Joseph had an idea as to why Donovan did the “whenever Mother is mad” routine. When Maureen Grey was angry, she was meaner and more vindictive than anyone Joseph had ever seen. Any man had good reason to protect the jewels when he saw the fire in her eyes.
Joseph looked at his father and figured he might as well get the secret out, no telling how long until he’d find out anyway. Donovan might as well hear it from him.
When he told his father that Nxy was expecting a child, Donovan’s face flashed rage. “A love-star child in our family? Preposterous.” He pointed at Joseph. “Do you know what you’ve done? Your mother is going to explode! We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t kill us both. If this scandal ever gets out, it will be worse than the day you told her you were marring Duh-lores in front of her friends. I’m considering killing you myself! If I hurry I may have a chance to avoid the wrath of your mother, that will no doubt be directed toward me.” Donovan pointed to himself. He leaned forward and yelled, “Now get out of here before I decide to follow through!”
Well that went over well: Joseph thought. When he walked out of the office, Seymore came around the counter and gave him a list of clients who had been trying to reach him. Joseph rolled his eyes. It looked like he was actually going to have to work. He shook his head and groaned. I detest days like this.
His first client was a strung out, has been actor. The man had no idea why or how he had ended up in jail. Joseph made a few phone calls and discovered the actor had been speeding on the interstate. When the officer pulled the man over to the side of the road, he acted like he was going to stop, but then peeled out and continued to race the officer.
Joseph sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I think I can make this go away. I’ll work on it. I have a few favors to call in. We’ll tell them you have faulty brakes because the pads are worn to nothing and your accelerator stuck. I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it. You may have a recall on your make of car. I’ll get a decent mechanic to verify it.”
The actor asked, “Really, I may have a recall on my car’s accelerator? Do you think it is safe to drive it right now?”
Joseph hesitated as if he was really pondering the question. “You’re right. Maybe you shouldn’t drive. Just remember, don’t talk to the press.” When the actor left his office, Joseph made a sound like a bomb dropping. He went out to the lobby to call in the next client.
The second client was a high profile case; a prominent doctor killed his wife for her fortune. He admitted to Joseph that he did it. Then he inquired how much it would cost him to get a not guilty verdict.
Joseph sat back in his chair and daydreamed: Wonder if I could do the same thing? He snapped out of the thought and interrupted his client, “Stop right there. I suggest you find other council. I can’t help you. But just a bit of legal advice, don’t tell the attorney you did it.” Joseph escorted the doctor out the door.
The next client was there because of a littering ticket. The spoiled rich kid threw a fast food bag out her car window, right in front of a police officer, and was pulled over. When the officer approached her window and questioned if she threw trash out the window, the girl smarted off saying her daddy would take care of it. The officer wasn’t impressed. Joseph’s eye’s glazed over listening to her talk, and talk, and talk. At this point he didn’t care about her daddy’s famous reputation either. One thing was certain; he was going to make sure this didn’t go to court. He couldn’t stand listening to the girl’s whiny voice one second longer. He told her he’d get the fine reduced then she’d have to send the fee to the court. Joseph walked her out of his office and opened the front door to the firm, while she was still talking. As soon as the girl walked out, he let the door close and walked away.
Joseph considered various ways of eluding his father in order to cross through the Passageway. He was sick of his father punishing him by dealing with these idiotic clients. He told Seymore to hold his calls while he went to lunch.
When he returned, something had happened because Donovan yelled, “Where have you been? Get in here!”
Joseph walked into his father’s office. He looked around but Donovan had already gone through the Passageway. Joseph smiled. He’d been waiting for this moment all day. It was about time. He walked through.
Chapter 22
The next morning Charles rolled out of bed when he heard Natalie’s voice coming from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the bathroom to get dressed. There was no reason for his usual routine just yet, since she’d come to spar. He would be ready for her this time. He was getting more confident in defending himself. He hurried down the steps. They might as well get this over with.
Charles walked into the kitchen and greeted everyone. Carson stood and followed the three young adults outside. Bev never cared to watch because it made her nervous. Wayland and Natalie had already set up the fighting ring in the backyard. The weather was changing and the morning air was cool. Natalie jumped up onto the mat. She had been given instructions from Sensei about the lessons they were to go over. Wayland stood beside Carson. The two agreed that this ought to be interesting. Natalie explained a scenario then struck without warning. Usually she tagged Charles, taking him by surprise. This time he was ready. Charles blocked her move and with a fluid motion used a roundhouse kick. It was a good sparring match between the two.
Wayland thought: Just look at the mate. I can’t believe he wasn’t gobsmacked by the sheila. I have to give ol’ Charlie credit for coming a long way. He’s a natural just like Dimitrios suspected. Who would have guessed?
After their sparring match, Charles and Natalie hugged. She said, “You’ve come a long way. I think you are ready to see Sensei again.” She whispered, “Charlie, I think you might even be good enough to take me down, if you don’t hold back.”
He slugged her playfully on her arm. “I didn’t hold anything back.”
She gave him a disbelieving look. “Well, you’ll have to spar in front of Sensei. If you don’t give your best effort, he’ll know it. Now time to get ready for school.”
“Before I go, I have a question that maybe you can answer about Sensei’s facility. When I first visited the facility, I saw that the tiles around the pond in his lobby spelled coy pond. Why did he misspell koi?”
Natalie grinned and responded, “Charles, there is a shy fish that hides in Sensei’s pond. If you see the coy come out from hiding and surface, legend states that it will grant you a wish.”
Charles shook his head and walked away. As he walked by Wayland, the young men did their usual boxing thing. Wayland said, “Hoo roo” as Charles walked to the house.
Charles ran upstairs to get ready for school. When he returned to the kitchen, Bev handed him a bag with fruit and a biscuit with sausage for his breakfast.
Cynthia drove the car in the driveway and honked. Sophie was singing her made up songs from the back seat, which Charles could tell, irritated his oldest sister. Once Charles buckled his seatbelt, Cynthia drove to Sophie’s school. When she saw her younger sister enter the school, Cynthia began chattering nonstop about cheering practice at the house. She complained about how their little sister was being a pain; that Sophia was convinced she had to practice right along with the cheerleading squad. Charles was glad he wasn’t there to witness it. He felt sorry for his dad, as a man alone among three women. He knew his mom loved having the girls come over to practice, because she was a very supportive and caring mom. As Cynthia drove into the school parking lot, Charles asked if she would mind driving Caroline to school and back to the farm the next day, if Caroline’s mom agreed to their plan. Cynthia sighed and assented to his request.
Nothing unusual happened at school the entire day. He walked to all the classes with Caroline. They chatted about her mother allowing her to visit the next day. Charles told her that Cynthia agreed to drive them to and from school. At the end of the day he walked Caroline to her bus and ran to Cynthia’s car. She was leaning against the car talking to Peter. Ch
arles walked around the car and talked to his friend about basketball. They made plans to practice later at the farm.
When Cynthia dropped off Charles, Carson and Bev invited her inside for a snack. Cynthia told her grandparents that she needed to work at the market in half an hour, so she declined their offer and drove on to work.
Charles knew a visitor would be waiting for him. It was in his planner that Dimitrios would be visiting after school. Carson, Bev and Charles headed immediately to the office.
Once they walked in the door, Dimitrios stood from his chair and said, “How are you, Charles? How was your day at school?”
Charles set his backpack down. “It was good.” He glanced over at Natalie and Wayland who waved their greetings.
“I understand you don’t have any homework tonight.”
“How did you…”
“So I thought we might go take a look at the clonsayees. Beverly tells me that Todd is doing wonders with them.”
“I’m sure it’s been difficult for Todd to continue their training and workouts with all the workers around who are constructing the new stables.”
A smile crossed Dimitrios’ face as if he had a secret. “Ah yes, Carson mentioned Walter and his sons have been working hard. Shall we?”
Bev was already heading for the door with Carson right behind her. Charles was the last one out the door. As he reached the door, he looked at Airabelle and Airasten who feigned being asleep.
Charles mumbled, “What’s going on?”
They all waited for Carson to pull the truck out from the garage before they stepped into it. Charles, Natalie and Wayland climbed into the bed of the truck. Charles sat on one of the wheel wells by himself. Carson drove to the stables.
They pulled up to the barn. Charles looked across the pasture. “What…?”
Dimitrios whistled. “Now that’s some kind of stable and training facility.”
Charles scratched his head. “I have to see what has been accomplished.”
They all walked along the freshly paved road to the new stable.
Todd saw them coming and jogged to meet them half way. Once he reached them, he shook everyone’s hand, except Bev who he hugged. “Brought them to see, huh?”
“Couldn’t keep them away.”
One of Walter’s sons was riding Persuasion so she could get some exercise. He waved to the group as they looked in his direction. They waved back.
Charles said, “Mom’s horse looks good, really good.” He met Walter’s son at the gate. Charles opened the gate as the young man rode through and took Persuasion inside to her stall.
Todd winked. “She’s taken to the energy of the other horses. I can’t explain it really. It’s like they have convinced her, she’s a colt again. Molly stopped by and rode her today. Your mom stayed out so long that she was late for work.”
Carson laughed. “That’s our Molly. She’s the same as her mama.”
Todd said, “You realize with workers, I can’t show all the exercises we’ve been training on, but I have a surprise for you. Please stand over there.”
They stood off to the side as Todd walked across the yard to the stable. He saddled one of the clonsayee creatures and walked her out. When Todd stood in the sun with the clonsayee, Charles could see the creature’s mane and tail sparkle in the sunlight. Charles went over to the fence to pet it. It was the one he rode at the coronation. The creature stood motionless, as Charles looked it over.
He whispered, “You are amazing.”
Todd mounted the clonsayee and motioned for Walter’s son to open the gate to let them enter the arena. As he did, Todd thanked him as he rode through. Walter’s son closed the gate. Todd put on quite a show for the spectators. He put the creature through some of the exercises he used in the training sessions. Todd even dismounted and by using hand gestures alone, showed the various gaits the clonsayee could transition through. When Todd finished the exercise, he mounted the clonsayee and rode back to them. They applauded his performance. He dismounted the creature and gave the reins to Charles.
“Charles, here’s your ride. We’ll get the rest of them ready for everyone else to ride.”
Todd brought the other clonsayees over to the group. Each animal immediately walked over to its own rider and waited. Dimitrios’ horse stood beside him. He reached out, stroked it and said, “There is no other like you, that’s for sure.” He mounted the creature and sat tall in the saddle.
Once everyone was mounted, they went for a walk on the trails around the farm. When the workers on the farm were out of sight, Dimitrios thought he’d have a bit of fun. He rode his creature at a blurring speed along the trails. It was by no means as fast as the creature could go, but it was fast enough to impress the others and create an echo in the woods. He was moving so quickly they couldn’t actually see him, only the blur of light where he’d been. Dimitrios, as the rider, could see the scenery around himself in slow motion. It was an exhilarating ride.
Charles grinned. “Show off,” he said as they caught up to Dimitrios.
“You ought to try it. It’s amazing! These creatures can outrace a car for short distances when they are at full speed. For a long distance journey, they have to conserve their energy and will eventually slowdown from fatigue. A steady gallop for a mile is enough for them to rest, before they can get back up to full speed. There’s no doubt that these beauties will get you where you want to go in a hurry.”
Charles asked, “What’s it like traveling at full speed on one of these?”
Dimitrios shrugged. “I’ve never taken one full out. The only instances I’ve heard about the creatures being pushed to their limits were when professional handlers trained them.”
Charles repeated, “A professional handler?”
Dimitrios nodded. “Yes, or better yet a clonman.”
“Where do you find one of those?”
Dimitrios looked over at him. “I think you already have.”
“You are talking about Todd?”
Dimitrios nodded. “Yes, Todd. He’s got the training and the confidence of the creatures.”
Charles stopped his creature. “Are you suggesting I enter one of these animals in a race with Todd as the handler?”
Dimitrios kept riding alongside Carson and Bev. “It’s up to you.”
Natalie caught up with Charles and joined the conversation. “Just by the exercises we observed earlier, I could tell that he can do it Charles.”
When they returned to the stables, the clonsayees all stopped before Todd with their riders. Once they dismounted, Todd took each of the saddles off and then walked the animals to their stalls. While the others were talking outside the stables, Charles walked back to observe Todd. He was brushing a creature and humming.
Charles let Todd know he was standing nearby. “What you’ve done with them is impressive.”
Todd turned his head and smiled. “Thank you. There’s nothing like these creatures in the galaxy. There’s something special about each individual one.” He kept grooming the creature. “I haven’t figured all of it out yet, and maybe I never will. Then, maybe I don’t need to know exactly what it is that makes your creatures different from the others I’ve trained. They don’t want to reveal their secrets, so I just accept them and they in turn respond.”
He handed Charles the brush. Charles accepted it, walked over and began brushing a creature. “Dimitrios mentioned we ought to race them.”
Todd got a mischievous look in his eyes. “You don’t say?”
“Uh huh.”
Todd continued the conversation. “Who did he recommend to be the handler?”
Charles stopped and looked him in the eye. “You.”
Todd was silent for a moment. “Me?”
Charles nodded. “You. He's never seen or heard of anyone having a connection with these creatures like you do. Except possibly a clonmaster that he's heard about.”
Todd took a deep breath, let it out and said, “Me huh?” The creature nudged him
. He grinned and patted its nose.
Charles said, “I haven’t a clue how to even enter them in a race.”
“I have an idea about how to continue to train them,” said Todd. “It's evident that they have had exceptional training as the queen's clonsayees. Training is the easy part. What’s difficult is locating a legitimate race at a proper racetrack. The Aristocrats are as secretive about their races, as they are about their creatures. The races only occur about once every five years, because the winning purse is so large. The winner of a race often takes home more than a million dollars. It also takes years for the race organizers to advertise the information about the races throughout the universe, so anyone wealthy enough to own clonsayees for racing can have an opportunity to enter. It’s good for us that it takes so long. It will take time for me to learn more about your creatures. Then it requires time to earn a clonsayee’s confidence to win the race.”
“If I decided to enter one, would you be their handler?”
Todd kept stroking the nose of the creature. “You bet I would. I believe in them. I think they are faster than the fastest recorded clonsayee. I’d put money on it.” The creature neighed and stamped its right hoof.
“Thanks Todd.”
“You don’t have to thank me for doing what I love. I think I’ve finally found where I belong.” He smiled at Charles. Charles left Todd to finish taking care of the creatures.
Chapter 23
Once they inspected the stables, Carson drove their group back to the office. Dimitrios, Natalie and Wayland said goodbye and left for the Hub. Charles informed Carson and Bev that Joyce had given her permission for Caroline to visit the next afternoon. He explained that Cynthia agreed to drive Caroline to school and back to the farm.
The family decided to go to the house to have dinner. After the meal, Charles went to his bedroom and prepared for bed. He put on his Sojourner glasses and began reading a manual Dimitrios had asked him to study. After reading for several hours, Charles realized he was tired so he turned out the lights.
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