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Summary: 5 + 1 – Five times Sid Carter made a selection in his family of choice and one time someone chose him.
1.
Sid Carter could barely remember his early years in London. He’d been relocated at 12 years old to Kembleford to be protected from the machinations of the German Fuhrer. Being one of the older children to be sent away, he was taken in with a group of children in the home of a kind-hearted elderly woman. Her name was Alice Miller and she was 70 years old if she was a day. She pretty much let the older children in her care run a little wild, but the one rule that she had was attending mass at St. Mary’s each Sunday and midnight mass at Christmas. Sid wasn’t much for church and he wasn’t particularly fond of the priest, one Father Davis who looked as though he’d sucked on a lemon any time he had to deal with the children in the church and had a particularly nasty attitude when dealing with Sid in particular.
One afternoon, Sid was coming back to Mrs. Miller’s after a long day of trying to not get into mischief when he spotted the fact that Father Davis was waiting for him. As he approached the front door, the priest grabbed his upper arm wrenching it sideways.
“Where is it?” the old man hissed at Sid.
“Where’s what? What do you mean? Let go of me.” Sid tried to pull back, but Father Davis’ grip was strong and firm.
“The collection box money.” Father Davis said as if Sid were an idiot.
Sid was getting ready to defend himself or kick the priest in the shins; either option was looking equally likely when Mrs. Miller came out. She took one look at the hold Father Davis had on Sid and said in the steeliest voice Sid had ever heard come from her. “You unhand Sid Carter right this second, Father Davis.”
Father Davis puffed up his chest, not releasing his grip slightly and said, “You don’t understand Mrs. Miller. This young man is a thief. He’s stolen the money from the collection box.”
“Sid is this true?” she asked, looking Sid directly in the eye.
“No, Mrs. Miller. I never stole nothin’ from the church.” Sid finally pulled free from the priest’s grip.
“Father Davis, do you have proof that Sid was the one who stole the money?”
“Well, no, not exactly.” The old man spluttered, “but he’s one of those gutter children sent in from London. Can’t expect him to know right from wrong. Shifty the lot of them”
“Father Davis, I believe Sid, and you should have much more Christian charity in your heart for these children. They didn’t ask to be sent here, and they have lost most of everything they had.” She said nothing else but opened the door to let Sid slip past her inside. She stared the priest down and watched as he slunk back off down the path back toward St. Mary’s.
Sid decided then and there that if he could remember his gran, then she would have been a lot like Mrs. Miller.
2.
Two years after Sid had been relocated to Kembleford, Father Davis was reassigned to another parish, and one Father Brown was assigned to St. Mary’s. Sid still attended mass each Sunday with Mrs. Miller and the other children, but he wasn’t holding out hope that this priest would be any different than the last.
The first mass Father Brown gave revolved around the parable of the Good Samaritan. Sid listened and for the first time, he felt something pass through him as he listened.
Mrs. Miller shook Father Brown’s hand as they left and invited him to Sunday supper if he had time.
“Splendid. I’d love to.” And thus, began a standing Sunday tea gathering at Mrs. Miller’s.
Sid noticed that Father Brown somehow gave his attention to all of children and soon knew their personalities and how to talk to each of them on their level. He also took a special interest in Sid and started to pass him books that he thought would peak the teen’s interest. Sid read everything Father Brown gave him. It didn’t feel like a chore since it wasn’t schoolwork which he avoided like the plague.
They would talk after he read it and the priest listened as much as he spoke, and he would draw Sid out into conversation and get him to think. While he never turned a blind eye to Sid’s mischief making, he didn’t come down on him as other adults might have. He just seemed to take it all in stride.
Soon they were talking about things that weren’t in the books, and Sid realized that the older man was the cleverest man he’d ever met and had his own touch of mischief.
One day Sid came home to find Father Brown waiting for him. “Sid, I need you to come with me.” the priest held out his hand.
Sid bounded over, all long limbs and gangly walk that was the last remnant of his teenage years. With a smile, he said, “What’s up, Father?” then he noticed the somber expression the priest wore, and the bottom of his stomach did a little flip. His gaze flicked to the front door of the home he’d lived in for the last five years somehow knowing what the priest was going to tell him. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”
“I’m afraid so. It was peaceful and quick.” Sid doubted him for the first time since he’d moved to Kembleford. He took a shuddering breath and went to say that he was okay and to not worry, but that’s not what happened. The next thing he knew he was being held in a hug by Father Brown and sobbing into his shoulder. Father Brown was patting his back and rocking him slightly telling him that everything would be all right for him and the other children. He’d make sure of it.
It was something he imagined his father would do.
3.
Sid met Lady Felicia Montague as a fluke having just turned 17 shortly after Mrs. Miller passed. The lady in question had been abandoned by her husband to make her own way home as he apparently had other more pressing matters to attend to. She was putting on a good show of trying to not look as upset as she felt, but something about the set of her stance told Sid that she was furious at being left behind.
“Need to get somewhere?” he asked, fully expecting to get smacked for his impertinence at addressing a lady.
She turned her cool gaze toward him, looked him up and down and Sid had to fight not to twitch under her gaze. To this day, he has no idea what she saw in him, but she addressed him directly, “I find myself in need of a lift home.”
“I can take you. Got a car. Might not be what you’re used to, though.”
“As long as it makes it to the destination, it will do.” She gestured for Sid to precede her toward the car.
The car did make it to her home, but then promptly died in the drive. Sid made a face but went and opened Lady Montague’s door regardless like good manners dictated.
“Well, we can’t have that, now can we.” Lady Montague said. “I’ll call the garage to have them retrieve your car.” Sid opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand and was continuing without letting him speak. “I will, of course, pay for the repairs and make recompense to you for aiding me in my hour of need.” She led Sid into the foyer of the largest home he’d ever seen the inside of. He couldn’t help but gape a little bit. Her heard the click of her heels as she returned with a checkbook in hand. “Now, what would you say is fair?” she looked at him expectantly.
Sid rubbed the back of his neck, slightly uncomfortable. “Actually, my lady, I could use a job.”
Her eyebrow rose slightly. That was not a response she had anticipated. She had fully expected him to name a sum and be on his way. Suddenly, it occurred to her that they could be of great use to each other as she remembered Monty’s slight and the fact that she knew of a few friends that wouldn’t be averse to her companionship.
“Well, for obvious reasons, I could use a driver, but,” she paused tilting her head and giving him a look, “anyone that would be suitable would need to have the utmost discretion.”
“Yeah, I mean, yes, sure, no problem. I can have that, uh, discretion thing.” He paused. “And you know I can drive. Get you from A to B safely. Anywhere you want to go. I’m your man.”
She smiled, and it broke her ice. “Well then,” she held out her hand for him to shake, “Lady Felicia Montague.”
“Sid Carter, pleased to meet you.”
After that, they caught on like a house on fire. She was rowdy and a lady all at the same time. She could be his buddy, his boss, his partner in crime and benefactor all rolled into one. Lady M., in short, was the fun aunt.
4.
Mrs. McCarthy had been Father Brown’s secretary since he was assigned to St. Mary’s. She would gently scold Sid whenever she caught him sneaking her strawberry scones, but he noticed that she never moved the plate out of reach.
When he reached 18 years of age, she baked him a cake and decorated it with little flowers.
“What’s all this, then?” Sid asked.
“Well, we can’t very well let your 18th birthday go unremarked, now can we?” She fussed as she set plates and cutlery out for everyone. “Now you sit here.” She nudged Sid toward the seat at the head of the table.
It was then that Sid noticed that Lady M. and Father Brown were also in attendance. It touched him that they would all think of him and do something like this for him. And he just knew that Mrs. McCarthy was the one who planned it. Just like a mother would.
5.
Susie Jasinski was one of the prettiest girls Sid had ever laid eyes on. She was a refugee, relocated like he had been as a child. They connected immediately. Sid secretly hoped that it would become something more, but it never progressed beyond a friendship.
Sid imagined she smelled like what sunshine would smell like; she was certainly bright enough for it. He loved her, but it didn’t have the passion of physical attraction that he had when he first laid eyes on her. But, God, he missed her every day since she’d left the village. Just as any older brother would miss his little sister.
Plus 1
“What’s it going to take to get through to you that one of these times you’re going to get hurt by traipsing after Father Brown, Carter?! Or worse.” Jack Sullivan’s eyes flashed angrily as he man handled Sid around, feeling for any wound that could have come about from the latest escapade.
“Get your hands off me, Inspector. I’m just fine.” Sid pushed the good inspector away and checked the slight tear in his shirt. The knife had barely missed cutting his flesh, but he didn’t want the other man to know that. “Besides, you should be so lucky to get rid of me.”
Jack’s face scrunched up briefly and just as suddenly as his anger began, it ended, and the man seemed to deflate. “Why would you say such a thing to me? Do you really think me that heartless that I would want anyone’s life to be taken in such a manner just because they make my life difficult?”
Sid saw that his words, said in haste, had cut the other man. More than he’d ever seen him be affected to date. Suddenly, he was ashamed. “Sorry; it was just a joke. Didn’t really mean it.” He mumbled.
The inspector sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked older than his years and weary.
“Can I ask you a question?” Sid’s mouth was working ahead of his brain. “Why do you care?”
Instead of answering right away or dismissing him, Jack took the time to think about it, and said, “The way you think; the way you are,” he paused as if thinking if he really wanted to give the answer, “you remind me of my younger brother. He died several years ago. Influenza. I still miss him.” Suddenly, the inspector came back to himself and seemed a little embarrassed by having given so much information about himself. “Go on; off with you before I decide to arrest you.”
Sid scoffed, “For what?”
“For getting on my nerves, Carter, now get out.”
Sid turned to leave, but paused in the doorway, “Hey, Sullivan,” the inspector met his gaze, “it wouldn’t be so bad, you know. Having you as an older brother.” Sid turned and left, but not before he saw the surprised but pleased grin on the inspector’s face.
End