He let them in and allowed them to occupy the rat-eaten couch while he occupied the rocking chair in the dark corner; Dennis would not sit, he just stood and kept his eyes fixed on him.
"It's an honor to have you all here after so much time. To what do I owe this 'august' visit," he said with a mock bow. It was hard to discern his facial expression since he sat in the dark.
"You were always a coward, Tom. That's why you're sitting in the dark. That's why you're sitting in the dark, poking fun at people while you can't face them; be faced by them..." Elise began.
He sat up in his chair, trying his best not to express any emotion.
"That's why throughout the war, you never really killed an enemy fighter, and you always shied away from the frontlines, or from any real work,' she finished.
He sat up, poking his head out of the darkness with bulging eyes.
"We spoke to Osborne, your fellow soldier," Dennis said, looking at him squarely.
There was no stopping the look of anger that registered on his face
"Why you..."
"We're not here for all your bullshit, Tom," Marco spoke up suddenly, turning all eyes towards him, "We're way past all the arguments and lamentations about how you treated us because you're not worth such waste of energy,'
He tried to speak, but Mona slammed him immediately, "You had years to talk and act," her voice cold as ice, "Now sit still and listen, or so help me G..."
Elise held her hand. Everyone else was surprised by her outburst, but not Elise. Elise knew her daughter's anger and her stern nature, even after so many years.
'Look at us, Tom," Marco hissed, "none of us are 'sweet 16'. Mona's the youngest, and she's 50. All of us have carried the excess baggage for decades, but luckily, we didn't allow our children ever experience anything close to the horrors we experienced. And they're doing well too," he finished.
"The only reason why we're here is to bring closure to the case and let all the baggage go," Mona said.
He let out a croaky laugh.
********************
Timer set for Ten Minutes
Grammarly Ran
Not translated
Grammarly did not do a very good job. Most likely your connection was down. Better reread it.
Sounds like a good idea to finish the story. Prefer a in a way that fits to the crime. 👍💕