Chapter 9
The first week of school was almost always an exciting time for me. Usually it ended with my birthday, or my birthday came towards the second week of school, but either way I had the pre-birthday excitement adding to seeing people that I hadn’t seen in a few weeks. True, I spent most of my time with my circle of close friends, but I did have other friends who were more than mere acquaintances.
Tom Holloway was one of those. A cute guy with long strawberry-blond hair, he’d been in most of my math classes since junior high. We’d exchanged sticks of gum all semester (he preferred Big Red) last year since Brandon was in a different period than me and none of my other friends were in that class. When I’d given him an invitation to my birthday party, scheduled that first weekend after school started, his face had lit up and he had stated right then that he’d be there.
Shawn Wilson was another one of those guys, a dark-haired lanky baseball player who had been part of the junior high team last year and was going to be trying out for the team at Downey High next month. More than likely he’d be on the freshman team while I was already pretty much guaranteed a starting position on the varsity team. He had smiled and just nodded when I handed him the invitation, calling later that night to confirm he’d be there.
Wilma Lovestone, a geeky girl with thick glasses who was almost as good as me in our German class had looked totally shocked that she’d received an invitation directly from me. With her long hair, and slight case of acne, and a most unfortunate last name, I knew she’d gotten a lot of teasing over the years, but she was also always helping out other kids in our class when they stumbled over the German language.
April Williams was one of the most popular cheerleaders at school that year, and one of the flat-out nicest girls I knew. With her long blond hair and nicely-forming assets, she was the wet dream of most of the football team, and probably the only cheerleader who didn’t think she had to put out in some way to stay popular. Combined with a sharp wit, and a great sense of humor, she was both well-liked and feared by many of our classmates. When I’d seen her volunteering at the hospital Nanny had started volunteering at after her retirement, I’d been surprised. Watching her walk from room to room, and being nice and friendly to all the patients had convinced me there was far more to her than just good looks and a quick wit.
Eighty people, not including family were invited to my fifteenth birthday party. It was a big party, a far bigger party than the small family affairs I was use to having, but it was also a very small number when you considered there were over two thousand people at the school. Of those eighty, there’d only been sixty slots open for people my age, with the rest being taken up by adult friends of my parents.
Okay, it was more like the frequent donor and political ‘in’ list, but they were professional ‘friends’, or ‘political’ friends that my parents thought would be buttered up by being invited to my birthday party. I didn’t even mind my party being used as a political tool, because I knew my family was, for better or worse, firmly ensconced in the political world, and all of us had to contribute something to the success we enjoyed.
My sister was just happy I’d let her pick five of the
invitees so she could have a group of her friends there. All of them came from La Loma, and were girls
her age. Another twelve slots had been
taken up by cousins, including Shantill, who had just graduated from
Mom had gone all out, stringing decorative lanterns from the canopy to provide a wonderful ambiance. Propane heaters were placed strategically around the patio so that no place was cold despite it being January, and there were several buffet tables of food and non-alcoholic drinks. The air was filled with the buzz of conversation and laughter as people moved around in small groups. To my surprise, I could see April and Wilma talking animatedly near the empty and covered hot tub.
“This isn’t bad.” Sean said as he moved to stand near me. Brian and Brandon had wondered off to get us some drinks while we leaned on the back patio.
“I just hope she didn’t try getting a clown.” I said with a frown. Sometimes my mother had a hard time realizing I wasn’t a little boy. She’d actually suggested games like bobbing for apples or pin the tale on the donkey. Brian had said she was joking when I told him, but he hadn’t seen the totally serious look on her face.
“I’d worry more that she ordered strippers, knowing your mother.” Sean said. “I just don’t know if she’d order male or female.”
“Either would be awful.” I agreed. “How’s things going with Brandon?”
“Not bad.” Sean said with a half-smile. “You know, your best friend Sean was a total slut.”
“I know.” I chuckled. “So he’s doing okay with you and not him?”
“Kind of.” Sean said with a shrug. “He’s just trying to think of it as both of us in here, not just me.”
“I see.” I said, although it was a little confusing.
“He’ll deal with it.” Sean said. “He’s always been a laid-back kind of guy and rolls with the punches. I’m still having the nightmares though.”
“They fade with time.” I assured him and he nodded. I’d woken up more than once in 1976 with nightmares of Brian and the taste of his blood in my mouth.
“What are you doing hiding back here?” My mom said with a sweet smile as she moved out of the crowd and spotted us.
“We’re waiting for more drinks.” Sean stated with his half-smile.
“Well it’s almost time to blow out the cake.” Mom said. “I saw Brian and he volunteered with Brandon to put the candles on it for you.”
“Oh no!’ I groaned. “They’re probably trick candles.”
“I checked to make sure they weren’t.” Mom said with a smile
as she took my arm and started leading me towards the middle of the patio where
the table with the cake was. It was the
typical white cake, with my name on it and a frosting design of a pitcher
throwing out a batter. I’d groaned when
I saw it, but it was huge, more than enough for all the people here. Apparently my father had already corralled my
sister and Jeremy, who looked good in his new suit. I buttoned up the jacket of my own suit as my
father called for attention by ringing a knife against the edge of the
“I would like to thank everyone for attending the fifteenth birthday of my son, Davey.” My father said in his classic ‘speaking-before-the-crowd’ voice. Part of me wanted to blush, but I was long-since use to appearing in front of groups of people. It being my birthday, I wasn’t quite use to, but it wasn’t that different than any of the campaign functions or government functions I’d attended as part of the family. I could see Nanny and Papa standing in the middle of the crowd, next to Aunt Priscilla and Aunt Fran and several of my cousins. I had barely said anything to them after they’d wished me happy birthday. The fact that they’d attended was a decent first step, but I’d wait until they came back to see if a future invitation to their house would include Jeremy.
I wasn’t going to back down on that.
“I hope you’ve had a good time so far.” Dad continued in the quiet that descended after he’d begun speaking. “I’d like to thank the Modesto Symphony for providing such a fine selection of music tonight.”
There was polite applause at that. It wasn’t the full symphony, just ten musicians set up in the corner of the patio nearest the house. I’m sure most of my schoolmates didn’t like the music all that much, but it had kept things quiet and I’d even danced a few times with a few of the female guests, squelching a desire to pull Brian onto the small section reserved for dancing. Somehow my mother had found a metal cover for the pool strong enough to be used as a dance floor without risking people falling into the pool as it collapsed. I didn’t even know they made things like that.
“Also, we would like to thank all of you for your contributions to the Modesto Shelter for Women and Children.” My mother said in a clear voice that carried across the back patio. I’d insisted that instead of bringing gifts, we ask for people to make contributions to a local charity. My mother had chosen the new Women’s shelter, who was one of her smaller clients. “Thanks to your generous contributions, the Shelter will be receiving eight thousand, three hundred and sixty-five dollars.”
There was a lot of clapping, and some whooping from the jocks in the crowd. I just smiled at my mother, knowing that it was more than likely a few of the adult guests she’d invited had given most of the money. Still, it made the kids my age feel like they’d done a tremendously good thing, and that wasn’t something to be ridiculed.
That wasn’t to say I’d gotten no birthday presents. Papa had
given me a new fishing rod, although I had no plans to use it until he’d
changed his mind about Jeremy. Nanny had
gotten me a new pair of dirt-bike boots. My father had gotten me a new 500cc
Brian’s gift was something I treasured more, a white coral necklace he’d actually put together by hand. The rest of my close friends had gotten me similar items. Sean had gotten me a new glove while Brandon had gotten me a new batting glove, and Trevor had gotten me a new set of rosin bags. I would have been happy with nothing but a card, but the gifts were nice.
“Now, it’s time for the birthday boy to cut his cake.” Dad said, handing me the knife and turning aside so I saw the birthday cake with tons of candles on it, far more than fifteen. “I think someone’s gotten your age mixed up.”
“He acts like an old fart half the time so we thought we’d put a hundred on there!” Brian’s voice yelled out from the front row and I turned to give him a dirty look, knowing the real joke that he was playing on me. My father got a speculative look but shook his head as he motioned towards the cake.
“Well, I think you’re going to have a hard time blowing out that many.” Dad said with a smile as I stood in front of the cake. I closed my eyes, wishing for many more birthdays this good, and took a deep breath. As the musicians struck up the old birthday song, and the crowd sang happy birthday amidst a lot of laughing, I looked over smugly at Brian who was just shaking his head.
All one hundred candles were out.
After I cut the first piece and handed it to my mother, a caterer took over cutting the remaining hundred odd pieces. In many ways it was like a hundred other fundraisers more than a birthday, but here I was the guest of honor, not something I was really use to being. It felt odd, but at the same time gratifying. Definitely it was the most different birthday I’d ever had.
Two hours later, I was passed out in my room, with Brian sharing my bead and the rest of my friends in sleeping bags on the floor. The door of the bedroom was open, which was why the only contact between Brian and I were our clasped hands under the covers, but even this much was more than I had expected. My parents were continuing to surprise me more and more.
The next morning, most of my friends left fairly early. Their parents came and picked them up to attend
their various churches, and my family went to Orangeburg Baptist, the
second-largest church in
After church services, where the pastor spent most of his sermon speaking about the biblical principles of forgiveness and unconditional love, we went out to lunch at Ridgeway’s, a small diner in the middle of a shopping center near our house. Naturally, most of the patrons there were people who knew my father, and quite a few dropped by our table to say hello. Several remarked on Jeremy’s presence, and Dad introduced him as his foster son, without giving away any real details of why he was with us.
“What are you doing with your old bike now that you have a new one?” Jeremy asked in the car on the way home. My father just looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Do you want it?” I asked him and saw Jenny frown for a moment before nodding her head very slightly.
“I’ve always wanted to ride one.” Jeremy admitted softly.
“Good, then I’ll teach you how to ride.” I told him and he smiled softly.
“That means we’ll have to go shopping for safety gear.” Mom said with a smile. “I can do that this week. Davey, why don’t you call Mr. Walker and see if he can take all you boys out to the track next Saturday? I’m sure everyone will want to go. You haven’t gone since last August.”
“That sounds like fun, as long as it doesn’t rain during the week.” I said.
“It’s supposed to be clear all week, except for fog in the
morning.” Dad said. “I’ll be in
“Okay.” I said with a smile as we pulled into the driveway. After we’d all gotten out, Jeremy had taken off with Jenny to refill the hot tub. I think he was planning on soaking in it. I knew his knee still hurt at times. “Dad, do you think his knee is strong enough?’
“Don’t let him spend too much time on the bike.” Dad said with a shrug. “It should be okay for short periods. That’s another reason why I’m going to go.”
“Okay.” I said as we walked inside and I headed up to my room to call Brandon’s father. Mr. Walker was actually quite happy to take all of us since he had been wanting to go for a few weeks now. With those arrangements made, I spent the rest of the afternoon working on my homework. To my horror, some of it was actually proving to be worth my time to actually read through the textbooks. I’d forgotten a lot of small details that were in there, and without the perfect memory of the past timelines, those details were more difficult to recall.
Dinner was a fun affair, with Mom having fixed her favorite southern-style fried chicken, complete with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. She’d even made buttermilk biscuits from scratch, which meant she was in a really good mood. It was Jeremy’s first exposure to my mom’s cooking, and he kept on raving about how good everything was.
Of course, it was guaranteed to clog our arteries, but I’d be real good for the rest of the week to make up for the excess of this meal.
“What’s that?” Jeremy asked as the crash alarm rang throughout the house, and the sounds of heavy footsteps running through the house filled the room.
“To the safe room, now.” Dad said sternly as three agents appeared in the dining room with their weapons drawn. My new foster-brother reacted with fear, but my sister grabbed his arm and moved him with the rest of us towards the small secure room that the Secret Service had declared as being the ‘safe’ room. When we were inside, Dad slid the safety bolt shut and we all sat down in the chairs lining the small room’s walls.
“That’s the crash alarm.” My sister explained to Jeremy while my parents shared worried looks. The room was fairly safe short of major explosives, but the worry was likely from just having to worry about our safety.
“What’s it mean?” Jeremy asked.
“It means someone tried to get onto the property and might be trying to hurt us.” Dad said softly, letting out a small breath. We sat there in silence for a few minutes until the room’s buzzer went off and the speaker on the wall near the door came to life.
“Mr. Jones, this is SAIC Llewellyn.” My dad’s new senior agent, the man in charge of all of our protective details said through the intercom. He’d been on the job for a month now.
“Go ahead, Mr. Llewellyn.” My father said after getting up and pushing the speaker button.
“The Rule boy leaped over the side fence causing the alarm. We have him in your office right now.” The Agent sounded more troubled than it should be if it was just Sean. What Sean was doing, I wasn’t sure, but my Dad gave me a sharp look. One of the first things I’d explained to Sean when we got back was the Secret Service’ rules, so he had to have known what jumping over the fence would cause. Something had to be up.
“He knows better than that.” Dad said after looking at me. I got up and went to stand by him.
“I think he had a reason.” The agent’s voice said. “Two men chased him over the wall a few seconds later. We’ve apprehended them and placed them under arrest. They claim they have a medical order to place him in medical custody. We’ve called Mr. Rule and asked him to come over. He is on his way and should be here any minute.”
“So it is safe to come out?” Dad asked.
“Yes sir, everything is secure.” The agent said.
“Davey and I will be in my office in a minute.” Dad said into the speaker. “Have the two men brought to my office, but keep them in handcuffs if that’s allowed, please. Also, show Mr. Rule into my office when he arrives.”
“Will do, sir.” The Agent said. My father gave me a sharp look before turning
to the rest of the family. “
“I want to know what’s going on with Sean!” My sister protested. She wilted quickly under Dad’s glare, and didn’t argue further as my Mom led them out of the room. Jeremy gave me an inquisitive look, but didn’t say anything as he followed them out. When they were gone, my father shut the door again and gave me a long, measuring appraisal.
“You know what this is probably about, don’t you?” My father asked me, meeting my eyes and I nodded.
“If he’s trying to commit Sean, there’s only one thing it could be.” I said softly. “He must have found out about Sean and Brandon.”
“Go to your Mom’s office and call Social Services.” My father directed me. “Your Mom put the emergency number on the cork-board above her desk. Tell them we need the duty social worker to come out and then tell one of the agents to have whoever they send taken directly to my office. Then, join me there.”
“Yes sir.” I said quickly. He opened the door for me and I went down the hallway to Mom’s office while Dad took a deep breath and headed to his office. The number was right where it was supposed to be, and I got the Social Services answering service. They assured me a social worker would be out within fifteen minutes. Considering who my father was, and I’d made sure they understood exactly who he was, that rapid of a response was only to be expected. My duty fulfilled, I headed down to Dad’s office. There were two agents outside, one from my mother’s detail and one from my father’s. Just inside the door was Bill, my lead agent, and he took up a position right behind me as I entered the office.
There were two men in suits sitting on the couch with their hands behind their back. I assumed they were the men who’d foolishly chased Sean over the property wall. Both looked quite upset at being handcuffed. Sean was sitting in one of the two armchairs in front of my father’s desk. My father was behind his desk with an angry expression on his face while Mr. Rule, Sean’s father, was leaning on the front of his desk, shouting at my father.
“THIS IS A FAMILY MATTER AND YOU
“I’d offer you a seat, Bob, but my son took the only other chair in here.” My father responded in a calm, everyday voice. He even had a smile on his face. “I do suggest you calm down before one of these agents think you’re trying to attack me.”
“Figures you’d hide behind those federal fuckers.” Sean’s father murmured loud enough for everyone to hear. My father just shrugged.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” My father asked and Bob Rule just shook his head.
“It’s no matter, release those men and I’ll take my son out of here right now.” Mr. Rule said with note of command.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” My father said softly. “Those men were found trespassing on this property and as it is under Secret Service protection, they broke federal law when they did that. The Secret Service will have to determine what to do with them.”
“We were just doing our job, chasing the freak.” One of the men on the couch said loudly and Sean just shivered slightly.
“Fine, I’ll take Sean and we’ll leave.” Mr. Rule said. “I assume since he’s allowed to be here that he didn’t break any laws?”
“I’m sorry, but until Social Services get here, I’m not letting the young man out of my sight.” My father said in a voice that crackled with anger. “He showed up here, all but begging the Secret Service agents to protect him from men he says you hired to kidnap him. His shirt is torn, and I saw the scratches on his back, and at least one bruise forming on his side. That’s enough for me to suspect child abuse and as a father, much less as an official of our government, I would be remiss in my duties to let him go anywhere until the proper authorities have had a chance to look into this situation.”
“He would be fine right now if he hadn’t attacked those men when they were doing what they were hired to do!” Mr. Rule bellowed and my father raised an eyebrow.
“So you admit you hired them to kidnap him?” My father asked and Mr. Rule flinched before he leaned onto my father’s desk.
“Sean is being committed to a properly licensed mental institution to cure him of his disease.” Mr. Rule said firmly. “There’s nothing you can do to stop that. He fought back when he was being taken away, legally. The only reason his shirt is torn is because he struck an adult! If anyone is going to face charges, it will be him.”
“What disease is he being treated for?” My father asked in a polite tone.
“I know you already know.” Mr. Rule said with a snort. “We’ve been having you and your family
watched for months now. I know you know
my boy and that
“You’ve had people taking pictures of my family?” My father bellowed and then looked over at the Secret Service agent in charge.
“Oh, they wouldn’t have seen anything.” Mr. Rule said with a smug, superior tone. “We’ve been real careful.”
“I see.” Agent Llewellyn said. “You do realize we could view this as planning to assault or injure our protectees? That’s a crime, you know.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Mr. Rule snorted in derision, but his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“I’d never doubt the Secret Service if I were you, Bob.” My father said as Agent Llewellyn listened to something on his earpiece.
“Sir, the Social Services worker has arrived.” Llewellyn said and my father nodded. Less than thirty seconds later, a figure that I couldn’t quite place at first walked in. She had dark hair, and was dressed in a dark skirt and creamy blouse. It was when she smiled and introduced herself to my father that her name sent off alarm bells.
“Mr. Jones, I’m Margaret Flores of Social Services.” She said with a smile as she shook my father’s hand. I started to panic and could see Sean giving me a worried look. For a moment, the panic ruled my brain, but I knew a counter to the evil Mrs. Flores, and I didn’t have to make a scene right away. Slowly, and as quietly as possible I got up and made a show of offering the social worker my seat as my father introduced Mr. Rule and started to explain the situation from his perspective, starting with dinner. Somehow I managed to catch his eye, and he understood the pleading look I gave him because his voice slowed just a bit, and he started going into details about what a ‘crash’ was, details totally unnecessary for the social worker to hear. Thanks to that, I was able to slip outside with Bill following me. It only took a moment to find the nearest phone, and I dialed the number I remembered, praying it was still the same after any changes to the timeline I’d made.
“This is Mary Lou.” The woman’s voice was kind, just as I remembered and I closed my eyes in a quick prayer of thanks to God.
“Mrs. Hacker, this is David Jones.” I said in as deep a voice as I could.
“Oh, Mr. Secretary!” Mary Lou said, proving she was much more politically aware than the despised Margaret Flores. “How is Jeremy?”
“Actually, we have an emergency over here.” I said quickly. “Can you get here quickly? We need your help.”
“I’ll be right there.” She said quickly before hanging up. If I remembered right, she lived fifteen minutes away, so I needed to make sure Sean didn’t leave here for twenty minutes.
“Bill, the moment she gets here, bring her to the office.” I told my agent who was giving me a very long look.
“I take it you know something about that social worker?” He asked me and I nodded.
“She’s a religious freak.” I said softly and he just nodded.
My father was just getting to the point of describing Sean’s father’s explanation when I returned to the office. My father noticed my return and gave me a brief nod of his head as Mrs. Flores interrupted him.
“Ah, I think I see where you’re going here, Mr. Jones.” She said in an all too familiar huffy tone. She let out a small sigh and stood up. “Mr. Rule informed me of his plans this afternoon at church and I confirmed for him that he was well within his rights as a parent to have his son committed for treatment. I’ll just escort him and his son out of here now.”
“How can you commit a young man against his will for something that isn’t even classified as a disease by the appropriate authorities?” My father countered smoothly as I felt a wave of panic and Sean moved as if he was about to run again.
“That decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses was a political decision, not a medical one.” Mrs. Flores countered with a smile. “I wouldn’t expect a layman to understand these things but I am an expert and know that everything Mr. Rule is doing here is legal.”
“You call his son’s current condition perfectly legal?” My father countered coolly, pointing to Sean with a negligent wave of a hand. “He’s sitting here with a torn shirt and bleeding scratches on his back.”
“I’m sure if he hadn’t resisted his parents’ will, he’d be just fine.” She countered. “I would suggest that your interference here with your private goons isn’t exactly in your best interest.”
“Ma’am, we’re the
“That doesn’t change that this is a private family affair.” She told my father. “Your interference is inappropriate.”
“I think you’re not looking at this situation as a professional.” My father told her with scorn in his voice. “I think we need to discuss this situation a little more before anyone goes anywhere. Sean is quite safe here.”
“Safe?” Mr. Rule snorted derisively. “You’ve been putting him in danger for the last week with that… thing you are harboring here.”
“What are you talking about?” My father said with a touch of anger in his voice.
“That little boy you’re parading around.” Mr. Rule said scornfully. “You don’t think we wouldn’t look him up? We found his parents and we know he’s diseased! You’re going to find out that this town isn’t going to like you exposing their kids to that god-awful disease tomorrow!”
“What are you talking about?” My father said with real anger showing in his face now.
“I know that boy you’re fostering has AIDS and tomorrow so will the whole town!” Mr. Rule shouted and my father stood, placing his hands on his desk and leaning forward so that he was face-to-face with Mr. Rule.
“How dare you destroy Jeremy’s last few months of life!” My father raged in a low, deadly voice. The agents in the room were all on the balls of their feet, ready to pull my father off of Mr. Rule if he truly lost his temper.
“You have a boy infected with AIDS in this house?” Mrs. Flores’s voice held a tinge of fear in it as she squeaked that out. “That is a most serious situation! We’re going to have to do a full investigation. It’s not safe for anyone to be here! I’ll have to call and find placement for your children while we investigate.”
“Investigate what, Margaret?” Mary Lou’s voice came from the doorway behind me and I felt my shoulders relax automatically as I looked over at the woman. Her jeans looked rumpled, and her sweater looked like she’d just thrown it on, but she had her ID badge on and was better looking than any knight in white shining armor could be.
“Mary Lou!” Mrs. Flores said in a voice that was suddenly guarded. “What are you doing here? I was called to handle this.”
“I received a call that my presence was needed, and judging by the look of that boy sitting over there, and what I just heard, I think whoever called me was right.” Mary Lou said sternly. “Now what is this about an investigation?”
“There’s a boy with AIDS here!” Margaret Flores said with her voice nearly cracking on the last word.
“Yes, I know.” Mary Lou said with a smile. “I was involved in placing him here. Mr. Secretary, it’s good to see you again. I assume Jeremy is okay?”
“He’s hopefully finishing his dinner now.” My father said. “We were interrupted from it when young Sean here jumped over the fence seeking safety from some men who were hired by his father to put him in a mental institution.”
“How awful.” Mary Lou said in a saccharin tone. “Why on earth would this young man need to be hospitalized?”
“He needs to be cured of his deviancy!” Mr. Rule thundered.
“Deviancy?” Mary Lou asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He’s a homosexual.” Margaret Flores said, but there was already defeat in her eyes.
“So you’re trying to ship him to one of your mental institutions, Margaret?” Mary Lou’s voice was deadly but sweet.
“It’s perfectly legal.” Mrs. Flores said defensively.
“You’re Secret Service, right?” Mary Lou said, turning to the agent nearest her, who happened to be Llewellyn.
“I’m the agent in charge of the detail.” Llewellyn said with a nod of his head. “John Llewellyn, ma’am.”
“Ah, good.” Mary Lou said. “You probably have numbers on hand for the local police, is that correct?”
“Yes ma’am, we do.” He told her with a smile.
“Good, we’ll need to get the police out here for these men you have.” Mary Lou said. “Unless they’re licensed technicians, what they did was illegal no matter how many doctors signed a committal order. I’m also going to need to get my director out here, and we might have one of the local judges stopping by. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all, ma’am.” He said with a smile. “Would you like me to show you to a phone?”
“That would be nice.” Mary Lou said with a smile. “While I’m making a few phone calls, can you see that someone takes care of young Sean and gets him a decent shirt? Needless to say, no one should be allowed to leave until this is all straightened out.”
“Of course.” The agent said as he left the room. Flores sank back into the chair she’d been sitting in earlier while Sean gave me a triumphant smile and my father gave me a nod of respect.
My father and I sure did work well together as a team.
As with all my stories, E provides immeasurable input, grammar checking, and all those other lovely editing thingies that make the story so much better!
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| Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |
| Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
