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    CLJobe
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

A Child's Haven - 76. Chapter 76

I woke up early and feeling in a good mood. Getting dressed for the day, I headed to the cook shack. Mario and Janet were preparing breakfast for the kids. “Good morning Mario, Janet, could I please bother you for a cup of coffee?”

No sooner said than a cup of Italian coffee was sat before me. “Do you want something to eat now or wait until later?”

“I’ll wait. Have you and the misses had a chance to look at the catalog?”

“I told Maria how you refer to us as being married. I thought she would laugh, but she looked at me and said it sounded like a good idea.”

“Great, so when is the date, or should I prod you on that as well.”

“We’d like a fall wedding. I need to save up some money for the wedding and honeymoon.”

Now I had a plan. “When am I going to meet this lucky lady?”

“I was hoping you’d let us look at the apartment tonight after dinner.”

“Mario, you have the keys. You don’t need my permission. But I’d like to meet this lady who has stolen your heart. Why don’t you ask her to dinner tonight? She’ll see how much the kids love you. We can talk about your selection of appliances after dinner.”

Mario smiled as he went to use the office phone. “She said she is excited to meet you and will be here at 5.”

“Great, be sure you do a great job in preparing our dinner.”

“I’ll have professional help tonight. Adam is going to help. He has the night off at the restaurant.”

Taking another cup of coffee, I headed to the infirmary. “Aaron, you’re up early. I thought I was the only one who got up with the chickens.” I need to carry a book with me. We could raise a few chickens in the garden area.

“Nope, I’m getting ready to discharge our star patient. Ahmed is ready to go.”

“So you are feeling ok, Ahmed.”

“Yes, sahib.”

“Ahmed, my name is Brad. Everyone calls me Brad, and so must you.” He just smiled at me.

“Can he walk to the dining hall, or must he use the wheelchair?”

“He can walk. He’s been exercising every day.”

“Well, let’s go to the dining hall for breakfast.”

With Aaron and me on either side of Ahmed, we walked to the dining hall. I think this was the first time he was in the hall since the changes. His eyes were everywhere. Adel and Amman saw us entering and quickly came over to Ahmed. They started to jabber in their language, Adel and Amman took Ahmed to the breakfast line. I’m sure they explained about to take what you can eat and then go back for more. Ahmed’s eyes got big when they said what I believed they said to him. Passing in front of Mario, Ahmed said something to Adel. He shook his head yes. There was a big smile on Ahmed’s face as he pointed to the eggs. Mario put a large pile of eggs on his plate, they weren’t that large, but to Ahmed, it was large. Next was the sausage. Again Adel explained there were two kinds. He chose the turkey sausage, toast, and a small bowl of oatmeal finished off his breakfast. Amman went and got him a juice and milk. This morning I was ready to make an exception for Ahmed if he didn’t eat all the food on his plate. But I needn’t worry, he cleaned his plate and went back for more eggs. I just smiled as he sat back and rubbed his stomach. There was a small bump. Amman said something to him, and he just laughed.

Adel and Amman took over the care of Ahmed. He had just become one of the kids.

I went to the roof to check the trees. They were doing much better, the leaves were coming back on the branches, and the blight seemed to be in control. The plants were healthy and soon would be bearing vegetables. The flowers had been blooming and were used in the dining hall. The produce from the gardens were gifts from the children to Sanctuary. Of course, each gift was announced by me thanking the donor. The same with the crafts, when they were put on display, I announced the maker or painter thanking them as well. Some of the kids took their finished model and put them on the shelf in their cocoon. That was fine with me; they were theirs to do as they pleased. Some of the kids who were stuck asked for help. There were always plenty of kids offering to help.

It was after breakfast before lunch that Murray showed up with a kid. Tony forgot to tell me we’d be receiving a new kid this morning. Murray introduced me to him. When I asked him his name, the British accent was very pronounced. I wondered if he had something to eat. He hadn’t, so I took him to the cook shack, along with Murray and O’Shea, “Mario, this young man hasn’t had any breakfast. Could you please fix him something, and I’ll have a cup of coffee.”

I saw Murray and O’Shea’s hand go up as well. Mario brought us coffee while Janet prepared his breakfast. I asked Janet to fry some tomatoes along with baked beans. She brought over two plates with scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast for Murray and O’Shea. Then she brought over a plate with two fried eggs, two slices of grilled tomato, a couple of spoons of baked beans, and two sausages. On a side dish, she had two pieces of toast buttered to the edge. I smiled because, minus the black pudding, this was an English breakfast. I watched Nick’s eyes about to pop out when he saw the breakfast. He looked at me, and I winked. He dug right in. The way he ate it must have been several days he had gone hungry. When he finished, I took him to my office, with a coffee for me and a cup of tea for him. Passing Beth’s office, I knocked and indicated to come into my office.

We sat at the conference table. Beth did the enrollment and gave him his cocoon key. I thanked Beth and told her I’d show him to his cocoon. I know he must have thought I was crazy when we kept talking about cocoons. “Nick, when did you arrive from England?”

“This morning, I was put on a flight last night. When I landed this morning, I was met by Officers Murray and O’Shea. I thought I was being taken to jail. They took me through customs and drove me here.”

“Do you know why you were sent here to the States?”

“No, when the police picked me up on the streets, they took me to the jail. I was locked up, and then that evening, I was put on a plane for here.”

“You were given no papers or information as to why you were sent here?”

“Right. Are you going to send me back?”

“No, but we are going to find out why you were sent here. Tell me a little about how you got to be on the street.”

“I lived with my mom in a flat just outside of London. One day I went home, and Mom wasn’t there. A neighbor told me some man came and she went away with him. I stayed there until the rent was due. I didn’t have any money, so I started begging on the street for food. I wasn’t there long before I was picked up, and here I am.”

I knew there was more to this story. I’ll check with Murray and O’Shea and see what they know. I put my arm around Nick, “Ok, let me give you the tour.”

We ended up in the annex, where I showed Nick his cocoon. He laughed when he saw it. I had equipped all the empty cocoons with a bank, so I took that opportunity to explain the allowances and the bank. “I’m sure the boys will bring you up to date on Sanctuary. Were you enrolled in school?”

“Yes, I was about to do my A levels.” I made a mental note to determine what A levels meant.

“You’ll continue to go to school here, and you also are expected to pitch in and do chores. We have no janitors or cleaners or any other help. We do have teachers who help the kids perform their chores. Think of it as a big family with 300 brothers and sisters. Now I’m going to turn you over to our NP, who will do a medical file on you. Then when you have finished, I’ll send some boys who’ll take you under their wing until you are comfortable. I’m always available. The kids here are my number one priority.”

I walked Nick to the infirmary. Introducing him to Aaron and Diane, I left. Walking back to my office, I looked at the water tower. Abe had the logo painted on it. Then I remember I needed lifeguards and swimming instructors. Most of the kids that went to the island learned how to swim, but I’m not sure about the new kids.

I saw Tony coming from the dining hall, “Brad, Murray said we have a new kid.”

“Yes, is Murray still here? The new kid is with Aaron. Stop in and introduce yourself. I want to catch Murray before he leaves.”

Leaving Tony, I rushed to the dining hall. I entered just as Murray and O’Shea were getting up to go. “Murray, O’Shea hang on for a minute.”

They stopped and sat back down. “What can you tell me about Nick?”

“There isn’t much. He didn’t have any papers, so we assumed that your reputation has gone international.”

“No, there is something that we don’t know. The only reason I can think of is that one of his parents must’ve been a US citizen. Can you contact the London police that picked him up and ask why he was sent here? If they say one of his parents were American, then we need a copy of his birth certificate or some form of legal statement stating that. Let me know what you find out.”

As soon as school was out, the kids started to come to the dining hall for lunch. I looked for Nick and didn’t find him. “Have any of you seen the new kid that arrived this morning? His name is Nick?”

No one said they saw him. I headed to the infirmary and asked what happened with Nick. They said he left with Tony. I went to Tony’s office and asked him what happened to Nick. “I don’t know. I explained the allowance system and told him that his allowance would depend on his age.” I checked his cubicle, and he wasn’t there. I called Murray and told him Nick was missing. About 2 hours later, Murray came into the dining hall with Nick.

“Nick, where did you go?”

“I wanted to take a walk and see what the area was all about.”

“Why didn’t you tell someone?”

“I didn’t know I should. I can handle myself.”

“I see. Sit here a moment.” I went and found Pat. I told him what I wanted, and he took off.

Soon several boys came into the dining hall. “Nick, I want you to listen to these boys. Some of them are younger than you, and some are older than you.”

The first boy was Curly. He told Nick his age and how long he was on the street, and what he had to do to eat. Then Amir, close to Nick’s age, told about being a slave boy and almost killed when he tried to run away. This went on until all the boys told their story. “Nick, you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to, but listen to what these boys have said. That’s the world out there. No matter how strong you think you are or how smart, they’ll be smarter and stronger. You could end up in a slave auction or a barrel. That’s your choice, but if you want to stay here you have to abide by our rules, they are for your benefit and safety. The decision is yours, if you want to live on the street, just hand over your cocoon key now, and you can leave.”

Copyright © 2020 CLJobe; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Chapter Comments

 The chapter ended  on a minor cliffhanger  although I'm sure Nick will stay.I thought I asked this in an earlier chapter maybe I didn't but the official rule is the kids can't leave the building?I get it if that's the rule it's probably for the best.Maybe there can can be some kind of system after school and chores are done they can go out for a short time.But there might be something I'm not thinking about.For one thing the evil men may have grabbed a kid.

  • Like 5

Oh Nick, you laughed at the cocoon, basically in Brad’s face. Then you disregarded Brad’s orientation of school, chores, etc, and then the more specific directions that Brad would have other kids show you the ropes following the clinic checkup. Whether spoiled by privilege or lack of discipline, Brad will not let you risk the safety of Sanctuary.

Hopefully, the boys will huddle and prevent Nick from a terrible mistake. Let’s hope Nick doesn’t seek freedom like a paddle-ball having won freedom from the tether. If unable to follow the rules, then the normal social services would be his last grasp at a monitored program; but Sanctuary has proven why that is a false hope.

The Sanctuary family hasn’t failed yet, and hopefully they won’t have to suffer the shared grief of loss or injury to another child now under the umbrella.

  • Like 4
14 hours ago, weinerdog said:

 The chapter ended  on a minor cliffhanger  although I'm sure Nick will stay.I thought I asked this in an earlier chapter maybe I didn't but the official rule is the kids can't leave the building?I get it if that's the rule it's probably for the best.Maybe there can can be some kind of system after school and chores are done they can go out for a short time.But there might be something I'm not thinking about.For one thing the evil men may have grabbed a kid.

The kids can't leave the building without an adult knowing. Those kids know what is out on the street, Nick was very naive.

  • Like 3
13 hours ago, Buz said:

Oh no.

Sorry.

I don't think Nick did anything wrong. He just didn't know. Apart from the past couple of days, he lived in a totally different country. He has no idea why he was bought to said different country. I would be even more curious than he is. It seems logical to me that he would be curious about his new surroundings.

I also think Brad was heavy handed at worst and over-reacted at best. He has over 300 kids who have been through some truly horrific situations, but all Nick did was go for a walk. The world can be a scary place and caution is always good. But don't turn it into a scary place for someone, "You could end up in a slave auction or barrel". Does he say that to Bubba every time he takes Sandy for a Walk or goes home?

And abide by our rules or you can leave now. Oh, you mean the rules he didn't know about? The ones where there is no indication in the chapter he was actually told about?

So someone somewhere decides to take this Kid away from everything he has ever known and sends him (as far as we know) to a country he has never been to before and where he knows no-one and Brad is okay to potentially put this Kid out on the streets?

Sorry. I don't get it.

 

Maybe I can help. The only way Nick could get to America is if his father is an Ameerican, so I am assuming that. Two, Bard knows what is out there, and Nick needs to understand that. You are right there was no indoctrination, he had just arrived. Generally the boys came in a group and had experienced what Brad was telling Nick. Nick needed to be b brought up to date quickly. Nick had no friends when he arrived, he needed friends to enlighten him. So, yes Brad should have had a talk with Nick when he arrived.  Nick should not have assumed that he could leave without telling someone, he was in a new country and could have gotten lost. I'm sure Nick will stay and have a lot of friends.

  • Like 3
13 hours ago, mikedup said:

I think that it is a bit of a set up, I recall an earlier chapter when a young man entered sanctuary and was arrested while eating as he was setting the boys appointments up . I think that something is amiss , 

Nick was sent to America for a reason. I believe that his father was American. We'll find out when the investigation has been completed

  • Like 4
11 hours ago, Kev said:

Love this chapter as usual, but for some reason all the way through it I felt that this BRIT was some sort of plant. There to spy on the place, when he left it was as if he left to meet a contact and report in. I hope I'm wrong because I resemble a BRIT and I would hate him to be a nasty🤬

Remember when they picked him up in England, there was no mention of his father. I think the only reason they would send him to America if his father was an American. I don't think he was a plant, the police handled all of the details.

  • Like 5
6 hours ago, Philippe said:

Oh Nick, you laughed at the cocoon, basically in Brad’s face. Then you disregarded Brad’s orientation of school, chores, etc, and then the more specific directions that Brad would have other kids show you the ropes following the clinic checkup. Whether spoiled by privilege or lack of discipline, Brad will not let you risk the safety of Sanctuary.

Hopefully, the boys will huddle and prevent Nick from a terrible mistake. Let’s hope Nick doesn’t seek freedom like a paddle-ball having won freedom from the tether. If unable to follow the rules, then the normal social services would be his last grasp at a monitored program; but Sanctuary has proven why that is a false hope.

The Sanctuary family hasn’t failed yet, and hopefully they won’t have to suffer the shared grief of loss or injury to another child now under the umbrella.

well said. I have feeling Nick was curious about this new country. He didn't realize the danger. Young teens think that they can handle anything and everything. He did alright on the streets in England, why not here. 

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11 hours ago, CLJobe said:

No, he isn't a spy. I suspect his father was American, that would be the only reason for them to deport him.

But if he was born to a British mother, in the UK, that makes him a British citizen. He'd be put in foster care or a home, and if he's doing A levels that makes him (probably) 16 or 17, legally able to live on his own if he wants. 

The police can't deport him, it would have to go through the home office/courts to strip someone of citizenship (only if dual nationality,because they can't , or aren't supposed to, make someone stateless). In fact the police can't deport anyone, only arrest and interrogate.  Deportation would only happen if he was a criminal convicted of a serious crime, or a terrorist. Any crime serious enough for deportation at 17 would see him in a young offenders institution, or jail, not out on the street.

  • Like 2
9 hours ago, Paqman said:

But if he was born to a British mother, in the UK, that makes him a British citizen. He'd be put in foster care or a home, and if he's doing A levels that makes him (probably) 16 or 17, legally able to live on his own if he wants. 

The police can't deport him, it would have to go through the home office/courts to strip someone of citizenship (only if dual nationality,because they can't , or aren't supposed to, make someone stateless). In fact the police can't deport anyone, only arrest and interrogate.  Deportation would only happen if he was a criminal convicted of a serious crime, or a terrorist. Any crime serious enough for deportation at 17 would see him in a young offenders institution, or jail, not out on the street.

Ok so tell me how he got deported to America, because he did show up at Sanctuary

  • Like 2

Your problem, your story😃.

Just saying you've introduced a character that can best be explained by him having nefarious motives. 

The police don't care about homeless people, they'd just pass the buck to social services,who can't deport people either. Their job would be to either find a relative, care home, foster home or, if old enough (16,17), some way of living on his own. Tough luck if he's 18, pretty much on his own. They wouldn't send him to a relative in another country. Well, not since the 1970s , when they stopped sending kids to Australia (and some of those still had living parents).

If he had a criminal record ,& a bad one, think murder or rape to be deported (home secretary) as they'd have to rescind his British citizenship (only if he had dual nationality). If it was that bad , immigration officers in the USA would just refuse entry and send him back to Britain. They wouldn't want him, just as Bangladesh said the Isis bride was our (UK) problem, not theirs even though she could claim citizenship from her grandparents. She's back here now fighting a court case to overturn the revoking of her citizenship.

Non UK citizens can be deported by judges , as part of the sentence for serious crimes. 

 

 

  • Like 2
17 minutes ago, Paqman said:

Your problem, your story😃.

Just saying you've introduced a character that can best be explained by him having nefarious motives. 

The police don't care about homeless people, they'd just pass the buck to social services,who can't deport people either. Their job would be to either find a relative, care home, foster home or, if old enough (16,17), some way of living on his own. Tough luck if he's 18, pretty much on his own. They wouldn't send him to a relative in another country. Well, not since the 1970s , when they stopped sending kids to Australia (and some of those still had living parents).

If he had a criminal record ,& a bad one, think murder or rape to be deported (home secretary) as they'd have to rescind his British citizenship (only if he had dual nationality). If it was that bad , immigration officers in the USA would just refuse entry and send him back to Britain. They wouldn't want him, just as Bangladesh said the Isis bride was our (UK) problem, not theirs even though she could claim citizenship from her grandparents. She's back here now fighting a court case to overturn the revoking of her citizenship.

Non UK citizens can be deported by judges , as part of the sentence for serious crimes. 

 

 

The story is fiction and my understanding is that in fiction the impossible can be possible. Literature is full of fiction, when they are compared to reality, they could not have happened. 

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