The Beauty of Coincidence | manxman | (Historical Fiction)

L - A Father Named Norman Ramsey

No thoughts ran through Norman Ramsey's mind at this time. He merely sat in silence in the rear of his personal transport, the sound of the wheels rolling and the nearby sea's pulsing waves crashing against the coast. With the news provided by Reynold, more of a blackened canvas remained over the whole of his mind as he traveled.

Anger, distress, sorrow had all warped into one thick mound atop his shoulders, over the vision provided by his blue gaze, and as it remained, nothing more than the heat of rage continued to pummel into his body and soul. Almost, he could sense as a light touch attempted to pull this approaching decision from his hands, make him turn back, but the malice-filled workings of his intentions far outweighed it.

Turn back, my love, the voice implored.

He couldn't do so. He refused to do so. All this time, all these years he'd made it his purpose to pave a pathway to safety and tranquility for his eldest son, the only one of his children who required attention such as that.

In his mind then, images of what Victor had looked like when he was small entered Norman's thoughts. He saw the happiness upon his little boy's face when he was but an infant, a toddler, and small boy, but he could also see the stare of intolerance, of abhorrence, as if Victor himself had been nothing more than the most foul being to look upon.

In all his time with Victor in his life, Norman hadn't been so deaf, considering that he hadn't been so blind to the way his current wife and her family felt toward Victor. Never had they shied away from voicing their opinions, or letting the coldest of their looks that were often directed at Victor go unnoticed.

Pitiful bastard.

Worthless mut.

Common disgrace.

Those were just a few of the words Norman had once overheard through the years. They'd hated his true love, Louise, so much to the point of murder. They'd hated his son so much to the point of kidnapping and continuous attempted murders through the years. Norman couldn't say for a fact that certain moments where Victor experienced illness in his youth, or even if the past tumble from his balcony had been an attempt to steal his life away, but he figured he knew his wife and her family to the point where it wasn't impossible that it was true.

My tolerance has been nothing but foolish, Norman thought to himself.

As the temperature of his inner fury rose, Master Ramsey witnessed the flickering of past events clear as day in his memory. He recalled the night of Victor's birth, of how he'd burst through the door of Louise's home only to find Gabriel fighting off an attacker, and Louise sobbing at the fact that Victor had been stolen from her arms. Norman witnessed himself at just twenty years of age, riding swiftly on horseback to the edge of the sea where the man who'd stolen Victor sought to escape. Pistol in hand and heart racing tremendously, he'd been so terrified of not reaching his newborn in time. And yet, he had, he'd arrived just in time to take that lucky shot as the bullet burst through the shoulder of the man.

When he was near enough as the man struggled to rise to his feet, there young Norman had driven him to the ground, and for the first time, felt the heat of gushing blood on his hands, as it splashed across his face and stained his clothing. His fists hadn't stopped until a shuddering breath lastly emptied from the man's lungs, and there he lay on the bank of water, the first and only life that'd been taken by the bare hands of Norman Elliot Ramsey. Only a second later had that strength and burn to kill left him when he'd then taken his son into his arms for the first time. In that moment, he'd promised to never allow another to threaten his life, his safety...

I have failed you, my son.

In his memories, Norman could then see himself sitting at Victor's bedside when he was six years old. He'd been so direly sick that Norman sobbed and prayed for his health to return to him. Again, as he could only rely on assumption, especially given the manner in which Louise had been lost, Norman remained at Victor's side for days and night on end, never once leaving his side in case the treacherous slip of any sort of toxin was being given to Victor in secret. As the days continued and his constant watch over Victor's wellness carried on, his son eventually returned to his former self.