Mister Sunshine stands at a wash basin, inspecting his blazer – bright yellow, except for a large blue ink blot that infests the lapel.
“I’ve tried everything to get this stain out, yet nothing seems to do the job.”
“Rinsing the stain only diluted it a little. It’s still there.”
“Scrubbing at the ink only spread it further and made my stain worse.”
“Now, every time I look at my favourite jacket, I see nothing but the stain. Isn’t it sad, my little Sunbeams?”
He inspects the stained jacket.
“You’ve had a stain on your life just like this ink stain, Sheriff. A brother that has caused you nothing but headaches and heartbreak.”
“You’ve tried everything to clean that stain.”
“You’ve washed, trusting that when put in hot water, he would show his loyalty to you. To his family.”
“You’ve scrubbed. Time and time again, he’s been tested. But no amount of scrubbing has been able to fix your relationship.”
He focuses on the stain.
“Now, every time you look at your family, you see nothing but the stain of the mess it has become.”
“A mother on a bed in Medical. A family torn apart. When does this stain on your family end?”
“Your family is in worse shape than this jacket.”
“And yet, you brothers stand together, as if nothing ever happened between you. But the Cade family is far from happy. I haven’t seen a smile on your face in a long time, Jacky-boy.”
Sunshine holds up a container that reads ‘Cade Family Stain Removal Kit’
“How do you remove stains the way your daddy taught you?”
Inside sit yellow squares of fabric, a needle and thread.
He pulls a patch out and places it over the ink spot.
“Just cover them up, the Cade family way.”
“The stain might not ever go away. Just sweep things under the rug and pretend that everything is hunky-dunky.”
He smiles.
“You never have to deal with what’s tearing your family apart if you continue to blame Six Feet Under.”
Stitch by stitch, he sews the patch on.
“Daddy still told you to fill that gun with blanks. You still handed it to CJ.”
“You wanted to trust him, but still set him up to fail. Even if he didn’t pull that trigger, he still might have… He cannot clean that stain off his conscience.”
“And you cannot clean the stain off yours that despite swearing to serve and protect, you’ve brought nothing but pain and suffering on your family.”
Sunshine’s smile fades.
“It’s your fault she’s in that bed, Jacky. It’s all of your faults, but you move on, patch things over and point fingers everywhere except yourself.”
“There’s no point in smiling through the pain your family has caused each other, Jacky-boy. That is just one more cover-up in Arcadia PD’s history.”
Sunshine picks up the stained and soaking jacket and puts it on.
“Only by proper treatment can you heal that stain. Then, the smile you wear will be a genuine smile. One that shines like sunshine from within.”
“Not a silly patch over a broken family.”