Aunt Veronica – Chap 1 by Healwsteel..,

Leo hung up the phone silently. He almost wished they had never invented cell phones. No one would have found him in the days of landlines, at least the way his mother had stated it.

Now his mother was gone. His father died two years earlier. He was 20 years old and was without a parent. He would have broken down and cried, but he just felt shocked. He was also at a huge party to celebrate the end of the semester. He didn’t want to attract attention.

Heather gave him an inquisitive look. “I need to go,” he said. She persisted.

“What happened?”

“Not here. I need some time alone, but I promise to call, OK?”

He never did. He and Heather were simple acquaintances. He would have loved to date her, but she was way out of his league. They simply had been speaking when the phone call came.

On the way home he broke down. He had to pull over in order to let it all out. He couldn’t see or breathe. He loved his mother. Both of his parents were kind and well respected. Now he had no one. His grandparents were all dead. His father was an only child. His mother had a sister, but she had disowned the family and moved to Iowa or Kansas somewhere. No one had heard from her in over a decade.

He had no money for school now, either. His mother had a great job and kept putting money away to pay his tuition. Unfortunately, every semester the funds were depleted. He would be lucky if there was so much as $100 in the account. That wouldn’t even cover rent. He needed a job, or he would be homeless soon.

As he pulled into his apartment complex, he had a new appreciation for it’s quality. Winston-Salem wasn’t the safest area in the US. Drugs and gangs were everywhere. His fellow Demon Deacons often found themselves signing a lease they later regretted. His father had found this place for him just before he died. It was safe, and quiet.

Not that it mattered anymore. He couldn’t afford it even with a good job. He wasn’t into guns, but he might have to register the handgun his father left him for concealed carry. His next abode was either going to be the street or a rundown mess.

He entered his apartment and simply flopped on the bed. As upset as he was, he fell asleep immediately. He didn’t recall any dreams when the phone woke him up four hours later. It was 1am.

“Hello?”

“Leo?”

“Who is this?” he asked.

“It is your Aunt Veronica. I am sorry to be calling you so late. My relationship to the family left me out of the loop. I just heard about your mother. I am so sorry.”

He didn’t know what to say. He had never heard a kind word said about his lone aunt. All he knew is that she was supposedly very smart. She was a professor somewhere in the midwest.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Leo, I know you have heard a lot of bad things about me. I don’t want you to doubt them for a second. I’ve done a lot of mean things. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Now everyone is gone. Everyone but you, who I barely know. I want to say I’m sorry. You are alone as well. I just want you to know I am here if you need me. I live in a huge home with plenty of space and I can easily get you into the university and make sure you have the funds.”

“I…thank you, Aunt Veronica, but I will be OK.”

“You are afraid of me…”

Leo could hear it in his voice as well. He wasn’t really afraid of her, just the thought of making a big mistake by taking her offer.

“No, it is just a lot to think about. It hasn’t even sunk in what has happened yet. I will get back to you, I promise.”

“Thank you Leo. You are being more mature than your mother’s friend Deborah. She swears she will shoot me if I show up for the funeral. Don’t worry about the expenses, by the way, I paid them.”

He hadn’t even thought about that. “Um, thank you. Didn’t her insurance cover it?”

“Insurance is never what they claim. Have no fear, it will be beautiful.”

“Will you be there?”

“If you really want me to. I warn you, half of that town hates me. It will be a distraction to what should be a loving goodbye for your mother.”

“Perhaps you are right. It is up to you, of course.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said. Leo could hear her starting to sniffle. “Promise me you will call me regardless of your choice.”

“I promise,” said Leo.

———————–

The funeral was beautiful, as his aunt had said it would be. It was held at sunset, which was gold and spectacular. The flowers weren’t a mish mash of colors, but ranged from silvery gray to white. Everything reminded Leo of angels.

He had no idea if his aunt had come. There were a large number of people there. He also ducked out of the gathering afterwards as early as possible. He was tired of all the offers to do “whatever you need” that weren’t followed up by something tangible afterwards. At least his aunt had put forth something useful.

He tried calling her a couple times but never finished dialing. He had heard so many bad things about her. Backstabbing. Disrespectful. Only cared about herself. His father also called her a slut. He claimed she would sleep with anyone to get what she wanted. He never said that to Leo directly, but he had overheard him say that to his mother.

Leo decided to try and make a go of it in the local area. It wasn’t going well. American Airlines had a large site where they made reservations, but Covid had devastated their business. Wake Forest’s hospital had merged with a large company that owned the hospitals in Charlotte. The job openings looked great. Most weren’t doing interviews for six months.

He had to go live with his aunt. He wanted to finish college. He hadn’t even decided on a major yet. He was leaning towards business, but he also loved law. Both would require postgraduate school to pay the bills.

He called her that evening. He still could hear the hesitancy in his voice. So could she.

“You still are wary of me, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Just the whole situation. It is a big change.”

“It has been changing for me for some time, Leo. I realize the mistakes I’ve made. Family is everything, Leo. I pushed them away, and now I regret it. I won’t ask you for forgiveness. I just ask that you give me a chance.”

“I will Aunt Victoria. I will see you Friday.”

He still had things to go through at his parents house. His aunt didn’t feel comfortable taking anything, but told him to bring whatever he wanted. The house was still in probate, but everything he wanted would be shipped and the house sold once it was over. She had a good point. That wouldn’t be long, and would allow him more options if he didn’t like how things worked out.

He found a few letters from her to his mother tucked away in a well hidden box in her closet. They were unopened. He didn’t feel it was right to open one, but curiosity got the better of him. It was not what he expected. Three words:

“Please forgive me.”

They were all the same.

He turned off the light to go to sleep. As he dozed off, he realized that he had no idea what his aunt even looked like.

——————–

Iowa City was very different from Winston-Salem. He could tell immediately that he would be a lot safer here. Maybe it was because they chose a bird for their mascot, rather than a demon. Maybe the town was just too small to attract as many drug dealers or gangs.