. She would sit out there and wait for a reply to a letter she sent him explain why she left. He never replied, and she was crushed. Bust instead of being angry at him, she loved him enough to let him go. When Clara did the same thing when she was five, Marinette sat out there with hope that this time was different. When she came to pick Clara up one day and found her crying I'm a corner crying that her father didn't want her, she lost all hope he would show up. But she told me one day a few years ago, when I found her crying in her room, that she still loved him. She said it was the anniversary of them meeting, and how she was at such a low point he came in and helped ease the pain. She still loved him after all the years of not showing up. She will deny it till he talks to Clara. And Clara will prevent him from going near her, but they both know they love him."
She pat my shoulder and sighed "Just, make sure you don't kill him. I'm sure he has a reason for staying away. And the way you stormed out of my inn, I'm gonna assume he said something as well. Just, keep in mind, people have a funny way of showing grief and love."
As the old lady was walking away I knew I'd been Grannied.