Inside Traitors

by David Allen

  Luke and Steve had been anticipating the trip for several days. They were both ready to leave over an hour ago. The gulf waters would finally be warm enough to try out the new snorkeling gear they each got for Christmas. Each minute of added delay seemed to be an eternity for each of them.

  Joe began to rearrange the packing of the trunk for the third time. He was sure that somehow he would get the chairs, umbrella, blankets and the rest of the beach needs to fit into the somewhat confined trunk space. He just needed to figure out the puzzle.

  The third time turned out to be the charm for Joe. He vigorously wiggled the last beach chair into the too-full trunk. Joe breathed a sigh of relief when the trunk lid finally was able to close.

  Now all that remained was the picnic lunch. Karen was preparing the final touches inside. The lunch basket will have to ride up front with us, Joe thought.

  Joe walked around the car and caught sight of Luke and Steve in the front yard. They were both waddling around with their new flippers and dive masks on. Luke put his snorkel into his mouth and waved over to Joe. The two were quite a sight. Joe let out a hearty laugh.

  Joe leaned back against the car and watched Luke and Steve playing together. The discussions with Karen about adopting Steve were getting more frequent and much more serious. The adoption was something they both wanted. They felt Steve was already part of their family. They just wanted to make it legal and permanent.

  Two weeks prior, they brought up the idea of adoption with Steve and Luke. They both thought it was a great idea. Luke was excited about getting a real brother and Steve was excited about becoming part of a real family.

  While Joe was watching the boys play in the front yard he noticed Jack’s car chugging down the road. Lately, Jack had become very elusive. He was a tough person to catch at home. Joe knew it might be awhile before he saw jack again.

  Joe looked up toward the house. There was still no sign of Karen. He decided to approach Jack with the idea of adopting Steve. Joe only wanted to mention the idea to Jack and then give him some time to think about it. He didn’t want a long discussion that touched on any of the details. That would all come later. He just wanted to get the process started.

  Joe made his way over to Jack’s yard and was already standing in the driveway as Jack pulled his car in. Jack parked the car and started to get out without even noticing Joe standing next to the car.

  “Hey Jack, how are you doing. Do you have a minute?” asked Joe.

  Jack was returning from a three-day fishing trip that consisted mostly of heavy drinking and not much sleeping. He was exhausted, caught somewhere in the middle of being drunk and hung over. Jack’s only thoughts were of getting inside the house and crashing on the bed. The last thing he wanted to do was to talk with the neighbor. He could not even remember the neighbor’s name.

  “Umm, I am a little busy right now. I don’t have no time,” said Jack. “How about you come back later. Maybe come back late tomorrow.”

  Joe was undaunted. He felt as if he needed to get Jack to at least start thinking about the idea. He wasn’t sure when he would have the next opportunity.

  “Jack, I just want to ask you a quick question. Well, it is not even a question, it’s more of an idea really. Just an idea for you to think about. I promise I will only take one minute of your time.”

  The only thing Jack wanted was to get the conversation over with. He was beat.

  “OK, I’ll give you one minute and that is it,’ said Jack abruptly. “Then I am going inside and going to bed.” Jack lifted his arm and gazed down at his watch. “You start talking now, you got one minute.”

  Joe had his opportunity. He awkwardly stumbled into his opening statement. He wasn’t sure how Jack was going to react to the idea of the adoption. He tried to be cautious as he progressed. He painstakingly took his time in finding the right words. The last thing he wanted was to say the wrong thing. The last thing he wanted was to offend Jack.

  “Jack, you know that Karen and I really love Steve,” he started. “He is a great kid. He gets along great with Karen and me and also with Luke. I mean especially Luke. The two of them are like brothers. I think they are even closer than brothers. Steve has helped Luke with a lot of his problems.”

  Joe was having a little trouble getting to the real reason for coming over. The words were slow in coming, the topic was elusive. The conversation turned out to be much harder than Joe had anticipated.

  A disgusted look crept across Jack’s face. He was getting restless. Jack pretended to check his watch as the uncomfortable conversation dragged on.

  Joe picked up on the signs from Jack. He could see Jack was getting agitated. He knew he had to get to the point of the conversation, and quick.

  “Well the thing is Jack… You know Karen and I both… Well, I’m just going to say it. Karen and I would like to adopt your nephew. We would like to make him a part of our family and we were wondering if that was something you might be open to?” asked Joe.

  Joe managed to produce an awkward smile. “I am only asking you to think about it Jack. Mull it over for a few days. We don’t need an answer right away,” added Joe.

  Joe was pleased the uncomfortable words had finally been forced out. He eagerly awaited Jack’s response, but Jack was silent. Joe could see his question was not sitting well with Jack.

  Jack glared at Joe in silence. His alcohol deadened mind started to clear and come to attention. His mind worked to decipher the meaning behind Joe’s words.

  Jack construed that somehow Joe and Karen must have found out about the trust fund. Joe’s words were nothing more than a sham. The words were a scheme for the two of them to get their hands on Jack’s cash flow.

  Jack’s mind clicked into action. His face suddenly grew a bright red and he flew into a loud rage.

  “Do you think I am stupid?” snapped Jack loudly. “Do I look like a goddamn idiot to you?” Jack shouted. He vigorously smacked his open palm down onto the hood of his car, creating another dent.

  Joe could not understand the anger and hostility coming from Jack. He took a step backwards and tried to assess the messy situation.

  “I am sorry Jack, I don’t understand. I did not mean to offend you with the question,” said Joe, as he tried to ease the situation. “Karen and I just thought - - ”

  Jack erupted and quickly cut off Joe’s explanation. The words intended to calm Jack only helped to further fuel his anger and rage.

  “Don’t you stand there and act like you don’t know what the hell this is all about,” Jack ranted. “You come over here acting like you are all innocent. Acting all goody-goody, like you and that goddamn wife of yours are going to save Steve.”

  Jack squinted and creased up his face. He pointed his finger accusingly at Joe. “I know what you two sons of bitches are up to. I know what you are up to and it ain’t gunna work. No goddamn way it’s gunna work.”

  Jack moved in closer to Joe. He knew he had to stop their plan. Jack lifted his arm and threw his finger in Joe’s face.

  “You turn your goddamn ass around and you get that kid back over here right now. You get him here right now or I am going to call the police on you and that scheming wife of yours. I’ll tell them you’re kidnapping him. He’s my kid, he ain’t yours. The law is going to be on my side here. I got the papers on him.”

  Joe was dumbfounded. He had no idea why Joe was acting the way he was. Joe tried to explain, but Jack had already decided that Joe was not acting fast enough.

  Jack repeatedly pointed to the ground at his feet. “You get that goddamn kid back here right now. You get him back here to his rightful home,” Jack shouted.

  “Jack, if you are against the adoption, then we won’t pursue it. We just want what is best for Steve. That’s all,” said Joe trying to calm the situation.

  “You’re damn right you won’t be doing no adoption. Now you get that kid back over here right now. He’s not welcome at your house no more.”

  Jack was livid. When
Joe did not react to his ranting demand, Jack tried to take control of the situation. Jack ran next door and grabbed Steve by the arm. He ripped the diving mask from Steve’s face and threw it down on the ground. Jack was screaming at the top of his lungs the whole time.

  “You ain’t taking no more of this shit from these people,” he shouted at Steve. “You’re coming with me and you ain’t allowed to ever come back over here.”

  Jack pulled Steve by the arm. He started to drag him from the Jackson’s yard. Jack pointed to his house and ordered Steve inside.

  Karen finally emerged from the house. She was carrying the freshly packed picnic lunch for the day of fun in the sun. She witnessed Jack screaming and storming off with Steve. She was horrified at the unfolding situation.

  The much anticipated day of fun and sun at the beach was called off. Luke and Karen ended up in tears for most of the day. Steve ended up locking himself in his old bedroom. Jack ended up sleeping on the living room couch so he was sure Steve did not leave the house.

  For the next few weeks the situation between Jack and the Jackson’s remained volatile. Steve was forbidden to go back to the Jackson’s. But, whenever Jack left the house Steve would run back to what he considered his home and visit with his family.

  Joe and Karen kept trying to explain the situation to Jack whenever they had the opportunity. They assured him they would abide by his wishes. Finally, after almost a month of negotiations and sometimes nasty exchanges, Jack was satisfied that Joe and Karen were not after the trust fund money.

  Jack was also growing tired of having Steve back at the house fulltime. He was tired of watching over him. After almost six weeks Steve was eventually allowed to return to the Jackson’s. The idea of adopting Steve was never mentioned again.

  Chapter 17 - Discovery

  Prior to the start of Steve’s junior year of High School, Joe tried talking him into signing up for a computer class. It was a new class the high school was offering for the first time. Joe knew from work that there was a huge demand for people who were trained to program computers.

  “Everything in the office depended on a computer in some way or another, Joe explained to Steve. “You really need to take the computer class.”

  Steve did not know the first thing about computers. He was less than enthusiastic. Steve preferred an advanced math class. But Joe didn’t stop nagging Steve about the class. In the end, Steve shuffled his schedule to fit in the math class and the computer class.

  Once the new school year began, the class on computer programming quickly became Steve’s favorite. The communication skills that Steve lacked with his classmates were not a barrier when it came to the world of computers and computer programming code. The computer languages seemed simple to Steve. The concepts came easy.

  The following month, Steve joined the school’s newest club; the Computer Club. He gained a couple of new friends in the process. By the time midterms rolled around, Steve was considered to be the class “Leader of the Geeks”. It was a title he cherished. The other kids learned they could always get the correct solution from Steve.

  Joe and Karen were excited with Steve’s newfound interest with computers. For his seventeenth birthday they bought him a used, but fairly new personal computer. Steve became addicted to the computer. Any spare moment he had was spent on the computer or reading about computers and programming. He needed to understand everything about the operation and functionality of the new machine.

  All the time that Steve was spending on the computer did not sit well with Luke at first. He still wanted to play. He wanted to go outside and have fun. The difference in their age was having an effect on some of their mutual interests. After a few temperamental weeks, Luke saw Steve playing a computer game. Suddenly, Luke’s interest was drawn to the computer also.

  The sharing of Steve’s single computer system did not last long. Joe and Karen found it necessary to get a second computer to end the bickering over the use of the single unit. They purchased a newer upgraded model and gave it to Steve. The older computer went to Luke.

  The new computer configuration was perfect. Steve learned to write the code and develop computer games. Luke would sit and play the games by the hour and then offer suggestions for modifications and of course, new games.

  Joe was amazed at some of the programs and games Steve was creating. He checked at work and found the company offered an internship program in their computer programming division. The company was having trouble finding qualified programmers. They started the program to try to fill some of the many entry-level positions that were open.

  “The work program was intended for college students, not high school students”, Joe was told repeatedly. But Joe was persistent, almost nagging. After much coaxing of fellow employees and pulling in a few favors, Joe was able to get Steve scheduled to take the preliminary aptitude test for entry into the intern program.

  The tough, five-hour long test gauged the capacity for logical thinking and ability to solve complex problems. A score of seventy-nine or higher was necessary in order to be accepted into the program.

  Steve scored a near perfect score of ninety-nine. Within a week of taking the test, Steve became the first high school student to be hired into the Information Systems department intern program. He worked part time, up to twenty hours a week. The time was put in after school and on Saturdays.

  Steve loved the work and did well. As soon as the school year finished, the company offered him a full time spot for the summer. Steve worked as a programmer on the company’s accounting system. The only part of the job Steve did not like was that he could not rewrite the entire system.

  The accounting system had a lot of problems. Steve could see the system was not written properly and it had many design flaws. But the company did not have the time or resources to spend on a complete rewrite. Steve had to be constantly reminded that he was hired to make programming changes as they were needed. He was not hired to write a new accounting system.

  Steve decided to develop an accounting system of his own in his spare time. He would pick Joe’s brain by the hour to develop the system specifications, and then he would disappear into his room for hours to write the computer code. By the start of Steve’s senior year of high school, he had built a complete and fully functioning accounting system.

  A few weeks of testing were needed before Steve let Joe see the working system. When Joe finally saw it, he was overwhelmed. The finished system was very impressive.

  Joe had worked with the company’s antiquated accounting system for many years. He knew all of the problems and all of the system’s inaccuracies. He was certain Steve’s system was a major improvement.

  Joe talked to the Divisional Vice President in charge of the accounting division. After weeks of listening to Joe go on and on about the system, he reluctantly agreed to take a look at it. A meeting was set up with several company representatives for a system review.

  No one in the meeting expected much. Some of the attendees were there only as a favor to Joe. The others did it just to get Joe to stop hounding them.

  The system demonstration went flawlessly. To Joe’s surprise, Steve appeared to be very at ease in the meeting. Steve was able to answer any question put to him and had little trouble communicating with the company’s senior staff.

  It seemed as long as Steve was sure of himself and his abilities, he would do OK. Everyone in the meeting ended up being impressed with Steve and awed with his accounting system.

  The knowledge Steve gained by working on the old system and hearing all of the complaints allowed him to create a new system that met everyone’s needs. When Steve demonstrated that the system was able to provide reports the attendees had always asked for but couldn’t get from the old system, everyone in the room had seen enough. They all wanted the new system.

  During the first half of Steve’s senior year of high school he was offered twenty-five thousand dollars for the code to his accounting system. The price was low f
or a fully functioning system, but Steve got to keep full copyright licensing to the software.

  The company increased the number of hours in Steve’s internship and gave him the option of working as much as he wanted, whenever he wanted. They also presented him with an offer letter for a position as a full time senior programmer. The job would be waiting for him when he graduated from high school.

  Joe kept thinking about Steve’s excellent performance in the meeting with the senior executives. “You should have seen him in there,” he explained to Karen the night after the meeting. “He was very good, very professional.”

  Joe and Karen started to monitor Steve’s behavior more closely. They discovered that whenever Steve was unsure of his situation or his abilities, then he would have problems. If he had a well thought out plan and was sure of his abilities, then he performed much better.

  Joe worked with Steve on his fears. He worked with him to develop daily plans and schedules for the simplest things. He had Steve try to envision a stressful event before it happened and envision different scenarios in his head.

  The coaching from Joe helped. Steve was able to control his behavior when he developed a good working plan and followed it. Problems would still crop up but they were not as severe and not as frequent.

  The only exception that remained was with the girls. Nothing seemed to work with the girls. There was no plan or pre-thought process that could help Steve to retain his composure when he was around a girl. Especially a girl he thought to be attractive.

  * * *

  Two weeks after Steve’s eighteenth birthday he awoke early on a Saturday morning. The excitement that pulled him from his bed had also prevented him from sleeping most of the night. He woke Luke and the two headed out to the driveway to clean and polish Steve’s new car.

  Steve spotted the two-year-old, bright blue Ford Mustang convertible earlier in the week. It was sitting in the front lot of a car dealership near the high school. He begged Joe for days to go look at the car with him.