Boca Raton Academy
 by: Hankster

© 2013 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 11 

Once Marnie was aware of her husband’s wealth, Stu gave up their miniscule apartment, and he leased a large four bedroom town house in Cambridge.  The largest bedroom had an en suite bathroom and served as the master bedroom, of course. One of the smaller bedrooms was used as a guest room, and the two remaining bedrooms were converted into office space for each of them.  These three rooms shared one hall bathroom.  At last, Stu had the room he needed for doing his school work, and for working from home for Bonchance Enterprises, as well.

Marnie had her own office now also, and in the privacy of her space, she was doing some research, which would be a complete surprise for Stu, and she prayed it would be a pleasant surprise.  Her task took a lot of time and patience.  She was able to keep it a secret from Stu for months, but the day he discovered what she was up to, was the day she was ready to spring her surprise anyway.

Every Saturday morning Stu paid their household bills.  On the Saturday morning before Palm Sunday, Marnie was busy packing for a week’s visit to Palm Beach.  Philip opened all the bills that had arrived during the past week, and laid them out for on-line payment.  He was surprised at one of the bills.  It came from Mahoney Detective Agency, Los Angeles. There was a charge of $1,200.00 for services rendered.

He yelled out at Marnie, “What the hell is this bill for?  It must be a mistake.”

Marnie came into the room, looked at the bill and sighed.  “I was going to tell you tonight, over a moonlight dinner with wine, but here goes.”

“Tell me what?’

“Just stay seated and listen to me.  Please try not to interrupt me until I’m done, and please know that I did this out of love for you.”

Stu’s face clouded over.  He was deathly afraid of what he was about to hear.

“When you told me your history, it was evident to me that you didn’t know, nor did you care to know, who your birth father was.  You especially didn’t want to know if it was the man who pimped for your mother.  You also seemed certain that your mother OD’d.  You couldn’t even remember her name, you were so traumatized.

“I searched on line for the Los Angeles County birth records for a boy named Stuart Bradley, who might have been born about when you think you were born.  You weren’t even certain if you knew the exact date of your birth.”

Stu opened his mouth to talk, but Marnie put her finger to his lips to shush him.

“You were right about your birthday.  It is the day when we celebrate it.  Your mother’s name was Charlene Bradley.  Your father was listed on the birth certificate as Alan Bradley.  I have a copy for you. 

“I then searched marriage records, and found that your parents were married a year earlier in St. Catherine’s Catholic Church.  You are legitimate, honey.  I know you always thought you were a bastard.  After that my research hit a dead end, so I hired a detective from an ad in the Los Angeles yellow pages.  Mr. Mahoney did a great job, and deserves to be paid every cent of his bill and a bonus to boot.”

“Tell me quickly.  What did he find out?”

“Your father was a crane operator.  He was killed in a freak accident two months before you were born.  After your birth, Mr. Mahoney couldn’t find any trace of your mother, but I think we know what happened.  She had no family, and in order to support you, she took to the streets.  The next trace of her is in Good Sam hospital in LA, after the state removed you from her care.  She had been found in an abandoned warehouse with a man.  They were both naked and high on drugs.  The police took them to the hospital.  The man was DOA, but your mother survived.”

Stu sobbed and buried his head in his hands.  “Go on, darling, please,” he cried.

“The hospital got her sober, and then she was put in a halfway house.  With the help of the generosity of Women in Distress, she went back to school, and studied to be an ultra sound technician.  She got a job in Good Sam Hospital, and she got her life back together.  About two years after you were taken from her, she married a physician she worked for.  You have a brother and a sister.  They’re seventeen year old twins.” 

“Why didn’t she ever try to find me?  How could she have just let me vanish from her life?’

“Don’t you want to contact her, sweetheart?”

“No.  Never.”

“Maybe she had a good reason for not looking for you.  Maybe she thought that you were better off without her.  Maybe she did try to find you, but you had moved to Florida, and the trail was cold.  Maybe she didn’t want her husband to know that she had been a prostitute.  Darling husband, please have more compassion for your birth mother.  She probably had a thousand valid reasons for not seeking you.  And what about your brother and sister?  Don’t you want to meet them?”

Stu was softened by Marnie’s words.  “Do you have their address and telephone number?  What are their names?”

A broad smile covered Marnie’s face.  “Dr. and Mrs. John Craig, and the kids are named Carl and Carla.  They live at 554 McFadden Place, Los Angeles.  Their telephone number is 323-360-1040.  I’m going to leave you now to pay our bills, and for you to think about contacting them.”

“I’ll do all that later, my dearest darling.  Right now all I want to do is make love to you.”  They were so emotional at the moment that they forgot to use protection.

The chauffer picked them up at the airport and whisked them to Palm Beach.  Everyone was there already, and after all the kissing and hugging was dispensed with, Stu asked them all to gather for a family conference.  He had done nothing about contacting his birth mother.  He felt that he should get permission from his adoptive parents.

When Marnie and Stu were finished with their narrative, there was complete silence.

“You must do it,” Anthony said at last.  “It will give you the closure you need to get on with your life.”  Everyone agreed and Anthony put his arm around Stu’s shoulder.

“Nothing has changed, Stu, and nothing will change.  You are my son, my business associate and a member of this family.  We need you in our lives.  Hell, I need you in our business.  My beloved son, you have nothing to fear and everything to gain.  If I discovered that I had a brother and a sister out there whom I had never met, I’d be flying to their sides.”

“But what if my birth mother doesn’t want to see me?  What if she doesn’t want her husband to know that she was married before, or that I even exist?”

“You don’t know any of that,” Margaret said.  “Contact her, and if she doesn’t want to see you, well that’s that.  Somehow, speaking as a mother, I think she’ll beg you to come and meet your new family.  I know you Stu.  There is more than enough room in your heart for both your families.”  She glanced at her watch.  “It’s only noon on Palm Sunday in LA.  This is a very good time to call.”

“I need a good stiff drink, Dad,” Stu said.  Anthony smiled and poured Stu a scotch straight up, which he devoured in one gulp.  Stu pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.  It contained Charlene’s address and telephone number.

“Could I be alone, please, when I call them.”

Anthony put his arm around Margaret, and Philip put his arm around Marnie.  The men led the women out of the room.

Stu’s hand shook as he punched in his birth mother’s telephone number.  The phone rang four times, and the answering machine came on.  Stu was about to hang up, when he heard the voice of a young boy say, “Don’t hang up.  I’m here.  Just let the message play out.”  The boy sounded out of breath.

The message was interminable, giving four different cell phone numbers where the various members of the household could be reached.  Stu didn’t think of recording his mother’s cell phone number.  Finally, the teen ager said, “Sorry man.  We just got home from church.  I heard the phone as we came into the house.  May I ask whose calling?”

 Stu was impressed.  His brother said may I, instead of can I.  Stu didn’t say who was calling.  “May I speak to your mother, please,” he asked.

“Look, if this is a solicitor, we gave at the office.  I’m not putting my mother on unless you tell me who you are.”

Stu wasn’t sure what to say.  “You’re Carl aren’t you?  I promise you, I’m not a telemarketer.  I need to speak to your mother about a very personal matter.”

Carl was confused now.  The man on the phone knew his name.  He decided to put his mother on, and she could be the one to hang up on him if she wanted to.

“Hold on!” Carl said.  Stu waited.  He couldn’t breathe.  When he heard Charlene’s voice he had to take a deep breath.

“Hello,” is all she said.  Stu remained silent, unable to speak.  “Who is this.  Tell me before I hang up.”

“Charlene?”

“Yes.”

“This is your son, Stuart.  Don’t talk, please.  If you never want to speak to me, or meet me, or have me back in your life, just hang up on me, but if I am a welcome caller, just tell me when it will be convenient to speak to me, and I’ll call back.”

Charlene did not hang up.  She started to cry.  Stu could hear a young girl ask her, “What’s wrong, Mom?”  He heard Charlene answer, “Nothing is wrong, darling.  Everything is wonderful.  This is truly The Lord’s day.  My wish is coming true.”

She returned to the telephone.  “Stuart, honey, don’t you dare hang up.  Can you come to see me?  Give me your home phone number, your cell number, your E Mail address.  Just don’t disappear from my life again.”

Now Stu started to cry.  “I won’t hang up.  I promise.  I’m fine Charlene.  I’m married,” he said.

“Is she catholic?” 

Stu broke out laughing. 

They were too emotional to speak long.  Stu gave Charlene the information she requested, and promised that he and Marnie would come out to LA as soon as the semester ended, which was just a few weeks off.  In the interim, they called each other often, and burned up their E Mail accounts.  One day, Stu received an E Mail from Charlene:

My dear son:  Please help me tell a little white lie.  Your stepfather, John, knows that I was married before to your father, and he knows all about his tragic death.  All I told him about you, was that I had no way to support you, and I had to give you up for adoption.  I can’t bring myself to tell him about the sordid years before they took you away, and about your horrible life, which I tolerated.  Please, I beg you to keep my secret, our secret.  I don’t see how you ever forgave me enough to find me.  God knows, I wanted to find you after I got my life together, but I firmly believed you were better off without me.  Still, in my heart, I prayed every day, that you would seek me out, and my prayers were answered.  Carl and Carla could not be more excited to meet their big brother and his wife.  When Carl was a baby, it was uncanny how much he resembled you.  I wonder how much you boys look alike now.  I am counting every day until you arrive.  Please tell your adoptive parents and brother how grateful I am to them.  They have my undying gratitude.  I hope someday I will earn your love and respect so that I can sign off as your mother, but until then, I send all my love, Charlene.

Except for a week’s visit to LA to meet his birth family, Stu and Marnie agreed to spend the summer in New York with Philip and their parents.  Anthony and Margaret had their fill of globe trotting, and decided to spend their time between New York and Palm Beach.  They considered buying a home in the Hamptons, but they decided that it would be inconvenient for their busy children, so they nixed the idea.  They concluded that two homes were enough to maintain anyhow.  Anthony was particularly anxious that his boys attend a Friday night meeting of the Father/Son Club, which was held right here in New York.  He grew impatient knowing that it would have to wait until Stu returned from LA, but Philip insisted that the two of them go in Stu’s absence.  Anthony did not argue. 

Charlene and John had to work when Stu and Marnie arrived, so Carl and Carla agreed to meet them at the airport at the baggage claim.  Stu’s eyes searched the crowd for a likely looking seventeen year old boy and girl.  Finally he saw a young fellow standing near the carousel holding a sign reading BONCHANCE.  The luggage had not yet started to come out of the chute onto the carousel, so Stu and Marnie made a bee line to the boy with the placard.  He was almost as tall as Stu, and resembled him greatly with his piercing blue eyes and blond hair.

“Carl?” Stu asked, “I’m Stu and this is my wife, Marnie.”

“Yes, I’m Carl, and this is my sister Carla.”  Carla was standing about a foot away.  She was nothing like her brother.  She was as petite as Marnie, had brown hair, and her eyes were more grey than blue.  There was an awkward moment, but suddenly the two girls embraced, and Stu grabbed Carl, and hugged him until Carl thought his ribs would break.  Stu could feel Carl’s package, and he wondered how alike they were down there.  Then Stu embraced Carla a little bit more tenderly, and Carl and Marnie did the same.

On the ride home, Carl picked his brother and Marnie’s brains about the work they were doing for their doctorate degrees.

“He’s too humble to tell you,”  Carla said, “but he has a genius IQ, and he wants to get into the sciences like you two.  He wants to go to Harvard or Yale, when he graduates next year.”

“That’s great,” Stu said.  “I might be helpful in getting you into Harvard as family of a graduate.”

“No kidding, Stu?  Wow, that would be great.  I’ve already applied for a scholarship there.  I don’t think I’ll get one, because my dad makes too much money.  Even at that, Harvard would be a financial drain for him.”

Marnie caught Stu’s eye.  “Don’t worry, Carl,” he said.  “I know for sure that you and Carla don’t have to worry about a college education.”

“Who says I want to go to college?  My grades suck,” Carla said belligerently.

“I’ll talk to her,” Marnie whispered in Stu’s ear.

The car turned off a very busy business street, and suddenly they were in an upscale residential neighborhood.  When Carl pulled into his driveway, he pushed a button on his sun visor, and a creaky gate began to open.  Stu observed that the entire property was gated.  Carl drove up a long driveway and right into a three car garage behind the house.  Stu and Marnie noticed a pool and cabana house in the back yard.  The Craig’s might not be as wealthy as the Bonchances, but they were far from poor.

Carl and Stu took the bags up to the guest room, which had a private bath.  In fact every bedroom had a private bath.

“Why don’t you guys freshen up, put on swim suits and meet Carla and me at the pool?” Carl said.  “Mom will be home in a couple of hours, and Dad will be home whenever.”

“That’s an invitation we can’t refuse,” Marnie said.  We’ll be down in a little bit.”

To be continued...

Posted: 02/15/13