《The Summer Home》 1. Driving Out Nothing tests a family¡¯s love for one another than a long ride in a car, or in this situation, a minivan. It¡¯s one thing to drive several blocks to restaurant to get something for dinner but it¡¯s another to be packed inside it like sardines for almost a week only stopping to eat or at a hotel to crash for the night. When Peter first took his family to what he calls the summer home, it was one of the most stressful trips he ever took. There were spats, yelling, and some pretty ugly fights. It got to one point where he had to stop the car and get out just so he could scream to the top of his lungs, out in the open where it wouldn¡¯t damage anyone¡¯s ear drums. Many years later, they had all become seasoned professionals. They had the tools and the equipment necessary to ignore the other passengers should they begin to feel annoyed. As far as Peter was concerned, this was all money well spent. Rather than have someone flip out, it made sense to buy them a portable MP3 player for them to zone out whenever necessary. He also didn¡¯t care where the kids got their music as long as it wasn¡¯t explicit, and he got a chance to review it. Peter looked in the rear-view mirror to notice and admire how peaceful it was in the back seats. Each child with their own headset on, in their own happy place while listening to whatever music made them docile. This made Peter very happy, because keeping the peace while driving out to the summer home was very important to him. He looked to his right to see his wife Sonya, asleep and in her own world as well. She had her head leaned up against the window and for that reason, Peter made sure he wasn¡¯t speeding because he didn¡¯t want a bump to violently wake her up. His wife had a rough time the night before at the hotel, and he wanted to make sure she got in as many power naps as possible before they got to their summer home. This was their one and only time to get away from it all. Sonya was a teacher, so she always had two and a half months off every summer and since Peter was a writer, so he could pack up and take his wherever he wanted. Thanks to the internet and the ability to fire zip files through cyberspace, any material could be sent out to publishers within seconds. Anywhere Peter could flip open his laptop was now his office, which made things easier on the family. Yet sometimes going out made it much harder for Peter to get work done but he slugged through it anyway. An unhappy household also made for an unproductive workplace so keeping the wife and the kids happy was helpful. This summer was going to be different for Peter as his agent and publisher were both breathing down his neck, eager to get another book sooner rather than later. Easier said than done as Peter had been struggling the last few months to the point where he even considered not coming to the summer home this year. Because of imposing deadlines, Peter was going to be sheltered in the house for most of summer. Sonya already knew that and was ready to carry the burden of childcare while they were at the summer house. Peter really appreciated her support and while watching the kids was no picnic, he was still going to be there to support her if something bad happened that required the involvement of two parents. Peter was just hoping that wasn¡¯t going to be often so he could actually get a significant amount of work done. Peter and Sonya had been married to her for over eight years and he still felt like a newlywed whenever he was with her. Sonya had saved him from a pit of despair and depression and the life she provided made life worth living. He loved her so much for that. Along for the ride was Jacob, her son from a previous relationship. While he was a hot-tempered kid, Peter liked him a great deal because he reminded the writer of himself when he was a kid. Jacob was nothing compared to the badass Peter was in his youth, which made it so easy for him to connect with the young man and they immediately became good friends, which was important as his relationship with Sonya became more serious over time. Jacob¡¯s biological father was a good man. He was always available to help out and never missed a weekend with his son. Peter also made sure that the door was always open for him to visit and be a part of the little man¡¯s life. Then they all became more a family when Sonya became pregnant. Several months later, they were married and welcomed twin girls to their tribe. Samantha and Fiona were the best things that ever happened to Peter, and he was very thankful for the people he had in his life. They gave him new hope and more importantly a reason to want to hang around this planet a lot longer. Jacob was the best big brother someone could want, and Peter went out of his way to make sure he was comfortable to be the best he could be for the family as well. That brought them to the task at hand, which was travelling to the summer house and living there in peace for the next two months. It was a tradition that actually started accidentally. A few years ago, before the summer started, Peter took the family to visit his father and over that weekend their house had burned to the ground, and they lost everything. They also had nowhere to go, and this is when one of Peter¡¯s best friends came in to save the day. One of Peter¡¯s former roomies from college named Raymond Langer offered to let them have his beach house for as long as they needed it. Turns out they only needed it for the summer and Peter made sure he compensated Ray for letting them use the summer home. The kids had so much fun at the house that summer Peter decided to rent it from Ray the next year so they could spend the summer out there again and from there it just became a yearly thing for them. It was something the kids looked forward to and busted their humps in school to be a part of. With the incentive to do so well, Peter didn¡¯t mind shelling out a few bucks to enjoy themselves. Compared to what most people spend just to fly somewhere for a week, Peter was actually getting away with quite the steal. He never had any complaints but was hoping this summer Peter would have impending deadlines that were quickly approaching. While he wasn¡¯t the most popular writer out there, there were always many obsessed fans out there that wanted more stuff to read as soon as human possibly. Peter had to make sure to keep them marginally satisfied so that he could make a living and support his family without having to do any real work. Despite wherever they were or whatever they were doing, a writer was always working. Peter often found himself thinking about writing whenever he wasn¡¯t actually doing it. Even as he drove the van, Peter was still thinking about his next chapter and what direction he wanted his current novel to go. It was while Peter was going over some of those plot points in his head when his wife had begun to emerge from her slumber. ¡°Good afternoon.¡± He said to her with a smile. "Afternoon?¡± Sonya repeated, rubbing her eyes. ¡°How long have I been out?¡± ¡°Quite a while, dear.¡± Peter said as he kept his eyes on the road. ¡°We¡¯re not far out now. We should be at the summer home within a few hours.¡± ¡°Finally.¡± She said with a huff. ¡°I was getting ready to jump out.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Peter said as he picked her hand up and gave it a small peck. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, and thus shall commence two months of rest and relaxation.¡± ¡°After the school year I had, I could really use it.¡± Sonya said, sitting up and looking around for something familiar. ¡°How are the kids?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Peter said, as he took a quick glance himself. ¡°I put Jacob between the girls to make sure they didn¡¯t tussle as much.¡± "What did you promise him?¡± she slyly asked. ¡°Whatever he wanted for lunch; he gets to pick the place.¡± Peter said, checking his watch. ¡°We¡¯ll give it another half hour.¡± She paused for a moment and read his face like a book. ¡°Something bothering you, Peter?¡± Peter looked back at her for a second before putting his eyes back on the road. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Sonya retorted. ¡°Something is really bugging you and I doubt it¡¯s your agent. You never let him bug you before, so I know it can¡¯t be the new book nor the deadline.¡± ¡°You know me well,¡± Peter said, trying to fake his jest. ¡°Spill it,¡± Sonya commanded. Peter took a deep breath and let out a sigh that let her knew she was right. ¡°I had a brief talk with Christina earlier this week.¡± ¡°Well, that would certainly do it.¡± Sonya said, now understanding what was going on. She really didn¡¯t like talking about Peter¡¯s first wife. Christina was actually the second woman to walk down the aisle Peter and very like the first marriage, this one didn¡¯t last very long either. Peter was still bitter about it, and she could tell. ¡°Why did you call her?¡± Sonya inquired, ¡°You know how much just interacting with her agitates you.¡± ¡°I had to,¡± Peter replied, ¡°I wanted to see if Nathan could come out with us to the summer home.¡± ¡°And obviously the answer was no.¡± Sonya guessed. ¡°Obviously,¡± Peter confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s because he always says no,¡± Sonya reminded him, ¡°Oh, Peter, why do you do this to yourself?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I have to at least try,¡± Peter explained to her, ¡°I don¡¯t want this kid to think that I didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about him because it¡¯s not true. It just upsets me how bad it¡¯s gotten. He¡¯s my son and I never see him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a teenager.¡± Sonya corrected, ¡°Even parents that live with their own rarely see them either. You cannot take this personally; most teenagers hate their parents. Nate just has more ammunition to justify his.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it.¡± Peter said, ¡°We used to do everything together. Now he won¡¯t even talk to me on the phone.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do,¡± Sonya said, as she put a hand on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in his arms. ¡°You can¡¯t let it get to you. When Nathan needs you, he¡¯ll reach out. Your job is to make sure you¡¯re ready to be there for him whenever that time comes.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Peter said, sighing rather deeply. ¡°I just wish he could be here and spend some time with his sisters. They¡¯re related and they hardly know one another.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Sonya huffed at him. ¡°Do I need to remind you how well you get along with your brothers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I am trying,¡± Peter said as he agreed with her. ¡°I don¡¯t want Nathan to become so distant from my family, and then have the same shitty relationship I have with my family. Truth is, his mother and I are not going to be around forever, and when they¡¯re gone the only people left will be his siblings.¡± Sonya smiled and caressed his cheek. ¡°I love how you care so much, even when no one else does. It¡¯s what I love about you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Peter said, taking her hand and holding onto it for a few moments. The kids were quiet enough for them to enjoy the moment as they came closer to their predetermined destination. He checked to rear view mirror and could sense the discomfort in Jacob¡¯s eyes. ¡°How are you holding up back there, champ?¡± Peter called back to him. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright.¡± Jacob replied. Peter knew he would be alright but still respected the kid for being a human barrier between the two young girls. The twins would often fight if they were left close to one another, so it was up to their big brother was a good buffer to keep the peace during the long ride out. ¡°Mo burger is on me tomorrow,¡± Peter said to show his appreciation. He could see Jacob smile in the back as he put his headphones back on, but Peter could also see the disapproving scowl from his wife, as he smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s only one time, and he earned it.¡± Peter reminded her. ¡°Sure,¡± Sonya said with a sly grin. She knew it was his favorite place to eat as well but let it go anyway. She had learned a long time ago that just because she was right didn¡¯t mean she had to broadcast it for ears in the backseat to hear. She knew it and that was enough for her. If she really felt the need to chew it out, she could do it later when they were out of the car and able to breath first. Peter could sense it too as gave her hand a gentle squeeze, a sign of his affection and appreciation. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Peter had been driving to this location for a few years now, so he had gotten used to the ride and no longer needed the GPS to help him out. He really liked the place as well and knew that as long as Ray owned it, they would have a place to bring the family to if any other crisis were to occur. Peter also knew if he had any marital issues, which thankfully he did not, Ray would give him the keys in a heartbeat rather than let him shack up in a hotel. That was the kind of friend Ray was and Peter appreciated having someone that close in his life. When the house burned down Ray was there for them, and he couldn¡¯t believe the relief he and Sonya had to just be able to get away from it all for a few months while the house was being repaired. The summer home then evolved into their go to location to get away from life and school for two months a year. It was a great looking house despite the fact it looked like a shack from the outside. Looks were very deceiving as inside was a very spacious as it had three bedrooms and a well sized kitchen and a table large enough for everyone to sit down and enjoy a meal together. Raymond was never one for decorating, so he let Sonya do whatever she wanted to the place and over the years she had been making the place her own. Picking what paint to put on the walls, furniture to bring in and whatnot. Peter was beginning to think he had put just as much money into the house than Ray had but he wasn¡¯t as active as his wife so odds of him going outside and being Mr. handyman were slim to nil. Peter was a writer, and creating stories was all he planned to do that summer. Satisfying the agent and the publishers that were baring down on him was priority number one This was why he needed Sonya to be more hands on with the kids this summer. Peter needed to use his time for work and do whatever he could to meet the deadline. A smile broke out on Peter¡¯s face as he finally reached the long driveway that led to the house. The kids seemed to instinctively know as well as they turned off their music players and started rambling, eager to get out of the car, which felt like a sardine can for the past several days. Peter never liked to rush the trip out to the summer home; he never liked the idea of getting into an accident or something else happening that could ruin the summer before it even began. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to someone he cared deeply about so it was worth taking all the barbs and bumps from the back asking him to pick up the pace. They would arrive when they arrived and that was it. Peter was strong enough to handle the ¡®are we there yet¡¯ barrages like he did ever summer. Yet this year was a lot quieter thanks to modern technology and an endless supply of digital music. The house looked no different than it did the previous years they approached it, but it was a sight the kids were eager lay their little eyes on as they all seem to let out a collective sigh of relief. Once the vehicle came to a stop the two back doors burst open as if was filled with water and busting at the seams. Three bodies spilled out of the back and Peter could tell they were a lot happier to be apart from one another and finally able to enjoy the return of their personal space. Before anyone had a chance to run away, Peter groaned as he stepped out of the car and spoke first as he appeared to be quite aware of what everyone was thinking. ¡°Before any of you run of to have fun,¡± Peter started, ¡°Please take your stuff out of the car and stash it in your rooms right now.¡± There was a loud choir of groans from the back seat, but Peter didn¡¯t care as he continued to speak to them. ¡°It¡¯s better to take care of it now,¡± Peter reminded them. ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to lug this stuff later when you¡¯re tired and just want to sleep. Get to it people.¡± He watched as the kids, shoulders slugged, grabbed their bags, and walked them up the stairs. Sonya who had already walked up to the door to unlock it, held the door open for each kid to carry their bags inside. She watched as they all walked in single file and then break rank once inside to retreat to their own rooms. The twin girls shared a room, so they booth took off up the stairs while Jacob remained on the main floor, as his room was located in the back, just past the kitchen but before the laundry room. It was a smaller room, but Jacob liked it for its location and the ability to step out without anyone noticing. Peter wasn¡¯t prepared to display any hypocrisy this early into the trip, so he walked to the back of the van and started to unload his own luggage. It took a few trips up to the door and back to move everything into the house, but it was his stuff and it seemed unfair to make anyone move it for him. If Peter wanted it to be any easier, he could have packed lighter but he chose not to. Peter was a very superstitious writer and if things were not set up perfectly, there was no way he would be able to get into the kind of groove he needed to be in if he stood any serious chance of making his deadline. This was never an issue before but lately Peter had trouble concentrating on work, and this lack of focus bothered him as his deadline approached. While he had his own reasons for the decline in his work, Peter was determined to meet his publisher¡¯s deadline out of fear that he might be dropped and replaced by a hungry writer that wouldn¡¯t keep the publishing house waiting. It was that fear which drove Peter to keep trying despite all his recent setbacks. Sonya had insisted that he try to delay his deadline and ask for more time, but this simply was not an option. Peter had more than one deadline to meet and this was a book he had been trying to get on paper for a while. If he didn¡¯t do it now, there was a good chance this story was never going to be told. He would keep trying, even while everyone was having fun. As Peter walked into the foyer with his luggage, the kids were back and in his face making demands of what they wanted to do. Peter never really listened to their requests since he was going to give the same answer anyway. ¡°Dinner is going served in two hours,¡± he told the children. ¡°Don¡¯t wander off too far and be back here in time to wash up. We¡¯re all having dinner together our first night here, like we do every first day here.¡± The kids didn¡¯t seem to like that idea but knew it was the same way every year, so they didn¡¯t argue against it. The girls took off for the beach to collect seashells while Jacob went to the backyard to relax and get his bearings by wandering around a bit. Sonya was looking at Peter as he tried to pick his bags up to lug them to the bedroom upstairs. ¡°So, I guess I¡¯m going to be cooking up this feast?¡± Sonya asked with a grin that already indicated she knew the answer to her own question. ¡°Well, if you like I can fire up the barbeque.¡± Peter offered with a grin. ¡°Not a chance,¡± she replied almost immediately. ¡°That¡¯s way too soon, and I know you¡¯re offering it just to avoid work.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Peter said, sighing again as he knew he¡¯d been bested. He picked up the laptop carrier and have his wife a half-assed smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the den working on the new manuscript if you need me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, but thanks for offering.¡± Sonya said, ¡°Get back to work, and I don¡¯t care if you get into a groove either, everyone at the table includes you too!¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Peter said, ¡°I¡¯ll be in the den.¡± Sonya watched him walk away and gave out a light sigh of her own before retreating to the kitchen to do her own thing. Before she could start making anything, she¡¯d have to clean up and organize the kitchen. There were frozen meats in the freezer that still looked good in her books, and with some instant side dishes she had brought with her, that would have to do until she could get to the grocery store the next day to replenish their supplies. Sonya paused for a moment, took another smell, and then decided it wasn¡¯t worth the risk. She tossed the meat out in the trash and then grabbed her smart phone which was packed in her overfilling purse. She dialed a few numbers and ordered a few pizzas, wings, and some soda to go with it. Sonya realized it was cheating but she honestly didn¡¯t care. It was her money and Peter never told her what to do with no more than she would tell him what to do with his. With that taken care of, she still went about cleaning the kitchen and pretty much reopening it for the summer. By ordering out, it would remain clean at least for the first day and she¡¯s have time to relax after it was all tidied up. Then the real fun would begin. 2. Settling In The next morning things seemed to be getting better by the moment. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and the kids were excited to get back out and away from their crazy parents. Peter remembered what it was like to want to get away from his old man, and now he would give anything to sit down with the old bastard and share a beer. Peter couldn¡¯t make his kids realize that anymore than his father could drive it into his thick skull. It was something he knew they would all regret later with time, but there was nothing he could do about it. Peter prayed that it would in time make them better parents much like his Dad did for him one way or another. If anything, his old man taught him how not to be a parent, and that benefited his grandkids a great deal. His Dad was never there for him, working long hours and on the road for a company that didn¡¯t care how those hours effected his home life. Peter¡¯s mom was also a nurse who also worked insane twelve-hour shifts, so even when he was in grade one Peter would remember walking home from school all by himself. He spent more school days with his television than he did his parents, and while many people thought that much TV wasn¡¯t good for you, Peter didn¡¯t turn into a homicidal maniac for doing that and was pretty normal¡­ whatever that was. Peter had become a writer because it was the one thing that he was good at. Telling stories and tales that made people¡¯s hearts swoon was everything he lived for, but the money was pretty good too. One great benefit to living his dream was the location of his office. His work allowed Peter to be home twenty-four seven, and the ability to spend every day with the kids was his inspiration to keep writing one novel after another. While Peter wasn¡¯t a bestselling mega millionaire writer, he was perfectly content with that. Not everyone can be Barry Bonds, but he was pretty sure the little players on the same team had fun just being there. To be on the field, live the dream, and play a game for a living. There are millions of people who lived that dream every day, and while not all of them can make the hall of fame, Peter was pretty sure most of those players were happy just to be a part of the game. It was the same attitude he had regarding his craft. He was happy just to be in the sandbox that was the publishing industry, making enough money to support his family and even a little left over to do something for those less fortunate than himself. Combine that with the chance to be home for the kids all the time to help them with homework and sign permission slips, Peter couldn¡¯t have asked for a better outcome. The fact that he loved every minute of it was just an added bonus. Being a writer to him came second to being a father and he loved his kids with all his heart. Peter never blamed his parents for working such long hours, as they did it all for him so he could have the things in life he needed to get by. They worked their hands to the bone, something he would never have to do, and he held nothing for them but love and respect. It was the same love and respect he held for Sonya who for the better part of seven years had been the best thing in his life; his savior. Peter laughed to himself when he thought about where it all started. Just a simple place and simple run in. Nothing special and no way to ever predict what would happen in life. He remembers it was a Tuesday because the previous day had been a holiday. * * * * ¡°Excuse me.¡± A voice called out. Peter turned around and there she was. Nothing had quite prepared him for what he was about to see, but the weather had been really warm for that time of year, so it wasn¡¯t completely inappropriate. He had never seen her coming, but this beautiful woman who was asking for his help was wearing a pink dress that showed a lot of let and cowboy boots. A weird combination, but one that he would not soon forget as it looked almost as amazing as she did. ¡°Yes, can I help you?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I just wanted to know if this area was where the kids get in line for grade 3.¡± The young lady asked. She was holding hands with a small boy who was no older than eight who obviously was there to attend. ¡°Yes. Grades one through three line up here every morning.¡± Peter managed to finally spit out. ¡°Hi there, Peter Anderlini.¡± ¡°Sonya Pawluk.¡± She shook his hand and gave a warm smile. ¡°You come here every morning too?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Peter said with a proud smile. ¡°This is one of the highlights of my day before I head for work. That little one over there, running after the other kids while pretending to be a man-eating dinosaur is mine. That¡¯s my Nate. He¡¯s in grade one.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s mom?¡± she politely asked. Peter had no intentions of hiding anything. ¡°She¡¯s in daycare. Her workday starts very early. Thankfully mine doesn¡¯t start until later, So I do drop off and she does the pick-up. This seems to work out very well for the both of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say.¡± Sonya said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just nice to see a father take more interest in doing stuff like this. As you can see, there are not many here with their kids.¡± ¡°I like to consider myself the exception.¡± Peter said with a grin. ¡°I love my little guy more than anything in the whole world. I enjoy bringing him here every morning, gives me a chance to talk to him before he starts his day.¡± They stood there for a few moments, waiting for the bell to ring. When it finally did, they stood there and watched as their kids ran to their own lines and waited to be ushered into the building to learn something. Peter waved goodbye as he watched Nate walk into the school and then watched as Sonya did the same for her boy. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Bye Jacob!¡± she called out, ¡°Love ya!¡± ¡°It was nice to meet you.¡± Peter said as he started to turn to head home. ¡°Wait, I need your help.¡± Sonya suddenly called out. Peter turned back to face her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well, I am new to this part of town.¡± Sonya started. ¡°I was hoping you know where I could find a place where I could access the internet.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± Peter said with a smile. ¡°There is this amazing internet cafe just a few minutes from here. I use it whenever I have to print a resume or a project for school.¡± ¡°How far is it from here?¡± she asked. He could tell she was a little nervous about walking around this part of town alone. ¡°It¡¯s not far at all. I¡¯ve got a few hours before I have to get to work, I can walk you there.¡± ¡°Oh, Thank you,¡± Sonya replied as she smiled back at Peter. He basked in his glory for a few moments to admire was a very beautiful smile. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s this way.¡± As he walked down the street with her, all Peter could think of was how amazing she looked. Peter never forgot that he was married, and understood it was natural for him to feel attraction. What he did with that attraction is what defined him as a person and a man. Despite how he felt for his new walking buddy, she seemed very grateful for his effort to show here to a place where she could connect and get in touch with people via email and other sources. Turns out her and her son Jacob had just moved back into town after living out of province for a few months. She was from the city too but hadn¡¯t been back in a while and was the reason why she needed help getting around. Peter didn¡¯t mind helping her because he hoped one day if he was ever in that situation in another city, someone would take the time to offer him assistance as well. The fact the person he was helping happened to be a good-looking woman in a pink dress and cowboy boots was just an added benefit. After he lead her to what was his favorite internet caf¨¦, he shook her hand and wished her well and went along his way. As he walked away, he thought he heard her calling back out to him¡­ * * * * ¡°Peter!¡± a voice called out. Peter looked up from his desk and saw the same lovely face he met that day. Yet this time looking down at him with a semi-disapproving scowl. He looked at his watch to discover what was going on. ¡°Dinner time?¡± he asked. ¡°Ugh, yeah.¡± Sonya confirmed with a smile that indicated she was ready to playfully backhand her deaf hubby in the back of the head. ¡°Get your butt downstairs and share a meal with your family.¡± ¡°Of course, on my way.¡± Peter said as he closed the book he was looking at and leaped out of his chair. He dashed down the stairs and while he was first surprised to see pizza, Peter was never a picky eater as long as one the pizzas didn¡¯t have pineapple on it. As he sat down at the table, he looked over at the three kids that were already woofing down their chow. ¡°How are we all doing?¡± Peter said as he sat down, ¡°Feeling a little better with the expanded space between us?¡± ¡°Much better, dad.¡± Fiona answered before taking another bite. ¡°You owe me a burger.¡± Jacob reminded from the other end of the table. The last few days had been especially hard on him. Because he was years older than his sisters, over half a decade, Peter really pushed him to help out and there were times when he took that help for granted. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Peter agreed, ¡°I owe you that and lot more. Maybe we¡¯ll see if Ray will let you drive the buggy this summer.¡± Peter looked over and while Jacob was grinning from ear to ear, Sonya¡¯s scowl was a little less approving. She had reason to be worried, but Jacob would be in good hands. Peter and Ray were always careful with the kids, and even though it was her job to be worried it was most of the time unnecessary. Peter would never let anything happen to Jacob, he was a good kid and was treated no differently than anyone else in the family. He was family, and always would be. Peter had mixed feelings sometimes, only because hanging out with Jacob gave him an idea of what it might be like if he had spent more time with his own son, Nathan. Peter had lost a lot of time over the last several years since the end of his first marriage. It was an ugly affair that didn¡¯t have its collateral damage, the biggest being Nathan¡¯s childhood. The boy¡¯s life was torn in two, and Peter had no choice in the matter. He walked away from that marriage for good reason, and no one would be able to convince him otherwise. ¡°Are you alright dear?¡± Sonya asked as she could see something was bugging him. She had known him long enough to realize what it was. ¡°Do you want to call tonight, try again?¡± Peter looked back up at her and nodded. He didn¡¯t like the idea of being here with almost all of the kids. Yet whenever Peter tried to call the house, there was no answer. Not even a machine to let him leave a message. Peter tried to call a few more times, hoping the constant ringing would frustrate someone enough to pick up the receiver, but there was no use. Peter was unable to get someone on the other side to connect, and his attempt to speak to his son had failed. Peter¡¯s heart sank every time he couldn¡¯t talk to his son, as he sometimes got a flooding of regret as he recalled what happened and what his part might have been in it. He decided to use technology to reach out a little further as he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message to his ex-wife, Nathan¡¯s mom, which read: We need to talk about Nathan. This is very important. There wasn¡¯t much more Peter could do from there. He didn¡¯t like talking to his former first wife, but there were times when it was just unavoidable. If it hadn¡¯t been for Nathan¡¯s existence, Peter would never talk to Lisa ever again. It was only out of duty and his love for Nathan that he ever shared a single word with her at all. Just the thought of his former wife seemed to ignite an anger that rarely flashed in him. Peter could feel the skin on his arms tingle, as if there was an imaginary hot flame scorching them. Peter decided to get back to work and pour his soul into the next novel, rather than into his past. He moved back to the den where his computer and his next literary work patiently waited for his return. 3. The Accident The cell phone by Peter¡¯s nightstand woke the both of them up when it started to play an old tune from the 80s. Sonya was the first one to speak as she took the time to shove Peter back into the real world, angered by the interruption. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you turn off that thing?¡± she called out. ¡°I said no text messages or at night!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a text message. That¡¯s Ray¡¯s ringtone.¡± Peter said as he sat up and picked up the small cell phone. Why the hell is he calling at three in the morning? ¡°Ray?¡± Peter said, as he stood up, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m driving out to you right now.¡± Ray quickly answered. ¡°Be dressed and ready to go in ten minutes.¡± Peter could hear in the background that Ray not only was speeding, but he was using his siren to pass whoever was in his way. Ray was not only the owner of the land they were renting for the summer; he also happened to be the town¡¯s sheriff. And at the exact moment, Peter could tell that he gunning for his location like a bat out of hell. ¡°What¡¯s going on out there, Ray?¡± Peter asked again. ¡°This is not something to get into over the phone, Peter.¡± Ray answered as he cut around a corner and there was loud honking in the background. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything when I get there. Get dressed, now.¡± Peter didn¡¯t have a chance to say anything else, as the line went dead. Ray had hung up the phone so that he could put both hands on the wheel to make sure he got to Peter¡¯s place in one piece. Whatever it was, Ray wouldn¡¯t put the lights and the sirens on just to go out for a drink and shoot the shit. Something was going on and Peter decided not to question it as he started to get dressed. Sonya sat up when she realized that Peter wasn¡¯t coming back to bed. ¡°What¡¯s going on, hun?¡± she quietly asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure but Ray is on his way here and wants me dressed.¡± Peter said as he tossed on some blue jeans and an old t-shirt. ¡°Go back to bed. I¡¯ll text or call you when I have more details.¡± Peter made sure he went downstairs with great care. As he came down he noticed there was someone sitting on the couch in the living room, with the television on. Peter slowly strolled into the room to find out who it was. ¡°Jacob?¡± Peter called out. ¡°Hey Peter.¡± Jacob said as he looked up. ¡°What are you doing up?¡± Peter cracked a grin. ¡°I was about to ask the same thing.¡± ¡°Well, I had a bad dream.¡± Jacob said. ¡°Whenever that happens, I need to do something to distract myself for a short while before going back to bed. If I don¡¯t do that, I¡¯ll just have the same dream again.¡± Peter looked into Jacob eyes and his gut made the judgment that the kid was being honest with him. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s good,¡± Peter said, sighing. ¡°How long have you been up?¡± ¡°Only thirty minutes.¡± The young man confirmed. ¡°Well, get into the room and read a book.¡± Peter said as he put his shoes on. ¡°Ray¡¯s going to be here any moment and I don¡¯t want you out here in case your mom comes down to talk to him.¡± ¡°Ray is coming over now?¡± Jacob repeated. ¡°Yes and I have no idea why.¡± Peter said as he knew what the next question was going to be. Jacob turned the television off and went to his room as Peter finished putting on his running shoes. He proceeded to leave the summer house and lock the door behind him. Peter could tell by the light coming from the house that Jacob had done what he asked and went back to his room. He was a good kid and Peter appreciated the fact that the little guy didn¡¯t give him half the flack most kids are known to give their step-fathers. Peter walked off the porch and over to where his car was parked and waited for Ray to show up. He didn¡¯t have to wait long to see his friend approach the summer house as his lights were still on, but the siren was silent. As the car came to a stop, Ray didn¡¯t even bother to get out of the car as all he did was lower his window. ¡°Get in the car.¡± Ray ordered, ¡°We have to get going.¡± Peter did as he was told and got into the passenger side and put on his seatbelt. ¡°What the hell is going on, Ray?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I got a call from your agent.¡± Ray said as he pulled out and started to head back for the road. ¡°He said you¡¯ve been avoiding his calls.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to him,¡± Peter said, sound rather annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough lectures about deadlines and commitments to publishers for the week, thank you.¡± ¡°Well, you had your agent listed as an emergency contact should no one be able to reach you.¡± Ray said, as he pulled out onto the main road. ¡°He was called by the hospital several hours ago and when he couldn¡¯t get a hold of you. He called me.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± Peter suddenly asked as he realized Ray put the lights back on the moment he got back to the main road. ¡°We¡¯re going to the airport.¡± Ray answered. ¡°And back to the city.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Peter quickly asked. ¡°There¡¯s been an accident, Peter.¡± Ray answered. He didn¡¯t even turn to look his friend in the eye. ¡°What kind of accident?¡± Peter asked. ¡°A car accident.¡± Ray answered again. ¡°It was Christina.¡± Peter put his hand to his mouth and took a deep breath. Lately he didn¡¯t want to even hear anyone mention his first wife, but if Ray was taking him to the airport for an accident, this wasn¡¯t a good sign. ¡°Is she alright?¡± he paused for a moment. ¡°Is Nathan alright?¡± ¡°Nathan wasn¡¯t involved.¡± Ray said as he peeled around a tight corner. ¡°She was actually on her way to pick him up from a party when the accident occurred.¡± Peter could tell his friend was shaken up. ¡°How bad is it?¡± The Sheriff took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s not good Peter.¡± ¡°How bad?¡± Peter asked again. ¡°The doctors don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to make it through the night.¡± Ray answered. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m getting you the fuck out of dodge as quickly as I can. We need to get you there as soon as we can. I pulled some strings and have a Cesna waiting for you. You¡¯re not the only important person that spends time in my town. They¡¯ll be a car waiting for you at the airport to take you straight to the hospital. I¡¯ll stop by and check on Sonya and the kids tomorrow morning and I¡¯ll get her up to speed before coming to the city to meet up with you tomorrow night. Is that okay with you, partner?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yeah,¡± Peter confirmed, ¡°Sounds like a good plan.¡± Ray pulled into the airport but instead of pulling up to departures he skipped right by it and went towards the hangars. Sitting in front of one of them was a small Cesna that looked like it could carry ten to fifteen people. Peter hopped on and Ray stood by and watched while the small jet taxied away to the runway. As Peter sat down and couldn¡¯t help but think the worst. Had she lost a limb or gone into a coma? Was she ever going to come out of this at all? He was quite concerned even though this was all about his ex-wife. Despite their differences and how their marriage ended, Peter was the kind of guy who wouldn¡¯t wish harm upon his worst enemy. So, the news that his ex-wife was hurt saddened him. He didn¡¯t hate her and that was the reason why he didn¡¯t fight her during the divorce and tried to make things as civil as possible. He even let her have full custody of Nathan and while it didn¡¯t seem like a good idea now he had tried hard to make the divorce easy on everyone but had failed. People were still hurt, stung by the revelation that their family was breaking apart. Despite the collapse of the life they all used to have, Peter still cared about what happened to the members of his first family. He didn¡¯t have to worry about Sonya and the kids; Ray was already committed to take care of that. All Peter had to concentrate on was the task ahead of him and face it head on. It took the Cesna only an hour to fly back to the city as they were bumped up on the landing queue because of a medical emergency the tower was already notified about before they got there. Once at the hanger, there was a car already waiting for them as Ray had indicated. It took that car only twenty minutes to get through traffic and get Peter to the hospital. He was on edge during the ride and even though it was quite cool in the city that night, Peter was still sweating as if he never left the summer house. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest like a cannon. When he strolled into the hospital, he walked right up to nearest desk. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for Christina Anderlini.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the ICU.¡± The nurse at the station informed him. ¡°We¡¯re only allowing family to go in right now. What is your relation?¡± ¡°I used to be married to her,¡± Peter informed the lady, ¡°We have a son.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The nurse approved as she pointed left. ¡°Down the hall, to the right.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Peter said as he strolled down the way he was directed and towards the intensive care unit. He literally didn¡¯t know what to expect. It had been a while she they even shared the same room without a lawyer present. For a while, this woman had been the love of his life, the one that he thought he would grow old with and never leave. Yet he did leave her and their son to be raised by her as a single parent. He did his weekends, paid his support but Peter was slowly squeezed out of Nathan¡¯s life due to lack of time and a lack of interest from his son. The old man wasn¡¯t worth the time anymore, and even requests to his son join him all summer at the house by the beach were rejected with authority and extreme prejudice. Peter didn¡¯t know what to do with the young man who was once his little guy, but soon he wasn¡¯t going to have a choice. If things were half as bad as Ray and the Nurse indicated, he might have to be more active with his son whether either of them wanted it or not. Peter came to the door that entered into the ICU and he stopped short of that door and took a moment to compose himself. She was in an accident, and while he hoped for the best, Peter also had to prepare himself for the worst. With that Peter took in one more breath and then opened the door. As he walked in, he could see there were several rooms and beds, almost a separate wing that was an entity of its own. He walked up to the head desk to inquire about his former wife. ¡°Christina Anderlini?¡± he quietly asked. ¡°We were informed you were coming, Mr. Anderlini.¡± She said as she also pointed in a specific direction. ¡°Room six but please be careful. She¡¯s in rough shape.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Peter took another deep breath and then walked towards the room he had been directed to. Peter didn¡¯t hesitate as he softly pushed through the door to walk in and see that there were already some people there. Her older sister Shannon and younger brother Bill were sitting by her bedside, and while her brother was shocked to see Peter there, he got up and walked over to give him a hug. It was sign of his appreciation for something that many men might not have done for their ex-wives in their time of need. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Peter asked. Bill looked back at Peter as he was in tears, overwhelmed with emotion. ¡°It¡¯s not good, man. She¡¯s in a coma and they don¡¯t not sure if she¡¯s going to ever wake up.¡± Peter looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Nathan?¡± ¡°She was on her way to pick him up when the accident happened. We¡¯ve sent someone out there to get him.¡± Christina¡¯s sister replied. ¡°Alright,¡± Peter said as he gave her a hug. ¡°Let¡¯s not think the worst and hope she¡¯ll get through it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Shannon replied, ¡°I never wanted to see you ever again but considering the situation, I¡¯m glad you took the time to be here for her.¡± ¡°Regardless of what happened, we¡¯ll always be a part of one another¡¯s life.¡± Peter said as he couldn¡¯t believe the words coming out of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some coffee for everyone. Hopefully Nathan will be back by then.¡± The truth was Peter couldn¡¯t stay in the room another second. Regardless of all the bad things he had said to her over the last decade since their marriage ended, Peter still knew her as the woman he fell in love with so many years ago. To see her so lifeless and wrapped up like an ancient mummy was too much for him to take. He went down to the caf¨¦ that was still open and grabbed a few cups of coffee. He put the sugar and cr¨¨me on the side because he couldn¡¯t remember how everyone preferred their java. While he was on his way back up, he slowly strolled over to the room and handed to coffees off to his brother-in-law before coming back into the room. Regardless of how he felt about the current state of his ex-wife, he had to be there out of obligation. If that was him there in the bed, he would like to think Christina would come out be there for Nathan. Her son was her world, and she would do anything for the boy. That was part of the problem as Nathan abused that as much as he could to get away with a lot of stuff Peter would never tolerate. If this was going to be the end of the line for Christina, it was also going to be the end o the line for Nathan¡¯s shenanigans. The boy was only fifteen, but he was out at a party at ten at night, asking his mother to pick up his drunken ass. It was easy to blame Nathan for the accident, but he wasn¡¯t driving the car that ran a red light, so he was completely blameless for this incident. If the other driver had not gotten distracted and respected their car and the road, no one would be here hoping for a miracle. Peter realized this wasn¡¯t the time to think about that, as he was still hoping for the best. He wanted Christina to wake up and talk to them, give everyone waiting a sign that things are not as bad as the doctors told them it was. Peter took a seat and offered to keep watch, much to the relief of those who had been sitting there for hours. They took a cup of the coffee each that Peter had brought up and walked out of the room, leaving Peter alone with his first wife and the tragedy that lie before them. He took a deep breath, and wiped away a tear as he couldn¡¯t bear the idea that someone he once loved more than life itself might not make it through the night. He sat there silently and waited patiently for a sign, but it never came. About a half hour later there was a commotion in the hallway. Peter stood up as he recognized the voice. ¡°I want to see my Mom!¡± the boy cried out from the hallway. ¡°I want to see her right now!¡± Peter got up from his seat and walked out of the room to greet his son. It had been months since he had seen Nathan, but it wasn¡¯t by his doing. He had tried to meet up with Nathan on several occasions for lunch, dinner or even just a movie to hang out. Lately, the rebellious part of him was putting all his revolt chips in Peter¡¯s basket so communication between the two had been at an all time low. That was about to change. ¡°Nathan,¡± Peter called out. ¡°She¡¯s in here.¡± Nathan recognized the voice and turned to face the old man he hated with every fiber of his body. ¡°What is he doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here because I care,¡± Peter said, choosing not to respond to his anger. ¡°We¡¯re all here because we care about your mother. She¡¯s in here Nathan, but I have to warn you: it doesn¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathan said, looking around to everyone else in the hallway. His uncle and aunt were there to nod and confirm what the doctors have been telling them. Her aunt hugged him. ¡°She¡¯s in a coma. I¡¯m so sorry, dear.¡± Peter was smart enough to not even try, so he stepped aside and watched as his son strolled right past him without even acknowledging his existence. Nathan took the seat Peter had been sitting in and took his place by his mother¡¯s side. Peter stayed out in the hallway at first, knowing that Nathan wanted alone time with his mother. That¡¯s what he would want if he was in that situation, so he was respectful enough to back away at least for that moment. As Peter was walking away from the room, one of the doctors grabbed his arm. ¡°Mr. Anderlini, can you please come with me.¡± The doctor asked. ¡°What is it?¡± Peter asked as he wanted to follow the family into Christina¡¯s room. ¡°According to her will,¡± The doctor started, ¡°You are listed as the person with her power of attorney. You¡¯re in charge of the situation here.¡± Peter stood there and realized what might be coming. ¡°Why are you bringing this up now? What exactly are you trying to tell me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry Mr. Anderlini,¡±The doctor started, ¡°but there¡¯s no brain activity. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s already gone.¡± 4. The decision As the cell phone rang Peter was so exhausted that he didn¡¯t hear it ring at first because he was almost passed out on the waiting room couch. He sat back up, looked at the cell, and realized that only a few hours had passed since Nathan arrived. He looked to also realize who was calling, and quickly picked up the call. ¡°Sonya,¡± Peter started, ¡°I meant to call you back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright baby,¡± Sonya said with a voice that let know Peter that she understood and had his back. He always felt better when he knew she was behind him in any situation. ¡°How is she doing?¡± she asked him. ¡°Not well,¡± Peter said, as he looked around to make sure sensitive ears were not close enough to overhear what he was about to say. ¡°I talked with the surgeon in charge of the case, and they¡¯ve already declared her brain dead. There¡¯s zero activity, which means she¡¯s already gone.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Sonya said, clearly saddened to hear the news, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Peter. I know you two didn¡¯t get along, but I know you would never wish this on anyone.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Peter agreed, as he stood up and walked over to the window. He had something else to say: ¡°I was also informed that Christina hadn¡¯t updated her will since the divorce, which gives me power of attorney.¡± ¡°Jesus, Peter,¡± Sonya cursed, as she could tell where this is going. ¡°Your son will never forgive you if you pull the plug on his mother. Haven¡¯t you two screwed up your relationship enough already?¡± ¡°All good points, dear.¡± Peter agreed, despite her manner in expressing it. Sonya knew things were bad between Peter and his son, but even she could see how ugly things could get if Peter used his authority in a very awkward situation. It¡¯s every man¡¯s dream to take out the woman that screwed him over in divorce court, but the truth was Peter didn¡¯t feel that way. Peter still loved his son, and he would rather be nagged by Christina for decades to come rather than put his boy through what was about to happen to him. Despite his feelings about the woman, it was his son¡¯s mother and even he would admit this was too soon for him to say goodbye to her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do this alone,¡± Peter told her. ¡°I¡¯m going to let everyone present have a say. This will be a democracy, not a dictatorship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good call,¡± Sonya said, approving of his strategy. ¡°Peter,¡± Shannon said, as she walked close. Peter turned to face his former sister-in-law and held a hand up. ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve got to go.¡± Peter said to his wife, ¡°Loves ya too.¡± ¡°I spoke with the doctors,¡± Shannon started, ¡°They told me everything. What are we going to do about this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to talk about this together, everyone.¡± Peter informed her. ¡°Unless everyone is on the same page, nothing happens.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Shannon said as she walked over and hugged him. Peter didn¡¯t have to listen to them, but wasn¡¯t in the mood to fight anyone, especially in front of Nathan considering he¡¯s about to get some very shitty news. Peter and Shannon sat at the back of the Christina¡¯s room and watched as the doctor came in and informed everyone else who was there of the situation: the patient¡¯s brain was no longer functioning, and her body was just an empty shell. They didn¡¯t say it that crudely, but the words weren¡¯t what upset everyone rather than the content that informed them all that their loved one was already gone. ¡°So, what happens now?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± his uncle replied. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡± The boys asked. ¡°That would be your father.¡± Shannon answered. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s such bullshit!¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Hey!¡± Shannon snapped back before anyone else could. ¡°Language!¡± Despite how Nathan felt about everyone else, he still liked his aunt. ¡°Sorry.¡± Peter stood up and walked closer to his son. ¡°Nothing is going to happen. Not yet. We¡¯ll talk about it this and come to a decision together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t want to pull the plug to charge your cell phone.¡± Nathan snidely said to his father. Clearly there was no love between the two at this point. Peter could sense the crude bitterness in his tone. Clearly the teenager was wishing it was him in the bed without brain function rather than his mother. At the very moment, to be honest, everyone else in the room was wishing for that too. Even Peter. ¡°No,¡± Peter answered, not taking the child¡¯s bait. ¡°Even though your mother¡¯s will put me in charge, no one is doing anything until we all have a chance to talk about it. Everyone here is going to have a chance to say what they want to do before any decisions are made.¡± ¡°Like you¡¯ll listen to any of us.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I bet you¡¯re all in favor of pulling the plug and ending her right now!¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, I am.¡± Peter replied, well aware that his response took everyone in the room by surprise. ¡°You bastard!¡± Nathan jumped up and tried to punch his own father. Peter avoided the shot, and then both he and his brother-in-law fought Nathan back to his own chair and sat him down. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one in favor of pulling the plug,¡± Peter said. ¡°Who else is?¡± Nathan asked, eager to give them a piece of his disgruntled mind. ¡°Your mother,¡± Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He fished through it for a few moments and then pulled out a card. He reached out and handed it to his son who reluctantly took it. It was his organ donation card. ¡°Why the hell are you showing me this?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s quite relevant,¡± Peter started as he took it back. ¡°Your mother got her card the same day I got this one. We have always been strong supporters of organ donation, which is why she had one of those cards filled out too. We could wait for her to expire but that¡¯s not what she wanted. If this kind of situation ever occurred, she wanted to help others if there was nothing we could do for her. She wanted her tragedy to be the saving grace of others. Keeping her alive until her organs are no longer viable is not what she wanted. She was quite clear about this most of her life, and I think you know that too.¡± Nathan put his head down into his hands and started to cry. What his father just said did remind him of a conversation he had with her about it a while back. She was a strong supporter for donation because she always believed in helping people less fortunate than herself. It was one of the things that Nathan loved about his mother. He hopped back out of the chair and stormed out of the room. It was clear that while he agreed with the decision being made, that didn¡¯t mean he had to like it. No one could blame the kid for being upset, as he was about to lose the only parent he lived with for the last several years. The very woman that brought him into this world. ¡°Anyone else?¡± Peter said as he looked around the room. No one raised any objections as the knew he was telling the truth. ¡°Alright,¡± Peter said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Everyone please take whatever time you need to say goodbye, and we¡¯ll pull it after that.¡± Peter left the room to give his ex-wife¡¯s family time to be with her in private. Even though he knew his son probably wanted to be left alone, he knew this was the one moment when he had to try to help the boy come to terms with what was going on before it was too late. He found Nathan sulking in the waiting room, pacing around like a caged animal. ¡°Nathan,¡± Peter called out, ¡°Do you want to go in there, take a moment to say good-bye to your mother?¡± Nathan stopped pacing and looked back at his father with red eyes that were almost as exhausted as the young man was. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So, you¡¯re really going to do it?¡± Nathan asked him. ¡°It¡¯s what she wanted,¡± Peter reminded him, ¡°And you know it.¡± ¡°Oh, piss off!¡± Nathan said, as he had no where to direct his anger. ¡°I know this hurts,¡± Peter said, resisting the urge to reach out him, ¡°But I know what you¡¯re going through. You were too young to remember when grandma passed. I wish I could tell you it gets better, but it would be a lie. You learn to live with it, but it will always be there.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point then?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°The point is you¡¯ve got something I never did,¡± Peter continued, ¡°You have a chance to walk in there as say good-bye. Don¡¯t waste it, because you need to add regrets onto that weight you¡¯re already going to carry around.¡± ¡°She can¡¯t hear us!¡± Nathan reminded him, ¡°She¡¯s already gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a religious person,¡± Peter said, ¡°But there are people out there, including your aunt, who believe that¡¯s not true. So, for your aunt¡¯s sake and even your mother¡¯s, get in there and say good-bye.¡± Nathan wanted to say something else, but resisted the urge and knew his father was right. There were more people in there that could use his support and he cared enough to do the right thing. He didn¡¯t say anything else to his father and stormed off back to the room to be with his mother. Peter chose not to go in, and staying out there in the hallway for almost a half hour, before Shannon came out to get him. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± she told him. Peter walked back into the room with the doctors, and nodded to the man to let him know it was time. The doctor didn¡¯t actually pull any plugs; as Peter had already signed the forms necessary to harvest all of the woman¡¯s organs. They would keep her alive until she went into the OR and then die on the table after all her vital organs were removed. Everyone was crying as the woman was wheeled out of the room, but Peter stood there and let them. He would have felt the same if it was his sister and he was there for them if they needed anything. Peter also knew it was going to take Nathan a long time to get over it, but it also wasn¡¯t easy for Peter either. This was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, as he also had a tear in his eye as the woman he once committed his life to was rushed down the hallway towards the OR to do their work. While it felt like Nathan was never going to forgive him for it, Peter knew the boy was young and inexperienced. Hopefully time would mend the bridge that separated them, but he knew it was going to take a lot of time. Yet this was something the young man was going to have to take care of not only for himself, but for his recently deceased mother as well. She would never want him to live on his own without family. Nathan was still sitting in the room and while he had some tears of his own, refusing to let anyone near him. After a few moments, he stood up and looked at his uncle. ¡°So, when do you want me to move in?¡± he asked his uncle. Peter took that as the slap in the face as it was intended to be but he wasn¡¯t going to back down, not this time. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, sport.¡± His uncle replied, ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°You¡¯re only fourteen,¡± Shannon reminded him. ¡°That means your custody falls to me,¡± Peter informed the young boy. ¡°Your mother¡¯s will make it very clear, in the event of passing full guardianship fell to me.¡± Nathan eyes went wide with shock. ¡°You cannot be serious!¡± ¡°I already called my lawyer,¡± Peter said as he waved his smartphone around. ¡°Your mother¡¯s will was quite specific. Full custody automatically falls me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to take this!¡± Nathan said, as he wasn¡¯t taking the news well. ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Peter informed him, ¡°Don¡¯t make me call Ray because I can assure you, he will not hesitate to drag you to the summer home kicking and screaming if he has to.¡± Nathan looked at his father in silence and seemed to want to say something but considering the situation, he knew it was best to keep quiet for now. ¡°Relax,¡± Peter continued, ¡°We are not leaving till the end of the week. You¡¯ll have more than enough time to get ready, but you are coming back with me to the summer home. Is that understood?¡± Nathan never took his eyes off his father and while he wanted to say something, his uncle was there to pat him on the shoulder and walk him down the hall to speak with him about it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Peter said to his sister-in-law as he gave her a hug and held her while she shed a tear for her sister. Peter didn¡¯t want to fight at this point, but he wasn¡¯t going to give Nathan the impression that he was going to be allowed to make his own decisions at his age. If Nathan had said nothing, Peter would have waited to bring up the subject himself but that still wouldn¡¯t have changed a thing. All the freedom Nathan enjoyed while he was staying with his mother was ending abruptly. Nathan¡¯s reckless, immature behavior was in dire need of a wakeup call and the phone was ringing loudly. Peter was dead serious about calling Ray to drag the boy back to the summer home kicking and screaming, as this Sheriff was the kind of lawman who would enjoy that kind of activity. Peter was happy to see that might not be necessary, as it seemed that Christina¡¯s brother wasn¡¯t going to challenge him and was well aware that custody of Nathan would be with his father, no question. The hard part for Peter was actually going to be breaking the new to Sonya and the kids back at the summer home. Talking to her on the phone later that night, Sonya took the news of their new resident much better than he thought she was going to. The truth was Sonya was smart enough to understand that custody would likely to go Peter in the event the other parent passed away. She suggested they use the pullout couch for now until they could purchase another bed and then have Nathan and Jacob share a room since his room was big enough to handle them. Peter was iffy about packing the two boys into the room, but sleeping on the couch all summer wasn¡¯t a very fair option either. Making them share a room could also help them bond, Sonya also suggested. Peter didn¡¯t know if forcing the issue would help but it was their best option at the moment. If necessary, he could speak to Ray about expanding the summer home, and maybe paying for some of the renovations if necessary. Peter spent the next few days talking to professionals and making preparations for Christina¡¯s funeral. Christina¡¯s family wanted to contribute but Peter knew they didn¡¯t have the means to do that without stretching themselves thin. Peter had the means to make it happen and insisted on taking care of everything himself. He of course went out of his way to let Christina¡¯s sisters participate as much as possible to pick things and have their preference as they knew better to what their sister would have wanted. Peter didn¡¯t really offer any opposition at all; what they wanted was what they got. It was the least he could do to make sure things were done right. Peter offered to let Sonya and the kids fly up for the service, but she declined. She believed the last thing she things Christina¡¯s family wanted to see was the second wife, which could bring up some bitterness from what happened in the past. Peter really did appreciate the fact that his wife was going out of her way to be respectful. He also knew that she was probably busy preparing for Nathan¡¯s arrival and she would have to explain to the girls what happened. Peter felt bad not being there to help out, as it was the first time they would have to explain the concept of death to the girls. Yet the girls were smart, and he knew Sonya¡¯s training as a teacher would be just right when explaining it all to them. Four days after her passing, Christina Anderlini was laid to rest in the same cemetery that most of her family was buried. There were a lot of sad faces and not a dry eye during in the in-church service. Peter went out of his way to make sure there was a performer booked to play one of Christina¡¯s favorite songs while they did a photo show that showed the deceased throughout her life. It was a moving tribute and each person who stepped up had nothing but kind words to say before finally the service ended. Peter and Nathan walked behind the casket as it was being carried out of the church. As he exited the church and watched as the pallbearers put the casket into the car, Peter walked up to his son that was watching the same thing. Peter stood just behind Nathan. ¡°We have a place ready for you at the summer house,¡± Peter reminded him, ¡°I hope you¡¯ve had a chance to pack your bags.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t have a choice in the matter, do I?¡± Nathan finally asked after making his father wait a few seconds for his answer. ¡°No,¡± Peter confirmed. ¡°You do not.¡± ¡°What if I get the police involved?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°That would be difficult considering your godfather Ray is the local Sheriff.¡± Peter replied, ¡°If anything, Ray has the authority to solicit the local police to help us drag you there.¡± Peter didn¡¯t want to rub it in, but he was intent to make his stand as early as possible and establishing his authority. He wouldn¡¯t publicly judge the way Christina raised their son on her own, but he refused to be walked all over like she was when Nathan was entering his teens. ¡°My bags are with my uncle.¡± Nathan eventually said, ¡°I brought them from the house.¡± It was obvious to Peter that the young man didn¡¯t relish the idea of leaving the city for the summer. There was no need to worry school because the accident had occurred at the beginning of summer. That at least gave everyone a few months to get reacquainted before having to worry about the coming school year. ¡°Good man.¡± Peter said as he patted his son on the shoulder. It might have been too soon as Nathan responded by just walking away. All Peter could do was deeply sigh, fully aware that he had his work cut out for him. The kid hated his guts and even that was a complete understatement. Peter had no misconceptions about how this summer was going to be a little different, as Nathan wasn¡¯t going to make anything easy for anyone. While he was tempted to crack down on the kid as hard as he could, Peter still had to cut Nathan a shred of slack because of all he¡¯d been through. Just like the rest of his family, they were mourning the loss of one of their own. After the burial service was completed, Nathan went to his uncle¡¯s car to grab his bags. He never said a single word to Peter as he tossed the bags in the back of his father¡¯s car and then sat in the passenger seat. Peter took a deep breath and knew this was the beginning of something that wasn¡¯t going to be very pleasant. He had been asking for Nathan to come out to the summer home for years, and now due to circumstances beyond their control he was about to get his wish. Peter watched the teenager sit in the car and while he looked amazing in the suit he was wearing for the service; he knew it was a cover for the brat that was going to rebel and go out of his way to make his father¡¯s summer a living hell. He felt for Sonya and the kids, but Peter was not going to walk out on his son. He didn¡¯t have a choice when he ended his marriage with Christina, but Nathan was his blood. He was family, and Peter had never stopped trying to be a part of his life. He tired to do things with him like see movies or sports events, but Nathan never wanted to. Peter was hoping this summer was going to be the beginning of a new relationship with his son. He knew things was going to get worse before it got better, and Peter was willing to weather the storm in order to mend things with his first child. He had no idea what he was getting himself into but stepped into the car and get things started. There was no time like the present. 5. The New Kid The flight back to the coast was relatively quiet. Nathan never said a single word to Peter despite the fact that his father went out of his way to book first class to make their trip back to the summer home as comfortable as possible. Rather than fight the silence, Peter decided to enjoy it while he could. To him this was like the calm before the storm, and there would be a time later in the summer when he was likely going to wish for times this quiet. When they landed, Ray was there to give them a police escort back to the house. Peter wasn¡¯t kidding and Nathan couldn¡¯t help but feel intimidated as Ray went out of his way to look as imposing as possible. Ray even took the time to wear his body armor, club, and sidearm just to go out of his way to scare Nathan and subtly remind him beyond a shadow of a doubt exactly who was in charge. ¡°How was your flight?¡± Ray asked as he helped with Peter¡¯s bags. ¡°Surprisingly quiet,¡± Peter observed as he picked up Nathan¡¯s bags. ¡°How are Sonya and the kids doing?¡± ¡°They are ready for their new guest,¡± Ray said with a warm smile. Nathan couldn¡¯t see Ray¡¯s eyes because they were hidden behind a pair of classic clich¨¦ sunglasses you would expect an actor to wear in a cheesy cop drama. ¡°We¡¯re not going to get any trouble from you, are we boy?¡± Ray asked Nathan with an alpha male, chest beating tone. The look worked as Nathan was again greatly intimidated. ¡°No, Sir.¡± The young man quietly replied. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear,¡± Ray said, tossing the bags into the back of his truck and closing the door. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that the house you¡¯re going to be staying at this summer to me. I rent it to your father, so try to be gentle with my home while you¡¯re there. We clear on that, son?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Nathan repeated. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ray growled, and Peter was doing whatever he could not to chuckle. ¡°Because if you give this man any trouble that I don¡¯t much approve of, I will not hesitate to toss your ass into the slammer for a night or two.¡± Ray spit out a toothpick that he was chewing on before getting into the truck. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Peter said, as he believe Nathan got the point. ¡°I¡¯ve got the impression that Sonya is making a nice dinner for everyone.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move.¡± Ray said, getting into the driver¡¯s seat. Peter could see what Ray was doing and he couldn¡¯t help but feel proud that his friend was going to be there for him should Nathan get even a little out of control. Peter knew Nathan was going to be a handful but had no idea how bad things could get this summer. The fact that he had the backing of his best friend meant the world to Peter. Ray knew everything and was the one guy who had control of any situation and in his town, which was exactly how he preferred to keep it. It took about an hour, but Ray finally pulled into the long driveway just as it was sun was starting to set. Nathan was going to have to wait till morning to get a good idea of how big the house way and where it was situated. Peter had a feeling after a while Nathan might enjoy spending time out here and hopefully future summers as well. Ray put the truck into park, opened the doors, and went to the back to grab their bags. ¡°Get over here boy,¡± Ray called out, ¡°Carry your own junk into the house.¡± Before Ray had to ask Peter came over and grabbed his own bag and walked up to the house. Sonya was at the door to hold it open for the guys as they arrived. Once all the men walked into the house they could smell the feast that she had made for them all. It was a nice spread of Lasagna with more than enough garlic bread on the side for everyone to have a few pieces. Ray put one of Nathan¡¯s bags down on the pullout couch and gave Sonya a soft and friendly hug. ¡°That smells great girl.¡± He said with a smile. Sonya didn¡¯t return the smile. ¡°Ray, we¡¯ve talk about this before. Please put your gun and stick back into the truck.¡± Ray could tell from the scowl on her face that she meant it and he had forgotten all about it. ¡°Of course,¡± Ray conceded, ¡°I¡¯ll take them out right now.¡± Ray left the house and started to walk back to the truck. Sonya turned to face the two men who had entered with Ray. ¡°Dinner is ready so wash up,¡± she informed the young man. ¡°Grab whatever sea you like so we can all get started.¡± They did as they were told and as Peter came out to take his seat, he realized that Nathan had instinctively taken the head chair, which Peter usually took himself. Nathan was unaware of that so he couldn¡¯t be faulted for it, for now. Peter was going to be okay taking one of the side seats and gave one of his daughters seated beside him a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Wow that smells great.¡± Peter said, smiling back at his wife. Ray returned back into the house, and it only took him a moment to realize what the seating order was. Unlike Peter, he was having none of it. ¡°You,¡± Ray called out, pointing to Nathan who looked back up at same tough guy who had been harassing him all day long. ¡°That seat¡¯s reserved. Grab that one over there beside Jacob.¡± Nathan took a deep breath but said nothing as he got up out of the seat and moved to another spot that Ray had ordered him to occupy. Ray then looked back at Peter and gestured for him to take back his seat. Peter could tell what Ray was doing but he was unsure if it was going to work or not. By being a royal pain in the ass, Ray was content to play the bad cop, trying to make Peter the lesser of two evils. It was Ray¡¯s hope that that Nathan would prefer to work with Peter and thus avoid getting Ray¡¯s boot firmly planted in his ass. ¡°This looks great,¡± He said, sitting down beside Sonya. You¡¯ve outdone yourself again, little lady.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Everyone dig in before it gets cold.¡± ¡°You heard her,¡± Ray echoed, ¡°Move it or lose it.¡± Everyone dug in and enjoyed their food and chattered about trivial stuff while enjoying every succulent bite. Peter didn¡¯t eat very much but managed to finish half his plate before excusing himself and retreating back to his room. The rest of the family was used to this already and didn¡¯t say anything as Peter left the room. Before anyone could say anything about it, one of the girls, Fiona said something first. ¡°Are you my brother?¡± she calmly asked. Nathan could tell she was talking to him. He took a moment to finish what he had in his mouth before replying. He could also see three pairs of eyes on him as Jacob, Sonya and especially Ray were watching to see what his answer would be. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yes,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re stuck with me, squirt.¡± The two girls seemed excited to have another brother in the house, since they got along with Jacob most of the time. Nathan was also six years older than the two girls, so they had a new big brother and were still the babies of the family, which suited them both just fine. Sonya started to clear the table after everyone had finished. ¡°We¡¯ll have dessert later tonight, give your meal a chance to digest.¡± With that everyone parted from the table and went their separate ways. She usually left dessert for later if the main course was very filling. Better to use it as a pre-bedtime snack to give their bellies time to make room. Ray helped with the table and stayed in the kitchen to speak with Sonya. As he was helping out, Sonya stopped to ask a question. ¡°How did Peter do out there?¡± she asked. ¡°Considering the situation, I think he did well.¡± Ray said as he passed a few plates over. ¡°I¡¯ve been married a few times, but I haven¡¯t had to go through what he had to endure this week. I can see he¡¯s not eating much. When did that start?¡± ¡°A few months ago,¡± Sonya said as she started to pour water into the sink. ¡°He¡¯s been trying but he doesn¡¯t pack it away like he used to.¡± ¡°It was bound to happen,¡± Ray checked his watch. ¡°I¡¯m on duty tonight so if you guys need anything at all, you know how to reach me.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ray.¡± Sonya said without turning back. Ray was already halfway to the door. ¡°No problem Sonya. Thanks for the grub. It was fantastic.¡± With that the Sheriff stepped out of the house and was gone. He walked back to his truck and pulled back out to town to take care of everyone else. Sonya watched as the truck pulled away and disappeared into the night. When she turned around, she could see Nathan in the living room looking around for something, so she walked over from the kitchen. ¡°Do you need any help settling in?¡± She asked him. ¡°I¡¯m okay, thank you.¡± Nathan said, surprising her with his manners. Yet she could tell there was something on his mind. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Sonya inquired. ¡°What was with Dad at the table?¡± Nathan asked, ¡°He barely ate anything. I remember when he used to eat seven full plates at the Chinese buffet. Yet tonight he could barely finish his first. What gives?¡± Sonya took a deep breath. ¡°He¡¯s getting older Nathan. I¡¯m afraid this is what happens when time creeps up on us. As we age, things are bound to change, sometimes not for better.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Nathan said as he was rifling through one of his bags. Sonya went back to the kitchen to resume doing the dishes but watched Nathan as he tried to settle himself in. Sonya had lost her parents at a young age so she kind of understood what the young man was going through. But she couldn¡¯t force her views on him, well aware that she would have to wait for him to come to her first. That¡¯s how she was until she was willing to hear people out, and believed that Nathan would be no different. Sonya instead decided it would be best to let Nathan settle in and see how things worked out from there. She would keep an eye on him but only give him enough space to get used to his new surroundings. She could tell by the young man¡¯s posture and demeanor that he wasn¡¯t a happy camper. Most teens have their rebellious phases, but Nathan looked like he was going to spend the majority of his teens going through his. The loss of his mother wasn¡¯t going to make things any easier as well. Ray could tell that too which is probably why he was in Nathan¡¯s face so much today. It was clear Ray was using fear to make sure Nathan knew his place and didn¡¯t challenge his father as much as they both knew he was going to. She worried about Peter, and the pressure he was under this summer to work on his new project, among other things that were stressing him out. A family crisis was the last thing he needed on his plate, but here they were. After she finished up with the dishes, Sonya grabbed some blankets and pillows that she had earlier unearthed from the linen closet and brought them into the living room for Nathan. ¡°Here you go,¡± She said, passing them over. ¡°Some sheets and pillows for you. It¡¯s not the most comfortable bed we have here, but it beats sleeping on the floor.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nathan grumbled as he accepted the sheets and pillows. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be your spot for a little while,¡± Sonya filled in, trying to make the teen more comfortable. ¡°Your father and I are going to get a new bed in town later this week. We¡¯re going to put it in Jacob¡¯s room and you two will be roomies for the remainder of the summer. The room is on this floor and closer to the back, so it¡¯s a bit more private than the rest of the bedrooms. I hope that¡¯s alright with you.¡± Nathan sighed, ¡°That will be fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Nathan,¡± Sonya started, as she tried to find the words. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about what happened to your mother. If you ever want to talk about it, I¡¯ll be here if you need someone to listen.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nathan said again, as he pulled out the bed from the couch and started to put the sheets out. Sonya decided not to push her luck any further. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Night,¡± Nathan said back to her. Sonya knew the heartbreak the poor boy was going through but, it was too early for him to open up. She went back to her bedroom, and there sitting on their bed was Peter. Glasses on and laptop on his legs, he was typing and working on the new project, probably for the first time in forever. ¡°How goes the work?¡± she asked as she walked into the room. ¡°Slow,¡± Peter said as he took his glasses off to rub his eyes. ¡°I thought the few days off would help me get back on track, but it didn¡¯t. This is going to be a slow and very painful process.¡± ¡°I know you can do it. You¡¯ve never missed a deadline yet.¡± Sonya said as she leaned over and gave her husband a small peck on the cheek. She could tell he was frustrated but was still trying none the less. His latest work was a sequel to an earlier novel he had written that he swore he would never write a sequel to. His publishers and agents had been dying and begging him to write one because it would be a guaranteed bestseller. Peter gave in and was doing his best to make something work, but it was hard for him. Usually, he liked to work on newer stories yet this one was proving to be a chore rather than a labor of love. While he wasn¡¯t in this book as much as he liked to be, Peter still worked hard to make sure he gave out a quality product. He closed the laptop and put it on the night table beside the bed. ¡°How¡¯s Nathan doing down there?¡± Peter asked. ¡°So far so good.¡± Sonya called out from the master bathroom. ¡°The calm before the storm,¡± Peter said as he got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. He only had to pee, and Sonya didn¡¯t mind sharing as long as it wasn¡¯t the other duty people do in the bathroom. She took a look at Peter¡¯s face as he passed by the mirror on his way to the can. ¡°Did your razors go on strike?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to look creative, get into that whole writer groove.¡± Peter said with a smile as he lifted the seats to do his thing. ¡°Well rugged writers don¡¯t get any action around here, mister.¡± Sonya replied, as she promptly left the bathroom. ¡°Noted.¡± Peter said as he concentrated on what he was doing. After he was done he quickly scooted back to bed and put the laptop back in front of him. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being selfish?¡± he asked her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sonya said, countering with a question of her own. ¡°Well, I mean dragging Nathan out here when clearly he doesn¡¯t want to be.¡± Peter started to explain, ¡°I could just tell this wasn¡¯t exactly his preferred option. I just feel like I¡¯m pushing things for my own benefit, rather than his.¡± ¡°Peter, that¡¯s not fair.¡± Sonya firmly replied, ¡°If you and Ray didn¡¯t drag him here, there is a good chance many years from now he¡¯ll beat himself for not being here with you for the summer. I¡¯d rather see him whimper and whine now than put himself through that kind of heartache later.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Peter replied, knowing better not to argue. He already knew she was right. Regardless of how either of them felt, they needed to work through things now rather than later. Peter didn¡¯t have a damn clue how he was going to do that, but he would have to think of something soon. If his new book were any indication of how his thought process was going, it wasn¡¯t a good sign of things to come. Tossing another monkey named Nathan on his back, and Peter had the feeling summer was going to be more exhausting and stressful for Peter. He wanted peace and quiet so that he could try to complete this book for his agent and publisher. Most of all he wanted to finish it for Sonya because this book was a guaranteed jackpot payday. Fans had been screaming for a sequel for years since he wrote one of his better selling books. It also meant that Sonya and the kids would be financially set for many, many years with or without Peter. After what happened to Christina, Peter was more determined than ever to use his current works to create a nest egg so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about college fees, house payments or anything else should something expected occur. It was not the message he wanted to walk away from the week with, but he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how his own family would survive should he suddenly pass on without warning. While the added stress wasn¡¯t needed, Peter wasn¡¯t going to back out on his son when the kind really needed him. They would make things work out, one way or another. 6. Grand Theft Auto When everyone woke up the next morning, it felt a little more back to normal than some had assumed it was going to be. The kids were stirring earlier than the parents but that happened everyday, and Peter made the effort to get up rather than veg in bed and procrastinate. He was eager to see how Nathan slept that night and whether or not he was getting along with his siblings. Peter crept down the stairs and realized the bed was already folded back into the couch and Nathan was no where to be seen. He strolled into the kitchen where the kids were munching on cereal to see if his son was there with the other kids. This however was not the case as Nathan wasn¡¯t in the kitchen either. Peter looked around a little more. ¡°Has anyone seen Nathan this morning?¡± Peter asked the kids. ¡°Nope.¡± One of the girls called back. ¡°Not me,¡± Jacob said as he was actually frying an egg for his breakfast. His mother had been showing him slowly how to cook his own stuff and he had taken a liking to this independence but was all right starting with just the simple stuff. ¡°Maybe he went for a walk on the beach,¡± One of the girls suggested. ¡°Maybe.¡± Peter said as he wandered around. Something didn¡¯t feel right to him but at the moment he was too tired to tell what was out of place. He decided to keep checking after he got a cup of coffee into his system. Peter walked over to the machine and put together a strong batch and set the machine to brew a whole pot for Sonya and himself. They would likely have it entirely done by lunch, mostly him because Peter required a lot of caffeine to concentrate on his work. While Peter was watching the coffee pot do its thing, something dawned on him. He was looking past the coffee machine and at the door. Right beside the door was a small hook. It was not the hook that caught Peter¡¯s attention, but the fact that something wasn¡¯t hanging on it that looked out of place. That was the hook where Sonya left her keys. He stood up straight and walked over to the hook. Peter paused for a moment and then bolted upstairs to the bedroom. As he came bursting into the room, Sonya was in the bathroom cleaning herself up and getting ready to come down. ¡°Sonya.¡± Peter asked as he came into the room. ¡°Where are your keys?¡± ¡°Where they always are,¡± Sonya said, never taking her eyes off the mirror. ¡°On the hook by the door.¡± Peter took a deep breathe. Why would Nathan take Sonya¡¯s keys? Then the answer came to him, and he ran over to the bedroom window. ¡°Aw, shit!¡± he called out when he realized something when he opened the window. Sonya¡¯s red car was missing. Nathan had not only taken the keys, he had stolen the minivan. Sonya came out of the bathroom when she realized her husband was really upset. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Nathan isn¡¯t here, and neither are your keys or the van!¡± Peter said as he moved the drape aside to reveal the empty parking lot outside their summer house. ¡°Aw, shit!¡± Sonya said also called out as she looked outside. She was anticipating some form or rebellion from Nathan, but this was too much too soon. ¡°What the hell are we going to do about this?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Peter said, taking out his cell. ¡°I¡¯ll get Ray to take care of it.¡± Peter said as he took out his cell phone and dialed the number. From the sounds of it, Ray was already on the road, likely ending a very long night shift when he picked up. ¡°Ray, it¡¯s Peter. We have an issue here at the house with Nathan.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Ray replied. ¡°What has that little shit done?¡± ¡°Oh, not much,¡± Peter answered, trying to stay calm. ¡°He got up early, took Sonya¡¯s keys, and stole the van.¡± ¡°Why that little piece of shit!¡± Ray cursed, as Peter could hear the sound of his car turning around. ¡°Please tell me that van has all the fixings.¡± ¡°You know it does,¡± Peter answered. ¡°Then this is going to be the shortest car theft in the history of this town,¡± Ray said as he asked Peter to text all the information on the vehicle and he would call it in himself. ¡°I¡¯ll call ya back when I have him.¡± Peter hung up the phone and looked back at Sonya. ¡°Everything will be fine.¡± He honest said with a warm smile. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Sonya said, visibly upset. ¡°When I got this minivan, I didn¡¯t hold back on any of the extras.¡± Peter explained, ¡°That van has a GPS tracker and an override that can be remotely activated. When Ray gets close enough to the car, he will call the company and ask for them to do an emergency remote shutdown. The car will stall and act like its out of gas and Nathan will have to pull over. Ray will jump in and that¡¯s it; game over.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that with cars these days.¡± Sonya said, as she started to calm down a bit. ¡°Technology has improved greatly,¡± Peter said as he came over and gave her a hug. ¡°Despite what he¡¯s done, I feel sorry for my son right now. When Ray gets his hands on him, that kid is in serious trouble.¡± * * * * * Nathan punched the dashboard in frustration. He was barely a few miles out of town and the car was not responding to his commands. The engine just seemed to die without and notice or alarms to give him any indication that something was wrong. Before he could do anything else, the answer to his questions came running up on him like a bat out of hell. Ray¡¯s truck, with lights on and siren blaring came over the hill and screeched to a halt in front of the minivan and its thief. Nathan watched in fear as the big Sheriff got out of his truck, took off his sunglasses and gave him the coldest stare he had ever seen in his entire life. Ray had just finished a night shift and wasn¡¯t in the mood to negotiate. ¡°You listen here, boy!¡± Ray roared at him, slamming his own door as he almost growled every word, ¡°Get your punk ass out of the car, or I¡¯ll drag you out through the damn window myself!¡± Daniel was about to say something, but Ray never gave him the chance. ¡°NOW!¡± Ray called out at the top of his lungs. Nathan didn¡¯t need to be asked twice as he stepped out of the van and slowly took a few paces towards the big man. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nathan called out. ¡°Oh, you will be, I guaran-damn-tee it.¡± Ray said as he walked over and grabbed the kid back the back of the head. He slammed Nathan¡¯s chest into the front hood of the van and immediately took out his handcuffs. ¡°Nathan Anderlini¡­ you are under arrest for grand theft auto, reckless endangerment, driving without a license, and pissing me off before breakfast!¡± He cuffed the punk and treated him no differently than he would any other perp who had just stolen a car. He tossed Nathan into the back of his car and called in the stolen van to the station. Ray slammed the door with authority, and practically growled as he walked up to the front and pulled out the radio from his jacket. He called someone to come out and get Peter¡¯s van and have it towed. They both waited there for the two truck to arrive. Ray walked over and took the driver aside and talked to him far enough away so that Nathan couldn¡¯t hear them. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°What happened here?¡± the tow driver asked. ¡°Grand theft auto ended by remove shutdown,¡± Ray answered. ¡°Damn, Sheriff,¡± the tow driver said, mildly impressed. ¡°Now that is how you start the day.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Ray said, as he wasn¡¯t in the mood for chitchat, ¡°I wanted you to tow this thing to Dave¡¯s garage, and get him to restore the vehicle. After that tell Dave to get someone to drop it off at my summer home with the Anderlini family.¡± ¡°Will do, Sheriff,¡± the tow driver said, tipping his cap. ¡°Good man,¡± Ray said, as he passed the man a nice tip for being cooperative. After speaking to two driver, Ray took out his cell and contacted Peter. After a few rings there was an answer. ¡°Peter, it¡¯s Ray. We got the little bugger just on the outskirts of town. The van is fine, and the override worked perfectly. He¡¯s in the back of my truck right now and I just wanted to ask what you guys wanted to do. Alright, that sounds good to me. I¡¯ll meet you at the station. Don¡¯t hurry on our account; I want this kid to have plenty of time to think about what he¡¯s done.¡± Nathan watched as Ray finally returned to the truck and sat back down in the driver side seat and closed the door. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Are you taking me back to the summer house?¡± Ray let out a soft chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ve broken the law kid. We don¡¯t sent criminals to any summer homes here, son. We process them and bring¡¯em to the judge. We¡¯ll let him decide what happens to you next.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not going home?¡± Nathan said, somewhat shocked. ¡°You catch on quick, genius.¡± Ray said as he started his truck. ¡°You stole a car, son. So, I¡¯m taking you back to the station and am going to process you. I suggest you shut your cake hole and exercise your right to remain silent.¡± The big man never said another word as he pulled out and left the van to the two driver to take care of. As he was driving back to the station, Ray could sense that Nathan was experiencing multiple emotions as he was being brought to justice. There were moments when he was afraid and scared for his life. Then there were times when Ray could have sworn the kid was going to break down and start crying, but he never did the entire trip to the station. Ray considered talking to the young man but didn¡¯t want to be kind to him just yet. Ray was determined to keep playing the bad cop, as it was his specialty and his favorite role to play. After pulling into his own parking spot in front of the station, Ray hopped out of the car with a huff and then slammed the door. He then proceeded to open the back door and drag Nathan out who seemed to squirm a bit now that the fear of being arrested had finally kicked in. Ray knew how to work with it and had no issue dragging the little punk inside. Once in the main lobby, Ray handed off the boy to one of his few deputies that was waiting. ¡°Process this punk,¡± Ray ordered, ¡°Also give him his own cell so he can have some quiet time to process what deep shit he¡¯s in.¡± ¡°What are the charges, boss?¡± the deputy asked. ¡°That would be grand theft auto, driving without a license, driving without insurance, reckless driving, and pissing me after a long night shift.¡± Ray said, taking off his hat as he walked off towards his office. ¡°Alright boss,¡± The deputy called out, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that right now.¡± The deputy said as he took Nathan by the arm and dragged him to a specific room for booking. Nathan cuffs were finally taken off but only so that he could be fingerprinted and processed by the deputy. He could see Ray was still watching him from his office, but the only difference was he was enjoying it a little more with a cup of coffee and a honey curler donut. Once booking was done, they took Nathan¡¯s mug shots before finally taking him down to the basement where the holding block was. There were several cells down there, but because this was such as small town there were hardly anyone down there. Usually on a Friday or Saturday night you¡¯d fill two or three with people who had too many to drink and were causing a ruckus, but this morning on a weekday every cell in the block was empty. Nathan was a little nervous because it was so dark down there but that soon changed when the deputy put on the lights. Every cell had a single bed, a bench, and a toilet with a sink. Nathan was tossed into one of the modest cells, the one closest to the door. After locking in, the deputy pointed up to the camera on the opposite side for the bars, letting the little guy know that they would be watching. ¡°See you a lunch, kid.¡± The deputy called out, before slamming the cell shut. With that the deputy closed the main door which locked from both sides and went back upstairs to do more work. Nathan had light there in the cell, but it wasn¡¯t very much. Just enough to light his room and door going upstairs as the others were left off to conserve electricity. Nathan walked over to the bed and sat down. He didn¡¯t have a single thing to read or keep him busy. He had an mp3 player on him, but Ray took it away when patting him down. Even his cell phone which was capable of going online and watching videos was taken away as well. Ray wasn¡¯t going to cut the kid a bit of slack as he was determined make the kid¡¯s first visit in the slammer as uncomfortable as possible. The young man sat there in the cell, hugging his knees and took every second he was in there to think about his mother, as well as his life and where it was going. He also had plenty of time to figure out what an ass he had been and how much trouble he could really be in should anyone decide to press real charges. A criminal record would make his life a lot more difficult, which was the last thing he wanted. Nathan had promised his mother over a year ago that he would make it to college, but he was on the verge of breaking his promise because he didn¡¯t want to stay and try to get along with his new family. Nathan¡¯s new private hell was not his liking, and the longer he stayed in that dark and quiet cell the more comforting that summer house started to look. What felt like days of solitude was only a few hours when Ray finally came down to check up on him. The big sheriff came into the holding room carrying a small tray that was transporting his lunch: Soda crackers, an apple, a small carton of milk and a peanut butter and jam sandwich. ¡°Lunch time, kid.¡± Ray said, as he slipped the tray through an opening in the cell that was made for delivering food. Nathan hopped out off the bed and walked over to the cell door to take his tray of food. ¡°Thank you,¡± he quietly whispered before taking the tray back to the bed to eat. He hadn¡¯t eaten a thing that day and was quite hungry. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Ray said as he walked over to the other side of the hallway. There was a chair that he grabbed the top of it and made a small shrieking sound as Ray intentionally scraped it across the floor before sitting down on is backwards using the back of the chair to rest his arms. ¡°You and I need to have a little chat.¡± Ray informed him. ¡°About what?¡± Nathan said, not looking up from his lunch. ¡°About your future.¡± Ray simply answered. ¡°What about it?¡± Nathan came back with another question. ¡°Do you want to have one?¡± Ray asked, ¡°Because stealing cars and trying to cross a state line with it isn¡¯t the way to go, unless you¡¯re trying to flush any chance you have at a good life down the friggin¡¯ crapper!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather speak with to judge.¡± Nathan defiantly replied. ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s not going to happen for a while.¡± Ray answered, ¡°You see, his honor doesn¡¯t work on Fridays. If I know him, he¡¯s probably already at his favorite fishing hole, trying to catch a bite.¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°It means your ass is mine until Monday,¡± Ray answered, ¡°You see his honor also doesn¡¯t work on weekends. So, go ahead and be as stubborn as you want. I¡¯ve got oodles of time to wait for you to grow up. Since you don¡¯t seem to be in a very talkative mood right now, I¡¯ll give you more time to think it over. Supper is in five hours, so we¡¯ll try again then.¡± With that Ray hopped out of his chair, walked over to the door, and used his key to open and then relock on his way out. Nathan listened as Ray¡¯s hard boots made a distinctive sound as they made their way back up the stairs to the main floor. Until then Nathan really didn¡¯t know what it felt like to be truly left alone. He never really felt true solitude until that day when he spent hours and hours alone by himself, which Ray knew would really rattle the kid¡¯s cage. Nathan was a selfish brat that had really been taking advantage of his mother and her busy work schedules and it was about time he got a very serious reality check. The old sheriff knew the only way this kid was going to turn around and get back on the right track would treat him like a wild stallion. That meant Ray was going to have to break the young lad¡¯s spirit before any kind of rebuilding could take place. It was just the thing Nathan needed to get the message loud and clear. Being alone that day reminded him of many things. He quickly remembered that his mother was truly gone and could never show up to bail him out like she used. It also gave him the impression that if he didn¡¯t stop being such a punk, this might be the only view he might have for the rest of his natural life. Spending the rest of his life behind bars wasn¡¯t exactly how he wanted to honor his mother¡¯s memory, and that¡¯s when Nathan really started using the time he had to think about what was going on and more importantly, what he was going to do about. 7. I Fought The Law Peter arrived at the station with Sonya around two in the afternoon. Jacob had volunteered to watch the girls while they took care of the situation with Nathan and the van. Since the car was in Sonya¡¯s name, she decided to take care of that while Peter took care of his son. Divide and conquer was always her favorite move, and Peter couldn¡¯t argue with past results. They strolled into the station and could hear the lady at the reception desk call out to him as he strolled closer. ¡°Mr. Anderlini,¡± she called out, ¡°What a pleasant surprise!¡± ¡°I wish it were under better circumstances, but it¡¯s nice to see you again,¡± Peter admitted as he arrived. ¡°Is Ray still in?¡± ¡°Right over there, taking a nap.¡± She replied while making a gesture towards his office. ¡°He always sleeps before lunch after doing the night shift.¡± Peter wandered over to Ray¡¯s office, and the big man was lying down in his office chair with his feet up on his desk. He had a big cowboy hat that he never wore but only used it to cover his eyes whenever he wanted to catch a nap in the office. He looked like a cowboy that was catching a siesta under a tree in the afternoon. Peter softly knocked on the door. ¡°Hey there, space cowboy,¡± Pete called out, ¡°How goes the crime fighting?¡± Ray was a light sleeper, so he opened his eyes and groaned softly as he removed his feet of the desk. He smiled as he took the hat off his head and tossed it on the desk. ¡°Usually, I only have a light nap after a long night shift.¡± Ray replied as he got up from his chair. ¡°That way tonight when I hit the sack tonight I¡¯ll sleep like the dead.¡± Ray walked over and picked up his gun and holstered it. ¡°Let¡¯s go visit that good for nothing boy of yours¡± Ray mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a good bit of time to think things through.¡± Peter followed Ray down the stairs to the basement where the cells were. He had never been down here before, and while he never really expected it to be the Ritz, the cells were intimidating enough to make someone not want to come back which was likely the impression Ray wanted it to give people. Not having the best of accommodations might convince someone not to re-offend. Ray held the door open for Peter and as he walked in, he could see Nathan sitting on the bed. He had eaten most of his lunch and on has scraps left there. Ray closed the door behind him and stayed in the room. He felt having the bad cop in the room might make the kid a little more polite with the good cop, the role Peter was taking apparently with Ray too. ¡°Nathan.¡± Peter called out as he walked over. Nathan picked his head up to realize who was there. He heard the door open but assumed it was just Ray or a deputy. He wasn¡¯t expecting his father and almost jumped off the bed because there was a moment when he actually thought he was going to get out of there. When he realized Ray was with him, hopes of that started to fade. ¡°What do you want?¡± the young man replied. ¡°Well, my minivan back would be a good start.¡± Peter said as he folded his arms. ¡°Do you have an idea how much trouble you are in right now?¡± Nathan didn¡¯t answer the question and started to again exercise his right to remain silent. Ray didn¡¯t appreciate this disrespect as he took out his club and banged it against the bars with force. ¡°In case you don¡¯t already know,¡± Ray barked at him, ¡°You¡¯re in a whole heap of trouble!¡± ¡°Do you really want to get away from us that badly?¡± Peter asked. He really wanted to get an idea of where Nathan¡¯s head was at. ¡°I just wanted to get away from it all. It was changing so fast.¡± Nathan replied without looking back up. ¡°I didn¡¯t want too much change.¡± ¡°How does a few years a juvie sound, punk?¡± Ray cracked back at him, ¡°I can assure that¡¯s a huge mountain of change you want nothin¡¯ to do with!¡± Ray looked over at Peter who seemed to signal that was too much. He grinned and then quietly backed away. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I would prefer you come back to the summer house.¡± Peter said with complete sincerity. Sonya might kick his ass for it, but he still wanted a chance to mend things up with his son and not sabotage what he needed to do with him that summer. ¡°How do you figure that?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°I kind of committed a few crimes.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s our car.¡± Peter replied, ¡°Sonya and I could drop the charges.¡± Nathan stood up as that took him by surprise. ¡°You can do that?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°We could,¡± Peter confirmed, ¡°But I¡¯m only going to do that if you agree to lose the attitude, lose the criminal behavior, and just make an effort around the house to fit in at the house with everyone else.¡± ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t want to fit in.¡± Nathan snapped back, ¡°That¡¯s not my family.¡± ¡°I am your father.¡± Peter said in response to that. ¡°And even though Jacob is only a step brother, those two girls are your sisters. That makes us the only family you have left right now. I¡¯m not asking you to kiss the ring or kneel in complete obedience. I just want you to do your own thing within the same boundaries that everyone else has to follow. I¡¯d like to think that you would rather spend your time with Sonya and I with the kids rather than go to jail have a record that might stick with you for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d do that for me if I agreed?¡± Nathan asked again, suddenly appearing to be in a mood to negotiate. ¡°He can drop the biggest charge.¡± Ray said, stepping back into the conversation. ¡°That being the theft of his car. The other charges still stick because you were on the road without a license or insurance.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nathan said, sounding rather defeated. ¡°Well,¡± Ray said, as his tone change a bit, ¡°Before I took my nap, I made a call to the judge who happened to be in a good mood this morning as caught a few good fish. He says if the grand theft auto is dropped, he would be willing to dismiss the other charges on one condition.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°One hundred hours of community service.¡± Ray said with a grin. ¡°Considering what you¡¯re being charged with, that¡¯s quite a gift. Some people do hard time for what you¡¯re getting out of, so I¡¯d take it if I were you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to you.¡± Peter said, doing his best to keep a straight face. He couldn¡¯t believe it, but his good cop/ bad cop routine was actually working on the young man. Staying at the summer house with Peter would definitely seem a lot better than being behind bars for who knows how long. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Nathan said as he stood up. ¡°Does that mean I get to go home now?¡± In that split second, Nathan was no longer the rebellious teenager, but the young boy who just wanted to go home and that was the point of letting Ray keep him there all morning. Peter nodded his head and smiled. ¡°I already asked Ray to drop the charges.¡± Peter informed him, ¡°Sonya is upstairs finishing up the paperwork, and then we can leave.¡± Peter watched as Ray opened the cell for him and Nathan walked out and followed Peter up the stairs back to the main offices. There in the lobby talking with the receptionist was Sonya who already finished the paperwork and was informed the van would be returned from the garage after it was repaired. Peter could tell from her posture that she wasn¡¯t a happy camper. ¡°Nathan, you might want to take a moment to apologize to Sonya.¡± Nathan could tell why as he walked up to where she was standing. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for taking your van.¡± Nathan said, not looking her in the eyes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a start.¡± Sonya said with a sigh. ¡°At least there¡¯s no damage so I can¡¯t be too angry.¡± ¡°Very mature of you, Mrs. Anderlini.¡± Ray agreed. ¡°Sonya.¡± Peter started, ¡°Can you take Nathan out to the van so I can speak with Ray for a moment? It will only take a moment.¡± ¡°Of course, dear.¡± Sonya said as she made a gesture towards the door. ¡°After you.¡± She called out, and then watched Nathan exit before following him out. Peter turned back to face Ray. ¡°Community service?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ray said with a wicked grin, ¡°There are some projects that need to be done. Mr. Downs needs to paint the store but he¡¯s getting old, and I wouldn¡¯t want him to fall off that ladder. There¡¯s also a whole whack of things to do that will help out and it will give him something to think about the next time he even considers doing this again.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be afraid of me rather than you?¡± Peter replied. ¡°That would make things easier,¡± Ray conceded, ¡°But I know you Peter. You were never good at being the bad cop, and you need to get back to work on that new book. If my sister finds out all of this is delaying the release of the next sequel, I¡¯ll never hear the friggin¡¯ end of it.¡± Ray padded his friend on the shoulder. ¡°I was happy to help,¡± Ray also added, ¡°And I really hope Nathan¡¯s time here helping out the community will settle things down there for you at the house.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Peter said, turning to walked out of the station. He knew Ray was a true friend, looking out for him like the big brother that he never had. They always looked out for one another since the first day they met and had been best friends ever since. Ray didn¡¯t have many friends, but those he had were treated like kings. Peter knew what he had, and words couldn¡¯t express how he felt about their friendship. As Peter left the station, he could see that Nathan was in the back of the spare car. He looked whipped, and considering the kind of day he had it was to be expected. Peter hopped into the passenger side of the car and Sonya drove them back to the summer house for what was likely going to be Nathan¡¯s second round with his new surroundings and family. 8. Pancake Therapy It was early in the morning when Peter woke up the next day. He had set his cell phone alarm to go off early even though it was a Saturday and usually a day everyone would at least try to sleep in. Peter didn¡¯t want to take any chances this time out, as he insisted Sonya leave her keys in her purse. Peter also woke up early because he wanted to be the first on up to make sure no one attempted to jump he walls again before breakfast was served. Even though his body was screaming to go back to sleep Peter resisted, got himself up, and went to the bathroom to clean up. He straightened his hair, scratched his scruffy chin a little, and brushed his teeth before grabbing his notebook and tip toeing down the stairs. Much to his surprise, Nathan was still passed out on the pull-out couch which Peter assumed felt like the Waldorf compared to the cot Ray had his son lay on for half the day. A part of Peter kind of felt bad letting Ray do that to him, but he also knew that Nathan was perfectly safe. Ray only stayed at the station after his long night shift just to be there to watch over his son until Nathan was released. Peter knew what kind of friend Ray was, which was the kind you only find once in a lifetime. Much like the love of your life: when you find someone like that, you make sure they stay in your life for as long as possible. Real friends were a lot like wives. You guys will argue many times but easily forgive one another and always be there for support one another when things go wrong, much like what happened last week with Christina. Peter tried not to think about her at this point as all it did was upset him and he never liked writing anything in a bad mood. He quietly walked into the kitchen and put the notebook computer on the main table and pulled up a chair. He opened the laptop up and then set up his latest book and began to write. After writing a few lines, Peter stopped for a moment to dig into the fridge to grab a can of soda and some leftover finger foods to munch on. This was Peter¡¯s idea of heaven, working on a good book while eating leftovers and sipping an ice-cold soda this early in the morning. Usually if Peter managed to get anything done during this time, it was going to be like that for the rest of the day. He was typing away for what seemed like ages but was only about half an hour when there was suddenly more life in the house. Nathan was finally starting to stir, and it seemed like Jacob was up playing video games in his room. Peter disregarding them and kept hitting the keys, working on his book at a decent pace until someone finally came into the kitchen. It was Nathan who had folded up the couch and put the linings away before coming in to get something to eat. ¡°How did you sleep?¡± Peter asked his son. ¡°A lot better than I did when I was in the slammer.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with you there.¡± Peter replied, doing his best to keep a straight face. ¡°I know how rough those beds can be and I did not envy your position for a single moment.¡± Peter took a sip from his cola and resumed beating the keys on his laptop with his finger tips. He was in a groove and was trying to get any many words finished as he could before everyone else woke up and wanted something big for breakfast. ¡°How did you manage to get busted?¡± Nathan asked as he turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t you have the sheriff in your pocket?¡± ¡°Despite your assumption, it was that very same sheriff that tossed my ass in that cell to begin with.¡± Peter answered, ¡°That was a pretty rough day for me, and I had a little too much to drink. As a result of that sizable consumption, I started causing some trouble for the locals. Ray didn¡¯t hesitate to toss me in the slammer before I could really make a mess of things and left me there until I sobered up.¡± ¡°What kind of friend does that?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°The best kind,¡± Peter said without hesitation, ¡°Ray did that specifically because he was my friend. He would rather make me sleep in the slammer than wait for me to commit a crime that could have ruined my life and possibly my career as a writer. When he threw my ass in jail, he was looking out or me and my image.¡± ¡°Was he being a good friend to you when he let things slide for me?¡± Nathan asked without turning back. ¡°No,¡± Peter replied, ¡°Ray was being a friend to your mother.¡± It was a shot that made Nathan stop what he was doing and turn around with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding,¡± Peter insisted, ¡°Ray has known your mother just as long as I have. They were good friends too. He was there the day I met her, and he knew us from the exact day we became a couple all the way till the day we decided not to be one anymore. That¡¯s why we made him your Godfather.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Nathan said, shocked at what he just heard, ¡°That asshole who arrested me yesterday is my Godfather?¡± ¡°In a word, yes.¡± Peter confirmed with a grin, ¡°When your mother and I were together, Ray was always our biggest supporter and our closest friend. So, when he was looking out for you and making charges disappear, he was doing that for your mom just as much as he was doing it for me.¡± Nathan really didn¡¯t have a comeback for that so instead he turned back to the cupboards and keep looking for various items. This was when the girls came screaming down the stairs. Subtlety was never a strong point for them, and quite frankly they got it from their father. They were both wearing the same nightgown which made them completely identical since they both had their hair down. They stood side by side when the same question. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± they both asked in perfect unison. Before Peter could answer, Nathan spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m making pancakes.¡± Nathan called out. The two girl¡¯s faces lit up with excitement, and they started to dance around the room. Peter looked over the top of his laptop at his son. ¡°Do you know how to make pancakes, son?¡± he quietly asked. ¡°Of course, I do.¡± Nathan answered, as he started to mix everything into a massive mixing bowl. ¡°Grandpa taught me how to make them. He always said no matter how tough things got, or how much trouble you got yourself into, pancakes would always make everything go away.¡± ¡°That sounds like something he would say.¡± Peter said as he put his eyes back on the computer and his book. Peter looked over once in a while when he wasn¡¯t writing to observe as Nathan made pancakes for the entire family, something he clearly didn¡¯t know his son was capable of doing. Peter¡¯s dad made the best pancakes, so if he really did teach Nathan how to do them he was looking forward to trying a few. Peter was always the rebel of his own family, and never spent enough time with his own father to ever pry that recipe from him. Yet it appeared that the old man had no trouble showing his grandson how to make them, which some could argue might have been a dig at the son that never talked to him that much. It must have been the summer after he left his mother, Peter thought to himself. That summer Christina had to get major surgery done and since Peter was on a book tour, Christine asked his Dad to watch Nathan which his was more than happy to do. Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa did the little guy a lot of good cause spending time with grandparents shielded him from the pain he might have gone through living that summer in a broken household. Peter assumed that his own dad must have shown Nathan how to make his infamous pancakes to help him in the future, because the old man always said nothing would impress people more than a man who can make and flip a good flapjack. Peter closed the notebook and watched as Nathan made over a dozen pancakes in less than fifteen minutes. The old man had indeed taught him well because he had three pans and burners on at the same time and a plate in the microwave to take the early ones to keep the warm while the others are made. When it was all said and done, a half hour was all Nathan needed to make more than enough for the whole household to make, a gesture Peter was sure to appease the house and its masters. Sonya came down the stairs with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Who¡¯s been making pancakes?¡± She called out. ¡°Nathan did!¡± One of the girls called back up. Nathan served the girls first because he had made special pancakes just for them. The old man had shown him how to make different shapes like stars, triangles and other cool things that really impressed the young girls. Jacob didn¡¯t care as a pancake was a pancake and he thanked his step-bro for making them and proceeded to eat them en mass. Peter took only two, and even with that small amount he never finished them. Nathan looked quite confused when he noticed this. ¡°Is there anything wrong with your pancakes, Dad?¡± he asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s very good.¡± Peter answered, ¡°Better than your grandfathers actually. I just don¡¯t eat breakfast that much anymore. I also was munching on something earlier in the morning when I was writing.¡± ¡°May I then?¡± Jacob asked, as he had already cleared his plate. Peter passed his plate over and what was left disappeared in mere seconds. Nathan didn¡¯t seem upset that Peter didn¡¯t finish his serving as he was more puzzled than anything else. The young man seemed to let it pass as he went back to serving more for those who were still hungry and wanting more. ¡°Nathan, these are fantastic!¡± Sonya said as she dug into her own plate. ¡°Where did you learn how to make these?¡± ¡°Grandpa showed me how when I spent the summer with him.¡± Nathan answered without turning back. ¡°Will grandpa show me how to make them too?¡± one of the young girls asked with a grin on her face. Sonya was a little stunned by this question, but Peter stepped in to help her out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry honey, but that Grandpa is no longer with us.¡± Peter informed her, ¡°But I¡¯m sure if you¡¯re good Nathan would be more than happy to teach you how to make them when you¡¯re old enough to use the oven.¡± The little girl turned to Nathan who had just sat down to eat his own portion. ¡°Of course,¡± Nathan confirmed, ¡°When she¡¯s old enough to learn.¡± The table became a little quieter after that as everyone concentrated on working on their breakfast. Peter was the first to leave the table and he took his laptop with him to the back porch. He had a small chair and table set up so that he could watch the beach and the kids from there while getting some work done at the same time. Ray had even installed an outlet out there for him so that his laptop wouldn¡¯t have any battery issues, which would allow Peter to write there for hours or days on end if he wanted to. Peter had taken his coffee out with him, and the kids could hear the furious sound of fingers hitting the keyboard as he resumed working on his latest project. Sonya left the table to get herself a cup of coffee and Nathan used the moment to speak with Jacob. ¡°Hey bud,¡± Nathan started. ¡°How long has that been happening?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°Dad not eating his food.¡± Nathan asked. ¡°It happened the first night I was here and then again this morning. He¡¯s not eating anything.¡± ¡°To be honest,¡± Jacob said, as he stood to take his dishes to the sink, ¡°I first started noticing this about a month or two ago. I¡¯m not sure why, but he just doesn¡¯t seem to be that hungry lately.¡± Nathan watched Peter from the table and then went back to his own breakfast. Something didn¡¯t seem right but at the moment he decided it wasn¡¯t his place to pry too much, at least for the time being. His grandpa had always told him that pancakes make everything better and as usual the old bugger was right. Nathan didn¡¯t have to worry about the dishes because Jacob has already made up some water and cleaned up everything to show his appreciation for his belly full of flapjacks. It was one less thing Nathan had to worry about as he walked back to the living room to contemplate what he was going to do that day. He looked up on the wall and there was a massive collection of books beside the television. About four shelving units worth and for some reason Nathan couldn¡¯t find a single book that was listed under his Dad¡¯s name. Not much of a writer if you don¡¯t even want to display your own work, Nathan thought as he shrugged it of and went out the back door to go for a walk and get a feel for his surroundings. While pancakes are not always going to be the answer to everything, it was enough to make the peace and set a tone for the weekend. For that little while there was a little peace and quiet in the summer house. 9. Community Service For the remainder of the weekend Nathan was very quiet, as he rarely spoke to anyone expect to ask a question or help with something around the house. He did leave the house a few times, but only to go for a walk rather than joyride in Sonya¡¯s van again. This was a slight improvement, but Sonya was hoping to ground Nathan for what he had done. Peter felt it was a bit redundant since he didn¡¯t his own room yet and the young man still had to deal with Ray. It was pretty much like this all weekend, and Peter had no idea how or when the young man¡¯s brooding was going to expire. Sure, it was nice to have the house quiet and Nathan wasn¡¯t doing anything to provoke anyone, but things were about to change when the weekend ended. It was close to eight am Monday morning when Ray showed up in his truck to pick Nathan up for his first day of community service. Nathan wore something that was work appropriate but still cool to not die of embarrassment from. Ray was waiting by the truck as Nathan walked up to the truck and was ready to start paying his debt to society. Ray didn¡¯t say a word and only motioned for the young man to step into the truck. The two sat there and really didn¡¯t say much for most of the ride out there. Ray asked a few questions Nathan¡¯s previous work experience, what kind of weight he could lift, among other things. These were the kind of questions made Nathan a little nervous to what kind of back breaking work Ray had in store for him. Ray instead drove out to his station, and standing out front waiting to be to picked up were three other kids around Nathan¡¯s age. There were two boys and a girl waiting for Ray to show up and they all hopped into the back seat after he pulled up. After everyone was all settled in and seatbelts were fastened, Ray pulled out and tore off in the direction of where their labor was going to take place. The sheriff was a true supporter of community service, as he thought having kids work off their debt rather than giving them a criminal record. There were not that many college grads in the town to begin with, so townhall and the judge were cool with what Ray was doing with these kids. If they busted every kid and tarnished their record every time someone did something stupid, then no one in this town would ever get a chance to good post-secondary institution. When they reached the intended destination, Ray pulled the truck over. As the kids filed out of the truck, they got a good idea of where they were and what the grump Sheriff had in store for them. They were on the side of the highway, and along with side of it going as far back as fifty feet from the road was scores of trash littered all over the place. Ray went into the back of his truck and produced four bags and four bright orange jumpsuits. The kids all groaned when they caught sight of the jumpsuits. Not only did Ray want these kids picking up trash for the town, he wanted them to stick out so that anyone who passed by to also understand. He wanted every drive passing by to be made aware of what was being made for the benefit of mankind. Ray was the kind of person who believed in being perfectly upfront most of the time, but manly when it suited him and the fair people of his small town. The big man waited very patiently as all four of the teenagers put their jumpsuits on over the clothing they had chosen to wear that day. They would soon begin to regret that choice as combined with the orange suit was going to build up a lot of heat as they worked through the day. This was a mistake Ray was positive they would not make tomorrow, but he had water, ice, and oxygen in the back just in case. When they were all dolled up and ready to go, Ray stood up and handed each of them a small rake and a bag to sweep trash into. There was also a small spear like spike at the end so they could stab the garbage if it was too light to sweep up. Ray took a deep breath and then chucked when he saw the four of them looking like oranges that had fallen from a rather large tree. A moment he didn¡¯t hesitate to take a picture of with his cell phone. ¡°Okay, Sunkist kids,¡± Ray started, as he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°I¡¯m going to watch as you pick up every single piece of trash on the side of his highway. We¡¯re going to keep moving in that direction until we hit town or lunch, which ever comes first. After lunch, we¡¯ll do the other side of the road. Any questions?¡± ¡°Yes, how do I get out of here?¡± one of the smaller kids asked. ¡°You did the crime, Tropicana,¡± Ray chided back, his voice cracking like a whip, ¡°So, now you¡¯re going to do the time! And just in case any of you is thinking of even trying to scamper away: when I catch up with you, and I will catch up with you, all four of you will be punished as I will cuff you together like a chain gang. We clear on that?¡± None of the kids in orange kids said anything and just nodded to acknowledge. ¡°Very good,¡± Ray said, smiling at them, ¡°Well, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get to work¡­ pitter patter, people!¡± There were a few grumbles, but the four teens parted ways in search of trash by the side of the highway. Ray took a pose standing in authority over the teens as he watched them do their thing for the community. It looked like a scene out of a movie, and cars were honking their horns and waved to Ray which was their way of showing their approval for his brand of justice. People liked the idea of making kids work off their debt rather than sit on their asses in jail. Ray couldn¡¯t agree more as he also believed that society shouldn¡¯t give on the young as they were capable of change and had a higher rate of rehabilitation. He knew most of them were capable of changing their ways, so this was where they needed to be to make up for their mistakes now so that they were not repeated in the future. The kids didn¡¯t lollygag and hustled as they picked up trash promptly and were making good time for what they were asked to do. Nathan was not enjoying the work, but realized it was what he had to do. For him there clearly was no choice, and as he was picking on one piece on of the other teens was trying to get his attention. ¡°What is it?¡± Nathan said, as he wasn¡¯t yelling at the person, just raising his voice because the cars zipping by were so loud. ¡°There¡¯s a big piece by your foot,¡± she called over to him. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be bossy, but better hearing it from me than the highwayman over there.¡± Nathan laughed as he got the joke. ¡°No kidding, thanks.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± She replied before quickly getting back to work herself before Ray could notice that they were conversing. Every now and then she would point out something that Nathan almost missed, and he appreciated her assistance. They worked throughout the morning in the blazing sun and every hour or so, Ray would allow them to take water break in the shade before putting them back to work. The four kids collected a lot of trash to the point where Ray had to hand out some new bags to replace the ones they had already filled. The big sheriff was rather impressed with their work ethic, and when they reached a certain part of the highway he called out to them all to stop what they were doing. ¡°Alright, that enough for now!¡± Ray bellowed to no one in particular. ¡°Get back to the truck. It¡¯s time for lunch.¡± The four kids walked back to the truck, tossed their bags and rakes in the back, and looked like they wanted to get out of their jumpsuits. Ray, however, was having none of them. ¡°Not so fast,¡± Ray barked at them, ¡°Those suits don¡¯t come off until the day is done. We¡¯re just breaking for lunch so keep them on and start walking in that direction. Hop to it!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The kids groaned as they started to walk, not realizing that Ray had them working a specific part of the highway for a reason. The place he wanted to take them to lunch at a joint that was less than a block from where they were working. This was also the sheriff¡¯s personal favorites, as he walked the four teens into the place and sat them down at a corner booth where he could keep a close eye on them from his favorite stool at the main counter by the register. As he took a seat, Ray removed his clich¨¦ sunglasses and had a wide grin when his favorite waitress slowly walked over to came to take the big man¡¯s order. ¡°Hey Daphne,¡± Ray said with a warm smile. ¡°Raymond.¡± She said without looking up. ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± ¡°Well doll,¡± Ray said, gesturing to the four orange kids in the back. ¡°You see those four wearing their very fashionable jumpsuits?¡± ¡°I noticed,¡± Daphne said, ¡°Troublemakers?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be by the time I¡¯m done.¡± Ray said with a twinkle in his eye. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Daphne confirmed. ¡°So, four chain gang specials?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me, doll.¡± Ray said, as he approved, ¡°Four chain gang specials and an iced tea would do these kids just fine.¡± ¡°Any fixings?¡± the waitress asked. ¡°Just ketchup, relish, and cheese,¡± Ray answered, ¡°We¡¯re not savages.¡± ¡°And what will the big law man have?¡± Daphne asked. Ray paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll take a Ruben, with extra sauerkraut.¡± ¡°No salads for the kiddies?¡± Daphne asked. ¡°Fries will do,¡± Ray said, amused by the though. ¡°They¡¯ve suffered enough. I¡¯ll save the greens for if they misbehave.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Daphne inquired. ¡°I¡¯ll have a Dr. Pepper and coleslaw with my sandwich.¡± Ray said, as he was a sucker for a nice homemade coleslaw and this place served the best. Most of the kids were quiet, as if they were waiting for Ray to give them permission to speak. Yet once Ray¡¯s back was turned and he was speaking with the waitress again, they finally started to talk and mingle. Two of the boys who were already friends kept to each other and left Nathan to chat with his new friend which seemed alright by him. She had been a great help and he wanted to express his thanks for that help. ¡°My name is Nathan.¡± He said to her. ¡°Cheryl,¡± the young lady replied as she shook his hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet finally meet you, Nathan.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Nathan said, as she couldn¡¯t understand a single thing the other two teens were saying to each other. ¡°So, what did you do to land hard time with the Highwayman?¡± ¡°I stole something that wasn¡¯t mine,¡± Cheryl answered. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have done it, but it was something I really wanted. I got lucky because the store agreed to drop the charges as long as I returned it and agreed to community service.¡± ¡°I guess what¡¯s one way to land service to the town.¡± One of the other boys answered, ¡°but I¡¯ve got a lot more days lined up for this douche.¡± ¡°Better than serving real time,¡± Nathan admitted. ¡°True,¡± Cheryl agreed, ¡°Way better. This torture is far better than having it on our permanent record. No one us want that, and we know nothing in this day and age is ever sealed anymore so I want nothing in my record at all that can be hacked into later by someone else. Know what I mean?¡± Nathan hadn¡¯t really thought this far ahead but nodded anyway just to agree with her and keep things going. ¡°I understand. I wouldn¡¯t want that either.¡± ¡°So, what about you?¡± Cheryl asked, ¡°What did you do to get here?¡± ¡°I stole something too,¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Cheryl said, sounding intrigued. ¡°What did you swipe?¡± ¡°A mini van,¡± Nathan answered. The moment Nathan said those three words all three kids stopped eating their meal, and looked back at Nathan with stunned looks on their faces. Before anyone could say anything or ask a question, the waitress was there with an armful of burgers for each kid. The burger was quite good and after all the back breaking work they did, it was something they earned. This is why lunch was on the Ray, or at least his expense account. Most of them had nothing to say as they ate their food, but Nathan had no idea if he had impressed them with his confession or if he sounded lame, which was clearly his worst fear since he was starting to like Cheryl. After they finished their lunch and waited for Ray to finish his, the tall cop tipped his cap and watched as the teens made their exit and back out to the street they came from. ¡°Now we are going to do the other side of the highway.¡± Ray called out as they walked back to where the truck was. ¡°If you do just as good this afternoon, I might be tempted to give you all tomorrow off.¡± Ray wasn¡¯t so sure, but his offer seemed to work as they were doing double their usual pace. The four kids went to work with their new bags and picked up every small or large piece of trash they could find. Ray was reading a book on the hood of his truck, looking back to make sure all four were still there and working hard. He was again impressed with how hard they were working, but Nathan was staying close to Cheryl so he yelled at him a few times to make sure they spread out a bit so they would cover more ground. When it was all said and done, Ray was a very please with the work these kids put in that day. The highway leading to the only off ramp to his town looked amazing and was clear of garbage for now. After he dropped the first three teens off at the station for their rides to get them from there, Ray had a smile on his face as he pulled out and started to drive back to the summer house. ¡°You kids worked very hard,¡± Ray said, sounding rather proud, ¡°I do appreciate anyone who¡¯s willing to work their hands to the bone to pay their debt to society. That¡¯s stands for something around here: it¡¯s called character.¡± ¡°How much longer do I have to do this?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Since what you took was never damaged and you never damaged anything that belonged to the city, probably in about a week,¡± Ray honestly answered. That lack of damage was in truth the only reason the Judge was alright with slapping the young man on the wrists. That and the recent passing of the kid¡¯s mother. Ray pulled into the drive and looked over at Nathan. ¡°Good job today, son.¡± Ray said, as he pulled to a stop, ¡°Now take that jumpsuit in with you and make sure Sonya gives it a good scrubbing before tossing it in the laundry machine. Understood?¡± Nathan nodded as he stepped out and started walking back to the house. Peter was on the front porch, and he watched Nathan stroll past him in his orange jumpsuit and entered the house without saying a word. Peter looked back at Ray with a look that judged the Sheriff. ¡°What?¡± Ray called out. ¡°Orange jumpsuits?¡± Peter asked a shrug, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little clich¨¦?¡± Ray took a look down at himself and then back at Peter, ¡°Can you name a single thing on he that isn¡¯t clich¨¦d¡±? Peter thought about it for a moment. ¡°Well played, sir.¡± ¡°Relax,¡± Ray called out, still smiling. ¡°It builds character.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Peter called back. After he watched Ray pull away from the driveway and back towards his own fortress of solitude, Peter walked into the house and could tell how exhausted Nathan was as he was pealing the jumpsuit off to reveal how sweaty and ruined the clothes underneath were. Peter walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed an empty laundry hamper. ¡°Throw them in here, all of them. I¡¯ll wash them out tonight.¡± Nathan looked at him, a little confused. ¡°You do the laundry here?¡± ¡°Not all of it,¡± Peter retorted, ¡°Just my own and sometimes I do the girls. I¡¯ve been doing my own laundry since I was twelve. Your grandmother was a nurse and she worked very long hours, so it seemed very unfair to make her do all that work when she came home. I asked her to show me so I could do it myself and it was one less thing for her to handle. I actually enjoyed the ability to do it myself because I tinkered with the machine until I knew just how the right combo would make my clothes feel just right. Funny part is when I went to college I was one of the only people moving in that knew how to do their own laundry. I thought it was a lot of fun showing a lot of new co-eds how to wash their delicates.¡± ¡°Nice one,¡± Nathan said with a grin. He paused for a moment. ¡°Could you show me how to wash my clothes? I mean I would like to know how to clean this jumpsuit by myself so I can do it whenever I get home.¡± Peter tried his best not to grin and nodded. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d love to. I think this is something every kid around your age should know. You never know when you¡¯re going to need to use it. Like if you need a specific shirt for an important date you go and wash it yourself. Or if there is a huge mess of towels after cleaning up the mess from a big party and you want them clean before our parents come back from their long trip. That¡¯s stuff you don¡¯t want your mom or dad handling in the laundry room.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Nathan said again as he followed his father into the laundry room to learn something rather essential. 10. Even More Service Ray had really hoped the highway trash collecting would have kept them busy for at least two or three days. Since they had worked so hard on it, the kids managed to clear it all in just a few days. Ray decided to go a little easier on the kids this time, splitting them up into groups to get more work done around town. The two boys Nathan hardly knew were assigned to a local park to continue to show off their amazing trash collecting talents. A deputy who had been working hard all week earned the privilege to sit out there and supervise them while catching up with his newspaper and crossword puzzles. Ray took Nathan and Cheryl to a local hardware store that needed a little attention. On the side of the rather short but long building was a lot of graffiti that badly needed to be painted over. The big sheriff gave the two of them some rollers and a few buckets of grey paint. ¡°I¡¯m leaving you guys to this one on your own,¡± Ray said, tossing the rollers to the two kids, ¡°I trust you more than I do the other two knuckle heads.¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise?¡± Cheryl asked, ¡°I¡¯m confident you two will be alright.¡± Ray answered, not appeared to be that worried about them, ¡°Mr. Davies is still in there and he¡¯ll check on you from time to time. If you happen to disappear during this task, I will not hesitate to double the length of your community service. Understood?¡± The two of them nodded their compliance and then watched as Ray got back into his truck and peeled off towards something that required his attention. The fact that he trusted them more than the other two wasn¡¯t much of a compliment, but Nathan liked the idea of not having him around so that he could try to talk to Cheryl since he was starting to enjoy her company. He carefully poured the paint into both trays, and then started to paint over the vandalized walls with care. They were both back in their orange jumpsuits so getting paint all over themselves wouldn¡¯t be an issue with them again. They were painting for a while before Cheryl finally said something to him to break the silence. ¡°So, why did you steal a car?¡± she asked him. ¡°It was a minivan.¡± Nathan corrected her. ¡°Did you hotwire it?¡± she countered. ¡°No, I did not.¡± Nathan answered, ¡°The keys were in the house hanging by the front door. I stole my stepmother¡¯s mini-van.¡± ¡°Oh crap,¡± Cheryl replied as she kept up her work as well. ¡°I¡¯m sure that went over so well with your folks.¡± ¡°It did not,¡± Nathan confirmed, ¡°I can assure you neither of them were impressed with that, especially considering I don¡¯t even have my beginners. Ray was the one I had to worry about.¡± ¡°Ray?¡± Cheryl asked, unaware of who he was referring to. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Nathan said, ¡°Ray is the name of the Sheriff that just left us here. He is my Dad¡¯s best friend and apparently my godfather.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Cheryl said, almost laughing, ¡°With godparents like that, who needs enemies?¡± Nathan stopped for a moment to chuckle as well. They were both pretty pissed off at what he had done, but they still had to be diplomatic for the sake of the other kids because they wanted Nathan to eventually get along with everyone. ¡°I got off pretty easy,¡± Nathan said, ¡°Considering I had half a dozen charges pending against me. I¡¯d rather be here than behind bars.¡± ¡°Same here,¡± Cheryl agreed, ¡°Especially considering the company.¡± ¡°Ha ha,¡± Nathan said, as he knew she was being cheeky. ¡°Seriously,¡± Cheryl insisted, ¡°Why did you do it?¡± ¡°Well, I honestly wanted to go back to the city,¡± Nathan explained, ¡°I never wanted to be here for the summer. My mother had just passed away, and I was dragged out here because my Dad retains full custody. That means I have to life with his second wife and their kids.¡± "Oh, I can see how that could suck.¡± Cheryl said, ¡°But I suggest you take my word for it; this town can be pretty cool, especially during the summer. The beach is great for tanning, swimming, and the occasional surfing whenever the waves are high enough to do so.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting.¡± Nathan admitted without looking back. ¡°I must just be willing to give it a chance if I had the right guide.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Cheryl said as she paused for a moment to take a breather. ¡°What do your parents do for a living?¡± ¡°Well, until her passing my mom was a nurse.¡± Nathan answered, ¡°My stepmom Sonya is a teacher, which is why they come here for the summers. As for my dad, he¡¯s a writer so he can bring his work with him on vacation.¡± ¡°Really? What kind of writer?¡± Cheryl asked as her interest was peaked. Turns out she was a very avid reader and loved to talk about books. ¡°He¡¯s a novelist, but I think he writes poetry too but isn¡¯t very serious about it.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°But I haven¡¯t read any of it.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡± Cheryl asked, dumbfounded, ¡°Why not? If my old man was a writer I¡¯d read everything he printed!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Nathan honestly answered, ¡°I was surrounded by books most of my life as both my parents love to read, but for some reason there were never any of his works in the shelves. I¡¯ve just never got around to it I guess.¡± ¡°Maybe he used a pen name.¡± Cheryl guessed, ¡°The books could have been there, and you just didn¡¯t know what name he was using.¡± ¡°A pen name, huh?¡± Nathan repeated. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cheryl confirmed, ¡°Many writers us them not only to keep the crazy fans at bay but also to make the book easier to market. Maybe when we have some spare time, we should find out what name he writes under and find some of his works.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Nathan said, slightly curious, ¡°But right now we need to get back to work so the Sheriff doesn¡¯t kick our sorry asses.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Cheryl agreed as she went back to work. As they kept working, they kept rather quiet and keep working until Ray pulled into the alley with his truck and came to a stop a few feet from where they were working. By the time he showed up, they had a quarter of the wall finished which wasn¡¯t bad considering how long he had been gone. ¡°Greetings,¡± Ray called out as he inspected their work. ¡°Looking good so far, so let¡¯s break for lunch. Catch!¡± Ray tossed two paper bags at Nathan who dropped his roller to catch them. Inside them was a wrapped sandwich, a small bag of chips, and a can of soda. There was even a pickle on the side with suggested this was made by a pro. ¡°These bad boys are from the deli down the street, ¡°Ray said as he had his own bag to eat from as well. Take thirty minutes to eat, as I want you back on that wall and have this all taken care of by the end of the day. Understood?¡± The two of them nodded but before Ray stepped into the car. ¡°Ray,¡± Nathan called out as he was walking back to his truck. ¡°Yes, Nathan.¡± Ray said, turning back to face him. ¡°Does my Dad write under a pen name?¡± Nathan asked his godfather. Ray paused for a moment, almost looking insulted like Nathan had just slapped him in the face. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°He doesn¡¯t use a pen name,¡± Ray replied, ¡°I suggest you visit the nearest bookstore and look up novels written by Peter Anderlini. Maybe if you bothered to read any of them, you might gain some much-needed perspective on your old man.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ray left it there as he got back into his truth and pulled out of the alley to head back to work. Nathan turned to give Cheryl one of the bags to notice she was distracted and deeply thinking about something. ¡°What is it?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Peter Anderlini,¡± Cheryl said as she took a seat to eat. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that name before, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve read anything either.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to check it out later,¡± Nathan said, trying not to focus on it that much. ¡°I suppose when we¡¯re finished liberating this small town of its graffiti, we might be able to look around and see what we find.¡± The two kids sat their and ate their lunch, which wasn¡¯t too bad considering it was just a sandwich. Cheryl wasn¡¯t a big fan of pickles, so she let Nathan have hers. They sat there and kept eating and trying to relax. ¡°Yummy,¡± Nathan said with a sarcastic grin. The sandwich was good, or about as good as a sandwich can be. ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± Cheryl said, as she took a bite. ¡°Technically this is being bought with the town taxes. So, did we just buy each other lunch?¡± ¡°No, our parents did.¡± Nathan replied. They laughed and continued to consume their lunch at a decent pace. Nathan got to learn more about Cheryl. She was actually from this town and lived here with her just mother only. Her dad had passed away several years ago and it had been just the two of them for a very long time. Nathan could understand where she was coming from, as he had been living with just his mother for eight years before her passing. Yet Dad wasn¡¯t taken away; he walked out the door and never came back. It wasn¡¯t an ugly divorce, but he could tell even at that young an age that it was bitter and that at that time the two of them didn¡¯t like each other very much. Things got more civil as the years passed, but Peter went on to marry Sonya whereas his Mom did not as she appeared to be too busy working at hospital and taking care of his sorry arse. Nathan wasn¡¯t aware of the reasons why things fell apart but since almost half the marriages in this country ended in divorce, the young man didn¡¯t feel the need to ask why. Based on what he could recall, his parents one day just started hating each other and after time that was all it took to end their marriage. Things are sometimes never meant to be, and Nathan didn¡¯t want to depress Cheryl with the details, so he kept mum and let her do most of the talking. The fact is when Peter decided to remarry, Nathan did feel like his family was being replaced, but he never said anything about it to anyone. He didn¡¯t like to talk about it, so he kept the focus on Cheryl. ¡°You know,¡± Cheryl started, ¡°We should look for those books together. There¡¯s this decent used bookstore around here I like to browse through. They have central air and as long as you buy something they let you browse around forever.¡± ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Nathan said with a smile. ¡°What day is good for you?¡± ¡°Probably Saturday,¡± Cheryl said as she kept painting. ¡°That is likely the only day off we might have when the store is open. I would love to look up that name Ray told you about so we can find out what kind of writer your old man is. I might even google him tonight to find out.¡± ¡°I might do that too.¡± Nathan said as he kept working on his side of the wall. It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea either, since it would give Nathan an idea of what book he might want to read first. He was very curious to find out how successful or unsuccessful his father was as a writer. Well, it was obvious his old man was doing something right because he was making enough money to raise his family without having to take on other jobs to get by. Yet Nathan was getting curious: how much success do you need in publishing to get by? It was something that Nathan was going to look into eventually, once he got his services to the community taken care of first as he went back to painting over the artwork of the town¡¯s hooligans. A few hours later, Ray came back to pick them up to call it a day. He took a look at the wall which was about half finished. ¡°Not bad for one day¡¯s work.¡± Ray said, as he inspected the half of the wall that was nicely painted. ¡°Since you¡¯re both still here, it¡¯s clear that I can trust you to come back and keep working on this tomorrow. Nicely done¡± They both hopped into the truck and Ray started the usual ride back to the station and then the summer house. Cheryl said goodbye to Nathan and waved as she left the truck, and Ray couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she walked away. ¡°I know you dig her,¡± Ray said with a grin. ¡°That¡¯s why I put you two on wall painting duty, so you¡¯d have a chance to talk and get to know one another. What I still can¡¯t believe is your total lack of respect for parents.¡± Ray dug into the drawer that was located underneath his seat and pulled out a small hardcover book. He held the book up and motioned Nathan to take it. Nathan took the book and went on to read the title: The Devil At Your Door, written by Peter Anderlini. ¡°This is one of Dad¡¯s books?¡± Nathan inquired. ¡°Not just any book,¡± Ray corrected him, ¡°This is one of the best books your Dad ever wrote, and my personal favorite. I keep it here in the truck, so I have something read lying around in case I get bored.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Nathan said, looking at the cover with interest. ¡°Is it popular?¡± All Ray could do was let out a bellowing chuckle. ¡°Is it popular?¡± Ray repeated, as he couldn¡¯t believe the young boy was asking him that. ¡°This book sold over twenty million copies and has been printed in over a dozen other languages. There¡¯s even a movie out there based on it. Does that sound popular to you?¡± ¡°Yeah, it does.¡± Nathan said, as he kept examining the cover. It was fairly old copy and had to be at least twenty years since it was first bought. ¡°Does that mean Dad¡¯s rich?¡± ¡°Not filthy rich,¡± Ray answered, ¡°But he makes more than enough to support his family, own a few houses, and what not. I remember the days when your father was living from cheque to cheque, working a real job while writing his books every night and on his days off. There were times when your father couldn¡¯t scrape two pennies together and struggled until he finally landed an agent that scored him his first book deal. Since then, your old man has never worked a single hour at a real job and has been writing novels full time ever since. He¡¯s not the biggest and most successful writer out there, but he¡¯s nowhere near the smallest either. He¡¯s somewhere around the middle, which I think is alright because you get more than enough to live off of without the hassle of being the best and being asked to pump out bestseller after bestseller. Your Dad is in a comfortable place where he can work whenever he wants and spend his time with the kids and family. He didn¡¯t have that kind of freedom earlier, but it¡¯s something he¡¯s worked hard for and something you and all the other kids have reaped the benefits of.¡± ¡°What do mean?¡± Nathan retorted, ¡°I never reaped anything.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ray replied with a playful smile, ¡°You Mom never raked it big money from the hospital she worked, and yet she never missed a rent payment or fell behind on the bills¡­ did she?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nathan answered, as he just assumed she was good with money. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because Peter never missed a single support payment, not one.¡± Ray informed him, ¡°And when times were really good, your Dad when out of his way to make sure you and your mom had more than enough to live off of. That¡¯s more than I can say for a lot of dead beats who leave their families high and dry. Your old man never left you and your mother out in the cold, and that¡¯s something I always respected him for.¡± Ray took a moment to tap his knuckle on the book sitting on Nathan¡¯s lap. ¡°That amazing piece of work,¡± He continued, ¡°Is the reason why there¡¯s a pretty sizeable trust fund waiting for you to get your shit together and get accepted by a good university. The same is set up for Jacob and the girls. You all have your lives set because of that damn book. So, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not reaping the benefits because you have bene for most of your life. You and your siblings will be raking in the royalties for a century after the old man is gone too.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Nathan said, as he had no idea. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about any of it. why does Sonya still go to work if Dad¡­¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s a teacher,¡± Ray said, cutting him off. ¡°That¡¯s what she wants to do with her life, and that job brings her joy. Money doesn¡¯t make a person happy, as that only comes from finding a purpose and serving those around you.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Nathan asked, rather curious about him. ¡°This job may get on my nerves,¡± Ray confessed, ¡°But it brings me joy because I know this town and its people are safer with me watching over them. That is my purpose and most of the time it brings joy. You need to find yours or you¡¯ll never get the best out of life.¡± ¡°No pressure,¡± Nathan said, as he had no clue about what he wanted to do. ¡°You¡¯re young,¡± Ray said, ¡°So you¡¯ve got time.¡± Ray pulled up to the house and shut the car off. ¡°I want that back when you¡¯re finished with it.¡± He said to him, ¡°That was a gift from a very good friend of mine, so it¡¯s only a loaner.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nthan said as he opened the door, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s well taken care of and returned quickly.¡± ¡°Have a good night Nathan,¡± Ray said just before Nathan man closed the door. While Nathan didn¡¯t like the cop¡¯s attitude or the way he handled things, he thought it was pretty cool how Ray caught on to what was going on with Cheryl and went out of his way to help push things along. The guy may be a highwayman stuck in the eighties, but he clearly wasn¡¯t blind. The old cop knew something was up for a while, but he didn¡¯t want to force things. At least giving the two a little space to see if something naturally will occur wasn¡¯t too bad of an idea. Nathan walked past his father who was again sitting out on the front porch with his laptop, typing away as if his life depended on it. He never said hello but instead went right into the house like he did the night before and stripped quickly out of the jumpsuit. He tossed the clothes into a hamper along with a few other articles that were lying on the floor he hadn¡¯t gotten around to and then walked it into the laundry room. He remembered what his father had shown him and started up the washer and properly prepared the load of laundry to be cleaned. Nathan paused for a moment to check and see if he had actually done everything right. ¡°You¡¯re good to go.¡± Jacob said from his door. ¡°They showed me the same way and from what I can see it¡¯s alright.¡± Nathan looked back up from the washer. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Jacob said as he then made a gesture to what was eventually going to be his room too. ¡°Want to play a few rounds of modern assassin?¡± Nathan was sincerely touched by the invitation, but a loud video game was the absolute the last thing he wanted to partake in after the long day he had. ¡°No thanks,¡± Nathan answered, ¡°But I appreciate the offer. I am going to lie down and just enjoy a little quiet. Thanks again.¡± ¡°Alright, next time.¡± Jacob said as he retreated back into his room. Nathan walked away and back to the couch that he eventually was going to fold out to make his bed. Before he did that, he loafed out on the couch and looked at the book that Ray had given him. The big sheriff loved this book apparently more than any other book his father had written. It was about time he found out why. Nathan slowly opened the book and started to read one of his Dad¡¯s novels for the first time. 11. Truth In Books Frank leaned over the table and snatched the bottle from the bartender, as he was clearly unsatisfied with his ungenerous portions and proceeded to pour the next shot for himself. Now matter how many shots of whiskey the private investigator slammed down; things would never be the same. He would always have this gapping hole in his heart, a memory of how things used to be. It had been this way for months and while Frank managed to make ends meet consulting for people as a Private Investigator, it was never enough to fill that hole in his chest. No matter how many lives he saved, he was incapable of saving his own. It also didn¡¯t matter how many fortunes he received and took a percentage of, he was always in his own eyes a pauper incapable of finding the one thing that would complete his life. She was gone forever and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Even if she walked right into this bar and begged on her knees for forgiveness, it would never be the same. The scar on his heart was there to stay just as his ass was every night in that bar stool. No one messed with Frank when he was on the sauce, because even when his was sober he was a tough son-of-a-bitch so there was no telling what Frank was capable of when he drank a few strips of fear and reason away from his persona. Just as he finished his latest shot, there was a crash as someone had thrown a shot glass into the mirror that was behind the bar. Frank turned around to see the irate eyes of his lady friend, the one whom he never thought would ever be dumb enough to set one foot into this bar. He sat corrected. ¡°There you are, you miserable piece of shit!¡± she called out as she walked into the establishment and up to the bar. Many people had a clue of what was going on and cleared a good portion of the bar out of fear that they might get caught in the crossfire. ¡°You¡¯re a no good, whiney piece of trash.¡± She screamed at him. ¡°And you know your trash, don¡¯t ya baby?¡± Frank retorted. The lady¡¯s eyes were red with fury. ¡°And just for saying that I should¡­¡± * * * * ¡°Nathan,¡± Peter called out at him from the other side of the room, ¡°What¡¯s that you got there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a book, father.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°I can see that smartass,¡± Peter said as his curiosity was getting the best of him, and he just had to know. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± The book Nathan had in his hands was very old and the dust jacket was missing, so it was hard for anyone to tell what it was just by looking at it. Nathan held up the book so that Peter could read the titled from the middle of the hardcover jacket. Peter looked at the title for a moment before realizing whose book it really was. ¡°Where did you get that copy?¡± Peter demanded. ¡°Actually, Ray gave this to me.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Why the hell did he do that?¡± Peter asked. ¡°He said it was his favourite book.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°And he also said it was a loaner, so I¡¯m expected to return it when I¡¯m finished.¡± ¡°Did he now?¡± Peter said with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°You have a problem with him liking your work?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Peter said stumbling for something to say. ¡°It¡¯s just not what I would consider to be my best work.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Nathan said, sitting up. ¡°Which book do you happen to like most?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Peter said as he left the room and went upstairs to his bedroom. It took a few minutes, but Peter finally came back down with a hardcover of his own. This one was in much better shape as he handed it over to his son. ¡°There you go,¡± Peter said, ¡°This one is my favorite.¡± Nathan took the book from his father and took a good look at the cover. It had a man cloaked in shadow and another man armed looking around. It was another Peter Anderlini book that was titled ¡®The enemy of my enemy¡¯. Nathan thought it looked rather interesting. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I¡¯ll check it out after I finish this one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to keep reading that first?¡± Peter asked, hoping he wouldn¡¯t. ¡°No offense,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°But Ray is going to pester me everyday until I give this back. I don¡¯t need the extra flack I¡¯ve got to read his first.¡± ¡°fair enough,¡± Peter said, as he understood. ¡°Enjoy your summer reading.¡± Peter walked back out to the porch to resume his own work. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but look over from the porch as Nathan sat there and was reading quite intently into the book that Ray had lent him. He didn¡¯t see Nathan reading it the night before, but he wasn¡¯t really paying attention as he was a bit tired. Ray also wasn¡¯t coming over today. He told the kids that they had the day off because he couldn¡¯t be around to observe today as efficiently as he would prefer to. So, rather than let some deputies do all the work that would leave him calling in every five minutes worried about what was going on, he decided to rather give the kids the day off. He passed it off as a reward for doing so well the previous two days, one he didn¡¯t hesitate to take credit for. Nathan had decided to spend his morning reading the book Ray had given, which was an unexpected benefit to being busy that day. Nathan would never admit it, but he really did like this book and its principal character, the private investigator named Frank who seemed to be a bit of a mess but still being asked to do a job to help others out even though it looked like he was incapable of helping himself. He was a real mess, but for reasons that were being kept under wraps for the time being. Frank was really messed up for a reason, and Nathan was sure it was the woman that had something to do with it. She did something that really upset him, and left Frank in the bitter, unhappy state the reader found him in. Nathan could not understand what he was going through, what could have anyone done to him that would drop him into a pit so deep, do dark that would make him so anti-social, so hostile? Nathan decided to keep reading and see where things would go. * * * * Frank watched as the lady walked out before turning back to the bar to get back to his whiskey. He poured another glass and drained it just as quickly. Frank took a deep breath and sighed very loudly as looked up at the bartender. ¡°I really hate that bitch.¡± He snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± The bartender replied, ¡°I¡¯m not the fool who married her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Frank said, pouring another round. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to be betrayed by someone you know. Friends do it to each other all the time for money, lust, or even just to get one up on everyone else. We sell each other out everyday, that¡¯s just the way life is. Your family is capable of making mistakes, and you have to forgive them for it because they¡¯re family! Yet when the one you love, the one you swore before witnesses and God to love and honour for the rest of your life turns her back on you and betrays you¡­ that leaves a hole in your heart that¡¯s going to stay for a long while. It¡¯s not the act itself that makes it bad, but the person doing it. It was just so wrong for her to do, and I might never forgive her but also myself for trusting her in the first place.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°That¡¯s cold man,¡± The bartender disagreed, ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re never going to give love another chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure love deserves one,¡± Frank snapped back, and he believed that with every fibre of his body. * * * * ¡°Where did you get that?¡± a voice called out. Nathan looked up, and staring back down at him with a scowl that was almost as fiery as her red hair¡­ was Sonya. She pointed at the book that the young man had in her arms and quickly snapped it out of his hands. ¡°Did you ask your father for permission before picking this up?¡± she asked. ¡°Technically, no.¡± Nathan asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t get it from Dad. Ray gave that to me yesterday on the way home.¡± Sonya looked at the book and how beat up it was and realized that it looked like something Ray had kept and read many times throughout the years. Peter was a lot more respectful of his books and never would you ever catch him putting dog ears in them as well. Sonya looked back down at the young man who was looking a little shaken at the moment. Sonya took a deep breath and handed the book back to Nathan with a warm smile. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re old enough to handle this material?¡± she asked him. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure.¡± Nathan said as he closed the book and put it down on his lap. ¡°It¡¯s powerful, but I might be missing something as I¡¯m not really getting what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Well, that is to be expected.¡± Sonya said as she folded her arms. ¡°That book was written during a very dark part of your father¡¯s life. There¡¯s a lot of anger, bitterness, and even hatred in there that you might not understand. You might be too young to understand this kind of pain that Frank suffers through.¡± ¡°I get the guy is in pain, but doesn¡¯t everyone experience some kind of pain once in a while?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Not everyone experiences this kind of pain,¡± Sonya said as she took a seat on the couch opposite of where Nathan was sitting. ¡°There are some pains that are hard to make go away. There are even some that will never go away and will rot inside you until the day you die.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very nice.¡± Nathan observed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to say I¡¯ve never had to live with that kind of pain.¡± Sonya said, looking at her husband typing outside on the deck. ¡°I hope I never have to in my lifetime. Some of us are not that lucky.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Nathan said, literally begging for help without actually saying it to her. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to talk about this book with you Nathan, I shouldn¡¯t.¡± Sonya stood up to leave, ¡°This is something you¡¯re going to have to work out on your own. I can¡¯t do this one for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, but I guess I have no choice.¡± Nathan said, as he watched Sonya leave the room. He had no choice but to go back to the book and hope something pops out and helped him get what this was all about. Sonya walked out to the porch because it was now time to talk to someone else about the subject. ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s appropriate?¡± Sonya called out as she walked out onto the deck to join her husband. Peter just happened to have a beer on the table, and he looked back up at his lovely wife. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only one drink.¡± Peter countered, ¡°I think it might loosen some nerves and help me get more down as I try to finish this chapter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Sonya said as she didn¡¯t hesitate to correct her sweet but sometimes na?ve husband. ¡°I¡¯m talking about letting your son read the sweet miseries of Frank Slate. Do you think he¡¯s really ready to hear these kinds of details about your first marriage this soon after his mother passed away? I mean it¡¯s only a matter of time till he figures out that Frank is really you gushing about how love sucks and how it screwed you over. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s ready to know the truth. You¡¯ve kept it from him this long even though she never hesitated to bash you right left and center to the boy. You were mature enough not to sling any mud at her in front of the kids when she was alive, does it make it better for him to read about it now?¡± ¡°First off, I didn¡¯t give him that book. Ray did.¡± Peter countered. ¡°For some reason that¡¯s his favorite of all my works.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that,¡± Sonya said as she really didn¡¯t believe it herself. She knew Ray and that didn¡¯t seem like the kind of book that he would do something like that without some ulterior motive. ¡°Are you sure he didn¡¯t give Nathan that book to push him over to your side of the truth regarding your break-up with his mother? I mean reading that book would be a good way to start to get him up to speed about what actually happened.¡± ¡°No,¡± Peter said, as he didn¡¯t agree with her. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Peter sat there and thought about it. Lately Ray had recently been making a lot of moves that were intended to make Peter look like the better man or in this case like the better parent. While Ray was certainly capable of doing something like that, he didn¡¯t think this was the case. No matter what kind of plan Ray usually has in store for anyone, usually he would let Peter in on the plan especially when it involved someone that he cared about. It was true that Ray could be very pushy, but he usually never did anything without a plan already in place. So, what part of the plan was giving Nathan a book that might expose him to the ugly truth that tore his family apart? He wasn¡¯t so sure, well not as much as Sonya was. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Ray about it later,¡± Peter offered, ¡°Maybe this book meant something more to Ray than it did the average fan, and that could be the honest reason why he offered it to Nathan.¡± Sonya knew she couldn¡¯t argue that. ¡°I¡¯m just worried.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll talk to Ray about it,¡± Peter asked as he sat back in his chair. ¡°He won¡¯t lie to us, and we¡¯ll get an idea of where his head is with all this just so we¡¯re all on the same page.¡± ¡°I would appreciate if you could do that.¡± Sonya said as he leaned over and Peter a big hug. ¡°I just don¡¯t need the further drama in the house this summer, okay?¡± ¡°I agree with that,¡± Peter concurred, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make sure all drama is kept to a minimum.¡± Peter kissed her on the brow and then watched as she left the porch area and went back into the house. Truth was, Peter was just as worried about this book as Sonya was. He wanted to take it away and never give it back to him, but he also didn¡¯t want to answer to Ray who apparently was the actual owner of the book. Peter wasn¡¯t sure if Ray had some sort of plan in the works when he handed that book over, but while it might make Peter look more like the good guy, he didn¡¯t like the idea of kicking the young man¡¯s mother while she¡¯s already permanently down and unable to defend herself. Back in the day it was okay when she was able to at least tell her side in opposition, no there¡¯s no one there to do it for her and it just seems unfair. Peter knew Ray was up to something and even if Peter agreed with what that was, he would have to speak to the Sheriff and find out what it was before he could really take a stance on whether he likes the idea or not. Even though the weekend was coming up, Peter was going to have to make a trip to the station to speak to Ray in private. He would have to question Ray¡¯s choice of book because it was an interesting choice considering all the anger and venom is spewed at any woman who interacts with the lead character. Frank Slate wasn¡¯t a woman basher, but he was also the kind of man that never hesitated to speak his mind. It however was something Peter and Frank had did not have in common. Peter tended to bottle things up and let them fester inside him like a cancer. When things became too much rather than let it out in small bursts, Peter would erupt like a volcano and take everyone with him. When things became their absolute worst at the end of his first marriage, truth was he didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t speak a single word and just packed his things and left. Both Frank and Peter didn¡¯t like being lied to, especially by the one person they loved and trusted more than any other person on the planet. The pain and suffering were just too much for them both to handle on their own, which was the reason why Peter couldn¡¯t handle it. He left the house as soon as he could and moved way from the one woman he ever loved so far in his lifetime and the boy they made together. The idea of doing that broke Peter¡¯s heart almost as badly as the truth did, but he refused to cave in. There were some things people are willing to tolerate and bury for the sake of the marriage and the kids, but this was not one of them. A betrayal so deep, Peter was pushed right to the edge both mentally and physically. He honestly didn¡¯t know how he didn¡¯t fall over the edge and survive. Friends like Ray might have been the only thing that saved him during those dark times. A lot of Peter¡¯s raw emotions came out in that book through Frank and while part of him wanted the young man to understand what happened, another part of Peter didn¡¯t know if Nathan was ready to face the truth this soon. Ray seemed to think he was ready, and it was possible he could have done this to make him back off his old man a little more. Or maybe it really was Ray¡¯s favorite book and he just wanted to share it with his godson. If it was his favorite, Ray had never told him that and that made the revelation all that surprising. Peter deeply sighed and went back to work; aware he¡¯d have to revisit that issue at a later time. 12. Back On The Wall During his day off Nathan read almost half of the book that Ray had lent to out to him. While it was a stirring book about a gruff and very tough P.I., Nathan couldn¡¯t help but think there was a parallel he was missing. There had to be a reason why Ray would give him this particular book, rather than one of the dozens of others that apparently exist. The young man would have to wait before he got a chance to find out as he put the book away and dressed very lightly for his next day of community service. This time he surprised Ray but coming out of the house already dressed in the orange jumpsuit, which led the old Sheriff to snort and chuckle out loud as he sarcastically applauded Nathan¡¯s walk out to the truck. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it, kid.¡± Ray said with a smile as he started the truck back up and proceeded to drive off to pick up the other kids. ¡°You and Cheryl did such a great job with the first part of the wall that I¡¯m going to leave you two there again to keep up the good work. Is that all right with you?¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nathan replied, not really paying attention. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have a problem with it,¡± Ray replied, ¡°The shop owner next door liked you two as well. Said you were respectfully quiet and did a great job and that went far with me. That¡¯s the kind of talk I like to hear.¡± "I¡¯m glad to hear they¡¯re satisfied with our service.¡± Nathan responded as he kept looking out the window. Ray could tell he was distracted so he decided to change the subject. ¡°Did you happen to read any of that book I gave you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve managed to read a bit,¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Is that so?¡± Ray responded, intrigued to hear the answer. ¡°And what do we think of dear old Frank?¡± ¡°I can see why you like him,¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Frank¡¯s tough, aggressive and takes no shit from anyone. Not even from that mean woman he hates so much.¡± ¡°You mean his wife,¡± Ray corrected. ¡°Yeah, his wife.¡± Nathan answered, ¡°Do marriages actually get that ugly? I mean these people made an oath to love one another no matter what, so how can it end up becoming so bitter?¡± ¡°Promises are just words, kid,¡± Ray replied, ¡°They have no value nor meaning until they¡¯re backed up with action. Promises are nothing until you keep them.¡± ¡°So, vows are nothing when you make them?¡± Nathan inquired. ¡°They¡¯re not nothing,¡± Ray corrected him, ¡°They do have value as it¡¯s a promise being made, but sometimes its hard for people to keep them in the long run. While some couples are able to ride out the storms and be stronger for it, there are just some couples that buckle to the pressure and fall by the wayside.¡± ¡°And this is why Frank hates her so much?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Ray replied, ¡°Frank hates her and yet still loves her at the same time.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nathan said, ¡°That is very confusing.¡± ¡°Truer words have never been spoken,¡± Ray answered. ¡°When people make those vows, the majority of them mean it and make an effort to keep them, but there are some things that happen we can never be take back. Once certain bell has been rung, you can¡¯t be unring it. It¡¯s like trying to put shit back into the cow. Sure, you can try, but in the end you¡¯re just going to get kicked and be covered head to toe in shit. Sometimes people try to hide their pain and that is actually worse than freaking out.¡± ¡°What¡¯s worse than freaking out?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Hiding your pain is a worse,¡± Ray continued, ¡°Because when you bottle all that hostility up the anger grows, festers, and eats away at you. There are some who become so upset and depressed over it that to them the only way out seems to be to take matters into their own hands. I¡¯ve been called in to clean up after that mess and it¡¯s not a pretty sight. People seem to think live is nothing without love and feel determined to end it all once it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°All that over love?¡± Nathan asked, somewhat petrified. ¡°No,¡± Ray disagreed, ¡°All that over the loss of love.¡± Nathan didn¡¯t respond to that but instead chose to think about it for as long as he could as they were driving to the station to pick up Cheryl. So, Frank was upset about the fact that he still loved her rather than not being in love anymore. It was the loss of what they had that upset the private investigator, and what drove him to empty all those whiskey bottles. Nathan was old enough or remember how upset his mother was the day his father moved out, yet that felt like nothing compared to what Frank was going through. Sure, she drank a little bit and shed a few tears, but that was all Nathan saw after his father had left. The way Peter was describing it in the book, Frank was ready to pound someone and take his anger out on the first person that crossed his path. Or like Ray had said, he was driving almost to the point where he might do something to himself just to end his suffering. Didn¡¯t seem like the right thing to do, but love made people crazy both during and after the fact. It was something Nathan wasn¡¯t going to have to experience for a bit of a while, as he didn¡¯t plan to marry anytime soon if at all since this book was suggesting Nathan avoid it completely. When Ray picked up Cheryl, no one said a word, but the big sheriff did chuckle a little when he realized that Cheryl had too was already dressed in her orange jumpsuit and ready to go. Nothing was said on the ride over to the shop where the remainder of the graffiti wall waited to be painted over like the first half. Once they arrived Ray tossed the rollers, trays, and some old and new buckets of paint out there for them. ¡°Same routine as last time,¡± Ray started, ¡°I¡¯ll be back with lunch and then to pick you up when it¡¯s all done. If you managed to finish before I get back, you can walk on over there to the park and hang out as long as you don¡¯t disturb anyone. Just take it easy and chill till I get back. Understood?¡± The two kids nodded to acknowledge their compliance. ¡°Very good¡­ now have fun you two!¡± Ray let out a loud chuckle before pulling the truck out and taking off for the next thing he had to take care of. He honked once before driving out of sight. ¡°Is it just me,¡± Cheryl started, ¡°but does that retro highwayman seem a little to chipper this morning?¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely up to something.¡± Nathan concurred. ¡°He sure is,¡± Cheryl said, setting up the supplied. ¡°Sheriff gets free labor and a cleaner town all because we were too stupid to not realize the things we were doing were wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Nathan said, as he passed her one of the rollers and took one for him. ¡°But I can¡¯t help but think he¡¯s got something else up his sleeve.¡± ¡°Well, I really don¡¯t want to look up that man¡¯s sleeve. Yuck!¡± Cheryl said, as she started to roll new paint onto the wall. There was a silence for the first few minutes as they got their work underway. Finally, after a few more minutes, Cheryl broke the ice. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I googled your Dad a few nights ago,¡± Cheryl started, ¡°He¡¯s not the biggest writer out the man¡¯s got quite a devoted following. He¡¯s got a reputation for being a bit of a book snob too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nathan asked, somewhat curious. ¡°Do tell¡­¡± ¡°Well,¡± Cheryl continued, ¡°He¡¯s written a lot of book with great characters, but he¡¯s never written a sequel, ever. The impression I got was that your old man seems to think that writing a second book about anything is like selling out. Every book he has ever written has been about new characters, as he¡¯s never gone back to update on the ones he¡¯s already written about. Not even the one that made him the most money that would have guaranteed a huge payday.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s completely against sequels?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Completely,¡± Cheryl continued, ¡°I read an article where your dad swore up and down that he would never write one, and I mean ever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Nathan said as he kept working. Cheryl stopped painting and looked over at him. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I think the book he¡¯s writing right now is a sequel.¡± Nathan answered, ¡°Why would he write one now after holding out on them for so long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Cheryl replied, ¡°But if this new book is a sequel, it will be his first and that will make a ton of money. His most loyal fans might not get it, but they¡¯ll still buy it. They¡¯d buy anything that man wrote, even his personal diary.¡± Nathan paused for a moment. ¡°I wonder if he keeps a diary.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯d be interesting.¡± Cheryl said, ¡°Would you read it?¡± ¡°I might,¡± Nathan honestly replied, ¡°It would be interesting to see what my Dad was thinking on big days, like when I was born or when he moved out.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want those answers?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°I think so,¡± Nathan said, ¡°My curiosity would get the best of me I think. I wouldn¡¯t be looking for any excuses or reasons, maybe just an idea of what he was thinking when things went down. You know, for some clarity.¡± ¡°And you think reading his inner feelings give clarity?¡± Cheryl said, her eyes almost rolling at the thought. ¡°It would be interesting,¡± Nathan admitted, ¡°I¡¯m actually reading one of my Dad¡¯s books right now, and in it he keeps describing this unbearable pain the main character is going through over his divorce.¡± ¡°You are reading one of your Dad¡¯s books?¡± Cheryl said as she stopped working. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The Hounds of Huntersville,¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Ray lent me his copy of the book because it¡¯s apparently his favorite.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting choice,¡± Cheryl said as she tried to remember what she read online. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is actually one of your Dad¡¯s darkest books. I think he wrote this one right after he left you guys, so chances are he poured a lot of emotion and feelings into it. You might just be reading a coded diary of what your father was going through at the time.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s interesting.¡± Nathan said, while putting more paint on the roller. ¡°So, if I just take notes and pay attention the answers I want seek could be within this book?¡± ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible,¡± Cheryl said, ¡°We should hit a bookstore to look up some of the other books he wrote around that time.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll do lunch and spend most of the day at that store you said had central air.¡± Nathan said, as he actually liked the idea. He wanted to learn more about his father through his books. It would also be nice to have lunch with Cheryl that wasn¡¯t hand picked by the local Sheriff. ¡°That would be cool,¡± Cheryl agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a date then?¡± Nathan asked, using those exact words to see how Cheryl would respond to them being used to describe their purposed outing. She paused for a moment and the smiled. ¡°Alright,¡± Cheryl said, smiling back at him. ¡°That sounds good to me. We should meet at that park over there on Saturday around, say around eleven?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan, ¡°Nathan said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± The two quietly went back to work to make sure a decent part of the wall was finished by the time Ray came back to check up on them. The rest of the morning seemed to fly as after what seemed like a short time later, Ray was driving back over to check up on them. As he pulled in, Ray was happy to see much progress had been made since he left them there. The sheriff didn¡¯t mind the two talking amongst each other as long as they kept working away as they did so. Ray handed Nathan two bags, each containing a burger combo from a local place that was a short distance away, along with fries and a drink. ¡°You guys are doing excellent,¡± he complimented, ¡°Take forty-five minutes to eat lunch and then get back to work. This is the last workday of the week so try to get this wall finished. Like I said before if you finish early, then you can hang out at the park and mingle until I get back.¡± Ray had a smile on his face as he disappeared back into the truck and took off. He could see the rapport building between the two and he liked what he saw. Two less kids with too much time on their hands meant less brats making trouble and committing crimes in his town. The thought brought a smile to his face as he took off to check up on the other punks working for him. Nathan looked at the combo and then back at Cheryl. ¡°I just have one request.¡± ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°Just pick a nice place for our lunch,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough fast food and diner options to last me a while.¡± ¡°There are a lot better places here in town than just the ones mister retro highwayman prefers to eat,¡± Cheryl confirmed, ¡°We eat there on Saturday.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Nathan said, as he took out his burger. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing neither of us are vegans. I think this one died of a heart attack on the range. And now he¡¯s going to make a contribution to my own heart disease.¡± ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s gross.¡± Cheryl said, laughing at him before taking a bite out of her own burger. The thing was disgustingly greasy, but it was still good to eat. ¡°There¡¯s even a piece of bacon on this thing, so it¡¯s a good thing neither of us are Jewish.¡± ¡°Or Muslim.¡± Nathan added. They both had a laugh at the Sheriff¡¯s expense despite the fact that he used his (or the town¡¯s) money to get something rather decent for lunch. Ray¡¯s heart was I the right place but not his head apparently and that¡¯s what made it so amusing to them. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they didn¡¯t eat pork either.¡± Cheryl confessed. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more complicated than that.¡± Nathan said as he sat down to make himself more comfortable. ¡°From what I read; they actually don¡¯t eat any animal that consumes another animals. For example, they wouldn¡¯t eat alligator meat because those buggers are predators and eat a lot of other animals.¡± ¡°Wow, that is really fascinating.¡± Cheryl replied. ¡°Have you actually eaten alligator?¡± ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Nathan said, smiling back at her. ¡°They are amazing! There is this great place in the city that is famous for selling it. The first time I had it, it was battered into these little balls and deep fried, just like popcorn chicken. It was pretty awesome.¡± Nathan paused as he realized what was going on. He was thinking about something that he did with his mother, something he hadn¡¯t done in a while since her passing. He thought of her all the time, but this was the first time he thought about something just in passing without really meaning to do it. It was a good memory as well because his mom loved seafood and thought he would get a kick out of trying something exotic like breaded alligator and fish tacos, which was what he had that day. ¡°You alright, Nathan?¡± Cheryl asked as she could tell that he had spaced out and was somewhere else. ¡°Yeah, I just had a really good thought about my mother.¡± Nathan said as he looked back at her and came back to the real world. ¡°She was never afraid to try new things and let me experiment with her. She was the kind of person who would always try something once no matter how gross it was.¡± ¡°How gross are we talking here?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°Well, there was one trip my parents took to Asia before I was born,¡± Nathan explained, ¡°I think it had to do with one of my Dad¡¯s books releasing over there and the used the promotion tour as an excuse to go on vacation. They tried a while variety of weird stuff, like dog.¡± ¡°Dog?¡± Cheryl said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s gross!¡± ¡°I had the same reaction when she told me, but she said it wasn¡¯t bad.¡± Nathan said, as he found her response just as amusing. ¡°Wasn¡¯t bad?¡± Cheryl said as she could barely keep down what she had eaten. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could handle that.¡± ¡°That makes two of us,¡± Nathan agreed. He could never imagine eating a pooch or what could be someone¡¯s pet. Funny thing was he never had the chance to ask his Dad about that to see what his take on it was. For all he knew, Dad was just as disgusted but put up with it to be a trooper with his Mom. She was the weird one when it came to eating stuff and his Dad seemed more like the tame one that never really went outside the box. That¡¯s one thing he liked about his mom, she wasn¡¯t the plain Jane kind of person and was always up for something new and exciting. That might be the reason why he liked Cheryl so much and why he was looking forward to their lunch date. After he finished his burger, Nathan tossed his and Cheryl¡¯s trash. Even though they had a fair bit of time left to rest for lunch, Ethan went back to painting the wall as he was determined to finish early. He preferred to rest afterwards and share some time at the park with Cheryl before Ray came to get them. She quickly took the hint and joined him. 13. Out For Lunch Saturday took its sweet time showing up, as Nathan had been looking forward to it since he and Cheryl agreed to meet for lunch. He also looked forward to getting out of the house without going with Ray to do some laborious job for the town. The young man was eager to check out some local stores without having to clean up their graffiti, which meant this was also going to be a lot of fun. Nathan also liked that time spent with Cheryl this time would be unsupervised by the local Sheriff, and that neither of them would be wearing jumpsuits of any kind. Sonya was actually up very early that morning, and she agreed to give Nathan a ride into town early that morning. She had to pick up a few things from the grocery store, and at least Nathan was asking for a ride rather than stealing the van to take that ride himself. That improvement alone was enough for her to agree to his simple request. As they were riding into town, Sonya was the first to speak. ¡°Do you need a ride back?¡± she asked, wondering what he was up to. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I have plans in town.¡± ¡°What kind of plans?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I¡¯m meeting with a friend who is going to show me to a few places and go out for lunch.¡± ¡°Very nice.¡± Sonya said with a smile. ¡°Nice to see you made a friend already in your time here.¡± ¡°I have, she¡¯s really nice.¡± Nathan said, unaware of the slip he made. ¡°She?¡± Sonya said as her grin went even wider than before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Dad about this,¡± Nathan begged her, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to make a big deal about this. This is just lunch and looking through a few shops, nothing more.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s very sweet,¡± Sonya replied, trying to bottle her excitement. ¡°And if it will make you feel more comfortable, I¡¯ll keep this between us.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Nathan said, deeply sighing. ¡°My silence, however, comes with a price.¡± Sonya informed him. Nathan sat up in his seat. ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± ¡°When things are less complicated between you and this new friend,¡± Sonya started, ¡°I would like you to invite her to the house for supper. It will just give me a good excuse to make something fancy for supper, as I love having a reason to go all out in the kitchen whenever I can.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nathan agreed, ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Go easy on your father,¡± Sonya said, with tone that was a bit more serious, ¡°The last few months haven¡¯t been easy for him and if you haven¡¯t noticed a lot of us are already giving him a lot of space to work on his new book. He¡¯s under a great deal of pressure and I appreciate it if you just try as hard as you can to go easy on him. That way he can concentrate on what needs to be done.¡± Nathan didn¡¯t like being told what to do, but there was something different about her request. Sonya was making it on behalf of someone who wouldn¡¯t normally put him in this position. If things were usually as tough as Sonya claimed they would be, his father usually would be the first to step up and ask for some space. So, why was he too shy to do it now? The fact that Sonya was this concerned made the young man a little concerned about it as well. What did Sonya know about the situation that she wasn¡¯t know telling him about? He had no clue what she was hiding, but Nathan concluded her heart was in the right place. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Nathan answered. He honestly didn¡¯t know if that was possible, but he was willing at least put in the effort if it. The fact that Sonya wasn¡¯t reminding him about the stolen car and hanging that over his head to get what she wanted told him a lot about her character. This made Nathan want to help her out, the least he could do after the crap he pulled the previous week. It didn¡¯t take too long before Sonya pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store, which was just a few streets from where Nathan had agreed to meet with Cheryl. He was a little over a half hour early, but he¡¯d rather show up early rather than keep the young lady waiting. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nathan said, as he gave a small friendly wave. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Sonya said as she locked the car up, ¡°If you need a ride back, just call the house. If we¡¯re not available, Ray is an option too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Nathan replied, as Ray was probably the last person he¡¯d want to call for a ride home. Nathan started to stroll down the street, and just kills some time doing a little window shopping on the way to his date. There were some very cool shops that he wouldn¡¯t mind looking through, but Nathan was too excited about where he was going to want to lose any time looking and run late. He kept walked over to the park at a pretty decent pace, but also had a knapsack and a few things in it to keep him busy while he waited for Cheryl to arrive. Turns out what be brought with him wasn¡¯t necessary, as Cheryl was already at the park waiting for him when he arrived. Nathan had a confused look on his face as he approached her. ¡°Did I have the right time,¡± Nathan called out, ¡°I¡¯m not late am I?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re very early,¡± Cheryl confirmed. ¡°I had to be here early as well because the next bus didn¡¯t come for another forty minutes and that would have made me very late getting here.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nathan said, as he walked over and sat beside her on the park bench, ¡°I just wanted to make sure my watch wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± He sat there beside her quietly, and it started to become awkward. ¡°What is it?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°It feels weird,¡± Nathan replied. ¡°What does?¡± Cheryl asked again. ¡°Being in public without those gaud awful orange suits,¡± Nathan said with a cute smile, ¡°You look a lot better today.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Cheryl said, almost blushing. ¡°I can say the same for you too. That ensemble is much better than the retro orange.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nathan agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that again anytime soon.¡± ¡°What did you bring with you?¡± Cheryl asked, gesturing to the bag. ¡°Just a few books in case you were on time.¡± Nathan said, as he took one of the books out and handed it to her. ¡°That¡¯s the book Ray loaned to me.¡± Cheryl took it from him and gave it a good look over. ¡°An older edition from what I can see.¡± Cheryl said, as she opened it up and flipped through the first few pages. ¡°This is actually a first edition. Your Dad must have given it to him the moment it came out, but it¡¯s in horrible shape. The Sheriff must have read it cover to cover more than a few times.¡± ¡°He did tell me it was his favorite.¡± Nathan added. ¡°That seems very strange though because was a very dark book for retro highwayman to call his favorite,¡± Cheryl said, passing it back to Nathan. ¡°No accounting for taste I guess.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± Nathan asked, feeling a little out of place. ¡°Since we¡¯re early,¡± Cheryl started, as she stood up. ¡°How about we browse through a few shops before lunch, and then hit the bookstore all afternoon after?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nathan said, also standing. ¡°Sounds like a plan. I passed by one shop on the way here that I want to check out.¡± They both walked out of the park and started to browse the shops that were located nearby. Nathan was a huge fan of music, so he had a lot of fun going in a local record store that had actual vinyl records for him to flip through. Nathan¡¯s mom owned a record player, and he had every intention of taking it with him when he eventually moved out after the summer. It was something him and his mother loved to listen to together whenever they were cleaning the house up. She¡¯d always put on some Motown albums she loved listening to when she was a kid, and even though they were working hard to clean up, he looked back at those days fondly. The records at this store were priced decently, but Nathan only had a limited budget to work with, so he wasn¡¯t in the mood to by anything expensive. He wanted to save his funds for the bookstore, so he only picked up two records from a discount bin and left the others for him to purchase another day. As they walked out of the record store, Cheryl took the bag from him as she was eager to look inside and see what he had purchased. Inside that paper bag was the last two albums she had expected to find. ¡°Hey, these are some pretty hip albums you got here.¡± Cheryl said, as she was fairly impressed. ¡°Seriously, people don¡¯t give these artists the respect they deserve.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making fun?¡± Nathan asked, as he took the bag back. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°No, I¡¯m serious.¡± Cheryl said, walking down the sidewalk with him, ¡°I hope when you get a chance to play them that I can be there too so that I can hear what these songs first sounded to those fans like when originally released. Okay?¡± ¡°Sounds like another date to me.¡± Nathan said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx yourself, mister!¡± Cheryl said as she playfully punched hi in the arm. ¡°You¡¯re do so well, I¡¯d hate to see it all go downhill from here.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for keeping it all grounded.¡± Nathan humbly replied. ¡°Sarcasm will get you nowhere,¡± Cheryl said, as she took his hand and held it as she wanted to change direction. ¡°Let¡¯s go this way. I¡¯m getting puckish, and I think it¡¯s time for lunch.¡± She had taken his hand for one of two possible reasons; the first being that she wanted to lead the way to where to eat her lunch. The other reason was because she actually wanted to hold his hand while strolling around. Nathan really didn¡¯t mind which reason it was, as he just liked the touch of her hand as it was so soft against his own hand. He never wanted this walk to end, but it happened a lot sooner than he preferred it to as they had arrived at their destination. Cheryl led him to a small caf¨¦ that looked and most likely served the exact opposite of the kinds of foods Ray had been making them eat over the last few days working for him. Nathan would never complain about food being provided to him, but he excited for the chance to look at a menu and select his own food for a change. As they were looking at that menu, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but tell that the food at this place was a tad pricey. ¡°Are you sure you want to eat here,¡± he asked her, ¡°I mean some of these items are a tad pricey, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Well, this is my favorite place,¡± Cheryl answered, smiling back. ¡°And it¡¯s my treat, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She could tell Nathan was a little shocked to hear her state that she was buying. He was under the impression that he was going to pay for lunch, and actually had no idea how to respond to her declaration to cover things. ¡°Don¡¯t get all macho with me,¡± Cheryl said, as she knew what was going through his mind, ¡°This who thing was my idea and I ask you out. I was always told the person who does the asking pays for it, so when you ask me, you can cover it then.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nathan asked, as he wanted to be sure. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money,¡± Cheryl said, even laughing about it. ¡°I told my Dad that I was invited to a party and that I needed to go dress shopping for it. He was so happy I was doing something social he gave me a boat load of cash to get any kind of dress that I wanted. It¡¯s more than enough to handle this, and even grab a dozen books at the store after.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s cool,¡± Nathan said, as he didn¡¯t feel so bad about it now. ¡°But what are you going to tell him when you don¡¯t come back with a dress?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to do that,¡± Cheryl answered. ¡°After we hit the bookstore, I¡¯m to hit a few shops and grab something nice and reasonable. Then later tonight I¡¯ll tell him that the party was cancelled at the last minute. I¡¯ll toss the dress in the closet, and we¡¯ll call it a day.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve clearly thought of everything here,¡± Nathan said, as he was quite impressed with her. ¡°I have my moments,¡± Cheryl agreed, ¡°Usually my rebellious side has more to do with being bored to tears than it does with being a rebel without a cause.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Nathan said, as he understood it all too well. She opened her menu and started to skim the items. ¡°See anything you like?¡± ¡°I see a few things.¡± Nathan said, as he kept skimming over it himself. ¡°What would you recommend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no alligator here.¡± Cheryl said with a smile, ¡°But the potatoes skins could be an amazing start I might open with a Caesar salad.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nathan replied. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure what I should order.¡± ¡°Would you like me to call Ray and ask him what you should order?¡± Cheryl said as she took her cell phone out of her purse. ¡°Fish it is then!¡± Nathan declared with a laugh. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cheryl said with a grin. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t eat it that often and I do like fish.¡± Nathan said, as he looked on a specific page. ¡°The salmon looks amazing. What are you getting?¡± ¡°I was thinking of a nice steak,¡± Cheryl said, with a smile. ¡°After all the protein I got from Retro Highwayman, I could use the protein.¡± Nathan enjoyed eating with Cheryl as the made a lot of small talk while eating their appetizers and dug into their main courses. It was a very filling meal for the middle of the day, but it was a special occasion and the food hit the right spot. As they were relaxing after the waitress took their plates, Cheryl decided to use the break to pick the young man¡¯s brain about something. ¡°Tell me about that book Ray lent you,¡± She asked while nibbling on the last piece of bread. ¡°What have you learned from the adventures of Frank Slate?¡± ¡°A few things,¡± Nathan answered, ¡°That apparently some women are not to be trusted with someone¡¯s heart.¡± Nathan paused for a moment, as he realized that their first date had suddenly become a little awkward. The young man noticed how quiet things were becoming as this was not the direction he wanted this date to take. ¡°Is that so?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°I have no experience to draw on,¡± Nathan continued, ¡°But this book spends a lot of time just bashing women as if they were the source of evil on this planet.¡± ¡°And how did that make you feel,¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°Honestly, a bit uncomfortable,¡± Nathan answered, ¡°No matter what has happened, I just feel the tone and negativity is a bit over the top.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Cheryl said, ¡°But it could be your lack of experience talking again. I haven¡¯t lived enough to get it either.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised this book isn¡¯t on every feminist hit list,¡± Nathan said, ¡°This book to take us all back to the fifties. Frank is ready to punch a hole into the first person that just looks at him the wrong way and it¡¯s because of something his wife did to him. She apparently broke his heart and because of that Frank is unwilling to trust or love another person ever again. It¡¯s rather depressing and sad.¡± ¡°And this is Retro Highwayman¡¯s favorite?.¡± Cheryl said, as none of it made any sense to her. ¡°Why do you think your Dad wrote something so aggressive and angry towards women in general?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°My guess is that he¡¯s drawing this off of someone he knows, and what happened to that person. Maybe Ray?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting hypothesis,¡± Cheryl said. ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Cheryl said, appearing unwilling to expand on that. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Nathan said, trying to act cool. ¡°Let me have it.¡± ¡°I hate to be the one that breaks this to you,¡± Cheryl started, ¡°But this book was written less than two years after your parents divorced. It¡¯s quite possible that the character is based on your father himself. Based on when it was written, we could guess that the person who hurt your dad was the person he loved more than life itself: your mother.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Nathan said, biting his lip a bit, ¡°I really was hoping it wasn¡¯t going to come to that. If my mother really broke his heart, that would that explain why this character is so damn angry.¡± ¡°Think about it,¡± Cheryl said, trying to be supporting, ¡°Do you remember when your parents were still together? I¡¯m sure they had their fights like everyone, but I bet you remember many good times when all was going well, and they cuddled like it was going out of style. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember something like that,¡± Nathan answered. ¡°I do too,¡± Cheryl added, ¡°That¡¯s how I remember it was before my parents separated and eventually divorced.¡± Nathan sat back up when he heard this. It was another thing he and Cheryl had in common: they were both children of broken homes. He didn¡¯t know where to start but he had an idea. ¡°I remember some of the fights,¡± He said, ¡°But I also remember the good times but then it all just ended. Boom, just like that, and it was all she wrote. No warning, no goodbyes. One day he was there, and the next day Dad and all his stuff was gone when I came home from school. Is that how it happened when your parents broke up?¡± ¡°No, the day my parents break up was much louder,¡± Cheryl answered, ¡°Dishes were thrown and shattered all over the place. People were screaming at the top of their lungs, and eventually the police had to get involved.¡± ¡°Whoa,¡± Nathan said, as he never had that experience. ¡°Okay, you win.¡± ¡°Your story is quite uncommon,¡± Cheryl continued, ¡°because most people just don¡¯t pack up and walked out like that. Whatever was bothering him that day, your Dad must have bottled it up inside. Yet instead of letting it out and giving it to your mom with both barrels, your dad took it with him when he left. Believe it or not, they saved you the trauma of having to hear that final fight. The fight so big and epic that rather than make up, people instead choose to go their separate ways.¡± ¡°So, instead of getting mad and telling her off before leaving,¡± Nathan said, trying to get his head wrapped around it, ¡°He just packed up his stuff and quietly walked out before anyone came home.¡± Nathan sat there and thought about it. Was his Dad a coward, afraid to confront her and have that big fight everyone else has or was it something else? Did Peter not want to have the big fight because it served no purpose? If he already knew things were not recoverable, was that big fight necessary? ¡°It sounds like your Dad had already made up his mind,¡± Cheryl said, uncanny as that¡¯s what Nathan was thinking of exactly. ¡°It makes sense,¡± Nathan said, ¡°What was the point of having that big fight if his mind was made up and he was ready to go? That sounds like my Dad. Avoiding conflict whenever it wasn¡¯t necessary, but I¡¯m thinking that he walked out with a lot of anger and bitterness bottled up inside. He had to vent it out somewhere.¡± ¡°And that brings us back to that novel,¡± Cheryl said, ¡°That was his outlet.¡± ¡°That would explain a lot,¡± Nathan agreed, ¡°Especially the anger Frank is expressing in it. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what else he did once he left,¡± Cheryl added, ¡°I¡¯m thinking he went to a bar, and starting downing the whiskey just like Frank did. Getting trashed and waiting for someone to pick a fight with him.¡± ¡°How did you know about that?¡± Nathan asked. Cheryl dug into her purse and pulled out a small soft cover copy of the same novel that Nathan was reading. ¡°I¡¯m not as far into it as you are,¡± Cheryl explained, ¡°But I understand the whole woman hating vibe you¡¯re getting from it. The fact that you can tell how disturbing the anti-women theme is actually makes me like you even more. I think it take a lot of maturity and sensitivity to recognize that in this particular book. Most men would just brush it off as words. You see what they mean and actually find them just as disturbing as I do.¡± ¡°Being raised by a single mom might help too,¡± Nathan added modestly. ¡°That would make sense,¡± Cheryl agreed, ¡°But I think anyone with half a brain should notice this. The old man had to be level eleven pissed to even put feelings like this down on paper.¡± ¡°Was it really my mother who made him this upset?¡± Nathan inquired. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me.¡± Cheryl said as she sipped her water. ¡°I find the more you love someone, the angrier you get when it¡¯s over. The fact that your Dad flipped out in his book for millions to read might mean he loved that woman more than anything in the world, even you.¡± Nathan had never really thought of it that way before. Picturing his Dad shouting his anger from the literary roof tops for all to hear seems out of character for him. He hasn¡¯t come across the reason for all this hostility, at least not in the pages he had read thus far. ¡°The question that keeps ringing around in my head is what else happened?¡± Nathan said, as he thought about hit. ¡°What happened after he left my house? Was this book the only way he vented, or could we be missing a part of his story?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Cheryl confessed, ¡°But maybe if you keep reading the answer will come to you¡­ or to us I mean.¡± ¡°I like that idea,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep reading as long as you do too.¡± ¡°You have a deal,¡± Cheryl said with a smile as she put her copy of the novel back into her purse. Before either of them could say another word, the bill came, and Cheryl snapped it off the table before Nathan could even consider taking it himself. ¡°Nice try,¡± Cheryl said, ¡°I said I got this. You can pay next time.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not jinxing us?¡± Nathan asked, smiling at her. ¡°Ha ha,¡± She replied, ¡°We should take another walk and burn off a few of these calories we just packed in.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nathan said, putting his novel back in his knapsack. He was looking forward to getting to the bookstore but wasn¡¯t in a rush. He held the door open for Cheryl as they departed the Caf¨¦ and started their walk towards this bookshop that she had been eager for them to see. He was excited just because she was, but also eager to see how many of his Dad¡¯s books would be there. He was nervous but eagerly walked on with Cheryl as the truth would be revealed very soon. 14. Browsing For Books Since the money Cheryl was using to pay for lunch came from her father, Nathan didn¡¯t feel bad about letting her take the cheque. Later in the future he would likely be using royalties from his Dad¡¯s books to buy a lot of things, hopefully a few for Cheryl so it was all good. Lunch was indeed amazing, and he was so happy that he let Cheryl pick the place because he would not have been brave enough to pick a place so fancy and of high quality. The only thing that was missing was a bottle of wine, but they were both not of age and were willing to wait for that day to come rather than have to spend some more community time with the Retro Highwayman. They walked out and once again were hand in hand as they walked down the street towards their next intended destination. Same as the last time they walked together, Cheryl was the only one who had any clue to where they were going so Nathan held her hand and let her lead he way. It didn¡¯t take long to make it to the bookstore, and when they did arrive it was everything Nathan had hoped for and more. It was one of those old, family-owned books shops that had books on every floor. Some sections had a small sense of organization but most of the books were stacked into shelving units by genre. As they walked inside, Nathan could feel the cool air and knew why this was going to be a lot of fun. He had saved a lot of his own money for this date, eager to get a few books. It looks like Cheryl had her own plan to get a few books herself and was giddy as a schoolgirl as she walked in and started to look around. Nathan was slower walking in but it was his first time there, so he was just taking it all in. The place looked a lot smaller on the outside but had books all over the place from one wall to the other and then a ton of shelves in the middle. He had no idea where he wanted to start. ¡°Excuse me, young fellow.¡± said an old man that worked there in the store. He could tell Nathan was amazed and confused at the same time and he was there to give him friendly nudge in the right direction. ¡°Is there a particular title or author you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, there is.¡± Nathan replied excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for books written by Peter Anderlini.¡± ¡°Good choice my friend.¡± The old man said with a huff. ¡°To get those books, you¡¯re looking for mysteries and thrillers on the second floor. I¡¯m pretty sure we have a good selection. He¡¯s pretty popular in these parts.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Nathan said. ¡°Rumor has it that Mr. Anderlini occasionally spends some time down here every summer.¡± The old man said with a wink. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Nathan said, well aware the rumor was true. ¡°I have proof.¡± He walked back to his counter and pulled out a book. ¡°One day I put this book on the shelf, and it was in mint condition. There was a mark on it. Not one dog tag or anything inscribed within it. That¡¯s why I asked for a fairly reasonable price for it being in such great shape. When I was reorganizing that section, I found this.¡± He opened the book to the second page and there was something written on it: To my endearing fans, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Peter Anderlini Nathan looked at it and pretended to be surprised. ¡°One day it wasn¡¯t there and then suddenly it was?¡± ¡°I think he was here in this store, browsing for a book of his own. Maybe he was waiting for a girlfriend to pick out a book and got bored so he decided to autograph a few books while waiting or her to make up her mind. It¡¯s happened a few times over the years, I¡¯ve just never caught him in the act. ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± Nathan said as he looked at the autograph. ¡°Most authors charge for this, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°More than that, Mr. Anderlini doesn¡¯t do book tours or autograph sessions anymore. He hasn¡¯t done anything public relations related in close to ten years. Lives a very private life I¡¯m told.¡± The old man huffed as he went back to his desk to put the book away. ¡°But I don¡¯t blame the man; all he wants some privacy to do his art. I say let him have it.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Cheryl said as she came back to join in the conversation. ¡°Did you find out where the Anderlini books are?¡± ¡°Second floor.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Thrillers and mysteries section.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Cheryl said with a smile. They slowly crept up the staircase to the second floor and Nathan found looking for books up there to be a little stressful. Every time he took a step to wander around the floor, the boards beneath his feet kept creaking and that rattled the hell out of Nathan. He kept thinking that his weight combined with the weight of the books was going to cause the floor to cave in and crush the nice man on the floor below them. After looking around for a few moments, they came across the section they were looking for. Cheryl and Nathan split up and started to look around. Finally, after a few moments, Cheryl was the first to find something. ¡°Here.¡± She said as she pointed to a small stack. ¡°There¡¯s a small batch of soft covers on this side.¡± ¡°I found a lot more over here, almost a dozen hard covers and a few more soft covers on the side.¡± Nathan said as he got down on his knees to take a closer look. There were a whole mess of titles and their prints and date of publication varied. Some were new prints while others were older and their covers more retro to the time they actually printed. Nathan found one book in particular that caught his eye as he took it out of the shelf and inspected the cover. It was the same book that Ray had loaned to him, but in much better shape and still had this one still had its dust jacket. Nathan has decided to get his own copy to finish rather than carry around someone else¡¯s beat up hand me down copy. He was inspecting the other books when he came across a soft cover book that was in the same section, but it was written entirely by someone else. What was this book doing smack dab in the middle of a section of books written by someone else? Nathan reached for the book, eager to remove it from this section where it clearly didn¡¯t look like it belonged. When he pulled it out from the pile, he suddenly realized why it was there. He looked back at Cheryl with a stunned look on his face, as if someone had just slapped him upside the head with a clean backhand. ¡°Oh my.¡± He whispered. Cheryl looked back at him, ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I might be, I don¡¯t know.¡± Nathan said as he looked at the book he just pulled out of the pile. ¡°I might have found the answer, but I don¡¯t know if I should look at it.¡± Cheryl came over from the other side of the shelf. ¡°What on earth did you find?¡± She grabbed the book and took a quick scan of the title: The Unauthorized biography of Peter Anderlini Written by Silvia Snider ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Cheryl finally said as she looked at it. ¡°It¡¯s not every day you find something like this.¡± Nathan said as he took the book back from her. ¡°Should I buy it?¡± ¡°If there was a book floating around that dished all the dirt on my parents, I would want to read that thing in a heartbeat!¡± Cheryl said, as there was a slight hint of jealousy in her tone. She really would have wanted to read a book like that, just to know everything that everyone else knows. It would be awesome. She looked back at Nathan, who still had a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Are you all right?¡± she asked him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Nathan said as he kept staring at the cover. ¡°I want to read this but it¡¯s unauthorized, which means Dad refused to confirm what was said in here. Do I really want to know what¡¯s in here?¡± ¡°I know what¡¯s in there.¡± Cheryl said as she grabbed the book from him and flipped past the first few pages. ¡°Look at the title of chapter ten: divorce and rock bottom.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very nice.¡± Nathan said, but that chapter contained the information he wanted. He grabbed the book back from her and opened it up to chapter ten: Anderlini had been basking too much in his success because his family had been suffering from neglect. They never saw him as often as they used to. He was always on some book tour or promotional event. His own family began to feel deserted, and it took more than money to make the unit function. No one felt this desertion more than Christina, Anderlini¡¯s wife, who decided to respond to her husband¡¯s long absence by finding another man to take his place in bed. She had an affair with an old childhood friend for over six months until the truth was discovered by Anderlini¡­ Nathan looked back up at Cheryl. ¡°This is it: the betrayal that Frank was referring too. Having the one you love stray and have an affair with another person, another man in this case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± Cheryl said as she felt sad. ¡°I know.¡± Nathan said as he looked back at it. ¡°Your Dad must have been heartbroken.¡± Cheryl replied as she could tell that Nathan was unsure if he wanted to read on. ¡°Here, let me take this. We can take turns reading the next few pages.¡± At first Anderlini¡¯s response to the affair was quiet. Without saying a word to anyone, he packed up everything he owned and immediately moved out of the house he had called home for over a decade. He never even said goodbye to his son Nathan, nor did he explain why he was leaving. Word from his former agent was that he did this to avoid conflict rather than have an event that might require friends or the police to intervene. He left the house quietly and moved into a condo in the heart of the city and that is where things started to go downhill for the writer. He started to miss deadlines, refused to work for long periods of time, and then started to drink and experiment with narcotics¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Cheryl stopped there and paused for a moment. ¡°Are you all right, Nathan?¡± Nathan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m doing okay. Would you mind doing the reading for the time being? Just for the next few pages.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Cheryl said as she found the place where she left off. Much like his character Frank Slate, whose book had yet to be created or released, Anderlini drank whiskey and anything else he could get his hands on every night and try to find something he had lost with prostitutes and cocaine. Things almost came to an end when papers were officially filed in court. Anderlini had responded to the official filing by getting more drunk and high then he ever had before, to the point where he attempted to take his own life¡­ Cheryl gasped and stopped reading for a second. ¡°Are you okay? We can stop if this is bugging you...¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Nathan said as he cracked a smile. ¡°We kind of know he didn¡¯t do it since he¡¯s back at the summer home writing another book right now.¡± Cheryl smiled and brushed his hair with her left hand. ¡°That¡¯s a great attitude to have concerning this. Remember, this thing is unauthorized so we should probably take it all with a pound of salt. Sometimes these writers will just pen anything if they know it¡¯s all going to be denied anyway. Alright?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Keep reading.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Cheryl made herself comfortable. ¡°Let¡¯s see where we left off.¡± Anderlini had consumed a great deal of alcohol and narcotics to the point where he likely doesn¡¯t remember anything about his attempted suicide. It all occurred in the small town on the coast of North Carolina. Anderlini had been staying with a friend and went out to a bar without him and got completely smashed. It was then when Anderlini went out to a bridge and spent the better part of an hour threatening to jump into the waters that were fifty to sixty feet below. The water was shallow so odds of him surviving such a jump were minimal. Anderlini was only half dressed and screaming very disparaging things about his soon to be ex-wife and her affair as the reasons for wanting to jump and end it all. It was then when Anderlini¡¯s friend came to his rescue, talking him off the bridge and into police custody. Once in their custody, Peter was taken to the station downtown where he was forced to sober up in a drunk tank before being released. Anderlini never faced any charges for this incident as his friend happened to be a deputy in the local police force. He had habit of helping Anderlini get out of jams like this throughout the years and it¡¯s more than likely he made this night and the charges that should have come with them disappear. ¡°That had to be Ray.¡± Cheryl said as she stopped reading. ¡°Our retro highwayman is the guy who saved your father¡¯s life that night! He talked him off that bridge and then probably tossed him into the tank probably for days until everything wore off.¡± ¡°That sounds like Ray,¡± Nathan concurred, ¡°I wonder if he made Dad do any community service for it.¡± They both laughed for a few seconds. ¡°Somehow I doubt that,¡± Cheryl replied. There was a lot of information for Nathan to take in, a lot of it wasn''t pleasant but he was curious to know what part of it was the truth and what part was expanded to just sell more copies of a trashy biography that wasn''t approved in the first place. Even though there was a part of him that didn''t want to know anymore, he couldn''t help himself. Nathan took the hardcover copy of the same book that Ray had given him and also took the unauthorized biography and put them aside in a pile. ¡°I''m getting both.¡± He said as he kept looking through the other books that were there by J.P. Anderlini. There really wasn''t anything that caught his eye, so he decided to stick with the two he already had selected. ¡°You sure you want to buy that one?¡± Cheryl said as she gestured towards the biography. ¡°I mean it¡¯s been pretty intense thus far.¡± ¡°Do you want to know more?¡± Nathan asked back. ¡°Forgive me if I sound really nosy, but yeah, I do.¡± Cheryl answered. ¡°So do I,¡± Nathan said as he took the biography and opened it back to chapter eleven where they had left off. Anderlini had been talked of a bridge whose fall from would have surely killed him and then proceeded to spend almost the entire week locked up in the county jail, more of a visitor than a prisoner since any charges from the incident were squashed. Turns out both his agent and lawyer didn''t have an issue with his stay in drunk tank as it would have been a lot longer had Anderlini ever answered to charges that could have been brought forth from his activities the night before. It was clear his friends in the town Sheriff''s office didn''t want the embarrassment and appreciated the business and money he brought in every summer when he came down to relax and work on his novels. This however was the last summer he would spend in this small town until many years later when he would return with his second wife Sonya and their children for a family vacation, close to a decade after his infamous bender. The town seems to have forgotten and even forgiven Anderlini for what transpired. He returned a new man with a new family and everything that came with them. They looked as American as apple pie, your typical white picket fence family. Nathan closed the book and looked back up at Cheryl. ¡°He must have been seriously messed up if Ray had to keep him in that cell under lock and key for more than a few days.¡± ¡°No kidding,¡± Cheryl said as she sat back against the bookshelf. ¡°He had to be seriously messed up to be in there that long. Ray was really looking out for him then and he was only a deputy at the time.¡± ¡°Still had some pull with the boss I guess.¡± Nathan said as he started to flip through other parts of the book. There were chapters dedicated to the benders he went on right after the divorce, some that were much worse than the binge that landed him in jail for the week, but nothing serious happened those nights, except a lot of serious drinking, drugs, and the occasional prostitute according to the author. The book really didn''t hold anything back as it went into full detail how his father completely fell apart after he left the house that he called home for over ten years. The whole incident of his wife sleeping around drove him mad with rage and that lead the destruction of several cars, a few doors and even some hotel rooms that led to his father being banned for life from certain hotel chains across America. The details of his crash and burn from the point of view of this author was off the charts. He couldn''t believe this was the same man that was his father. He had never seen his Dad do any thing like this. Nathan couldn''t even remember the old man having a glass of wine, let alone raiding liquor cabinets and downing whole bottles of whiskey like Frank. Nathan took a deep breath and handed the book back to Cheryl. ¡°You want a moment to flip through it?¡± he asked. ¡°I''m okay for now.¡± Cheryl said as she politely declined. ¡°I think I''ve had enough dirt from your side for one day. I''ll tell you this much, I''m not going to complain the next time my Dad decides to have a few glasses of wine. It''s a hell of a lot better than downing a few bottles of whiskey.¡± ¡°No shit,¡± Nathan said as he took the book back and placed it on the other that he intended to purchase. ¡°It''s not every day a notebook in your family''s dark secrets just happens to fall on your lap.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell your Dad about it?¡± Cheryl then asked. ¡°Not yet.¡± Nathan said as he seemed pretty sure of himself. ¡°I want a chance to read more before I tell him about it.¡± ¡°Just remember the book isn''t authorized.¡± Cheryl said as she stood to leave, ¡°That means some parts might not be true. I''d find a way to have a talk to your father about this and see which ones he''ll back and which he''ll flat out deny. I''m pretty sure some of that might have been embellished to drive up sales.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Nathan said, standing up. ¡°I''ve been kind of curious about that myself. It will be interesting to see which parts he would confess to and which he''s going to distance himself from.¡± Nathan had an idea which parts he might back up and which he might try avoiding but was curious to see if Sonya had ever seen this book or if she ever wanted to. Nathan was also confident that if his father ever caught him with this book in the house, he was likely going to take it away and throw it out. If the book had even just a few lies, that was a few too many in his father''s eyes and he wouldn''t want that anywhere near his family, Nathan thought to himself. He walked down the stairs with Cheryl and over to the cashier to purchase the two books. It didn''t cost Nathan that much to get them, around ten dollars which wasn''t bad considering one of the books was a hardcover copy. After they left the shop, they took a few moments to browse around a few more stores before walking back to the part where it all started. Cheryl had to be back there by a certain time because that was when her mother was going to drive by to pick her up to head home. Nathan said there with her at the park until the car she was waiting for arrived. ¡°Thanks for the wonderful day.¡± Nathan said, as he was grateful for the time. Cheryl walked over and gave Nathan a big, soft hug. ¡°Thank you for putting up with me today. I had a lot of fun.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Nathan agreed. He waved to her as she walked away towards the car and slipped inside. Once the car had pulled away, Nathan sat there and decided to do a little more reading before calling Sonya for a ride home. He read through a few more chapters in the autobiography and was more curious about this time as it looked like that author had been exaggerating for the sake of selling some more books and making more money. Nathan had been pretty sure there was only so much stretching the author could do without being sued by his father for libel, which was the print version of slander. The young man sat there for another hour, reading various chapters, and learned a great deal about the man who was his father. They were never that close before, but this was likely the stuff his Dad wouldn''t want him to know for years to come if ever at all. Only a short time after he made the call, Sonya arrived in the minivan that Nathan had previously taken for a joyride. As Nathan stepped into the car, he had already put his new books back into his bag along with the other things he had picked up that day. ¡°Thanks for the ride.¡± Nathan said as they started to head back home. ¡°It was no trouble at all,¡± Sonya said as she kept here eyes on the road. She waited for a few moments and then curiosity finally got the best of her. ¡°How was your day? Did you and Cheryl have a good time?¡± Nathan looked back at her. ¡°How did you know her name?¡± ¡°Ray stopped by to check up on you and your father,¡± Sonya said with a smile. ¡°I told him you were meeting someone for lunch, and he told us it was likely this Cheryl girl you had been hanging out with this week. Was he right?¡± Nathan was about to negatively react about his lack of privacy but then remembered there was a whole book of hypocrisy lying inside his knapsack, so he decided to let it go. ¡°Yeah, it was Cheryl.¡± He confirmed, ¡°We had a great time together. We did a bit of browsing, picked up a few things and even took a look at a lot of Dad''s books at the local bookstore. I didn''t realize he published so many books.¡± Sonya appeared taken back by Nathan''s sudden interest in Peter''s work but took it all in stride. ¡°He''s worked hard to them,¡± Sonya replied, ¡°Some were easier than others while some have his entire heart and soul inside them.¡± ¡°I can tell, especially with the one I''m reading right now.¡± Nathan said as he didn''t look right at her. ¡°Did Dad know someone like this Frank guy. Someone who hated women and didn''t want anything to do with because of what happened with his wife? The dude feels so angry to me, and I don''t like how he is acting towards some people in it.¡± ¡°I''d be more than happy to speak about the book,¡± Sonya said, ¡°But I don''t want to spoil the ending. You finish reading the book not only will we talk about it, but I''ll be waiting for you with what is my favorite book for you to read. Sounds good?¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds cool to me.¡± Nathan answered, ¡°I can''t wait to see what book of his is your favorite.¡± At that moment, Nathan felt it was time to stop prying into what was likely his father''s own personal life. He was the boozer who couldn''t control himself to the point where Ray himself had to talk Dad down from a bridge before locking him away in the drunk tank almost a week to sober up from the incident. Nathan believed that part of the story because it perfectly matched exactly what Nathan thought Ray would do if he was put into that situation. Nathan believed that Ray might be right person to approach next regarding this story and might be more forthcoming with the details than his Dad might be. Ray after all did loan him a book that hinted to what his father''s past was like, so Nathan thought he would use that book as the excuse to talk him into revealing more than the unauthorized bio he had in his bag. Nathan slouched into his seat and quietly watched the trees go by as they rushed back to the summer house. He went into the house and rather than read more of the biography, he chose to read the story about Frank instead. He thought hearing out his Dad''s partial side of the story first might be the best way to go. 15. The Family Dinner Nathan had kept to himself for most of the weekend, but there was one thing he was unable to avoid and that was Sunday dinner. His father insisted that he come to the table, and rather than put up a fight Nathan turned up more out of respect for Sonya''s cooking. To this point she hadn''t failed to put out a sweet spread for the family this summer. The food was great as always and this time Nathan went out of his way to avoid being a part of the usual dinner conversations because the last thing he wanted to do was bring up whatever new information he had learned over the weekend. It wasn''t until a different subject came up that Nathan couldn''t help himself. Jacob was talking about something that had happened to a friend if his back in the city. Apparently his parents had caught him with a small stash of pot in his sock drawer. Nathan bit his tongue since he thought that had to be the stupidest place to hide any drugs from your parents. You might as well have just left it on the counter because the sock drawer is usually the first place every parent would look when spot checking your room. This wasn''t the issue that caused the slip up; it was something his father said only a few moments later. ¡°Well,¡± Sonya started, ¡°I''m glad we don''t have to worry about that issue here. I really hope you guys think long and hard before doing something as bad as drugs.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Peter agreed, ¡°They''re very bad for you...¡± It was this point where Nathan almost spit his food out of his mouth and back onto his plate. ¡°Sorry.¡± Nathan said as he tried to clean himself up with his napkin. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Peter asked as he wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. ¡°I don''t know,¡± Nathan said as he suddenly felt empowered knowing something that he wasn''t supposed to know. ¡°It just seemed a tad hypocritical for you of all people to be telling anyone not to do drugs. You''re like the Keith Richards of the literary world.¡± ¡°Mom, who''s Keith Richards?¡± one of the girls suddenly asked. ¡°No one honey,¡± Sonya said with a smile. ¡°Eat your carrots.¡± ¡°I know who Keith Richards is.¡± Jacob said and he didn''t look impressed. ¡°Are you trying to imply that Peter does drugs?¡± ¡°Well from what I know Keith Richards doesn''t do drugs anymore.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°And neither does Dad from what I''ve seen of him this year.¡± ¡°What gave you the impression I did them at all?¡± Peter asked, somewhat curious to where all this was coming from. ¡°Are you denying it?¡± Nathan said as he responded with a question. ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Peter replied. ¡°Who told you any of this?¡± ¡°Maybe Ray told me.¡± Nathan said trying to deflect attention away from his real source. ¡°Maybe he told me that you got so trashed and high from the benders you went on after you moved out that he had to talk you out of jumping off a bridge and nearly killing yourself! I guess you had to be pretty smashed and out of your mind to even consider doing something like that!¡± Nathan stopped speaking to realize that everyone at the table was silent as most of the people there were I the state of shock. Sonya had her hand over her mouth and was on the verge of tears. She walked away from the table and back into the kitchen. Jacob looked like he was ready to jump across the table and smack Nathan around a bit, which made Nathan happy there was a table between them in the first place. Nathan looked back at his father who face had turned a shade of red, but really what could he do? Chances are most of what he was throwing at his father was true to begin with. He was being confronted with truth rather than lies. ¡°Are you going to deny it?¡± Nathan then asked, keeping up the pressure. ¡°Why not just tell us the truth rather than run away from it?¡± ¡°That''s sounds so stupid.¡± Jacob said coming to Peter''s defense. ¡°Why on earth would he want to leap off a bridge to his death? He was a famous writer, and the world was his oyster. Why would he throw all that away?¡± ¡°Because his heart was broken.¡± Nathan said as he looked back to his father. ¡°I now know the real reason why you left, Dad. Based on what happened, I can''t really say I blame you for it. For years I had wondered why you left without saying goodbye, but I know it was to avoid that big fight that comes at the end of every relationship. You did it to save me the heartache of having that moment to watch you walk away from us. I guess it was a mature thing to do.¡± Despite how Nathan was trying to frame it, Peter wasn''t impressed this was all being hashed out at the table. ¡°Nathan,¡± Peter started, ¡°I would like you to take your supper to your room. Please go there right now.¡± ¡°I don''t have a fucking room, you god damn hypocrite!¡± Nathan called back. This was when Nathan finally had enough. He picked up his plate which was mostly finished anyway and hurled it at the wall behind his father. This action again shocked everyone who was at the table and now the two girls began to cry because of Nathan''s violent actions. This time Jacob stood up and put his hands up to stop both Peter and Nathan from doing anymore. ¡°Dude,¡± Jacob said, ¡°Go to my room and just chill. You can have it as long as you need it to. Go there, now.¡± Nathan knew his stepbrother just wanted to break everyone up, especially since the girls were crying. He nodded and walked himself from the table. As he walked through the living room, he grabbed his knapsack and took it with him into Jacob''s room. He was tempted to keep reading the biography but decided against it and kept reading the book Ray had given him instead. It wasn''t until an hour later when someone came into the room to speak with him. It was Jacob. He walked into the room and sat on the chair that was opposite of the bed Nathan was lying on. ¡°What''s up?¡± Nathan asked casually. ¡°Where did you get the information about Dad?¡± Jacob asked. He started calling Peter that after he was officially adopted a year or two after he married Sonya. ¡°I really didn''t like what you had to say.¡± ¡°The truth sometimes isn''t pretty.¡± Nathan said as he closed the book he was reading and sat up. ¡°There are a lot of people out there who witnessed this for themselves and it''s hard to deny anything when that many people were watching with the incident in question took place.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jacob then asked. ¡°I''m talking about standing on a bridge for the better part of an hour and hundreds of people watching to see whether or not you were pulled back or took a swan dive into the afterlife.¡± Nathan said as he sat up. ¡°Not only did it really happen, but Ray is the only reason why Dad is still here. He saved his life that night and then threw Dad into the slammer for a whole week to get him to sober up.¡± ¡°And how do you know his heart was broken?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°Cause it was my mom who broke it.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°She had an affair with another man and that must have hurt Dad so bad. It was the reason why he left my mother in the first place.¡± ¡°Damn, dude,¡± Jacob said, ¡°That has to suck.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Nathan wiped a tear away from his face. ¡°This is the first time I''m glad she''s not around anymore because if she were still alive I would have screamed and yelled at her for tearing my family apart. All this time I thought it was his fault, or maybe even my fault. Now I realized he had every reason to walk out on her but not out on me.¡± ¡°He really didn''t have much of a choice did he?¡± Jacob said as he sat up in his chair. ¡°Would you stay if that had happened to you?¡± ¡°I don''t know what I''d do.¡± Nathan answered honestly, ¡°But I can''t blame the guy for never wanting to see her face ever again. It would be hard to look someone in the eyes, let alone try to work things out after something that awful. Would you?¡± ¡°I don''t think I could stay.¡± Jacob said. ¡°I would never want to talk to her ever again if the person I loved did something like that. I''d want to scream at her and throw stuff around, like you see couples do in the movies.¡± ¡°He didn''t do that.¡± Nathan informed him, ¡°He just packed up his stuff and was gone before I came home from school that day. It was like he simply vanished. The next time I saw him was a few months later in family court. It was a very ugly divorce, and they fought over everything. When it was all over I didn''t see much of Dad for the next few years. Now I have an idea why he never came around. They said he was quite a mess and going on one bender after another. He tried to forget about it through drugs, alcohol, and a ton of prostitutes.¡± ¡°Alright, that''s enough.¡± Peter said as he opened the door. While it didn''t seem very fair, he was listening on the other side and had heard just about all that he was willing to handle. ¡°There is no way in hell Ray would ever say something like that, so I want you to come clean. Where are you getting all this information from?¡± ¡°How about the internet?¡± Nathan replied. ¡°All someone has to do is google your name and a whole wealth if dirt would come bubbling to the surface.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Jacob concurred. ¡°The internet is full that kind of trash.¡± Nathan was still angry at his father, eager to hurt him. ¡°Maybe the next time I want to learn the truth about my own family, maybe I should just ask Silvia Snider. She seems to know a lot more about you than I do, and I¡¯m your son!¡± Peter froze when he heard that name and suddenly he had all the answer he was looking for, which was the source of Nathan¡¯s sudden wealth of information. Nathan dug into his knapsack and pulled out the small soft cover book. ¡°Here ya go, Dad,¡± Nathan said, tossing the book at him. ¡°The unauthorized biography of Peter Anderlini. I understand what unauthorized means but that doesn''t mean the entire thing is untrue.¡± Peter didn''t think he was going to see a copy of that book ever again, so to see it in the hands of one of his children was enough to make him want to punch the wall in frustration. ¡°Not all of that is true,¡± Peter started to explain, ¡°A lot of stories are exaggerated because the filthier these books are they more money they make for the creeps who write them. It''s all about making a big splash for a bigger profit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Cheryl thought,¡± Nathan agreed, ¡°I realize that, but since you never sued him for libel I guess you can''t say most of it false either. I just found it a tad hypocritical that a guy who spent many nights snorting cocaine off a hooker''s ass was trying to tell his kids not to do drugs at the dinner table. Maybe you should have left that to someone like Sonya. It might have sounded more believable coming from her.¡± Peter realized how bad it must have looked to have him make that speech, but it was not grounds to sandbag him with his own past. ¡°There is a time and place for everything,¡± Peter countered, as he sat down on the chair in front of the desk. ¡°The dinner table on Sunday is not right time to bring up ancient history. I''m not going to deny that I was a mess during and after the divorce. It hit me really, really hard. I did a lot of terrible things when I was trying to get past it and after Ray helped me get back on track.¡± ¡°How did you get over it?¡± Jacob asked, as he was just as curious. ¡°It took time and a lot of therapy,¡± Peter answered, ¡°I eventually did the right thing and checked into rehab. It took a while to get over my demons, and that¡¯s a fight that I hope both of you manage to avoid. I wouldn''t even wish it on my worst enemy.¡± ¡°I had no idea.¡± Jacob said as he looked back at Peter. ¡°Did you really almost jump off a bridge?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± Peter said, as he patted Jacob on the shoulder. ¡°To be honest I don''t remember most of it, but Ray was the man who did save my life and talk me down. I owe him everything and will never forget what he did for me that day. He''s always been my best friend, but after that day he became so much more. He''s family as far as I''m concerned and is the one person who I would tell everything to and trust without hesitation. If you guys are ever in trouble and neither Sonya nor I are available, Ray will drop everything to come to your aid. Men like him don''t grow on trees and while he''s far from perfect, he¡¯s a loyal and true friend.¡± ¡°I''ve been getting that vibe over the last week,¡± Nathan admitted. ¡°He''s been looking out for me when I''ve been doing my work. I can tell that he really does care, and he gave me this book because he wanted me to find out the truth just not so fast.¡± Peter looked back at the books he had there and sighed. ¡°If you have any questions about my past, I would appreciate if we talked about them I private rather than at Sunday dinner. You should apologize to Sonya for ruining what was a fantastic meal. Alright?¡± ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Nathan said as he stood up and left the room. Jacob followed him out but when the got to the kitchen, there was no one there. Sonya apparently went outside for some air or to her bedroom to collect herself. Nathan looked around to realize the kitchen and the table were still a mess. ¡°Do you want to wash or dry?¡± he quickly asked his step-bro. Jacob thought about it for a moment. ¡°I''ll dry. I know where everything is supposed to be put away, so that will make things move a lot faster.¡± It was a valid point; Nathan had no idea where everything went. ¡°Alright, sounds good to me.¡± Nathan said, as he started to pour water into the sink with soap and started to get ready to wash the dishes. Peter didn''t say a word and watched as the two boys decided to use actions rather than words to ask for forgiveness. Jacob cleaned table and took the time to toss leftovers into various plastic tubs and into the fridge. He tossed the over ripe food into the compost bin as Nathan finished getting the sink ready as he started wash the pile of dishes that were waiting for him. Nathan was a pro at this since he and his mother always did the dishes together, giving all a good scrub each dish with care and make sure it was clean on a molecular level for Sonya. From there Nathan placed the dish on the tray were Jacob would take over from there and thoroughly dry them and then proceed to put each dish away in its proper place. The two teens worked like a well-oiled machine and Peter didn''t get in their way as he sat down on the couch in the living room and took on a role of supervisor rather than participate. Sonya could hear the commotion going on in the kitchen and came down to put a stop to it. She had assumed Peter decided to do them himself and she didn''t want him to do that much work on his own. When she got down to the bottom of the stairs she saw Peter on the couch and realized what was going on. ¡°Well,¡± Sonya whispered to Peter. ¡°I did not expect that.¡± ¡°It''s their way of apologizing for ruining dinner.¡± Peter whispered back as he then patted the spot next to him on the couch, inviting her to cuddle up and enjoy the view from the couch. She didn''t hesitate to do just that as she sat down beside her husband and put her arm around his shoulders. Peter gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. ¡°How are the girls?¡± he asked. ¡°Confused,¡± Sonya admitted. ¡°When I explained what Keith Richards did for a living, that made them excited. You might want to consider guitar lessons.¡± ¡°Oh my,¡± Peter said as he let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Where did Nathan get all that information?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°There''s no way Ray would say something like that to him, and not without giving us a heads up.¡± ¡°It wasn''t Ray,¡± Peter quietly answered. ¡°When Nathan was at the bookstore during his date, they managed to land a cheap paperback copy of the unauthorized biography of Peter Anderlini...¡± Sonya''s face dropped with shock. ¡°Are you friggin¡¯ kidding me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Peter replied. Sonya face was now changing a shade darker. ¡°Nathan was reading that slanderous piece of trash written by that hack in New York?¡± ¡°The one and only,¡± Peter confirmed, ¡°Silvia Snider strikes again.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Peter answered. He was serious too. ¡°And why not?¡± Sonya asked as she was still fuming. ¡°I just don¡¯t have the energy for it,¡± Peter admitted, ¡°I¡¯m too tired.¡± ¡°You want meal to deal with this shit?¡± Sonya asked with a fiery tone. He could tell she was eager to give Nathan a piece of her mind for reading that garbage and for believing it so easily. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary,¡± Peter replied, ¡°Who¡¯s the one person that hates Silvia more than us?¡± Peter watched Sonya as she thought about it for a moment and when the answer dawned on her, she grinned back at her husband. ¡°Oh no,¡± Sonya said with a sign, ¡°He¡¯s going to go ballistic.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Peter concurred, thinking about it too. ¡°The mushroom cloud is gonna be visible from space.¡± ¡°That boy is in deep shit,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Which one if us is going to tell him?¡± ¡°I will,¡± Peter said, as he didn¡¯t look forward to it. ¡°I¡¯ll give him a call after everyone goes to bed. I know he¡¯s working the night shift.¡± ¡°I¡¯d ask to do it together,¡± Sonya sincerely offered, ¡°But he¡¯ll be too loud to put it on speaker.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Peter said, deeply sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it brief.¡± Sonya kissed her husband and went back upstairs. She knew karma was a harsh mistress, and Peter knew that as well. Some time tomorrow Nathan was going to learn that the hard was as well, but not by his hand. 16. Back At The Bridge When Ray arrived to pick up Nathan for his community work Monday morning, he pulled up to the Summer Home earlier than usual. Turns out Sonya had given him a heads up before Peter called him to give the Sheriff the Cole''s Notes version of what had happened at Sunday Dinner. Ray didn¡¯t say much in response and was even quiet when he arrived the next morning to pick Nathan up for his service to the town. Nathan was up and ready to go at his usual time but had no idea how long Ray had been there, but he was speaking to both Sonya and Peter before leaving with the young man to do their work. As they sat there in the truck, Ray was quieter than any ride into town had ever been. Nathan didn''t think much of it since it was Monday and the man likely just needed a good steaming cup of java to get back to his talkative self. Things seemed rather normal that was until Ray took a turn that went away from where they were supposed to be going. Nathan was a little confused but didn''t think much of it. A few moments later Ray grabbed the mic under his dash and contacted the station. ¡°Tell deputy Johnson that Cheryl Adams is not working with Nathan today.¡± Ray barked into the radio. ¡°Take her along with the two other punks to the park to pick up trash for the day.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± the radio replied. ¡°What about Nathan Anderlini?¡± ¡°Nathan is sick today.¡± Ray answered, ¡°And I¡¯m calling it a day early, but will be one call. Do not disturb me unless someone is dead or dying. Is that Understood?¡± There was a long pause. ¡°Yes sir. Station out.¡± Nathan had no idea what was going on and was beginning to worry a little since he told the station that he was home sick. ¡°Ray,¡± Nathan started, ¡°What''s going...¡± Without warning, Ray slammed on the brakes and then slapped the truck into park. Had Nathan not been wearing his seat belt, he would have flown out of the windshield. After the truck came to a complete stop, Ray shot his hand out and clamped it over his passenger''s mouth. ¡°You shut your fucking cake hole!¡± Ray screamed at the young man. ¡°You are not to say a damn word unless you''re spoken to. Is that understood?¡± Even when asked a question, Nathan never said a word and nodded to acknowledge compliance. ¡°Good,¡± Ray said, as he started the truck back up and continued down the road to their destination. Nathan had no idea where they were going but he suspected that Ray''s anger had something to do with the events that occurred the night before at the family dinner where a lot of personal stuff came out. Ray finally brought the truck to a stop and pulled the key from the ignition. ¡°Get out of the truck,¡± Ray barked, ¡°Now!¡± When Nathan got out of the truck, there was something massive in front of them that was almost impossible to ignore: a bridge. It was a really big bridge, capable of handling four lanes and some pretty busy traffic. There were no cars there, as it was run down and closed for repairs. Since Ray was a cop he was able to access the site anytime he wanted to. Ray wasn''t in a patient mood as he shoved Nathan a few times, obviously wanting him to get on the bridge and get a good look for himself. ¡°Take a good look and let it all in,¡± Ray said with a tone of heavy sarcasm. ¡°Why read about it in a crappy book written by a lying bitch in New York when you can come out here and see it for yourself.¡± Nathan''s heart sank when he hear those words come from Ray''s mouth. He knew about the biography and had some choice words for the writer that the Sheriff clearly had no respect for. ¡°Look,¡± Nathan started to explain, ¡°I was just doing research.¡± ¡°Well, that''s funny.¡± Ray cracked back as he started to stroll down the bridge. ¡°I was here on this bridge when it happened. Why would you take the word of a stranger who was never there over mine? I don''t know about you son, but that is outright insulting.¡± Nathan started walk behind Ray. ¡°Is this really the bridge?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Ray confirmed, ¡°This is where one of my most fearful nights as a cop every happened.¡± ¡°How out of it was Dad?¡± Nathan asked, ¡°He said that he doesn¡¯t remember very much of that night.¡± ¡°That''s probably for the best.¡± Ray said as he walked over to the edge. ¡°Cause the story that bitch in New York wrote was nothing compared to what it was really like up here.¡± ¡°What was it like up here?¡± Nathan asked. Ray looked back at the young man, and he could tell that Nathan genuinely wanted to know what happened. There was no hostility nor resentment in his voice, but only curiosity. ¡°I''m not ready to talk about it, son.¡± Ray honestly confessed. ¡°Not yet at least. When you¡¯re older, maybe when you''re married to someone you love more than you love yourself... we might talk about it. If I''m not ready to handle it, rest assured you are not ready to handle it too.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I understand.¡± Nathan said as he walked closer to the edge. It was a lot higher than he imagined it would be, but there was no telling how high the river was. Down below that day there was nothing but sand and rock. Ray looked back at Nathan and held out his hand. ¡°The book.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Nathan asked. He did have a few in his bag. ¡°You know which fucking one I''m talking about!¡± Ray said as his voice went from zero to seven in a few second. ¡°Hand it over, now.¡± Nathan hesitated for a moment, then did as he was told. He dug into his knapsack and pulled out the old softcover book and handed it over to the angry sheriff. ¡°What do you have against this lady?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Wrong question, bub.¡± Ray said as he looked at the cover. ¡°The real question should be what does this writer have against your father?¡± ¡°Wait, Dad used to know her?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°No, I did.¡± Ray replied as he never took his eyes off the book. ¡°I was engaged to her for over a year. We broke up six months before we were supposed to get married. It wasn''t a good breakup to say the least.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°Does my Dad know about it?¡± ¡°Of course, he does.¡± Ray answered, ¡°He was supposed to be my best man, but it was never meant to be. It was a real mess. Turns out your father saw Silvia hugging someone who wasn''t me a little too lovingly and he accused over of cheating. Given his history with the issue, it was fair to say your Dad was a little sensitive about it.¡± ¡°Understatement of the century.¡± Nathan agreed. ¡°Well, this is where things got nasty.¡± Ray continued, ¡°Two days later I dumped her and canceled the wedding. I told her I had evidence that she was being unfaithful and that we were finished.¡± ¡°You took Dad¡¯s word over hers?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°No,¡± Ray answered, ¡°Naturally she blamed your father for it even though the person she was hugging was not a person she was sleeping with.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°So, you dumped her for no reason?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Oh, I had good reason to dump her ass,¡± Ray explained, ¡°What Peter and Silvia didn¡¯t know is that her actual lover came to my station the day before and had already confessed to the affair. He said it was over and he would never do it again. As much as I respected the man for ending it and being up front, I was crushed. I could never trust her again, and that was no way to start a marriage. That''s why I ended it. It had nothing to do with your father, but Silvia didn¡¯t believe it and never hung around long enough for me to explain that to her.¡± ¡°Is that why she wrote this book?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Some believe it is,¡± Ray answered, ¡°Her revenge for ending her engagement even though what he saw wasn''t why it ended in the first place. She was a reporter for the times, and she decided to do an authorized biography about my best friend who happened to be bestselling author J.P. Anderlini. All she had to do was talk to your mother, and a few people who partied with him during the dark days and that''s all she needed to smear the crap out of him in the public eye. If someone said they saw your Dad do a little drugs, she expanded it to someone seeing him do a lot of drugs and pass out.¡± Ray threw the book on the ground with utter disgust. ¡°This piece of trash was a smear campaign from cover to cover,¡± Ray barked, ¡°I realize you''re not smart enough to read between the lines, but this is not the man that I saw on that bridge and know because I was there. Your dad was intoxicated, but he was never high when he was up there. Yes, he was heartbroken and in a lot of pain, but he did the right thing when he came down and let me take him to the station. And in case you were wondering, the Sheriff at the time this incident occurred was my father. My old man taught me how to take care of our own, and to help people when they couldn''t help themselves. Some people might call what my Dad did for Peter an abuse of power, but I call it compassion. It¡¯s also called being decent to your fellow man and doing onto others as you want them to do to you. My father¡¯s generosity and empathy for others helped made me the man I am today. I bust my ass just to be half the man he was, and sometimes it happens. Your Dad was a real mess from what happened between him and your mother, but it was no where near the mess that lying cunt painted it to be in that book. I mean seriously, Keith Richards?¡± Nathan seemed to be pinned to the wall by his own words. ¡°I guess that was a bit of an exaggeration. I''m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Ray said, ¡°But I''m not the one you have to apologize to.¡± Ray picked the book up off the ground and angrily hurled it off the bridge with as much power as he could muster. ¡°How do you think I feel about that book?¡± Ray continued, ¡°Someone tried to publicly humiliate your Dad in public because he tried to stand up for me. He was put through so much pain because he was trying to protect me. It wasn¡¯t very fair.¡± ¡°That''s what confuses me,¡± Nathan said as he started to pace around. ¡°If what Silvia said was complete bullshit, then why didn¡¯t Dad go out of his way to really exaggerate what Frank was going through with the breakup of his marriage?¡± ¡°That''s why it''s my favorite book.¡± Ray said, walking over. ¡°Your father took this fake persona that was created by the dirt hungry media and turned it into one of his best characters ever. He used their own lies to propel himself and his career to even greater heights. It was like giving Silvia Snider and the rest of those bottom feeder a collective finger for trying to mess with your Dad.¡± ¡°Wow, that''s quite impressive.¡± Nathan observed. ¡°It was brilliant and the people who believed her bullshit couldn''t get enough of it. Hounds of Huntersville was the most successful book your father ever published. Like I said before, millions of copies and in several different languages.¡± Ray smiled for the first time that day, ¡°I couldn''t have been prouder of your father when he did that. He took what would have ended a many careers and turned it into liquid gold. It was like watching a goose shit a diamond egg instead of gold. Everyone was so shocked and impressed at the same time. It was also this time when your Dad stopped speaking with the media. At the time when his name was the most popular and everyone wanted to interview him, but he went underground. Not one book signing, or formal interviews have been given by Peter Anderlini since and that was his way of handling the media for nearly destroying him. He didn''t need the press to sell books and hasn¡¯t talked to a single reporter ever since.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Nathan said as he stood there literally in shock. ¡°I had no idea.¡± ¡°Well, you''re young,¡± Ray reminded him, ¡°The last time I checked you¡¯re allowed to make a few mistakes. You are however still going to pay for them.¡± ¡°I don''t like the sound of that.¡± Nathan said. ¡°Don''t panic,¡± Ray corrected him, ¡°I''m only going to expand your community service by three days, and I¡¯m doing that to make sure your old man and Sonya don''t think I''m going easy on you. What they don''t know is that by doing this, you and Cheryl will finish your community service together on the same day. I''ll also make sure I find something you two can do alone so you''ll have some more one on one time.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Nathan said, surprised to hear it. ¡°Thanks?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know what wounds you were reopening,¡± Ray explained, ¡°And I¡¯d like to think if you knew, you might have hesitated.¡± ¡°I would have,¡± Nathan insisted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are,¡± Ray said, slapping him on the arm. ¡°But you need to find a way to make things better, soon rather than later.¡± ¡°Three days is alright,¡± Nathan added, ¡°I deserve it.¡± ¡°You deserve a lot more!¡± Ray corrected him, ¡°But I have a feeling you¡¯re not going to do something like that ever again.¡± ¡°No, never.¡± Nathan confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m also pretty sure you learned what unauthorized really means,¡± Ray continued as he started to walk back to the truck. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the truck. We¡¯ll get something to eat and take you home. You can resume your work tomorrow.¡± After Nathan got back inside and put his seat belt on he turned to face his godfather. ¡°Thanks for letting me in on the truth. I know some of it wasn''t easy to talk about.¡± ¡°It wasn''t,¡± Ray confirmed, ¡°But letting someone walk around with only half the truth would have been a lot harder for me to swallow. The next time you need some truth in this world, try coming to me next time rather than a trashy reporter who could find the truth in the dark even if she had boots and a flashlight.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Don''t hesitate to go to your old man either.¡± Ray said as he pulled out and started out. ¡°He''s a good man, and there¡¯s no one else I¡¯d rather have as my best friend. I also happen to know that man loves you with every fibre of his heart. He paid over twenty-five thousand dollars in legal fees trying to fight for your custody. I kept telling him that unless your mother was abusive or on drugs, which was not the case here, the judge would always side with the mother. Your Dad didn''t care and paid dozens of lawyers an obscene amount of cash fight tooth and nail for your custody. He refused to let you go without a fight.¡± ¡°I had no idea.¡± Nathan said as he suddenly felt like the fool. While the were driving to the diner, Nathan decided to ask something with the hopes that their talks today would get him the truth. ¡°Ray,¡± He started, ¡°What''s wrong with my dad?¡± Ray paused for a moment. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He''s not eating,¡± Nathan explained, ¡°And he''s not doing much around the house but write. Be honest with me. What is going on with my father?¡± Ray took a deep sigh as he was fully aware of what kind of trouble he might be getting himself and Peter into. ¡°He was diagnosed with cancer several months ago.¡± Nathan couldn''t believe what he was hearing. ¡°Is he going be alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, we hope so.¡± Ray answered, keeping his eyes on the road. ¡°Your Dad just went through another round of aggressive chemo. That''s not real hair on his head. I''m honestly surprised you couldn''t tell the difference.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathan said, as he put his hand on his head and thought back about what had been going on the last few weeks. All the death and his mother''s funeral, and all this time he had been undergoing treatments for cancer and no one was the wiser. ¡°Why didn''t he tell anyone?¡± Nathan inquired. ¡°Privacy,¡± Ray replied. ¡°We didn''t want word of this to get out to those who might use it to attack him again. They¡¯d try to make a media circus out of it, and it¡¯d be a logistical public relations nightmare.¡± ¡°So, if treatment is going well, why is he writing a sequel?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°From what I read he never does that.¡± ¡°I''m not entirely sure why he''s writing this book,¡± Ray answered. ¡°He''s missed a few deadlines and his publisher is quite pissed. They have no idea what''s going on so you can''t blame them for being miffed.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been coming by so often?¡± Nathan asked, ¡°Checking up on him and making sure he¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Ray confessed, ¡°I¡¯m just concerned.¡± ¡°So, now what?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Tomorrow you''re coming back to work but I''m going to give you the rest of today to put this to rest.¡± Ray answered, ¡°You need make things right with your new family because that¡¯s what they are: your family. You''re stuck with them and that means you''re stuck with me. Are we clear on that, kid?¡± Ray pulled up to the diner, and parked close to the main door. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Ray said, getting out of the truck. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I deserve a free lunch,¡± Nathan observed, feeling bad. ¡°This is important,¡± Ray insisted, ¡°While we wait for our sandwiches, you can practice that apology you¡¯re going to give when you get home today. We¡¯ll go over it a few times till you get it right. While we¡¯re at it, we¡¯ll grab your Dad¡¯s favorite sandwich and bring it back with us. Hopefully he¡¯ll eat some of it.¡± ¡°What is his favorite?¡± Nathan asked, as he honestly didn¡¯t know. ¡°Roast beef with cheddar cheese and horse radish,¡± Ray said, as he held the door open for Nathan, ¡°And we¡¯re not going skimpy on the meat, because your old man needs as much protein as he can get.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds good!¡± Nathan said before going inside. As Ray followed him inside he did so with a lighter chest as he was aware the young man had finally had a breakthrough. Regardless of what had happened since he had arrived, the young man was finally on the right path. After several more days working for the town and repaying his debt, Ray had a good feeling that Nathan and his father would finally be able to start over and catch up on lost time. The grumpy Sheriff just prayed that Peter had enough time left himself to see it through. 17. Forgive And Forget Peter was just stepping out of the shower when he heard the door slam downstairs, which he found rather odd. He was under the impression that Sonya took the kids to the park for the afternoon, and that he had all the time he needed to shower, clean up, and get some writing done before they get home. Peter was about to believe it was the wind, but then he heard a voice call from the main floor. It was Nathan who had been dropped off by Ray a lot earlier than expected. Peter didn''t have much time, so he dried himself off and put his boxers and a robe on. He then quickly fitted his wig the way he was taught by the people who made it for him. Peter took his time slowly walked out of the main bedroom and down the hall to the stairs. As he gingerly descended the staircase, he could see Nathan down there waiting for him. ¡°What are you doing back so early?¡± Peter called out to him from the stairs, ¡°I could have sworn you still had a debt to pay to the people of this fine town.¡± ¡°Ray gave me the day off,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°He thought it would be better to spend the better part of the morning putting me in my place and then give me the afternoon to mull over it.¡± ¡°That sounds like Ray,¡± Peter said, as he reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°From what I was told this morning,¡± Nathan continued, ¡°I was badly in need of corrections to what I thought was the whole story.¡± ¡°The whole story is often hard to find.¡± Peter said, as he took the last few steps rather slowly. ¡°Every person you know has secrets, so it''s difficult to have the whole story when various pieces are always missing.¡± ¡°I got more that a few pieces today,¡± Nathan informed him. ¡°Ray told me everything, using the truth like a club to beat it into my thick skull.¡± Upon hearing that Peter let out a small laugh that was stopped short by a slight discomfort. He took a deep breath and grabbed the couch as if he needed to do it in order to prevent himself from falling over. ¡°He told you everything?¡± Peter repeated, curious to what he meant. ¡°He told me you paid a small fortune for that rug on your head.¡± Nathan replied with a crude smile. The only thing Peter could do in response to that snide remark was unclasp that ''rug'' from his head and tossed it onto the couch to reveal the hairless dome above his eyebrows that he had been hiding for quite some time. ¡°I present evidence to why you should never get a buzz cut,¡± Peter said, ¡°We have really ugly skulls.¡± Nathan couldn''t help but laugh at his father''s comment, for it was partially true. ¡°It''s not that bad,¡± Nathan said, trying to be polite, ¡°It even kinda looks cool in a Lex Luthor-ish kind of way.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Peter said, aware that his son was using humor to combat the shock of what he was seeing. Peter was just relieved to see that his son was taking the reveal rather well. Sonya had cried for days when his hair first fell out, to the point where she had to call in sick because it was too much for her to handle. She was so afraid that her husband was going to die and that petrified her. She was so afraid that her husband was going to die. ¡°I would really appreciate it,¡± Peter continued, ¡°If we kept these details to ourselves¡­ at least for the time being.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nathan asked, ¡°What exactly are you waiting for?¡± ¡°Test results,¡± Peter answered, ¡°We are going to find out very soon whether the latest round of treatment worked or not.¡± ¡°Define or not?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°If we don¡¯t get the result we¡¯re looking for,¡± Peter informed his son, ¡°That would mean I have less than a year to get my affairs in order and say good-bye.¡± Peter slowly walked up to his favorite easy chair and slowly sat down. ¡°When does that happen?¡± Nathan inquired. ¡°In a few weeks,¡± Peter answered, ¡°Regardless of what the result is, that is the day Sonya and I planned to tell everyone. We¡¯re hoping that it will be good news and the kids will have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°So, you planed to keep this on the down low until then?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°What a lot of people don¡¯t realize,¡± Peter replied, ¡°Is that the most painful thing about these treatments is the wait after it. The time that slowly passes as you wait to find out how much time the doctors think I¡¯ll have. I didn¡¯t want any of you to experience that clock and just enjoy your summer.¡± ¡°You also didn¡¯t want to hit me with that after mom, right?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°You¡¯ve already been through a bit,¡± Peter confessed, ¡°And the accident really put a monkey wrench in my plans in case things didn¡¯t work out. I was at least hoping you¡¯d have your mother to turn to if I didn¡¯t make it. Fate it turns out had different plans for us, and I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± ¡°I get it,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I at least appreciate the idea.¡± ¡°This is my cross to carry, Nathan.¡± Peter said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to burden you or anyone else with this struggle.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Nathan declared, ¡°Regardless of what happens, we''ll handle this together. I refuse to let you to through without my help. And I¡¯m going to start right now by making you eat this.¡± Nathan raised the small paper bag that he brought back with him. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°What is that?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Ray bought you lunch,¡± Nathan answered, ¡°And he said you have to eat every single bite to keep your strength up.¡± ¡°What kind of sandwich?¡± Peter inquired from his chair. ¡°Roast beef with cheddar and horseradish.¡± Nathan said, gently shaking the bag. ¡°I see,¡± Peter said as he smiled. ¡°I don''t think I would be able to handle a whole sandwich on my own. I haven''t been eating much lately.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Nathan replied, ¡°Just wait here.¡± Nathan took the food into the kitchen and transferred it to a plate and even added some potato chips on the side. When he returned from the kitchen, Nathan was carrying two plates instead of one along with two cans of soda. ¡°We¡¯ll split it,¡± Nathan said, handing one plate to his father. Peter took his plate and smiled. ¡°Sonya doesn''t let me have horseradish anymore.¡± Peter informed his son, ¡°She doesn¡¯t like how gassy I get after I eat it.¡± ¡°I won''t her if you don''t,¡± Nathan said with as smile as he bit into his half and enjoyed having lunch with his old man. Peter made a modest attempt to eat, but noticed his soon was staring at him as he did so like he had something else on his mind. ¡°What is it?¡± Peter asked his son. ¡°One thing I have to say,¡± Nathan said, putting his lunch down, ¡°You knew what the truth was and yet you let me slam you with crazy accusations of being a druggie and did nothing about it. Why?¡± Peter waited to finish his bite and sip his before responding. ¡°To be honest,¡± Peter started, ¡°I didn''t have the energy to stand up to you, let along fight with you that night. I''m just glad you and Jacob didn''t come to blows because there was no way I could have ever broken you guys up.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I feel bad about what happened last night. I should have respected you enough to approach you in private with what I had. You at least deserved a chance to tell the real story. Instead, I went off half cocked with someone else''s lies. I¡¯m really sorry about that, Dad.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Peter replied, as it was nice to hear his son say it. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t me you had to worry about. Ray took that book far more personally than anything anyone has ever said about someone in his entire life. I''m sure he didn''t take your actions from last night too kindly either.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t impressed, I can assure you,¡± Nathan confirmed, ¡°But we had a good talk about it, and he set the record straight. He even took me to the bridge where it happened to give me some real perspective that words couldn¡¯t convey.¡± ¡°That fits,¡± Peter said, thinking about it. ¡°Ray is the kind of guy that prefers to show rather than tell whenever he has the chance.¡± ¡°I got four more days of community service for my part in last night''s hysterics.¡± Nathan said, ¡°And I accepted them without protest.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Peter said again, surprised to see Nathan was so willing to accept Ray¡¯s punishment for what happened. ¡°I really didn''t expect to have a conversation this mature for a least a few years. I was concerned about how you would fare this summer after what happened to your mother. While you haven''t handled it perfectly, I''m proud how you''ve managed it thus far. You''ve made a real effort and we appreciate it. Maybe I''ll have a talk with Ray and see if he''ll go a little easier on you.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I¡¯m alright with it.¡± ¡°You are?¡± Peter said, surprised to hear that too. ¡°Yeah, don''t worry about it pops.¡± Nathan said, as he finished up his half of the sandwich and stood up and started to watch his dish into the kitchen. ¡°Ray is going easy on me, so I¡¯m okay with it. Considering what happened, I think it could have been a lot worse.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Peter called back from the living room. ¡°Keep eating,¡± Nathan ordered as he returned from the kitchen. ¡°There''s something I''ve been meaning to talk to you about.¡± he said as he stood up and slowly walked towards the kitchen. ¡°I was wondering if you wanted us to get you a bed so you can bunk up with Jacob for the rest of the summer.¡± ¡°No, I''m perfectly content with the couch.¡± Nathan answered. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I would prefer you save your pennies for the main house,¡± Nathan suggested, ¡°I won''t need any furniture, but I will need some extra room to put all my stuff into. And trust me Dad, I got a lot of crap to move.¡± ¡°Well, we can¡¯t take everything from your mom¡¯s place,¡± Peter said, as he knew what his son was referring to. ¡°Your uncle and aunt will want some of that stuff but if there¡¯s something specific you want of hers to take, I¡¯ll make room for it.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nathan said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask for too much.¡± ¡°Glad to hear that,¡± Peter replied, ¡°But whatever doesn''t fit into your room can go into storage in the basement. There are also a few room rooms you can pick from, for your bedroom. We¡¯ll give you some time to check them out and select whichever room you like that isn¡¯t already occupied. It will be a bit of a change, but you were always welcome in our home, Nathan.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Nathan said as he walked up to his father and gave him a soft hug. He stood there and paused while looking at something. ¡°I know,¡± Peter conceded, ¡°The bald head looks terrible.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nathan agreed, ¡°It¡¯s creeping me out a bit. It¡¯s not a good look for you.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± Peter said, as he agreed. ¡°I¡¯m hoping it¡¯s only temporary.¡± ¡°Me too, Dad.¡± Nathan concurred, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Peter asked. ¡°For not giving up on me,¡± Nathan answered, ¡°And for putting up with my crap all summer while in this condition!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Peter replied, ¡°Giving up is not in my vocab, especially where any of my kids are concerned.¡± Peter had a warm smile on his face, the most genuine smile he''d given all summer. He eventually had to let go of his boy, as he reached over to the couch and grabbed his very high priced wig. ¡°I''ve got to get ready for the kids to get home,¡± Peter informed him, ¡°And then I''m going to get back to work. I''ve got a deadline to make.¡± ¡°I''ve been meaning to talk to you about that.¡± Nathan started as he walked his Dad back to the stairs. ¡°I was under the impression that you like to write sequels. You were quoted as saying to do so was to sell out.¡± ¡°That''s true, I did say that.¡± Peter said as he started to slowly climb the stairs. ¡°So, why do one now?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°It was always an insurance policy in case the test results don''t turn out,¡± Peter confessed, ¡°This sequel is going to be a guaranteed blockbuster, and that will please many fans as well as my publisher very much. This is also a story that I believed was in dire need of an update.¡± ¡°Which story?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Frank Slate,¡± Peter said as he reached the top of the stairs. ¡°I wanted to let the people know he didn''t live the rest of his being so bitter and angry, especially at women for what happened to him. I want to let the fans know that Frank found someone new, and that love had blessed his life again. That it¡¯s possible to find someone new that was going to bring peace back into his life and make Frank Slate a better man. I want to let everyone know that he¡¯s doing all right and living the good life. I¡¯m hoping that if fans can realize Frank can find love again, then maybe there¡¯s a chance for them too.¡± ¡°That sounds like a winner to me,¡± Nathan said from the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Just don¡¯t go to lovey dovey on us, this is still a Frank Slate novel.¡± ¡°Oh, it will still be the same Frank,¡± Peter replied, ¡°He¡¯ll still be a tough and very mean private eye. I¡¯m just not making him as bitter and in the dumps.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nathan repeated, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to read it.¡± ¡°Finish the one you have first.¡± Peter said from the top of the stairs. ¡°And then we''ll talk about the new one.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nathan conceded, ¡°If you insist.¡± Nathan watched the old man retreat to his room to get dressed and prepare for Sonya and the kids to return. Instead of hitting the television or even the computer, Nathan went to his bag and grabbed the beat up novel that Ray had given him and went back to the couch to do a little reading before everyone got back. He managed to get at few chapters finished before Sonya returned with Jacob and the girls. 18. The New Family After Nathan had finished doing his service for the town and Ray, the young man dedicated the rest of his summer to helping his father. Nathan was the only kid that knew what was really going on, so he was determined to help out as much as he possibly could. Helping his father get around the house made things as easy as possible so that his old man could work on and finish the new novel. With Nathan¡¯s assistance and constant pestering, Peter actually had no trouble making his deadline much to the excitement of his agent and publisher. What made Peter happy was that fans around the world who were eager for the release of the new Frank Slate novel, which his publisher was more than happy to launch just before Christmas. Just getting that damn novel done on time was an accomplishment in itself, and Nathan was so proud of his Dad for doing it¡­ especially considering how much his father was struggling. Nathan still managed to find some time to hang out with Cheryl Adams as well since she also completed her community service around the same time Nathan did. They went on a few more dates that were a bit more formal dates, as they also began to exchange oodles of emails, texts, and did a lot of facetime chats when Nathan moved back to the city with his new family. The move into the new house wasn''t as hectic as Nathan first assumed it might be. He chose to take over the room that was located next to Jacob''s as the two of them had gotten along for the most part and were closer in age. While it wasn''t the biggest room available to him, Nathan didn''t have the heart to take away Dad''s den which was actually right next to his bedroom. Nathan also didn¡¯t have guts to take away the playroom that his two younger sisters had used happily for years. There were bigger fish to fry than space, so Peter couldn''t help but be proud of the mature man Nathan was slowly becoming. There was more to life and the young man was finally beginning to understand that. Nathan had also chosen that room because he wanted to make an effort to get closer to Jacob. It was a gesture that was not lost as they two of the grew very close over the years and became the best of friends. There wasn''t anything one wouldn''t do for the other, and it was like they were real brothers. They were able to handle anything together and were each others best men when their day came to become married men but that was many, many years later. With permission from Peter, there was one person he was allowed to tell everything to, as long as she promised to remain quiet. Nathan had taken Cheryl to the park and told her everything about what Ray had told her along with every other detail he had learned that day at the bridge. Stunned couldn''t begin to describe how shocked Cheryl was to hear this update, especially about the great lengths the writer had gone to just to attack Nathan¡¯s father and smear him as badly as she could in the public eye. They had heard of the phrase that there was nothing meaner than a woman scorned but this woman was living proof of such a statement. For the rest of that summer, the two of them had become very close, which made their parting at the end of the summer that much more difficult. They promised to keep in touch and never grow apart. Nathan also promised Sonya that he would be a complete gentleman when he was with Cheryl, and he was a man of his word. The only thing that happened between them that summer was their first kiss, which came a week before the summer ended. He was going to miss Cheryl but knew they had what it took to make it through the cold winter ahead. Peter had been right about his book, and how the fans would respond to it. When the Frank Slate sequel hit bookstores, they couldn''t keep them on the shelves and sales went into the millions. The profits this new novel had made were staggering, and while the publisher was screaming for Peter to write another Frank Slate novel, Peter put his foot down and returned to being the snobbish writer that usually he was. This sequel was the exception rather than the norm, and he made if clear that the next novel he was going to pen, and deliver on time, would be a new story with new characters that were just as appealing and inspirational. It was, however, difficult to ignore how popular this new sequel was. Peter¡¯s new novel had written made so much money, he honestly really didn''t need to write another novel if he didn''t want to. Peter¡¯s refusal to speak with the press continued and he never gave a single interview ever again, even when the big networks were asking for him to come out and take questions. To be honest, there were other issues to resolve and tests that Peter was nervous about hearing back from. Nathan was there in the living room when the day came. The day Peter and Sonya had finally decided to let everyone in on Peter''s secret illness. The test results had come in, and they were ready to move on with life regardless of the results. Peter was just happy to have everyone there the day he made the announcement. Sonya and Peter had asked everyone to be there in the room and even Ray had even taken time to fly up there to be there for Peter and Sonya. It had been several weeks since Nathan had confronted his Dad about his battle with cancer, and as promised he had kept it a secret until the test results came back. When Sonya and Peter first told the family that he was diagnosed with cancer, the family took it about as well as expected. The girls were crying, even Jacob was angry and on the verge of tears. Many of them wanted to know how bad it was and how much time they had left with their father, which was the part Nathan was eager to get an update on as well. Even though Peter and Sonya had kept Nathan in the loop about what was going on, they had made sure he was forced to wait until this moment to learn the results of the test and hear them at the same time the other kids did. They took a deep breath and broke the news: The cancer had shrunk and was receding. The treatments had worked, and Peter¡¯s tumor was now small enough to safely operate on. Peter was going to have surgery, and if all went well it would only be a matter of time before the old man made a full recovery. There was hope, and that was all they could ask for. What were faces of sadness and endless tears slowly turned into smiles and people who were in a mood to celebrate. Ray was the only person who knew the results before they were announced, but even Nathan didn''t realize he had snuck a bottle of champagne in the room. Ray broke the bottle open and sprayed the whole room with it. The news was good, and Retro Sheriff as Cheryl referred to him as wanted to make sure the news was given the attention and celebration that it deserved. The news of Peter''s ailment wasn''t as bad for the family to take as it was softened by the better news that the treatment had gone well, and things were getting batter rather than worse. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. This was the result what Peter and Sonya had been hoping and praying for and Nathan was more relieved than anyone in the house. The young man had already lost a parent due that year and wasn¡¯t ready to bury another. This new opportunity gave Nathan and the rest of the kids more time to spend with the ones they loved. Weeks after making the announcement, Peter Anderlini went under the knife to remove the cancer from his person. It took several hours, but the surgery was a success, much to the excitement of everyone who was sitting and praying in the waiting rooms downstairs. Nathan wasn¡¯t a very religious person, but even he was hedging his bets as he loved his father enough to try anything once. After several months of testing, Peter was eventually declared cancer free for the time being, much to everyone¡¯s delight. He was finally out of the woods after years of treatments. Peter was eager to get back to work, only to realize that he had new competition. Nathan had started to write short stories that year, and enrolled into college and took English literature and creative writing to see if this was something he also wanted to do for a living. Peter was shocked to see Nathan follow in his father''s footsteps but never complained about it as the kid had talent. While Nathan¡¯s works differed greatly from his fathers, Nathan Anderlini slowly made a name for himself and built a fan base without mentioning who his father was until he had found success on his own. Once it was discovered that this young and budding writer was the son of Peter Anderlini, money was no longer an issue for the rest of his life. Nathan had owed it all to the men that had shown him that way that one fateful summer. The young man had gained more than just a father that summer as he regained a godfather as well. Ray was just as much a part of Nathan''s life just as much as he was a part of Peter''s going forward, and there was no other way Nathan would have preferred it. They started taking trips together to go fishing every summer when the Anderlini family returned to the summer home. Nathan was always the first to pack up, eager to go back to the house where everything changed for him. It was that house that gave Nathan his second family and a second chance at life. Ten years after Nathan first visited the Summer Home, he made a gesture that took everyone by surprise, even his own father. They were sitting on the porch, sipping tea while their wives were in the house working on supper when Nathan let him in on the surprise. ¡°Ray sold the Summer Home,¡± Nathan informed his father. ¡°What?¡± Peter said, as he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t!¡± ¡°He did,¡± Nathan said, amused by the old man¡¯s shock. ¡°To quote a classic movie, the soon to be retired sheriff was made an offer that he couldn¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°And how do you know that?¡± Peter inquired, as he suspected something. ¡°Because I bought it,¡± Nathan said, smiling back. ¡°You¡¯re still welcome to come back every summer if you want, but I¡¯m going to stay here full time.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Peter said, aware of his motives. ¡°I assume Cheryl likes the idea of moving back to her hometown?¡± ¡°She does,¡± Nathan confirmed, ¡°But I like it too. This place is where things changed for me, and it¡¯s where Cheryl and I want to raise our kids.¡± ¡°Kids?¡± Peter said, looking back at him. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Four months along,¡± Nathan said, smiling at him. ¡°You read go be a grandpa?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Peter confessed, ¡°But I¡¯ll make the best of it.¡± ¡°Now that this is my home,¡± Nathan continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to build an addition, and make sure there¡¯s enough room for anyone who wants to visit every summer. That¡¯s one tradition neither of us wants to interfere with.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Peter said, ¡°But don¡¯t stretch yourself out too thin.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t if I tried,¡± Nathan said, chuckling at the thought. ¡°New series selling that well?¡± Peter asked. ¡°You¡¯d be jealous if you saw my numbers,¡± Nathan said, tempted to brag. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Peter said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I never said it enough.¡± ¡°I knew it,¡± Nathan said, not trying to sound cocky. ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to buy this place forever!¡± Peter added, ¡°How the hell did you managed to get Ray to sell it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Nathan admitted, ¡°It was all Cheryl, and he relented.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Peter said, as he understood. Ray had considered himself responsible for the match and cared for them both as if they were his own kids. Selling the house to them was that shocking when thinking about it that way. Ray had enough money now to fish for a long as he wanted to, and Nathan would be there full time to go along every damn time. That had to be an added benefit as well. Peter and Ray were both there the day Nathan became a father, and he felt like he was truly joining a new club with the two men whom he had always looked up to rather than walked with for many years. It was the first of many kids in his little crew, and Peter couldn''t have been happier to play the role of Grandpa. Sonya retired from teaching and did something no one ever expected her to do. She opened a small diner in Ray''s town and that gave her and Peter the reason they needed to leave the city and follow Nathan and Cheryl to the small town on a permanent basis. Ray was always and forever her best customer, even though his money was rarely accepted. When it was all said and done, everyone had deserted the city to make that small down by the coast their permanent residence. Nathan had started something that carried far beyond what started off as a summer retreat, but to remember how things started, he and Cheryl would host a big feast every summer. The whole family would bring their kids and spouses, stay for the week, and catch up and end it all with fireworks and celebration. This tradition continued for quite a while until the day came when Peter Anderlini departed from this mortal coil. The end came for the famous writer close to twenty-five years after his valiant fight against cancer. A quarter century of burrowed time, which was well earned. All of his kids and especially his wife were happy to have two extra decades, but when the end came for Peter that was a summer that was a more low key than usual. Nathan and Jacob took it upon themselves to bury the old man in the backyard, under a tree that he often liked to hang around and read under for the shade. The boys liked the idea of having him near, at the house where Peter often enjoyed spending his summers with those he loved most. The summer home would become his final resting place, where everyone could come and pay their respects whenever they wanted to. Near the beach and the house where everyone came together that fateful summer, the year Nathan¡¯s mother passed, and the trouble he brought them over the following months. They never gave up on him, and now it was his turn to carry on the tradition, and the love everyone had for the summer home that would remain in their family for generations to come. Soon Peter would not be alone under that tree, as they¡¯d all be together forever in death as much as they were in life as well. Nathan was blessed to eventually be buried with the new family he didn¡¯t deserve when his time came, and there was no better place he wanted to rest than the same summer home they all loved. The End