Forgiveness and Punishment

19

Melissa leads the way to her father's grave, "Well, dad, I'm back, I guess. Technically I'm dead now, and this will be me keeping you company. I doubt I'll be back to visit you since I realize just how much you truly must have hated me, to keep me in that toxic environment growing up.

"Perhaps it was because of the damn birthmark? Perhaps you just couldn't handle being near me since I look like your dead lover. What ever the reason, I'll be leaving this horrible city and doubt I'll ever return.

"I've already had offers on the penthouse, I'll look them over today with Mr. Lister and decide if I want to accept any of them." Melissa tells her father as she carefully places the ashes in the hole that was prepared ahead of time. The plaque was already in place.

She turns to Timothy, "It looks nice, thank you."

"If I had known more about you, I would have added it to the plaque."

Melissa sniffs, "It's fine. It's not like any one will notice or read it any way. I'm ready, I'm sure that Mr. Lister will be willing to see us early."

"Are you sure that you want me in there with you?" Timothy asks as they make their way to the road.

"Pimpernel," Melissa in shock stops still at the call. It was a voice she never thought to hear again. A voice that played hell in her youth.

"Melissa? Should we leave?" Timothy asks her in concern. 

Melissa sighs, "No, I should have known that I wouldn't be able to leave this forsaken place without running into at least one of them."

"It's your brother?" Timothy asks softly since the male was jogging to catch up to them with another not far behind.

"TJ is the one that called out and Tad is the one just behind him." Timothy doesn't like how resigned Melissa sounds.

"You aren't Pimpernel any longer, you are now Melissa. You are even stronger than she was and you will be able to handle these two."

Melissa smiles at Timothy in thanks for his encouragement. "Excuse me?"

"Pimpernel, it's your brother TJ and your brother Tad." TJ says coming to a halt at her side.

Melissa looks at them like they are crazy and just shakes her head. "My name is Melissa. Melissa Heath. Your sister, Pimpernel worked with me. She died a little over three weeks ago. I was given the job of being executor of her will and tasked with bringing her ashes here. Since I was hospitalized when she died and only recently became well enough to travel I just placed her ashes with her father as per her request."

Tad looks at her intently then shakes his head. "No, you are Pimpernel."

Melissa stiffens in anger, "My name is Melissa. I worked with your sister in the secretary pool at Mr. McGavity's company. Mr. McGavity was present when she collapsed at work and then later on at the hospital where she died."

Both brothers are now looking at Timothy. TJ is more than a little white. "So it's true? My sister is truly dead? It wasn't Sarah just spouting shit again?"

"Your sister collapsed at work not too long after I sent her home because of how white she looked. I thought she was just sick with a cold or something. She collapsed in front of me as we were both leaving, her to home and me to a meeting. 

"An ambulance was called, but her heart stopped before it got there. I did CPR until the emergency personnel arrived and took over. I sent others to do the meeting and I went to the hospital since she didn't have any emergency contact information. She woke up long enough to find out that she had cancer that had started from that birthmark and went through her eye into the brain and from there spread throughout her body.

"The doctor's gave her days, at the most a month. Once they told her we talked for a bit more then she closed her eyes. Shortly after that the machinery went off and they couldn't bring her back and she was pronounced dead. 

"I found out that she had a lawyer and what she wanted for her remains. I had her body cremated and gave them to Melissa here to place in the grave with her father. I held a memorial for those at the office. She was very well liked and many were very upset that she passed. Even those that never met her wanted to attend her funeral since they had heard good things from their secretaries. I ended up closing the offices that day. I have it on video for those that couldn't go due to obligations or in Melissa's case too ill to go."

TJ has tears running down his face. "It's true."

Tad is just staring at Melissa and she's getting a bit uncomfortable. "No, you are my sister."

"Why are you so upset, your sister told me just a bit about her family. About how her siblings made her life hell at home and at school. She said that she always wanted a brother that would stick up for her against the bullies, instead she got two brothers that were the reason she was bullied. Well, two brothers and a bitch of a sister."

Melissa totally expected TJ to throw a huge fit about her calling Sarah a bitch. He had always been over protective of the bitch.

She is instead blind sided when she sees TJ wiping tears away. "I had hoped that I would be able to talk to her again, just once, and tell her just how sorry that I am. It wasn't until after we were placed in foster care that I realized just how horrible I was to her. I really did love her though. If I hadn't been so hateful to her, Sarah and my mother would have hurt her physically. I heard them talk about it more than once. My mother would have tried to kill her except she said the mental abuse was more effective than the physical would be."

"I see, well, you could explain it to her ashes. They are now resting with your father. Now, we are late meeting with Mr. Lister. Goodbye." Melissa turns away from them and walks with Timothy.

"Wait, please, Melissa? When she left six years ago we lost all contact with her. Would you and your friend be willing to come to our place and tell us about our sister, what she did for the last six years, or what you know about at least."

Melissa looks to Timothy, "It's up to you, if you don't mind, I could drink from your brothers."

Melissa smirks at him as she thinks back, "What about the other?"

"Only if he is willing. I won't in any way push for it, but if he wants it, then I'll be happy to oblige." Timothy tells her silently.

"Both of them?"

Timothy shakes his head, "No, Tad is too young, he's jail bait and I have no interest in going to jail at this time."

Timothy takes out a card and hands it to TJ, "Text us your address and the time you would like us to come over. I don't know how long we'll stay, but we can come for at least a short time."

"We'll fix dinner, you can stay for that long surely?" TJ asks earnestly.

"Yes, we'll stay that long. I will tell you what I can about your sister, then we'll leave." Melissa says gently. She had never thought that she would willingly be with any of her siblings again and here she's promising to spend time with two of them. What the hell is she doing?