Story 05 – Part 4 – Why

“Tech,” Vire said. “You don’t need to stand watch dog. Your uncle is all right and a cold is definitely not going to defeat him.”

Carmine laughed and then coughed. Tech looked over at his uncle who was sitting on one of the lobby couches, wrapped in several blankets. In Tech’s opinion, Mrs. Owens was the one who needed to be told that. It was not that he was trying to be annoying, but it was frightening to only be able to sit on the sidelines hoping that Uncle Car would be rescued. Uncle Car seemed perfectly fine with the situation, though, reminding Tech that his uncle had a past that Tech new little about.

“That was Driver,” Owens said as he got off the phone. “The guy was a psych ward patient. He had apparently been let out after five years and now he’s right back in with no chance of leaving.”

“Why’d he pick up you?” Mr. Faber asked.

“He was actually looking for his son,” Uncle Car explained between sneezes. “Sorry. His son was the one who had condemned…uh, confined….”

Tech finally started to smile as Carmine muttered to himself in another language. Mr. Thompson snorted and the two were soon having a conversation that now one else could understand. It was not until Tech’s mother tossed a stuffed reindeer at Mr. Thompson that the two men realized what they were doing.

“Sorry,” both apologized.

“Are you a language freak too?” Vire asked Jordan.

“I only know three,” Mr. Thompson said.

“Only three, he says.”

“One of my first assignments in the military was cleaning out minefields in a third world country,” Mr. Thompson explained. “Learned the language from that and then kept needing to translate for some of my COs.”

“So, what were you saying about the psycho’s son?” Mr. Owens asked Carmine.

“He put his father into the psych ward,” Uncle Car answered. “His dad was basically looking for revenge, but first he wanted to know why his son would do that. Combine mental instability with nearsightedness and five years, and you get a man who has no idea what his son looks like anymore.”

“So, you looked vaguely like his son,” Mr. Faber said while Uncle Car sneezed, “and so the guy decided to lock you in a freezer and ask you why he had been sent to a psych ward. Wow. I am speechless.”

--Obviously,-- Tech signed to no one in particular.

--Be nice to one of the guys who rescued me,-- Carmine signed back.

Mrs. Owens came in and tried to chase everyone away so that Tech’s uncle could rest. Mr. Faber went back upstairs to his wife and daughter. Mr. Thompson started talking about mines with Vire and Tech rolled his eyes as he went over to Uncle Car. Even though Tech could hear perfectly well, his uncle had learned to sign back so they could have private conversations.

--Why weren’t you scared?-- Tech asked his uncle.

--I was worried when I first thought the man was after you,-- Carmine admitted. --I suppose I don’t find completely freaking out very useful. Of course, not freaking out does not mean I wasn’t scared.--

--So you were scared?--

--Until I knew the freelancers were coming for me.--