Forgive Us Our Sins (Moral Orel Fanfic)

Chapter 17

Moralton hadn't changed.

Not physically, stores still looked like they did, but the people looked different. Families looked genuinely happy in eachothers presence, children holding the hands of their parents, laughing into the afternoon air. This put a smile on Orel's face, which got him thinking about people he used to know.

"WEED SHOP!" Mary yelled out, pointing at the dispensary ironically next to a school. "No way, kids that's my old school! Wait.. I think it is?" Orel beamed though a tad confused. They added another school? Huh. The paint was fresh but he still had so many memories on the town sponsored Jesus playground. "The dispensary?" Christian asked in a sarcastic tone, to which Christina laughed "No, he means the school next to it." Orel shook his head, his attention was quickly averted as he saw it. "Stop the car!" He screamed. Christina slammed on the breaks, Mary's tablet flying out of her hands onto the floor. "Hey, what was that for?" Mary huffed.

Orel got out of the car as he took in all of its glory.
His childhood church.
Instead of staring at it in wonder, his memories were melancholic. After the hunting trip, all of Orel's memories and viewpoints on the church kind of just.. felt wrong. It feels wrong to be happy here.
"Why's dad just standing there?" Christian asked. Christina sighed, shrugging it off. "I'm sure he'll talk when he's ready."

Orel jumped back into the passengers seat, leading his wife toward his brother's home. Seeing the church made Orel feel.. strange. All of these childhood emotions rushing toward him, it felt intense. "Alright, here it is! Kids, this is your uncles house." Christina beamed, excited to see her brother after so long. They hadn't kept up with eachother for.. well a while. Not since Mary was born really. It was a large redone modern style home, and above the fences you could see a small greenhouse poking upward. Christina parked nearby, helping the kids to gather their things.

"CHRISTINA!"
The brunette snapped her head, looking at the red-head in the front doorway. All she could do was cry tears of joy, rushing toward him for a hug. "Oh God.." She whimpered, holding her brother close. "Easy does it." Block laughed.

Block and Shapey had quit their jobs in order to take care of their parents. Shapey had become head of the household, the strongest of the bunch that was left anyway.
With some money saved up, they were able to pay off some medical bills wracked up by their father. No time to really have social lives or date, no time to interact with the church. They at least had one friend, a nurse that always stuck up for them when they were confused or angry toward a doctor. He was a surprisingly nice one, despite his reputation. "I'm so sorry." Christina whispered into his shirt, holding her brother close. "Yeah, I know.. hey" Block looked her in the eyes and smiled. "You're here now." Which only caused Christina's tears to fall even harder. Orel decided to sneak past and walk into the home. With shiny new floors, plants all along the walls, and a large TV you'd think they'd had it easy. However, the kitchen was a different story.

Orel was surprised to see that the counters had an entire section for pills and vitamins of all kinds. He picked one up and saw his mother's name on the orange bottle. What was going on, and why had no one told him this? It was frustrating to be left out of the loop to the degree, but no reason to get angry without learning the explanation. "We've been taking mom to see a psychiatrist, but... nothing really stuck." A deep voice walked into the kitchen, almost deadly similar to an old father figure of his. Orel turned around and saw his own brother, Shapey. His face was rough, with a five a clock shadow covering the lower half of his face. Orel's eyes softened when he saw him, it felt so good to see him. "Those are just vitamins. She's deficient in a lot." Shapey had no smile, in fact he was completely stoic staring at his older brother. "Shapey.. I thought you were at the hospital." Orel whispered, walking closer as he reached his hand out to take his. What happened to this man? "I forgot something of mom's here. She asked for it, so I'm picking it up." Shapeys voice had no emotion, it scared him.

"Orel I just.." Shapey stopped, looking at the ground with a hint of disdain. "Thanks for coming back, I'm glad you're here now. We'll head to the hospital in five." Shapey then walked backwards and went outside to greet the others. Orel didn't remember his brother like this, he used to be so happy and care free. Is this what Moralton does to men? "Okay..." Orel felt like a nervous kid again, was there something going on? Something deeper than his father's eventual passing?