The McCain Marriage Contract

"Uncle J. J." I said weakly. As I spoke my lips trembled in rhythm with the rest of my body. I wasn't sure why I reacted thus -- was it because I was seeing him for the first time in a long time, or because I was seeing him looking so frail, or because I had finally figured out why Valerie was married to me?

It was for the money. She married me for money to take care of her sick father.

I felt so much pity for Valerie instantly. Yes, I still remembered how much she hurt me and I knew I would not forget about it in a hurry, but it took utter bravery and a great sense of responsibility to do what she did. She was desperate to keep her father alive and she went as far as degrading herself to do so. That was love in its truest, purest form.

Suddenly I felt a surge of fresh hate for my father well up within me. Did that evil bastard know she was going through all this and still forced her to marry me before he could help her out? And for what? He claimed the optics were important in business and so I had to be married instead of chasing women all over the place, but who did I learn that attitude from? That's right, Tony McCain!

On the other hand, it was also possible he didn't know she needed the money for her dad. Valerie was a very secretive person; we had lived under one roof for almost a whole month and I was just finding out about this. Whatever the case, forcing her on me was pathetic as fuck. Sick old man.

It took a while for me to realize I was still standing by the glass door. I walked on trembling legs to the soft chair that faced his bed. "How are you doing, uncle J. J. ?" I asked.

"Better than you, apparently," he said jokingly. "Your skin is as white as snow."

I stared at my palms and he was right. My skin looked blanched. Out of sheer surprise, I must have paled just from seeing him. I rubbed my palms together and lightly tapped the back of one hand with the other to stimulate blood flow. "What happened to you?"

"Life, son. Good old life. Getting old sucks like hell," he said. He was the same as ever, funny and easy-going.

I noticed the slight droop in his facial features. "A stroke?" Then I felt stupid for asking. The name of the facility clearly stated that.

He managed a weak nod. "Yep. One of the worst kind. I was out for quite a while, I'm talking downright unconsciousness. I'm sort of a hero around here." "Jeez, that bad? You look great for someone who nearly crossed over," I said.

He laughed shortly. "I do, don't I? And it's all thanks to Valerie. Oh, and the doctors too."

At the mention of Valerie, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and he immediately picked it. He was as observant as ever. Even while we were kids nothing could get past him. "I assume you have something to tell me, don't you, Raymond?" I must have shaken my head a bit too vigorously to give me away because he asked, "When will you children learn to stop lying to me? If you must tell a lie be very great at it, body language and all. But before we get to that, how are your parents?"

"They're no longer together if that's what you're asking. They've been divorced for years."

He didn't know that. "Damn," he said quietly. "When?"

"They first split up some days before we moved out of the old neighborhood in Jacksonville. Then later that year they made it official," I explained.

I was sure he wasn't surprised they split up. It was bound to happen, given my dad's behavior. But when he spoke next I was the one taken by surprise. "Why did you do that, son? I know it's been so many years and it's probably the last thing you want to talk about but I need to know. Besides, I had a lot of faith in you; I trusted you with my only child's heart, Raymond. So tell me, why did you do it?"

"I was just fifteen, Uncle J. J. My dad said to move out quietly and I didn't have much of a choice," I said.

"Of course, son. I understand. I understand that you had to move out suddenly and unexpectedly, and in your rush, you forgot your phone. Maybe you also forgot your login details to your social media pages. I totally understand," he said without hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

With the way he spoke, I felt very ashamed of myself. Valerie's actions hurt me terribly but even if I didn't want to speak to her I should have at least tried to find out how she was doing when she was hospitalized. Even though dad instructed me not to contact them at all I could have sent a message across without his knowledge. That was the least I could do. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I'm not proud of how I handled things back then."

"I need to know, did she do something back then, something to hurt you?" he asked desperately.

Uncle J. J. badly wanted to get closure for himself and his daughter and I wished I could give him that, but I couldn't. If I said anything it could ruin their relationship and I didn't want that, not after all he had gone through and was still going through. "Like I said, it was dad's decision and I followed his instructions to the letter. But I should have done better."

He sighed deeply. "Was it also Tony's decision for my daughter to get married to you?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I think the both of them tried to play me for some reason..." I stopped speaking abruptly when I saw the look on his face. The marriage question was a trick one. He clearly didn't know about it for sure; he had only suspected, and I just helped him confirm it.

J. J. closed his eyes and the tears rolled uninhibited in a jagged horizontal line until they drained into his ear. "What is wrong with you people?" he asked. "Huh?" I asked, confused.

"We were nothing but kind to your family. All my daughter did was love and care for you. And you crushed her heart. As if that was not bad enough, you came back years later to take advantage of her and finish the job. Why, Raymond? Why?" I was trying hard to keep my anger in check but it just kept building up. "Take advantage of her? Valerie took advantage of me, right from when we were kids. You'd always see her as your perfect daughter but she is evil!" I was almost screaming.

"What did you just say?" J. J. asked, his eyes opened as wide as they could.

"My dad," I said weakly. "Your precious little Valerie was having an affair with my dad."