The Separation

by Thomas Duffy

  “Until when?”

  “Until you've taught us what we need to know, of course,” Joe replied.

  “Give this man some food. He's hungry,” Jenny demanded to the others.

  Geoffrey went to the large kitchen in the home to see what he could get for Finn to eat. Finn still had questions in his mind that he needed answers to. He didn't know who these teenagers were, exactly. He knew precious little about them except that they were extremely wealthy and seemingly had very powerful parents.

  “What do you want to do with me?”

  “We want to keep you safe. Out there, you're finished. If anybody finds you, they'll know you're out of your element. You would most certainly be dealt with accordingly. We're on your side, Finn. We want to see you extend the time of your life that you have left. We care whether you want to believe it or not,” Joe stated.

  “I believe you care. I do. But what happens when you decide to get rid of me?”

  “Sir, if you don't mind me saying so, I think you should just eat the meatball sandwich Geoffrey heated up for you. Stop worrying. Relax. You're amongst friends,” Jenny said.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Finn was in the middle of eating his sandwich when he looked at the teenagers in front of him. He saw a life which he was never be able to have. These teenagers were talking to each other about their studies and about art and books. All of the teenagers except for Joe were engaging in conversation. Joe looked deep in thought as Finn stared at him.

  “What are you looking at, Finn?”

  “I'm trying to figure out how you young folks managed to have this life I see before me. This nice house. This actual bond you have being together despite the fact that you're of the opposite sex. It boggles the mind.”

  “Money is a funny thing, Finn,” Joe replied.

  “Why is money a funny thing? Enlighten me.”

  “Let me take this one, Joe,” Geoffrey said.

  “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “Your parents didn't have money, Finn, did they?”

  “As a matter of fact, Geoffrey, my parents both have exceptional jobs in the medical field.”

  “The medical field is an underpaid profession.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Unless you're a top surgeon who graduated from a prestigious Ivy League school, you're nothing in the medical field,” Geoffrey stated.

  “What do you mean by nothing?” Finn asked.

  “In the medical field, you're a slave to the insurance companies. What they will or won't pay out. Those aren't real jobs. The health care profession is the most laughable set of jobs out there in this country we call America.”

  “I don't understand. I thought one of the reasons they started the separation laws, Geoffrey, is because there were too few doctors out there.”

  “Finn, do you really believe that bullshit? The separation laws were meant to stop people who had no money from procreating.”

  “Doctors were people who could procreate because their incomes were so high,” Finn said.

  “Finn. Let me explain to you these so-called separation laws in but a few words,” Joe responded.

  “Please do, Joe. It's obvious you've got quite a head on your shoulders.”

  “Thank you, Finn. I appreciate the compliment.”

  “Anytime, Joe.”

  “The separation laws were created by someone in my family as a matter of fact. Someone who I wouldn't dare name. I know why the separation started.”

  “Why did it start? Do you have an opinion?”

  “I have facts, Finn. Separation laws started because people were too lazy to go to work. The economy was suffering so politicians pulled shit out of their ass and said the world was overpopulated to suppress the popular at the time notion that just anybody could have a family.”

  “Joe, what are you telling me?”

  “Too many wasted lives sitting in front of the television and collecting welfare drained the economy. Separation was the only way to stop people from using unprotected sex as a recreational hobby, if you will.”

  “Joe. You are oversimplifying the truth. I don't believe that your family was responsible for separation laws either.”

  “No, Finn. It's a fact,” Jenny said.

  “Are you sure, Jenny?”

  “Finn. We wouldn't lie to you. We think you're a cool guy.”

  “How do you know I'm a cool guy? You've all just met me.”

  “Your credentials speak for themselves,” Joe stated.

  “How do you know my credentials again?”

  “We know everything. We're not every day teenagers in case you haven't noticed,” Geoffrey said.

  “You're teenagers who get to mix amongst the sexes as teenagers. Something I would know nothing about.”

  “Sadly, Finn, you're a product of your environment,” Anna said.

  “A product of the time in which I was born, perhaps, or a product of parents who were poor as you so eloquently put it before, Geoffrey” said Finn.

  “Anyway what kind of equations could you teach us?”

  “Anna, what kind of math are you studying now?”

  “Calculus, Finn. We're all taking calculus from this guy named Mr. Petersen who comes here Wednesdays and Fridays.”

  “Well, calculus is a good subject for me. One of my favorite subjects to teach.”

  “We'll never probably use it but it would nice to understand it,” Jenny said.

  “I have a question. Do you mind letting me know the answer? Especially since there is nowhere for me to go.”

  “Finn, what's on your mind?”

  “Thanks for asking, Joe. I guess you could say I am curious as to who, exactly, gets exempt from the separation laws?”

  “That's not a question you have any right to know the answer to, Finn,” Anna stated.

  “Come on. Humor me. I'm on my way out. Aren't I? Who gets to live their youth fully aware of the fact there is an opposite sex?”

  “Finn, you need to shut up,” Geoffrey said.

  “I want to know certain things. I'm trying to understand these things that make so little sense to me right now,” said Finn.

  “You want the truth?”

  “Yes, Joe, I do.”

  “If only you were able to comprehend the complexity of the situation you're in right now, Finn,” Geoffrey stated.

  “I understand perfectly. There are people who are from wealthy families who don't have to worry about being separated at birth from the opposite sex. People who laws have little or no meaning to. People who are among the elite.”

  “Finn, you're really talking outside our comfort zone right now. We were doing you a favor by keeping you alive,” Anna stated.

  “A favor? I want out. I know this nightmare I'm trapped in is going nowhere pretty and that I decided my fate the moment I decided to try to make contact with my son. Put me out of my misery so I don't have to think about my wife and son and the fact that I screwed their lives up forever.”

  “Finn, we can do that for you if you'd like us to,” Joe said.

  “Why can't you just teach us like you were going to? Forget about your family. They're a lost cause. Focus on staying alive by doing something good for us.”

  “Anna, that's the most selfish thing I've ever heard.”

  “Why is it so selfish, Finn? Your family is history and we're trying to extend a little time to your existence. Other people would have killed you already,” Joe explained.

  “I think I'm ready to die, guys. I'm not going to teach you calculus knowing that it's useless in the real world for people who are as well off as you people.”

  “I resent that, Finn. We may be well off, financially speaking, but what do you know about our pain? What do you know about the small bubble we live in because of our wealth? That small circle of friends we have gets lonely and not a day goes by that I don't wonder what it would have been like to have been separated and to know the life that normal people live,” Jenny said.

&n
bsp; Chapter Thirty-Five

  Angela had been thinking a lot about her relationship with Finn. She wanted to actually know her son, Leonardo, one day. She had so many questions but nobody to answer them for her. The only thing she knew for certain was that her husband had caused her so much pain and despite this fact, she loved him completely and knew she would miss him dearly.

  As Angela worked at her job, she believed that everything seemed meaningless right now. The separation laws had helped her achieve financial success but the small wealth she was obtaining could do nothing to bring back her family. Her only option was to start a new family with someone else. There was that choice to try to meet someone new. However, she yearned for one more day with Finn in order to ask him again why he had chosen her to love. She was always impressed by Finn's sincerity to her questions for him regarding his love for her.

  Angela wondered what she could do to fix the situation she found herself in. Even though she was told otherwise, she hoped that when Leonardo was older that she'd be able to make contact with him. He was all she had left. As Angela pondered thoughts of seeing Leonardo and accepted the fact she'd never see Finn again, she was playing with her hair at her desk. Her co-workers had never seen her look so lost before.

  After Angela got home from work, she looked online to see if she could find somebody nice to date. Even though the thought of dating again had seemed wrong, she needed companionship. She felt she had lived long enough without enjoying every minute of life and finding another suitable male companion for herself became a priority during this very difficult time for her.

  As she scrolled though countless of online ads of professional men looking to date, she thought back to the time she first met Finn. That was a time where everything seemed new and the impossible seemed obtainable. This time, her outlook was less optimistic although she continued to read ads and look at pictures. There were videos men had left on their ads for potential partners to view but, to Angela, most of the ones she viewed came across as pretty lame and desperate. Her insecurities plagued her as she continued to wonder what had become of Finn.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Back at the mansion, Finn was trembling. He grew increasingly more intense as he looked around the vicinity and saw the teenagers before him. He closed his eyes and thought of Angela and wished he could back in the moment where he made love to her for the first time. When he opened his eyes and realized where he truly was, he began to speak to the teens who were present.

  “I don't know. What are we doing here, guys? Can I leave?”

  “Finn, I don't know what you're thinking but you are at our disposal and the only way to decide what to do with you, fairly, is to take a vote,” Joe said.

  “Vote?”

  “Yes vote, Finn. Don't you know the concept of people collectively making a decision for the greater good?”

  “Of course, Geoffrey. I know that concept all too well but, given the situation, it seems pretty lame. Whatever the outcome, it's not going to be a good one for me,” Finn stated.

  Joe responded, “There are a lot of good outcomes for you. Any one that involves finding a purpose for you is going to keep you alive. Isn't that what you want, Finn? To stay alive?”

  “What if you vote on something a lot less friendly. A lot more drastic. What then?”

  “Finn. What's the worst thing we could decide? We're certainly not going to torture you or anything like that, are we, folks?”

  Joe looked at the other teenagers after saying that. Geoffrey looked confused as Anna looked at Finn and then over to Jenny.

  “That's not a bad idea, Joe,” Jenny said.

  “Explain yourself,” Joe responded.

  “Society wanted to end Finn's life. The fact that he got here and found out about us is something of a miracle. He learned the truth. He's not going to live to tell it, though, if I have anything to say about it.”

  “Jenny, please. Don't say that. I'm sorry for what I've done. I don't expect to be tortured anymore for my mistakes. I've already been tortured enough by not being able to see my son. What do you people want from me?”

  “Every man needs a purpose, Finn, and it's our job to find yours. You need to know your purpose now that you've been separated from your family for good. You need a new beginning. You're a little old to be living with us, though. Maybe, just maybe, we could find some people your own age for you to hang out with,” Anna said.

  “You mean, like some of your parents?”

  “Oh, God, no. They're too busy running the world to give you the time of day plus if they discovered you were still alive, they'd have you killed in an instant.”

  “I see, Anna. So there is no mercy in this society which we live. There is no pardon for mistakes which really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.”

  “Big brother was watching you for a reason. Big brother was scared of you and what you could do to our society,” Geoffrey said.

  “And, who are you referring to when you say “big brother?”

  “Finn, you always ask the most difficult questions,” Joe responded.

  “We're from a different set of educational lesson plans. I was taught all the bullshit while you all were taught the truth.” Finn stated.

  “The truth is subjective. Don't you think?”

  “Joe, I believe the truth is the only objective thing a person can hold on to. When you take away that truth, and tell someone it's not real, you take away everything from a person. Every single thing.”

  “I'm sorry, Finn. We are not the liars here. The world lies because people took advantage when the world told them the truth. It was a free for all and, now, it's not. That's progress staring you in the face, pal,” Geoffrey said.

  “It's a pack of lies thrust upon innocent people who haven't done anything yet. When you're a child, you have no right to be lied to.”

  “Finn, even in times way before yours, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, need I continue? It's a tale as old as time. A tale of lies to protect the innocent. How long one decides to keep a person innocent...well, there's a topic open to debate, don't you think?”

  “I'm sorry, Jenny. I don't believe in debates. The truth should be told outright. Fair and square.”

  “But at what age, Finn?”

  “Every age.”

  “Was there ever a time where the truth was told to every person, every age? I highly doubt it. The preservation of innocence is far more important than the truth for a child,” Joe said.

  “And for teenagers such as yourself, Joe?”

  “We learned the truth early on because our families could protect us at any cost. There was no price they couldn't pay if we messed up,” Anna stated.

  “This debate could go on all day. Let me go. I want to go. I want to see if I walk the streets what, exactly, will happen to me. Will I get gunned down? Will I get arrested? Where the hell am I, anyway? I have no idea where, exactly, I am. Do you have answers for me, teenagers of uncommon wealth and privilege?”

  “I resent that. We have wealth but don't you dare speak of privilege. We don't have to do something we don't want to do for a profession but that doesn't mean we can do anything. There's a difference,” Geoffrey said.

  “Hold that thought,” Finn said as he walked towards the door. Joe walked in front of him and put his arm in front of Finn to block him. Finn wanted to leave the premises to take his chances and see what would occur but Joe wouldn't let that happen.

  “You're going to teach us with that brilliant mind of yours,” Joe stated.

  “I don't feel like teaching calculus to spoiled brats.”

  “Well, what do you feel like teaching us spoiled brats?”

  “Manners, Geoffrey, of which you kids have none.”

  “We've done nothing but offer you hospitality and have been extremely kind. Maybe we should show a side of us to you which you have not seen yet. There's a much darker interpretation of a father who abandoned his wife and who was too selfish to let his child
grow up the way he was supposed to grow up. Why don't we shower you with the truth? You want a truth that is objective. Let's look at you, the man who betrayed the trust of his fellow people, his wife, especially, and more importantly, the trust of his son,” said Joe.

  “My son never had the opportunity to trust me. He doesn't even know I am his father. That's wrong. Damn it. That's so wrong.”

  “Your truth was that there was a separation of the sexes in the early part of your child's life. Your truth was that you were to remain silent and let the teachers educate your son. That was your truth. One truth you certainly were incapable of handling,” Joe told him.

  “Let me out! I want to go, now!”

  Jenny picked up a large shovel from the back of the house and walked towards the room in which Finn was screaming. She was uncertain as to what she was going to do with it until Geoffrey made a gesture implying she should swing it at Finn's head. Jenny swung it swiftly but not as hard as she could have. Finn fell to the ground.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “I don't know, Joe. I'm sick of having this guy here. Ask your parents what to do with him.”

  “Jenny. They'll kill him.”

  “So, let them kill him. He's where he doesn't belong. He's gotta go.”

  “Let's be rational here,” said Geoffrey.

  “I'm calling my dad,” Joe stated.

  “And I'll call my dad,” Anna said.

  Phone calls to their parents were made before the teenagers knew exactly what they needed to do. Suggestions from family members were in low quantity. There was one unanimous, very precise answer to their question of what they should do with Finn.

  Joe and Anna took Finn's body and lifted it onto the living room couch. Finn was in pain from the swing to his head. Finn wasn't speaking anymore. He was ready to just submit to the demands of the teenagers.

  “Is your dad going to come here, Joe?”

  “Are you crazy, Anna? We're putting him on line.”

  “What do you mean, Joe?”

  “A webcast that will be shown to the people who decided that Finn wasn't going to be seeing his family anymore.”

  “That sounds weird,” Geoffrey said.