The Family Business

           Young Chester grew up unlike most other boys. His family was…let’s say, unique.

           At the age of four, Chester’s father, Frank Nefarious, called Chester into his den. Frank stood near the fireplace staring up at a wall filled with portraits of all the Nefarious men who had come before him.

           “Chester, my boy, it is time for you to start learning about the family business. I was your age when my father began to teach me, and his father before him, etcetera, etcetera. Now it is your turn to continue the tradition so one day you can teach it to your son.”

           Chester stared at all the portraits. Each of his ancestors shared the same grimacing look upon their faces and Chester wondered why none of them were smiling. His father continued to speak.

           “You see, son, I have generations worth of knowledge and experience to share with you that will in time, make you feared and respected. People will tremble at the mere mention of your name.”

           “But why would I want people to be a-scared of me, daddy?” Chester replied. His wide eyes gazed into his father’s.

           “Without fear, people will laugh at you and treat you badly. You must never allow that to happen, Chester. I will teach you to be strong and fearless.”

           Chester just nodded his acknowledgment toward his father, but deep down inside, he had mixed feelings.

           His father began with lessons on how to accurately perform practical jokes on unsuspecting victims. He was taught everything from throwing rotten eggs at windows, to partially sawing through the leg of a chair so his teacher would fall when she sat down. With each task his father had him perform; Chester felt remorse.

           As the years passed, the tasks became more challenging and more sinister. By the time he was a teenager, while his other friends from school were spending time together at the mall, Chester was learning how to make small explosives using household appliances. The hatred that he was feeling inside was not for his victims, however, but instead was directed toward his father.

           Chester’s mother, Patty, on the other hand, was kind and sweet. She spent much of her time working in the garden growing flowers and vegetables. Chester looked forward to every moment that they could spend together. She sat with him every night when he was young and read him story books until he fell asleep. As he grew older, they would go on walks together or see a movie. She was a complete opposite of his father and Chester could not see how she could be with such a man. One thing he noticed, is that she never feared his father. No matter how angry he got or how loud he shouted, she would just smile and say things like, “Yes dear, you are absolutely right.” That was usually enough to end the argument.

           Chester was an only child, so his father constantly reminded him that he was the last chance to continue the family business. He knew that his father grew weaker as he aged, and he suspected that he was having health issues as well, but that was never discussed. He knew that his father would not admit to showing any signs of weakness, not even to his own family.

           When Chester turned eighteen, his father took him on a hunting trip. They packed each a small backpack with food and drinks, along with extra ammunition, and they headed out to the country. As much as Chester despised the thought of killing another living creature, he loved the fact that this was the first bonding experience that he and his father ever had.

           They trekked for miles through the dense brush. Chester asked his father what they were supposed to be looking for, but all his father would say was, that he will tell him when it was time.

           In the distance, Chester could hear voices. Frank turned to his son and signalled for him to remain silent. They crept closer until they reached the edge of the forest. Thirty feet into the clearing stood two men. Both were dressed in black suits. Frank leaned over and whispered into his son’s ear.

           “Get out you rifle, son.”

           When Chester hesitated, Frank pulled it out of the case for him. He then handed it to Chester, but again Chester hesitated. Frank forced open his son’s hands and pushed the rifle into his palms. He then whispered to him again, but the anger in his voice made it sound more like a scream.

           “Aim your rifle at those two men and shoot them. Aim for the head or chest.”

           Chester’s face went flush, and he dropped the gun to the ground. The men heard the noise and drew their handguns that were hidden beneath their jackets. They scanned the forest in the direction where Chester and his father hid. Frank grabbed the rifle, took aim, and shot the two men in the chest. Both fell hard to the ground. The green grass turned a crimson red as pools of their blood soaked into the earth.

           Frank slapped his son violently across the face shouting, “You will never hesitate again! When I tell you to do something, you will do it. Do I make myself clear?”

           Chester nodded. His hand held his throbbing jaw.

           “Speak to me when I ask a question. No more of this nodding nonsense. You have a voice, so use it,” his father demanded.

           “Yes, sir. I will, sir,” Chester replied.

           He stared back at the two men that lay dead upon the ground and pictured his father being there in their place. The hatred for his father began to consume him, and he secretly began drawing up plans for his father’s demise.

           At the age of twenty-one, the unexpected happened. Chester was in town buying supplies for his father, when he met a young woman at the check-out counter. She had run short of money when cashing out, so Chester offered to pay for the difference. She gratefully accepted his offer and then waited outside the store for him afterward to thank him again.

           Her name was Nicole. She was slightly shorter than Chester with large green eyes and chestnut brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her smile seemed to shine so bright that it made the sun pale in comparison. Chester was entranced by her beauty but could not understand what she saw in him. His skin was pallor from spending so much time I his father’s laboratory, and his dark hair was disheveled from lack of grooming, but she overlooked his physical appearance and saw something deeper inside that she was attracted to, his soul. She could see that he had a kind heart, and that was the most important thing to her.

           Knowing that his father would never approve of him dating, Chester, with the help of his mother, made up excuses to get out of the house so he could see Nicole. This went on for a few months until Nicole questioned why he was being so secretive. Expecting this to be the end of his happiness, Chester decided to be straightforward with her and told her of his father’s expectations.

           Nicole was taken aback at first and decided that she needed some time to think, then one day, unexpectedly, she called him up and said she wanted to meet his parents. Chester agreed that she could meet them, but he wanted her to meet his mother first. Chester’s mother was ecstatic to meet the woman who stole her son’s heart, and they arranged to meet the following day.

           At a small café in town, Chester and his mother met with Nicole. She was sitting in a booth near the back when they walked in. Nicole stood as they approached. Chester introduced his mother to Nicole, and when she reached out her hand, Patty pushed it away and gave her a hug instead. Nicole instantly felt more comfortable, and they had a seat with Nicole and Chester sitting together across from his mother.

           They ordered some lunch and began to discuss Chester and his father’s family. Nicole asked her how she managed to stay so happy for so many years while being surrounded by so much violence, to which Patty replied,

           “I met Frank, Chester’s father, on a cruise ship of all places. It was a pleasure cruise for me, but Frank was there on business. His former business partner had skipped town with a large amount of Franks’ money and was seen boarding the ship, so Frank bought a ticket and began the search. I saw him from a distance and thought he was rather attractive, in a rugged sort of way, so I started to walk over. Frank’s eyes caught mine and that was the first time I saw him smile. He looked like a movie star to me. That smile faded soon after it appeared, however, when he spotted his old partner approaching. Not wanting to be seen, he grabbed hold of me, spun me around, and began kissing me passionately. The plan worked because his partner walked right past, but instead of chasing after him, he kept on kissing me. That was the beginning for both of us.”

           After all these years, Chester had never heard that story. He couldn’t believe that his father had a caring side to him.

           “Did he end up catching his old partner?” Nicole asked.

           “Oh, yes, but not until weeks later. We spent the rest of the cruise together. He was honest with me about what he did for a living, and I eventually accepted it, but it took some convincing,” Patty said.

           “What did he say to make you change your mind?” Nicole asked.

           “The first thing he agreed to, was to never tell me what he was doing or to whom he was doing it to. I wanted to know nothing about his family business. The second thing was that I wanted to have a baby. That was how Chester here came to be,” she said as she grabbed her son’s hands.

           Chester stated to his mom in front of Nicole, that he wasn’t interested in the family business, and he asked her if she knew a way of getting out of it. He admitted that he was afraid of taking another person’s life, or having his own life taken away, especially now that he had Nicole. Patty stared into her son’s eyes and told him something that changed everything.

           “Chester,” she began. Her smile faded to a sombre look of sadness. “Your father has kept a secret from you. He tried to keep it from me, but I have my ways of getting things out of him. You see, your father has Cancer. It has been eating away at him for years now. The doctors say that he doesn’t have much time left. All he wants to see before he leaves this life, is you following in his footsteps. I know that you don’t want to, but I have an idea that might work.”

           Patty discussed her plan with Nicole and Chester before they parted ways. When they returned home, Frank met them at the door.

           “Where have you been?” he yelled. “Chester has work to do and I haven’t had my lunch yet!”

           “Yes dear, you are absolutely right,” she said as she walked past her husband and slapped him on the butt cheek. “I will go make you something right now.” Chester told his father that he would meet him in the lab.

           When his father walked in the room, he was coughing and grabbing at his chest. Despite Chester’s hatred for all he had done to him, he felt sorry for his dad at the same time. He didn’t feel that any person should have to suffer, no matter how evil they are.

           Chester showed his father the laser pointer that he converted and intensified into a 2000-watt laser strong enough to slice through metal. He told him that it would come in handy for cutting through locks or fences. Frank was proud of his son for once, and Chester thought he even saw the start of a smile forming on his father’s face.

           A few weeks later, Frank laid alone in his bed. The last several days with his son had been quite satisfying. For the first time since Chester was born, he felt like his legacy would be passed on. The Cancer was consuming him quicker now, and he knew that he had little time left. His body was too weak to do anything on his own anymore.

           Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open, and Patty came rushing into the room in a frenzy. She ran to her husband’s side, and he propped himself up upon his elbows asking her what was wrong.

           Patty fumbled with the laptop that she held in her hands. She laid in front of Frank and told him that he needed to watch a news report. The reporter stood in front of the scene of a large explosion that he said was police headquarters. It was believed that up to two-hundred police officers and staff members had been fatally injured or hospitalized. They showed footage from a Closed-Circuit TV camera of a man in his early twenties with dark hair and a pale complexion leaving the police headquarters moments before the explosion. They said he was wanted for questioning for his involvement in the explosion.

           Frank stared at the screen. A glow filled his face as if his dreams had just come true. He eased himself back down to his pillow and closed his eyes. A large smile appeared on his face.

           “Where’s my boy?” he asked Patty.

           Just then, Chester entered the room.

           “My son,” his father called out. “Come sit by your father’s side.”

           Chester sat on the bed opposite his mother.

           “My two favorite people in the world are here with me right now,” he began to say. “I love you both so much. Chester, I need to tell you something especially important. I’m dying son, but I don’t want to see any tears, you understand?”

           “Yes, I understand, dad,” Chester replied.

           “I am immensely proud of you, Chester. I know now that I can be at peace when my time is done here. I have you to thank for that. What you did today proves that you are ready to continue with the family business.”

           Frank began to cough uncontrollably. Patty held his hand tightly while Chester just stared at his father’s face, emotionless. With one final gasp of breath, his father’s eyes faded into nothingness. He was gone.

           Patty’s eyes filled with tears and Chester circled the bed to comfort her. They sat for a few minutes in silence absorbing what had just transpired, then Patty led her son out of the room and down to the kitchen.

           “I can’t believe he is gone,” Chester said, still trying to hold back his emotions.

           “Yes, and he died happy thanks to you, Chester,” Patty replied.

           “It was your plan, mom. I’m amazed it worked!”

           “Yes, I know! If it wasn’t for Nicole, it might not have. Her connections to the reporter at the television station made it all believable. I am amazed at how realistic that explosion looked!”

           “You can do a lot with computers these days mom. I’m only glad he is at peace, and I can move on with my life the way I want to live it. By the way, if you want help making the funeral arrangements, I can help, and I’m sure Nicole would too.”

           “No, that’s okay. I have been preparing for this for quite some time. I hope Nicole will be able to attend the service. She is such a wonderful girl, Chester. I know that you two will be incredibly happy together. Hopefully, when all this is behind us, she will want to spend more time over here as well. I would love to get to know her better.”

           “I’m sure she would love that as well, mom. I will let her know you said so.”

           The funeral service was quite small. Outside of a few former associates of Frank and his family, few attended. Frank spent his life making enemies, now he will spend his death making up for all his wrongdoings. Chester, on the other hand, found happiness and will not waste one moment of the remainder of his existence hurting a single soul.