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18 Weeks of Twoey - 78. Week Twelve Monday, November 17, 2014: Court Ball
Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.
- Robert Heinlein
***
Tommy
I was too upset to go to school today. 
Aunt Sarah went to the hospital with my Dad. I decided to cash in on my good luck of an empty house to thoroughly explore his room.
Sounds terrible, right?
Well, you know normally I would never invade my brother's privacy. But remember, the kid who’s been here all week told me specifically he was not my brother. So I figured, he gave me permission ...right? I mean, it’s the same thing as far as I can see. The ball is now in my court. Call it Tommy Logic.
I’m glad I followed my logic. There was all kinds of weird shit in his room. So I followed more Tommy Logic and decided to get rid of everything that wasn't my real brother's. Crazy dolls and scary altars and devil pictures, all that crap got stripped from his room and packed into an old box. I was gonna take it out to the back yard and burn it. Thinking a little deeper, I decided to store it in the loft of the garage. I figured if my real brother comes back from the hospital he won't miss it. If the other kid comes back, I'll just tell the fucker where it is. He can put it back himself. Tommy Logic.
I was tempted to look on the computer, but I know it's my real brother's laptop, so I didn't even lift the lid. I had never noticed the ripped dollar and poem framed in the old CD case before. Even though it’s a fucking scary verse, I thought it might belong to my real brother too, so I left it. I mean, it’s not related to devils or sin, so I figured I got that right. I'll have to ask him about it when he comes back to me. Otherwise, I spent the rest of my “upset” day playing video games until about 3:00. It’s when I called my Dad to check on David. He said he was conscious off and on all day again, but in pain. The doctors are hopeful he'll be OK.
So that is sorta good news, right? Not him being in pain, but the doctors hopeful he’ll be all right. Realizing there were two guys who had to get that piece of news, I texted it to Twoey and Gary. You may find it strange I included Twoey, but I began warming up to him when I found out his friend from Syracuse came down to talk Gutless Gary into confronting my brother. No one else did that, so maybe I need to give Twoey another chance. I should probably apologize to the fucker sometime in the future too.
Liz hardly lives here anymore. She’s always at Greg’s. It’s getting lonely. I want my brother back. Later, when Dad and Aunt Sarah returned home they gave me a more detailed report. My brother is hurt bad, but he’ll recover. I tuned out Dad’s endless and boring descriptions. The only thing important to me was he’ll recover. Who the fuck cares about serum creatinine, whatever that it. I only know how to spell it cuz it’s written down here in Dad’s notes that he forgot in my room. My father is getting zombie-eyed.
I sorta found out why a little later when Dad pulled me aside for a private conference.
He talked to me about how he loved me and David and all this other bullshit. I was trying to be calm, David taught me about always being calm. But Dad was going on and on! I knew he wanted to tell me something and was trying to build up the guts to do it. He’s so easy to read. Frustrating, but easy to read. Finally, he got to the meat. He told me my mother probably would never be back.
She left him ...she left us!
He also gave me some good news. He said the church closed down and went out of business. I didn’t know churches could do that. Well, at least no more shitty Sunday mornings. I suppose Aunt Sarah will be our new mother. That’s just my guess, but it seems pretty obvious. To tell you the truth, I’ll need some time to wrap my head around it, but I think it’ll be OK. She is very nice.
I’ll bet even David will like her.
Sam
When I had noticed the van a few times, I figured it was following David. It always appeared when he came to my house. But I never, in my wildest dreams, anticipated what they were going to do. Last week I had managed to get the plate number. I also had noticed a little slogan on the back door.
Soldiers for Christ, One Child at a Time.
That struck me as mega-strange, so I Googled the slogan. It took me to the Facebook page of something called the Youth Armed for Christ Center. It had a link to their webpage. So I went to the homepage of the YACC.
I discovered they were an actual organization right here in Daleville, with a building and everything. They even held meetings every Monday night. The building was on Founders Road, just outside town.
I noticed on the bottom of that page was the name Saintly Shining Swords LLC.
After a search for this company, I found only a handful of sketchy references. One took me to a blog of some Bible thumper where he noted SSS LLC was also the owner of the One True God Church.
David’s church.
When I heard the abduction reported on the scanner, I called my friend at the Police Department and told him the van belonged to the Youth Armed for Christ Center, giving him the plate number and address. From what he told me later, the cops spotted the van when they arrived. They broke in, found David and arrested Burch and the two kids. I also followed most of this, in real time, on the scanner. Although I didn’t learn it was Burch until Gary told me.
I was only home last Saturday morning because Gary said he’d be meeting with Twoey’s friends from Syracuse about David. I was staying close, in case they needed me to meet with them. It’s a good thing I was home and heard the scanner report. If the cops hadn’t gotten there so fast, it might have been too late for David. They bashed him up pretty awfully, from what I hear.
Then there was the whole problem of what to do with the picture in David’s manila folder. I really didn’t have anything to bargain for with the pastor. If I wait for David to recover his memory or whatever, it could be next week. I didn’t have any idea what his physical condition really was. So I was at this sort of blind spot. My gut told me something had to happen fast. Something fast had to include that pastor.
The only person I could send this to, who might have any impact at all, was David’s father. The problem was, I knew he didn’t want his father to find out. David was in fear the family would be broken up and he would be awarded to his mother. He told me that explicitly. He was worried his mother would marry the pastor and living with him was unacceptable to David on every level.
But that was then. This is now.
The cops can’t miss the connection between the church and the youth group. If they do miss it, they’ll get an anonymous tip, you can be sure of that. So my mind was made up. I’m sorry David, but this is for your own good. You entrusted me with knowing if I need to use it and so I made my decision.
First, I opened the envelope to make sure what was in there. It contained four graphic pictures in bright color of what happened that day in David’s bedroom. What surprised me was the angle of the camera. They must have had the lid slightly pitched because it was looking down at the bed. David must have cropped these pictures too. If you didn’t know they were taken in his room, you would never guess.
So that changed my plan. Instead of delivering them to David’s father, he'll get them anonymously. I addressed and stamped the manila envelope and walked it to the post office. He’ll probably receive it in tomorrow’s mail, or Wednesday at the worst. OK Mr. Megal, the ball is now squarely in your court!
Alex
The school is in the middle of a gossip whirl! The arrest of Mr. Burch and the injuries to David has this place filled with the most outlandish rumors! It’s even worse than yesterday. Normally I don't pay attention to rumors because they're usually all rubbish. But David is seriously hurt. It's no rumor and it has me sick to my stomach.
Mrs. Delmonico seemed really upset too. She said even though David was a new student in our class, it would be nice if each classmate sent him a get well card with some personal comment on it. I've never heard a teacher ask anything like that before! Anyway, Randy, Megan and I decided to finish the group project, trying to use the things David was working on, as sort of a tribute to him.
Randy said, “I hate to admit this, because we're all pretty smart to be in this class, but he's so good, this work seems harder today than it did last week.”
We had to agree. Then the asshole whispered in my ear.
“When are you going to start stalking his room in the hospital?”
That earned him the finger.
I’ve been trying hard to rein in my emotions. I’m not usually like I was the last couple days. I think my mind had this romance all worked out when the disaster struck. It was sort of a one-two punch to my gut. First it torpedoed my plans before they were even started. Second, and worse, was the realization my beautiful blond knight was nearly killed.
Anyway, I’ve recovered my composure. My only regret is Randy saw me at my weakest. Naturally, he won’t let it die. I’m sure pretty soon he’ll find something else to lord over and leave me alone. But then he surprised me again while we were walking home from school.
“Here!” He handed me a folded sheet of notebook paper.
“What’s this?”
“Try opening it. Is this your stupid day? On the rag?”
He can be so very irritating. I unfolded the paper and saw a hand-written class schedule.
“It looks like a class schedule.”
“God, this must be you stupid day. OK, let Randy spell it out for you. Since you don’t know jack-shit about your I’ll-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-him crush, I’ve provided you with the schedule of one of his closest friends. I got it from Cory. Now you can apply all your feminine wiles, if you can find them anymore, on this guy to discover anything you want to know about David. You’re welcome. The ball is now in your court.”
Just when I get the most pissed-off at my best friend, he comes through. OK, tomorrow I will track you down and, if I have to, squeeze it out of you ...Matty Goerss.
Twoey
Tommy texted me early today to bring me up to date on David’s condition. Then he texted again around suppertime to tell me David will be in a regular room Wednesday and detailed most of his injuries. I don’t know why the kid seems to hate me, but since the beating he’s been very conscientious, keeping me up to date. When this is all over, I’ll have to give him a special thanks. I think we need a man-to-man talk about his hostility anyway.
Tommy also dropped a couple shockers on me.
The church they went to has packed up and slinked out of town, including that pastor David hated. I wonder if someone found the connection between him and the attempt on David’s life? Anyway, they’ve totally vanished from town. Daleville just got a little safer, I think.
Then he told me the most startling news. His mother left his father and doesn’t live there anymore. Holy Shit! She never even visited David after he was beaten. How could she leave with her son in critical condition? What the fuck kind of mother is she? I always figured David was exaggerating when he told me about her. Now I’m not so sure. I guess his Aunt is living with them now. I wonder if David knows any of this?
I received some good news too! I’m free to leave the house ...finally! I’ll be able to visit David in the hospital once he’s out of ICU. It’ll be a little role reversal ...hehe.
Now for the best news. I’m going to try school tomorrow. I’ll simply show up at Gary’s house and walk to school with the guys. Mom will bring me home if I can’t hack it, but I think I’ll be Ok. I’m going crazy around here anyway.
Speaking of surprises, today after school was out, I received a visit from Lanni and Deena. Lanni gave me the sweetest Kiss.
“There’s so much stuff flying around the school about David, I hope you don’t mind if we visit you to find out the truth.”
“Why would you think I know the truth?”
“Come on Twoey, I’m not blind.”
OMG! She must think David and I ...that means she must think David’s gay! I was sort of mind-scrabbled for a minute.
Anyway, I got myself recovered enough to explain what happened to David, and even give her the latest I knew about his condition. That’s when I came up with a little plan.
“Deena, David was going to take you to the Thanksgiving Dance Saturday. What if we make a little switch. Would it be OK if you went with Sam, and I took Lanni?”
“Sam? Who’s Sam?”
“You’ll like him Deena, you really will. He’s one of David’s closest friends. He was going to take Lanni. Of course, I’ll check with him tomorrow in school, but I’m sure he’ll switch. We can double date.”
Lanni interrupted. “You’re going to school tomorrow?”
“Yes! The doctor said I can give it a try. I really feel good. I can’t wait to get back.”
Deena was still mulling it over.
Lanni pulled her aside and whispered some stuff in her ear. Then Deena looked at me. She had made her decision.
“Why not? I’ll give him a try. He’s David’s friend, so there has to be something good about him. The ball’s in his court now.” She exploded in a laugh.
Gary
I feel really horrible about this. What the fuck was he doing over on Teasdale Street on the other side of town? The fact I have no idea makes it even worse. What kind of a best friend am I? I almost feel responsible somehow. Have I been so wrapped up with Mel I missed a bunch of warning signs? I mean, I know he was acting definitely not in whack, but could I have detected something sooner, if I had been paying better attention …like a best friend is supposed to?
I also have the feeling, for whatever reason, his strange behavior and this beating are somehow related. And if they are, I feel doubly responsible. I mean, Twoey told Mike in fucking Syracuse about it, he was so worried. And Mike came all the way down here to see me to figure it out. And here I sat, living right next to my best friend, with the ball in my court, and hadn't done frickin’ anything.
Now I'm depressed.
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