OZone 07 : Dear John

"Welcome back, Gary. You look fit. The Lord's been good to you."

Pastor Joseph Grogan smiled as he stepped across the threshold into Garrison Dhorne's continually evolving residence.

Dhorne steps back from Nora's uncle and pats the man's belly, "Gina's feedin' you good. Ain't no Last Supper in yer house."

Joe chuckles then raises his eyebrows, "Speaking of food. Gina and Barbara have an early dinner planned. That is once they manage to fumigate poor Nina. She was attacked by a rather annoyed skunk in the woods."

Oz shakes his head, "We both know that weren't any coincidence. Nora was defending her Master."

Joseph nods with a pucker, "You still believe she's roaming the family estate. Dear boy. Nora is in Heaven. Let her rest in peace."

At the moment of his insinuation a glass figurine up on the fireplace mantle catches the sun through the door in a blinding prism. As soon as it caught Joseph's eye Dhorne closed the door cutting off the ray of light.

With a wink Oz pats the elder man's shoulder, "Should I break into a solo of "You light up my Life"?"

Joe in turn fidgets glaring at the figurine, "That's the glass ballerina I bought for her on her birthday. Three weeks before she passed."

Oz tilts his gaze to his feet and places his hands in his pants pocket. "Thinkin' she jus danced for ya, Joe. Light on her feet."

The Pastor smiles, "Perhaps so."

With that perception fading quickly he clasps his hands together, "How goes the homestead?"

Dhorne looks about the living room, "Mostly outside right now. Mercedes is building a couple new bedrooms off of Connor's room and the Master bedroom. Might have some other things done. Dunno yet. Some business just fell into my lap that I need to attend to here soon. Connor comes first."

Joe agrees with a warm smile, "That he does. You know you have my full support should you need it. Gina and I will be there for you any way you might need it."

Silence led to respect, "How's about you help me right now?"

Pastor Joseph's curiosity raised his chin, "Anything. "

Oz fidgets looking behind him up the staircase then glaring back at Joe with a grimace, "I haven't stepped foot in Conjob's room since I been back. Not even Mine and Nora's bedroom. Reckon I expect the memories to come floodin' my ark."

Joe sighs heavily, "The sorrow is quite evident. Are you asking me to join you on your quest to fight back any tears?"

Oz wrinkles his nose, "Cry when I'm ready, Joe. Sposin' I just wanna know there's no demons in Conjob's room. If ya know what I mean."

Grogan sneers, "Your son will forgive you in time, Garrison. Yes, it will be a difficult month or two but, it will all work out. He will just need time to adjust to having you back in his life. The same goes for you. I know the strength of will you have very well. You will persevere. Leave the past behind and step into the light of day."

A sudden shiver makes Joe Grogan glance toward the Ballerina figure above the fireplace.

Dhorne notices and smiles, "You think I'm Bolshoin' you don'tcha?"

Joe faintly grins realizing he meant the Bolshoi ballet.

"I'm not much for believing in ghosts outside of the Holy Ghost, I'm afraid. Shall we cross the boundaries of the upstairs my ordinarily fearless Nephew?"

Dhorne chuckles and turns to step toward the staircase then stops at the bottom step.

"You behind me, Scooby?"

Joe firmly plants the palms of his hands on his Nephew's back, "There I've laid my paws on you. Right behind you Shaggy."

Oz sighs, "You know Me, Scoob. Daphne bends over I'm right up that skirt. Shaggin' I do best."

Uncle Joseph frowns, "Sin. Sin. Sin."

Oz again huffs, "Salibim, said the Raggyhead. Quest on, JoJo. Johnny on the spot."

Joseph admires his quick wit and cartoon knowledge. Without further hesitance Dhorne moves up the stairs and into the hallway. He and Joe hear the noises of plaster being pulled away in Connor's room.

"Sorry for the mess, Joe. Cleanin' ladies in a mood."

They glance into Connor's room to see Belle Fontaine and Kimber Lomax chipping the wall away to re-invent the door to an eventual bedroom extension."

Dhorne puckers looking at the hole then rubs his chin, "Y'know what? Let's make that room kinda like his personal Study. He can paint and read his books in there. I can have a decorator come out and supply it with all kinds of things. Brushes, canvas, maybe even a bean bag chair for comfort. Whatcha think, Joe?"

The Pastor nods in approval, "It would make more sense than having a an extra bedroom that would only have access through Connor's room."

Kimber grins at Dhorne's fatherly approach. Oz in turn puckers, "They were gonna put another door at the end of the hall anyway. I figure it was gonna just be a guest room. If Conjob has a buddy stay over, or if any of my bud's come to town. Anyway, Ladies? This here dashin' bastion is my Uncle Joe. Joe? Kimber and Belle." He starts to offer hand shakes then notices the plaster dust all over them.

Oz chuckles, "They're dustin' their bodies for my finger prints."

They glare between each other with a smile of awe at how bold Dhorne was in front of the Pastor.

Joe shakes his head, "Don't let my Nephew corrupt you, Ladies. It's a pleasure to meet you. Should you ever need to repent for any sins, do look me up."

Oz pats Joe's shoulder as Belle reaches up to the frame of the hole in the wall for another chunk of insulation to cast out. Her grip pulls out more than mere insulation though. She drops the excess out of the doorway and narrows her eyes to see further into the framework.

"Hey, Oz? I think I found something you might want to check out."

He squints and steps in to see her discovery. reaching in he tugs carefully until he produces a cigar box holding it up.

"Lomax? Blow."

She grins as he holds the box over the open doorway to let her blow the plaster dust away. Belle in turn removes her bandanna and uses it to dust it off further.

"Thank ya, Belladonna. Ms. Kim."

Turning away he notes writing on the box that spoke volume. "Dear Dad" sank in freezing his soul.

Joe sighs, "A private moment, Ladies. If you will."

They nod understanding well as they step from the room, "We'll just go next door and work on the other doorway." Oz sits down on the plastic sheet covering his son's bed, staring at the box. Joe eases to his side reaching over to squeeze his Nephew's shoulder, "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

Dhorne shakes his head without eye contact, "Naaa. Think I'll open this later though."

Joe shares his decision with a mild frown, "When you are ready."

Oz puckers and looks up at Joe, "What if it's filled with hate letters?"

The Pastor shrugs, "Or letters of how much he misses his, Father. We all do that once in awhile." Grogan's gaze looks toward the ceiling with a smile meant for God.

Oz fidgets squinting his eyes to avoid crying, "Damn plaster dust. Prolly get a good case of cancer 'fore they get done."

Joe merely shakes his head stepping toward a desk to look it over. He notes under the plastic sheet covering it a photo in a frame laying on it's face. Lifting the plastic he pulls it out from under to look at it more closely.

"Now there is a sign of love. Two men fishing. I do believe I recall Nora telling me how proud she was of Connor's first catch."

Oz looks up with a glimmer of pride as Joe offers him a look down memory lane.

"Yup. First Father and son fishing trip. He was 5. That boot on the hook was the one I pulled outta his ass for letting my string of fish go."

Joe huffs in a exhale, "The smile on his face looks genuine to me."

"That's cuz I told him to, Watch the Birdy. He thought I said, Watch the Booby. Both birds I reckon. Course, he was still breast feedin' on Nora."

Joe frowns, "Surely not. You exaggerate."

"Yeah. That was a good day. I think that was the date he fell in love with photography. Young age but smart as a whip." It dawns on him, "Hey. Not a bad idea. I can have a dark room built into that there new room. He'd like that, wouldn't he?"

Joe grins, "Absolutely. Just don't spoil him too quickly. He might suggest that you're buying his love back."

Challenging as it was to hear Dhorne knew he was right. "I reckon I just wanna make up for lost time. Yer right. I'll try and keep things close to the vest. Still gonna build that dark room. Worst comes to haunt me I can lock his ass in it and tell him not to be so negative."

Joe closes his eyes, "God help you both."

A knock on the door eases it open as Kimber pops her head inside, "Sorry to bother you. We discovered something else you might like to see."

Dhorne tilts his head then hands Joe the cigar box before getting up to follow Kimber back to his Master bedroom. Once inside he notes Belle pointing at a reflection on the wall from the window sill. On the glass was glued a sun catcher in the form of a butterfly. The design in its wings cast shadows on the wall. It was easy enough to see the letters MAS on one wing and TER on the other insinuating MASTER.

In the main body of the butterfly had the shape of a key within it. Again decipherable on the wall. Dhorne looks quickly at his watch. "1:00. My ONE thinks I'm a coocoo."

He touches the impression on the wall letting the image cast over his hand. For a moment he kept silent.

The girls glance at each other as Belle whispers, "Should we leave this room too?"

Oz looks over his shoulder, "Naaaaa. Nora wanted you to see the rainbow. Pot of gold behind this wall I'm thinkin'." He taps the wall lightly with his ear to it, "Hollow in this area."

Doubling his fist he punches the reflection easily caving in the area of plaster. Joe stands amazed that he hadn't broke his knuckles.

The girls whistled in unison as he pulls away debris to locate a second box. This time it was a metal lock box with a combination dial on it. Ripping it from the wall he sets it on the dresser.

"Time capsule. High time. Now y'all can go. Take yer lunch and tell Mercy yer gonna go cool yer calluses in the lake. My reward." They nod and peaceably step away. Joe awaits his motion to leave but, Oz keeps his request to himself.

"Yer family, Joe. Nothin' to hide. Let's safe crack this box."

Looking over the combination he questions the number sequence then tries the variables. "Not our wedding anniversary or birthdays. Hmmm. He looks over at the high window pane built over the lower window where the butterfly sun catcher was and notes the word clue in the wings.

"MAS and TER. The key hole in the butterfly body means the clue is right in front of me. MASTER has 6 letters. Divide those into three combinations. MA. M is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet. A the first. Together that's fourteen. ST. S is 19 and the T is 20. That means thirty nine. So fourteen and then thirty nine. ER?" He winks, "I might just need one after today. E is letter five. R is eighteen. So the last set is twenty three. 14-39-23."

On the tumbler's final click the box lid opens.

Joe puckers with eyebrows raised, "Very clever of Nora. Your deductive reasoning is quite remarkable."

Dhorne chuckles, "I'm the shit, Sherlock. Bettin' she puts the Her and Lock in sHERLOCK."

Joe sighs, "And, the SON in watSON?"

Dhorne freezes in thought, "What as in WAT? Good one, Joey. I was thinkin' SONcatcHER."

Both men beam at their amusing array of wordplay. With a deep breath Dhorne flips the lid all the way open and looks in. On top was a large white envelope addressed to "MASTER".

Dhorne plucks it up and closes his eyes, "Scent's long gone. Perfume stains still in sight though."

He opens the envelope delicately, "Wonder when she put this box in the wall? Connor's box too. Plaster looked perfectly normal."

As he pulls a letter from the envelope he notes the date. "Now we have Anniversary. I was in Thailand on that day. Couldn't make it home." He chokes slightly, "Here goes."

Another deep inhale steadies his heart rate, "Dearest MASTER. I sit alone with a candle burning. Wine in my glass. Our son sleeping in our bed. He reminds me so much of you as I check in on him. He snores as loudly as you do. I understand your mission and subside my emotions on this day of days. Still, I miss my soul that lays within you. My MATE within my MAsTEr. Joined as ONE that symbolizes OWN. So much have you taught me over the years."

"Including how to hide things right in front of you. As well as how to plaster a wall. You didn't think I would remember how, did you? I had been trying to think of ways to tell you how much you mean to me. The test of time as you always told me was an EON away. EON being ONE rearranged by God himself."

"In the end I pray I have given you my all. A life of love and devotion. Serving you well. Giving you an heir. A son." Dhorne begins to sniffle lightly, "ONE day we shall be together in Heaven. As Uncle Joe would say. My God is the man I married. False idol I know. God help me for thinking different."

"You disappear for so very long. I worry for our Son. He misses you so. Always so full of questions about You. I tell him how great his Father is, yet the distance clouds his pride. This little bit of Heaven is in upheaval I'm afraid. Someday judgment will come. I know you will never disappoint me when that time comes."

"Respect your son. Teach him. Love him. Grant him the knowledge you possess. Ready him to be a Man. As great as the Man I see in him each day. What do I give to the MASTER that has everything? A surprise one day found. A capsule of pride. Time. I do hope I have passed the test. I love you, My MASTER. My Mate. As I can hear you say, find the ME in tiME. For you it is ONE O'cLOCK. Turning the "N" on it's side my handsome, "OZE". The LOCK is yours to open. The "O", the symbol of the cOllar I wear. Happy Anniversary. Enjoy my fond memories."

Oz stares at the letter then closes his eyes, "Got a hanky Joe? Or do I gotsta yank off my headpiece?"

Uncle Joe was way ahead of him, a white handkerchief held firmly in ready. "Keep it. The day is young."

Dhorne dabs his eyes then blows his nose with one hand. Carefully folding the letter he places it back into the steel box and closes the lid. "Enough for one breath."

He perks up hearing another large truck approach, "How's the back?"

Joe rolls his sleeve up, "Let's build a new foundation."

Oz nods locking the box back up and slipping it under his bed. Hanky tucked into his polo shirts pocket he reaches over to squeeze the back of Joe's neck lightly.

"Thanks for comin' along. Might need your help lil later too. Can ya hang around?"

Joe adjusts the glasses on his face, "Perhaps by the time we finish, Nina will be purged?"

Oz chuckles, "C'mon Joe. Her perfume ain't much better." Heading downstairs they step out the front door as Mercedes unshackles another flatbed trailer of concrete blocks. She whistles loudly to gather all of the girls into one unit to unload the blocks. Dhorne sizes up each of them as they join in flexing muscles they didn't even know they had.

Joe admires their drive. Sensing they were using this job to atone.

He chuckles under his breath, "They put the ONE in atONE. OWN. How beautiful the English language. Bless you Jesus." Dhorne smirks at Joe's observation.

Making another snap observation Dhorne crosses his arms at the lagging Yolanda Paris. Meeting eyes she groans at the sight.

"How am I supposed to finish that doghouse by nightfall if I have to move blocks?"

Dhorne narrows his eyes, "Better these blocks than cell blocks. Start sweatin'."

Sondra Moon nudges her along with a glare, "Yea. You might sweat some of that pooch off."

Dhorne caught the inside joke but let it slide for once.

Paris though sneered at Moon, "Just because you have SON and MOON in one name doesn't give you the right to gravitate to my equator. Fuck off."

Esther moves past Yolanda wielding a block in her hands, "Stop baying at Moon and do your share."

Yolanda Paris spits at the ground and starts to join in when Mercedes Holden grips her arm, "Block off the chip, Paris. I can request that you go back to Winehall."

The woman hesitates looking at each of the other girls, "Yeah, you do that Ms. Holden." Yolanda then did her part.

Kimber Lomax strains as she heaves a block off of the edge of the truck, handed down by the driver. Dhorne stops her.

"Gimme that. Walk with me."

She hesitates knowing she didn't want the others to think she wasn't pulling her weight. Journeying to the side of the house with his blocks in hand he sets them down near the pile of plaster they had discarded from above. He looks up at the hole in Connor's room, "How'd that feel to bust yer way out?"

She wrinkles her nose, "Is this question going anywhere?"

He nods, "Fresh air on the other side. Walls closing in until you fight back and tear 'em down."

Oz awaits Esther and Moon to rest their blocks and walk away.

"Held back against yer will gets ya all fired up don't it?"

She squints at him, "Who are you trying to be? My shrink? Monet uses those kind of head picking phrases too."

He pauses, "Monet. Beautiful name."

Kimber rolls her eyes, "If you knew her you wouldn't say that. She's stunning, but she's evil incarnate. Trust me."

He puckers in thought, "She know 'bout the Warden using y'all?"

Kimber's eyes grow wide, "You know about that?"

She rolls her tongue between her lips looking carefully to each of the girls as they come and go. Once Yolanda steps away she chooses her words carefully.

"Mister Dhorne. Be careful with this. I don't wish bad things for you. Yes, Monet knows. She's just as greedy as the Warden. Lasher knows there's nothing we can do about what he makes us take part in. None of us want to stay in Winehall long. Do I feel the walls closing in? Yes. Do I wish I could set the Warden on fire? Yes. What he's putting me through is no different than those bastards that raped me and held me captive. Monet just tells me it's better to relive my life through secure channels that the Warden manages. What kind of fucking shit is that? If I was willing no problem. But, for them to encourage and force me to live out my past is despicable. I hate them. How did you know?"

Dhorne sighs, "I know lotsa things, Lomax. Your ex was a firefighter weren't he?"

She drops her jaw, "How?"

"Ya don't learn fire techniques and updrafts without living it. You ain't the firefighter type, yerself. Can't even carry blocks. Sure, you could've read up, but to physically make it happen? Experience. He taught ya didn't he?"

Her eyes lower in sorrow, "He did. Monte died in a fire set by those crackheads."

Dhorne puffs his cheeks up, "So you sought revenge. They caught ya and raped ya. You were on the inside. Just how ya planned. They slept and you cooked up yer plan so that ya could get off scot free. Backfired. Pardon the pun."

She pouts trying to avoid tears for the sake of the other girls, "Maybe I'm getting my payback in Winehall. I hated them. The crackheads. Dealing their crap and watching young kids die off. Monte would come home with stories about drug houses catching fire and destroying neighborhoods. When I found out from his best friend that Monte didn't make it and that the drug dealers got off I took the bull by the horns. Am I sorry I took their lives? No. Were they sorry they took Monte's life? No again. Sir? I'm not a bad person. I'm just sorry those two crackpots got out alive to blame me. Monte wasn't even deemed a hero. He was to me."

Oz stares her in the eye forcing her gaze by gripping her chin, "Anyone ever tell you that yer HOT?"

She giggles in a huff, "Only the door man where Monte and I lived. Funny, his name was Bernie. Burn just follows me home I guess."