Back to the Open

"Oh, man, I have got to get that trunk out of the attic. Let me get that piece of crap ladder out of the way. What can I stand on? Yeah, Dad's bar stools. Good, it's taller than that ladder was. Now, I need a rope."

Tony retrieves a rope from the garage, climbs into the attic and retrieves the trunk. As he starts sorting through the contents, he starts to realize just how much his father never told him. Along with the robes, scarves and Bible, he finds pictures from his father's first marriage. One picture with an unreadable date that said first sermon. A picture Tony could not come to grips with. He had the kind of feeling he associated with people who just saw a flying saucer.

Tony knew his family was closed off, but he never realized just how much.

"I mastered it too, Dad."

Tony thought about how he had been with Billy for months before working up the nerve to tell his father. As difficult as mom is, she had always been the more understanding one. Dad was always more conservative. Then, Tony realized, that strange picture explained a lot, but not everything.

"Dad, I wish you could've accepted Billy and me before you died."

As Tony reaches the bottom of the trunk, he finds an envelope with his name on it. He opens the envelope and finds a key. "Dad! Not another key! What in the world are you doing to me?" Tony realizes its another safe deposit box key. The key is engraved, "First National."

"Great, another trip to the bank and another conversation with the prayer guy!"