Family Matters

by Aiden Vaughan

  “After we drop off Steven, we are going to take Paul on a ride around town, stop at a sandwich place for lunch, ride our bikes to the bowling alley, play a few games there, and then spend some time in a nearby arcade. Then we will bike back to Justin’s house, pick up Steven, and the four of us will ride back here.”

  “That sounds like a great plan,” Paul said. “I definitely am ready. Let’s go!”

  Joe took the boys down to his garage and took out the two bikes he had rented for Paul and Steven. The girls walked over to the mall, which was just two blocks away. The four boys got on their bicycles and rode off. “See you later this afternoon!” Jason yelled out as they rode away. Joe then got in his car to go shopping. He had a number of things to pick up for the dinner.

  The kids all had a great day. By 2:30 in the afternoon, the girls were back at Joe’s place, trying different clothing looks on Desiree, and working on her hair and makeup. The boys arrived back at around 4:00 and decided to go swimming in the condo pool. Joe went down there with his key to let them in. No one else was there, so the four boys had a great time with the pool all to themselves.

  Around five o’clock, Joe laid out all the food he had purchased for a cold buffet supper. There was honey-baked ham, sliced cheeses, fresh rolls, all kinds of salads, cut up fruit, and cookies. The boys especially had big appetites from the activities of the day, and quickly put a huge dent in the food. Everyone sat around and visited for a while, until Jason and his friends had to leave.

  “Don’t forget to stop by our barbeque in the park tomorrow,” Joe reminded them. “I’ve invited your parents too. We will be there from 10 AM on. And thank you all for showing my grandchildren such a good time. That really means a lot to me!”

  “It was our pleasure, Joe,” Daniel replied. “We had fun ourselves, and enjoyed the chance to visit with Paul, Steven, and Desiree again.”

  “For all of the things you have done for us, Joe, this is the least we could do in repayment,” Jason added. “Besides we had a great time, too!”

  After Jason and his friends left, Paul asked Joe, “What did Jason mean by that last thing he said? Do they owe you money or something?”

  “Not at all, Paul. They were referring to some assistance that I have provided for them on their detective work, and also for the work I do for Jason’s Whatever Foundation.”

  “You need to tell us all about that, and some of the adventures you have had in the secret service, Grandfather. We are your grandchildren and we hardly know anything about what you have done in the past. We really would like to hear about that, and about our family history.”

  Joe, Paul, Desiree, and Steven spent the evening sitting and talking about their family. Joe got out some photo books and showed them pictures from when they were very young, pictures of Colleen when she was their age, and talked about their grandmother, Estelle. “She was such a wonderful person, the rock of our family, and the love of my life! I am very sorry that you kids didn’t have a chance to spend very much time with her!”

  Then Joe talked about his days in the secret service. “It was very difficult at times, being away from Estelle, and your mother, but duty called me, and I served. In one sense, I was glad to be far away, because I didn’t have to worry about my family being in danger.”

  “Those stories you have told us are amazing, Grandfather!” Paul said. “You have had quite an interesting life. And now you are doing things for Jason and Daniel. That sounds totally awesome too!”

  Joe took some time to explain how he worked as a consultant for Jason’s foundation, and how he sometimes acted as an arm chair detective to help them solve the mysteries that they were working on. “Jason and Daniel are two special people. They are determined to help other teenagers who have been the victims of crime. Their efforts are often focused on exposing predators or lawbreakers who prey on kids or try to abuse them. I can’t believe how brave they are at times. I try to make sure that they don’t do anything foolish or too dangerous. So far they have been very lucky, but they have learned from their experiences to plan backups and escapes when they are going into situations where they could be in danger.”

  Joe then explained how he had met Daniel through Daniel’s father, and then had met Jason after his kidnapping. “Daniel was the daring one then. He literally put their entire friendship on the line to get Jason to try and discover why he was kidnapped and who was responsible. At the time, it mystified everyone, including the police. One day we sat down together, right in these seats where you are sitting, and went through the whole incident. Daniel and Jason had done a wonderful job of putting together a complete timeline of what happened. Then I looked at it, pointed out some startling inconsistencies, and it turned around their whole manner of thinking about the case. After that it didn’t take Jason and Daniel long to solve the mystery and bring their kidnappers to justice. The detective team of Hunter & Holmes was born!”

  “Wow, that is so cool, Grandfather!” Steven exclaimed. “Jason and Daniel told us some of their adventures when we were going through Disneyland, and they told us how they relied on you a lot. I am so impressed. I never knew you were a secret agent and a detective!”

  “I’m not supposed to be involved in any kind of police or detective work. It is a condition of my retirement from government service. But there is nothing that says I can’t work as a consultant, and that is what I do for Jason’s foundation. When a new case comes in with a request for money, I often look through the stories for inconsistencies to determine if the request is genuine or just an attempt to get money. There are actually a couple of detectives that we use from time to time if an investigation is warranted. Unfortunately in this world, there are a lot of people who will try to con you out of money if you have a lot. Jason realized that early on, when he was designing the plan for his foundation. There is a lot of good in this world, but unfortunately there is a lot of criminal activity, too. It’s too bad that a certain percentage of his foundation money is spent combating fraudulent claims. Jason tells me that it is hard enough to just pursue evil. He really feels bad that he has to spend a lot of time avoiding scams and schemes to steal money that rightfully should go to crime victims.”

  After they finished talking about Jason and Daniel, Paul, Desiree, and Steven started to open up about their personal concerns and what direction their lives were going in. Joe listened very carefully to what they said, and offered his advice and insights like he often did for Jason. As the evening was winding down, Paul said, “As much I as have enjoyed all the fun things to do you have planned for us, Grandfather, this conversation tonight has been the best part of our trip so far!”

  “Yeah, we really feel like a family now that we know more about our family history, and what you have been doing,” Desiree added. “I am so glad you are back in our lives again. I have really missed you!” She gave Joe a hug and a kiss.

  “Yeah,” Steven said as he came over and put his arms around Joe, “You are the best!”

  “I am so happy to hear that. You kids are the most important thing in my life right now! I want you all to know that I am there to support you, no matter what problems you may encounter in the future, or whatever you decide to do in life.”

  “Well, I don’t think we will ever have exciting lives like Jason and Daniel,” Paul said.

  “It doesn’t matter. You have to be you and follow your destiny. We are family. We need to support each other. That’s what is important!” Joe said.

  Chapter 19

  Tim’s Reconciliation

  (Sunday)

  Timothy Wilkinson was looking forward to today with a combination of excitement and dread. This was the day that he would be meeting with his mother, Shirley, for the first time since she had sent him off to Camp Chinquapin. A huge rift in their family relationship had developed over the past year, that was compounded when Shirley agreed to send Tim to the boot camp. Tim had been building up a huge anger inside him ever since his parents had gotten divorced. When his fa
ther, Jeff, abandoned his family, Tim no longer had an adult male figure in his life who he trusted or would listen to. His life started to spin out of control, and he would lash out in anger at home, school, and even with some of his friends.

  After a while, Shirley and her new husband, Frederick, decided that they couldn’t handle Tim’s behavior any more and Shirley signed over the paperwork and fees to send Tim to Camp Chinquapin, a boot camp for teens that claimed a high success rate in behavior modification for troubled or defiant teenagers. This turned out to be absolutely the worst thing that they could have done for Tim. He made it his personal mission to fight back against the camp system with every ounce of energy he could muster. Rather than admit failure with Tim, and releasing him from the program or sending him elsewhere, the leadership of the camp decided to place Tim and another teen they couldn’t control named Cody Johnson in what they called “anger management training”. But anger management training turned out to be nothing more than a hidden prison for the boys where they were being tortured into submission.

  After Tim and Cody were rescued from the prison, state and local authorities took over the camp. The custody status for every teen in the camp was examined, and some cases, the legal guardians or parents were deemed unfit to maintain custody. Tim and Cody had to spend a week in a Silicon Valley hospital recovering from their physical injuries and several more months rehabilitating and learning to deal with the emotional and mental trauma that they had experienced. Luckily for Tim, his father Jeff came back into his life, rehabilitated and desperate to make amends. Tim did not want to return to his mother’s home, and he was very grateful that Jeff had stepped in and provided him with a place to stay and develop his musical skills.

  Although Shirley actually had legal custody of Tim, it was clear that under the circumstances no family court justice would deny Tim’s request to live with his father, so she did not try to protest it when Jeff went to court to change the custody status that had been a part of their divorce settlement. Shirley was mortified by what had happened to her son. When she signed the consent form for Camp Chinquapin, she never thought that Tim would end up being tortured and abused at the camp. If Tim or Jeff had made a point of it, they probably could have gotten her declared an unfit mother. The last thing she wanted was ugly court battle that would receive extensive coverage in the media because of Tim’s treatment at the camp and dramatic rescue by Jason and Daniel.

  Tim made it very clear that he had no desire to see his mother or Frederick when he was in the hospital. He was in regular contact with his older sister Grace who was still living with Shirley and Frederick. Grace was the conduit through which all family information was passed between her mother, father, and brother. Shirley wanted Tim to know that she still loved him and wanted to apologize for what had happened. At the same time she was smart enough to realize that Tim would need time to work things out. She wrote out some of her thoughts and concerns in a letter of apology that she had Grace bring over to Tim. She ended the letter by stating, “If you ever feel in your heart that you can forgive me for sending you to that dreadful camp, I would be willing to meet with you to try and work things out. Please understand that it never was my intention to hurt you. I still love you very much, Tim, and though I have failed you in the present time as a mother, I would like to have another chance to have you back in my life.”

  As the months went by, Tim’s outlook on life began to improve. He now had a positive take on things, the comfort and support of good friends, a house to live in with a studio to play music, and was now accepted into Daniel’s band. He had been having regular counseling sessions with Dr. Agoura and one day brought up the subject of his relationship with his mother at a session. Tim showed Dr. Agoura the letter his mother had written.

  “Tim, part of your healing process is to set things right in your life again. It’s not something that can be done overnight, and the rift between you and your mother will take years to completely heal. But look at what happened with your father. He had abandoned you for quite a long time. Remember all of the anger and hurt that you had about that time in your life. Now you two are sharing a house together, and from what I am hearing, the relationship has been quite beneficial to both of you. Obviously, your father didn’t have anything to do with your incarceration at the boot camp but his actions while he was out of your life did contribute toward your downhill slide into a world of anger and irresponsible actions.

  “Tim, you have to look into your own heart to decide what to do about Shirley. Do you want her back in your life or are you more comfortable without her? Do you still feel love for your mother or is that part of you a cold, empty place?”

  “I feel something inside for my mother. I just can’t stand the thought of her and Frederick together right now.”

  “Fair enough, Tim. You have to be honest with yourself about your true feelings. You also have to realize that Frederick is part of Shirley’s life now. It is highly unlikely that your father and mother are ever going to get back together as a couple again. If you are going to deal with Shirley, you are going to have to deal with Frederick as well. Ask yourself if Frederick is the reason that you haven’t seen Shirley.”

  “Well it is definitely part of it. I feel somehow that he has stolen my mother away from me.”

  “That is a normal reaction, Tim. But the reality is that Shirley has a different life now than when she was married to Jeff. Can you deal with the new set of circumstances?”

  “I don’t like it, but there is nothing I can do about it, right?”

  “I think that your mother is aware of these issues. Perhaps the thing to do first is meet with her one-on-one to work them out.”

  Eventually that was what Tim decided to do. He realized that inside, he needed to at least talk to his mother and find out if their love was real. Then there were all of the personal relationships to work out. How would Shirley deal with Jeff or Teresa or for that matter his friends like Jason and Daniel? And how would he deal with Frederick? Would they ever be able to have any kind of family gathering again?

  Today was that day, their first meeting since Tim had been sent away. Dr. Agoura had suggested that they meet in a conference room at his office. Since it was Sunday, no one else would be around, and they would be alone if things got emotional. It was also a neutral site, so that Tim and Shirley would be on an equal basis. Louis had some paperwork to catch up on, so he would be nearby to intervene if the meeting didn’t go well.

  Dr. Agoura had picked up Tim at his house about a half hour before the scheduled time for the meeting. He felt that Tim would be more relaxed if he had some time to get used to the room. Promptly at the scheduled meeting time, Shirley was at the front door of the office complex. After she rang the bell, Dr. Agoura went to answer it. “Hello,” he said letting her in the door. “I’m Dr. Louis Agoura. Tim is already here and waiting for you in the conference room. You two will have total privacy. There is a phone in there if you need me for any reason. Just dial 925.” They walked down the corridor to the conference room. Dr. Agoura knocked on the door and then let Shirley in. “I hope you two have a productive meeting,” he said in parting.

  Tim was seated in a chair at the conference room table. “Mom?” he said getting up out of the chair.

  “Timothy,” Shirley replied, “It’s so good to see your face again.” She came over to him and gave him a hug. “I really have missed you!”

  “Mom,” Tim said in an emotional voice. “Did you really miss me?” He hugged her back and rested his head against her shoulder.

  “More than you could ever imagine! This has been the worst time ever in my life!” With that Shirley burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Tim, I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating.

  Tim then lost his composure. Tears streamed out of his eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. I’ve missed our family. I’ve felt so alone and abandoned!” They held onto each other for a long time, hugging and comforting each other.

  Finally their emoti
ons subsided. “I love you, Tim!” Shirley said. “I want to do whatever it takes to get you back into my life!” There was a box of tissues over on a side table. They both used them to dry their tears and then they sat down together at the table.

  There was a pitcher of water. Tim poured out two glasses and they both had a long drink of water. “Dr. Agoura suggested that we just talk about things, and not worry about the order of them or what topics gets covered.”

  “That sounds like a good plan, Tim. Why don’t you begin, since I am sure that you have quite a list of things to discuss. I will then answer you as best I can.”

  Tim began talking about how abandoned he felt, first from his father not being around after the divorce and then from his mother when she shipped him off to the boot camp. He described what it was like to be at the Camp Chinquapin boot camp, how he hated every minute of it, and tried to do everything in his power to fight back against their system which tried to crush him. “There was never any attempt to teach us anything useful in life or develop our mental skills. All they wanted was instant compliance to their orders. The kids who were successful at that camp ended up becoming just like the so-called counselors. I think I despised them even more than the adults!” He then told Shirley about the brutality he suffered at the hands of the guards and counselors. “Part of it was because you signed some agreement called Phase II permission. According to them this gave them permission to beat me, restrain me, and do whatever they wanted to make me submit to their will.”

  Shirley then talked about how she agonized over the decision to send Tim to the camp. “I was very much torn apart by that decision. But at the time you were acting so defiantly and out of control, eventually it seemed like the right thing to do. I now realize that we should have gotten counseling or gone through some intermediate steps before sending you away to that camp. But the camp recruiters made it sound like it was the answer to the problem, a place to build up self reliance and teamwork, with some tough love thrown in. Instead I signed you into a living nightmare. Can you ever forgive me?”