Hobby Shop
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Chapter 10
As the members moved away or died off, the HO club, much to Mark's distress,
sputtered along for a few months, then became moribund. The modules lay unused,
collecting dust. However, the N scale modules of the twins continued to receive
periodic work whenever both men, now elderly, felt well enough. As always, Mark
worked with them. He proved invaluable as, strong and agile, he was able to lift
the individual modules and place them on their sides on the workbench where the
three men renewed the wiring for the new digital control system and added new
animated scenes they often created.
"Mark, how are you planing to dispose of the HO modules?" Erik asked, as they
worked on the N scale modules one evening. "I assume the club has disbanded."
"I really haven't given it much thought, but it is a shame to let them just sit
when I think the boys in our model railroad club would be delighted to rework
them and have a bigger layout." Mark shook his head. "Three of the former HO
club members took their modules to join another club in the city. The rest were
just left for me to dispose of."
"If I remember correctly, they used the Digitrax system. Is any of that
equipment left?"
"A fair amount. I only let the members who took their modules take what parts
belonged to them."
"Excellent," Derek said. "Let's go next door and see if any of it is still in
running condition."
After completing the module they were working on, the three men switched off the
lights and power and locked the door behind them as they entered the other room.
"Damn!" Derek exclaimed. "Look at the dust. It'll take a week with a good vacuum
to clean this place up enough to even do some work."
"I doubt a little dust will deter the boys, if you decide to let them have
this," Mark said with a grin.
"You're more familiar with this layout than we are, Mark, so why don't you
connect the control system while Erik and I join these modules together and
reconnect the wiring," Derek said.
Some forty-five minutes later, Erik and Derek straightened up, hands against
their backs, and groaning as they arose to full height. "We're getting too
damned old for this," Erik said.
"Speak for yourself," Derek replied.
"I'm speaking for you, too, I heard you groaning, louder than I did."
"You may be an old fart, but I'm not, not yet," Derek snapped back.
Mark stiffled a giggle as he often had to do when around the men he loved.
"Power up, gentlemen," he called.
A moment later he grimaced. "There's a short in sector four, that's right in
front of you, Dr. Erik. See if you can spot anything."
Erik replaced a boxcar on the track. "Car was off the rails. Try it now."
Hesitantly and jerky from long disuse, a GP 38 diesel locomotive crept along the
track to couple onto a string of nine freight cars. Mark pushed a button on the
remote control in his hand and the engine began to move forward, picking up
speed as it reached the straightaway.
"Needs some running and a little lubrication, that's all. If you're serious
about letting the boys have this, they'll be busy for quite a while with all
that needs doing, but they'll be really happy."
"If you have a list of the former members whose modules these were, I'll have
our secretary contact them about releasing them to us for the boys." Erik said,
as they were leaving.
"No need, Sir. With one exception, the modules in there all belonged to the club
as a whole, no individual. Since the club has abandoned them, I think it's
perfectly safe to let the boys have them to rework. The one exception belonged
to a member who died and I was told by his family to do whatever I wanted with
it."
"Very good. When do the boys next meet?" Derek asked.
"Next Wednesday, but they decided to cancel because it's Halloween and the guys
are all invited to the haunted house in town and the party after. The party's
being sponsored by the Business Executives Club, aren't you both members?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. But we've not been that active since our retirement.
Our boys are still one of their primary outreach programs, however. They just
increased the number of scholarships they offer to five." Erik nodded. "The boys
should definitely go. I don't imagine they'll be out too late, so why don't we
work up a little Halloween surprise for the boys in the club when they return
home."
"Great! I've an idea or two that'll really get their attention, if Mark will
help," Derek added.
The darkness was complete on Halloween evening as two vans, loaded with boys
returning from the haunted house, drove through the gates of the Museum and The
Home. Before they could close completely, a small grubby figure eased unnoticed
through the narrowing gap and disappeared in the surrounding shrubbery. To
remain unseen and to find a warm place to sleep were foremost in his mind.
As he neared the rear of the house, he sniffed hungrily at the sweet odors of
baking cakes wafted his way by the kitchen exhaust fans, to find something good
to eat would be beyond belief. Emboldened by hunger, he eased closer to the
garbage bins near the back door. His sharp ears heard occasional scraps of
conversation. "Take these icing bags and dump them in the bins outside, Ryan. I
have enough left to finish these last few cupcakes."
The child slipped behind a dumpster next to the garbage bins to hide as the door
opened and a thin young man came out to drop a handful of limp plastic bags into
the nearest bin, then returned to the kitchen. The child slipped out and lifted
the top of the bin, taking out a handful of the bags. Dropping down to prop
against the dumpster, he ran a dirty finger in the top of the bag and tasted the
sugary sweetness of the frosting remains with unalloyed delight. The bag now
spotlessly clean was dropped and his fingers sought the remains in the second.
He was just finished licking the fourth bag clear of its sweetness when the door
suddenly opened, outside lights flashing on. Before he could move, the collar of
his ragged thin jacket was grasped firmly and he was lifted to his feet.
"Well, now, what have we here?" A gruff voice said.
Tears began to trickle down the child's face, leaving runnels in the dirt. "P-p-ple-e-e-se
don't hurt me Mister. I'm so hungry and them bags was s-so s-sweet ..." his
trembling voice trailed off as he began to sob.
"Nobody's going to hurt you, son, this is a home for boys like you. Come along
and let's find something good for you to eat."
Reluctantly, though without choice with the man holding his jacket tightly, they
climbed the steps into the entry, then into the brightly lighted kitchen. The
child's eyes immediately riveted on the tray of decorated cupcakes; his stomach
growled loudly.
"Oh, yes, someone wants to eat," the large man said kindly. "Ryan, there's some
leftover lasagna in the small fridge and garlic bread. Fix a plate and put it in
the convection oven for this young man. I'll fix him a small salad and a glass
of milk."
"Yes, Chef," came the response as the younger man opened the fridge door and
began to remove things.
"Now, young man, you come in here and wash your face and hands, then you can
eat." The chef said, ushering the child into the half-bath adjoining the
kitchen.
When the child failed to wash to suit the chef, he took the face cloth and
scrubbed the child's face vigorously, then washed his hands again. As he dried
the child's face, he said, "My name is Bratton, but the boys call me Brat. I'm
the chef here and Ryan is my assistant. We were working late so the boys could
have a Halloween treat when they got back from the haunted house they went to.
I'm glad you came tonight, otherwise we wouldn't have been here this late."
Despite the amount of dinner he put away, the child virtually licked clean the
bowl of ice cream and demolished the decorated cupcake Ryan set before him. A
loud burp followed almost immediately. The boy, blushing, said, "That was so
good, Mister. Thank you."
"You're most welcome, young man. What's your name?"
"Alex, Sir."
"Don't you have a home, Alex?"
The child shook his head. "No, Sir. Our house ..." He was interrupted by the
chef asking Ryan, "Do you know if Mark went with the boys or not?"
"I believe he did, Chef. I'm not certain they are all back yet, but I think
Bobby is still in his office."
"I'd best call him, then," the chef replied, picking up the kitchen phone and
dialing a three digit interior number. "Bobby," he said after a brief pause,
"Brat here. Would you please come down to the kitchen for a moment, we have a
small problem you need to be aware of."
"..."
"Thank you."
Within a few minutes Bobby arrived in the kitchen, surprised at the sight of
Alex. "Well, now, Brat, where did you find this young man?"
"He was picking through the garbage for something to eat, so I washed him up a
little and gave him some dinner. His name is Alex and he was about to tell me
why he's out in weather cold as this." Brat turned to Alex. "Alex, this is
Bobby; he runs our home for boys so I'm sure he'll help you, if he can. Tell us
what happened to your house."
"Ugh, well, ... it got on fire and daddy," tears began to trickle again "got my
clothes and carried me outside, then he went back to get momma. He didn't come
out no more." The sobs grew louder. Brat patted the child's back lovingly until
the crying eased and the story began once more. "The firemen put me in the big
truck and told me to stay there until somebody come to get me. I heard him say
something about maybe I'd go to an orphanage. That's when I split, 'cuse a
friend of mine from school got sent to one and I never saw him again, an' I
didn't want that to happen to me. Some older guys on the street let me sleep
with them and we got food from trash in back of some restaurants they knowed
about. Yesterday none of 'em ever come back to where we was staying, so when
they didn't come back today either, I was 'fraid they got sent to an orphanage,
so I went looking for a place to sleep and maybe somethin' to eat. I thought
this big house maybe has some place warm I could sleep." He looked imploringly
at Bobby.
"I think we have just the place for you, Alex. It's a nice house with other
young men not much older than you; I think you'll like it." Bobby turned to Brat
and Ryan. "Thanks for taking care of this young man, Brat, Ryan. I'll put him in
Phil's house with the younger guys." He took Alex's hand, "Let's go see your new
home and meet your new brothers, Alex."
In the meantime, Derek had called the boys of the club together after they
returned from the party and were enjoying the treats made by Chef. Once they
were settled in the living room of the twins' house, Erik switched off the
lights and Derek began to relate the railroad story of the famed Maco Light.
When he finished, Erik switched on the large flat screen TV where the story of
the headless brakeman was told in black and white animation. There were
self-conscious titters from a couple of the boys.
"Did you guys know there is a haunted HO train just up the hill?" Erik asked.
"No! Really?" One of the boys answered.
"Yes. There's a ghost that likes to run the trains for fun. He hovers over the
layout and watches. Sometimes he appears to people if they want to see the ghost
train run. Would you like to see if appears to you?"
A few of the boys moved nervously, obviously half in disbelief, yet having
doubts. The twins knew none of these boys had ever seen either layout in the
basement of the mansion.
"Mmmmaybe," one of them managed to stammer. "Will you go with us?"
"Oh, yes. Derek and I certainly don't want a ghost to get any of our boys. We'll
have to ask him if he'll unlock the door to the train room so we can get in.
Sometimes he won't let people in. Come along, then."
With four boys crowded into each of the carts driven by one of the twins, they
made their way slowly up to the back of the mansion. The boys gathered behind
the twins as Derek unlocked the outside door and switched on a dim light in the
foyer.
"Let's see if the door is open," Erik said, but the knob of the door to the old
club room remained stationary. He raised his hand and knocked, then called, "Oh,
Ghost of the trains, please let these young men see you run the train that gives
you so much pleasure."
"This has gotta be a setup," one of the older boys whispered. But he backed up a
step when he heard a deep quavering voice, seemingly from nowhere, mutter, "Ennnnteeer."
Erik felt the knob give when Mark, who was hidden in an empty storage closet
inside the train room pressed a button releasing the electric lock.
"Come along, boys," Derek urged, herding the boys inside the room where scant
light made the chill fog glow eerily. The fog grew more dense (Mark had hung a
length of plastic gutter along the overhead of the room and filled it with dry
ice, flooding it with water when he heard Erik unlock the outside door).
Starting the old movie projector he had put on a high shelf in the closet, the
vague image of a ghost reflecting on droplets of the fog appeared to hover over
the layout, just as Mark had envisioned.
Derek and Erik were almost too busy trying to keep the boys from running to be
amused at their frightened expressions. Suddenly, a light appeared and a HO
steam engine with a few freight cars and a caboose came down the track, the
silence broken by the chuffing of the engine; the mournful wail of the whistle.
As the train passed them, the boys could see a headless figure, on the back
platform of the caboose, waving a lighted lantern just as in the movie, then the
train passed from view and there was silence once more, except for a final
mournful whistle. There was a frightened sniffle from one of the younger boys.
Mark switched on the room lights and walked out of the closet. "Hey, guys, how'd
you like our haunted railroad?"
"Heck, I knew it weren't for real, 'cause there ain't no such things as ghosts,"
an older boy stated with bravado.
"Then why was you trying to get outta here?" Another retorted scornfully.
"Okay, guys. I'm sorry if Doctor Erik and Doctor Derek and I upset any of you.
But there's a real reason why we got you guys in the railroad club up here
tonight. If you want to clean this room and the modules up and work on them so
they look good as the ones you have in your layout in our house, you can have
all these and make this your official club room."
"For real?" Dom, the president of the club, asked.
"For real, guys. This used to be the HO club layout, but they disbanded, so now
you can have a much larger layout and one that's nicer looking than theirs was.
You know, I expect if you asked real nicely, Doctors Erik and Derek would be
willing to help you once you get to the scenery and animation." Mark looked at
the twins, his unasked question obvious.
Erik nodded and pulled out his keys, unlocking the door to their layout room and
switching on the lights.
"Oh, wow!" "Awesome!" "Man, I ain't believing this!" The emanations of surprise
continued for a moment until the oldest of the boys said, "Hey, this is the
layout in the magazine where our old layout was pictured. I never thought it was
so close by."
"Very observant, Dom. We have a little time before you have to be home, so each
of you take a controller and start your engines, one by one. This is the same
system you have on your layout."
Only four of the older boys complied, the other four, who were a little younger,
had discovered the animated scenes and closely watched each, fascinated by the
action of the figures and the cars rolling along the streets of the town.
It was with great reluctance that an hour later the boys returned the trains to
their storage tracks and let Derek shut down the layout, though the hot
chocolate that awaited them at the house helped alleviate their disappointment.
As Bobby and Alex exited the museum, they heard the cheers and laughter of the
boys of the train club.
"Who's having a good time?" Alex asked.
"I expect it's the boys in the model railroad club. There used to be a model
railroad club that met in one of the rooms in the cellar, but their club
disbanded. They left a lot of the layout they had, so Mark is giving it to the
guys to fix up and run because it's far bigger than the layout they have in the
cellar at Mark's house."
"Is that where I'll be living?"
"No, you'll be in Daddy Phil's house with boys your age."
"Awe, I wanted to see the trains," Alex replied disappointedly.
"The guys have a nice looking layout in the cellar of Mark's house. After we get
you settled in, I'm sure the guys in the club will be happy to show them to
you."
With memories of family tragedies fresh in some of their minds, the boys in
Phil's house quickly made Alex feel at home. When he asked about the trains, one
of the boys, a junior member of the club said he would take him to the meeting
the next evening.
"Hey, Tommy, who's that with you?" One of the older boys asked as they entered
the clubroom.
"He's Alex. He came on Halloween."
"Okay. Alex, after you look around, maybe you can help us clean this place up.
There used to be a club here, but now it's ours."
"My daddy and me had a train layout," he sniffled for a moment, "before he and
momma died. He taught me a lot." He looked around. "You guys have got a lot done
already."
"Nah, mostly modules the club left. We're gonna work them over so they look real
good then move our good layout over here."
"You've got another one?"
"Yeah, in the basement of Daddy Mark's house where we live. I'll show it to you
after we get through here."
Because he was the smallest boy in the group, Alex was set to using the vacuum
under the modules, sucking up spider webs, dust, assorted bits of trash. He was
finishing up when a voice called out, "Time to go, guys."
While Mark was locking the door, Robby asked, 'Alex wants to see our layout. Can
he go home with us and see it? He lives in Daddy Phil's house, so I can take him
home after."
"I don't see why not, but you've only got a half hour before bedtime."
""Gee! This looks really good," Alex exclaimed on seeing the boys' award winning
layout.
"The guys before us built most of it and got a prize, too." Robby pointed to the
framed magazine article, then picked up a copy of Creative Modeler, opening it
to a page and showing it to Alex.
"Here's one I want to make on this new module." The scene was one of a farm,
complete with house, barn, sheds, fences, livestock, and a rowed field with a
tractor at one end. "It would really be neat if I could figure out a way to make
the tractor pull the plow down the row and turn around and come back," Robby
said wistfully. "The doctors got some neat animation on their N-scale layout."
Alex thought for a moment. "Don't you guys have a copy of the Walthers HO
catalogue?"
Robby shook his head. "Never seen one around here. Maybe Daddy Mark will know.
Come on."
Robby led the way upstairs and knocked on the door marked office.
"Come," a voice called.
Robby entered, Alex behind him. "Daddy Mark," he addressed the man at the desk,
"Alex told me about some catalogue ..." he turned to Alex, "You tell him."
"My daddy had a real big HO catalogue from Walthers. It had everything in it. Do
you have one we could look at?"
Mark scratched his head for a moment. "You know, I had forgotten all about those
catalogues, 'cause the hobby shop has most everything we needed. But if you want
one, I'll pick one up tomorrow when I go in town. Come by after school and get
it, Robby."
"Thanks, Daddy Mark."
The next afternoon, the two boys huddled together while Alex looked at the index
then found the page he wanted. "Here it is, Robby." He pointed to a picture of
an HO scale tractor and plows.
"Nice, but we want one that runs."
"This one does. Got a computer?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. Let's go. I can show you the cars working and all. The tractor works the
same way."
A few minutes later, Robby was enchanted by the cars and trucks moving along the
streets of the town in the video. "Man, I bet those cost a lot!" He exclaimed.
"They ain't cheap, but I think I can get one if you want it."
"Man! Do I ever! That'll be the coolest thing on the layout. But," he paused to
think, "how we gonna make a field with rows?"
"Like my daddy and me did. Can you get a piece from a thin cardboard box?"
"Sure. They's always plenty in the trash up to the big house. Let's go."
Alex quickly rejected a number of pieces Robby tossed to him from the trash bin,
then a thin piece landed in his lap. He looked at it closely then called, "Get
another piece like this one, Robby."
"I still don't see how you're gonna make a field outta this," Robby complained
as they walked back to Mark's house.
"You'll see." A few moments later, Alex having begged a low flat pan from the
kitchen, filled it with warm water and dropped a piece of the cardboard in it.
"Go get an old towel to dry this on," he told Robby.
The cardboard having softened enough to work, Alex laid the sheet of cardboard
on the towel and cautiously began to peel the top layer of paper away, leaving
the corrugations exposed.
"I think this will shrink up some when it dries, then it'll be about right for
rows. We'll see tomorrow and if it is, then we'll see about getting the
tractor."
"Yeah. Maybe Daddy Mark will take us to the hobby shop, 'cause it's Saturday and
we ain't got school." Robby patted Alex on the back. "You're okay for a little
guy. I'll get you in the club, if you want."
"Cool," was Alex's reply.
"Sure, guys," was Mark's reply when they asked him to take them to the hobby
shop.
As soon as breakfast was over and their rooms inspected, Alex and Robby met to
check the cardboard. Fortunately, the corrugations had dried perfectly, what few
imperfections were visible, would have occurred in nature as well. "Man, this is
perfect." Robby said happily. "It'll make a great field. We can put a fence
around it and all. Let's go show Daddy Mark."
"What have we here?" Mark asked.
"It's gonna be a field with rows for the farm I want to make. Alex made this for
me. Ain't it great? Anyway, he said he knew about a tractor that really runs, so
I could make it look like it was working the field. That's why we wanna go to
the hobby shop."
"Well, then, I guess we'd better get going. The car's out back."
"Never heard of it," the clerk at the hobby shop said.
"You got a Walthers catalogue?" Alex asked.
"Sure. Got'em for sale, too."
"I'll get them," Mark said, picking up both the HO and N scale catalogues from
the display. "Damn, these things are really loaded with things. Don't you guys
go crazy wanting things you can't afford."
Robby grinned. "Guess most of the guys in the club will be looking at those jobs
around the place that pay, so they get some new things. Show the man the
tractor, Alex."
Alex flipped to the page and pointed it out to the clerk. "Well I'll be," he
said, "I haven't had time to look through this new catalogue yet. Those moving
cars and all will really make a layout look more real. You say you want one of
those tractors?"
"Yes, and the plow, too. If it gonna run, it needs to look like it's really
working."
The clerk smiled. "You're smart for your age, young man. It will need something
to do. I can have it here for you next week if I order it today. It'll be about
a hundred and thirty dollars or so with the discount the Harmons get. You can
pay after it gets here. I'll need the invoice to get the right price."
"How are you guys going to pay for it?" Mark asked on the way home.
Robby shrugged and looked at Alex, who said, "I need to talk to you 'bout that.
I got the money, but it's hard to get. I mean I don't want anybody to be able to
find where I am."
'Whoa!' Mark thought to himself. 'What kind of situation do we have here.' Then
he said, "Let's talk in my office when we get home."
Once they were seated in Mark's office, He asked Alex, "Okay, what's this about
not getting your money?"
"You got the paper from three days ago?"
"I can get it, why?"
"Read it and you'll know."
Alex waited until Mark had located the newspaper in the stack waiting to be
recycled.
Mark read the front page, his eyes opened wide as he looked at Alex, then back
to the paper. "Oh, my God!" He exclaimed. "Alex, I don't know what to do. We'd
better go see Doctor Derek if he's available. Let me call him."
After another ride in the cart, this time to the guesthouse where the twins
lived, Alex was introduced to Doctor Derek, who after scanning the story to
refresh his memory, he had read it the day the paper came out, served them
sodas, then sat back in his easy chair and asked Alex to tell him his story.
"Like it says in the paper, our house burned down and my momma and daddy didn't
come out after daddy carried me out and went back to get momma. The paper said
it was an accident, but I heard the fireman say it was arson or something like
that. I knew if I stayed around I'd get put in some place for kids, so I hid in
the old shed. The night I come here there was people looking around, so I ran
until I couldn't run no more. I saw the big old house and figured there might be
someplace warm for me to hide and sleep. The gate was closed, but then it opened
when two big vans come along. I slipped in before they closed. I was lookin' for
something to eat when the big man in the kitchen caught me. I was sacred, but he
was real nice." Alex shrugged. "I guess that's about it."
Derek's eyes widened as he looked at Mark. "He obviously has a very high IQ and
good schooling." He looked back at Alex. "Why can't you get your money, Son?"
"I got the card my daddy gave me to use in the machine, but I heard one of those
people looking around our house say he hoped I was dead so they could take over
daddy's business. I'm scared they'll hurt me if they find me."
"That won't happen here, Son, but I understand why you don't want anyone to know
where you are. I'll call a judge I know and we'll go see him and get him to help
you. There are a lot of people looking for you and you'll have to see some of
them, but we'll make sure they have no idea where you're living if you wish to
stay here with Daddy Phil and Daddy Mark."
Alex began to sniffle. "Come here, Son," Derek called gently and sat the boy on
his lap, hugging him. "I'll make sure nobody can find you or hurt you. You'll
need to go to school, too."
"But what if they find me at school?"
Derek smiled. "We have our own school, so strangers can't get near you." He
patted the child's back. "You'll be safe here. Now go play with the other boys."
Derek looked at Mark. "I'll call you when I have the appointment. I expect Bobby
will go with us, so be certain that Alex meets Bobby as soon as possible."
"Bobby met him Halloween."
"Excellent."
Monday afternoon, the doctors, Bobby, Phil, and a very unhappy Alex entered the
judge's outer office. "Why Doctor Erik, Doctor Derek, how good to see you
again," the secretary said, knowing the twins from their many frequent visits to
the judge. "You all just go on in, he's waiting for you."
After a cordial greeting from the judge and a wide smile from him for Alex, they
were all seated.
"I've had a little time for research," the judge began. "It appears the big
thing is the settling of the Robertson estate. Mainly it hinges on a large
number of shares in West Shore Industries. There is a possible buyout of West
Shore, but it will require the votes of the Robertson shares to finalize. Alex
senior had not appointed a trustee so the buyout is hanging fire, so to speak.
I'm glad he found your Home, Doctors. I'll sign an order that he's to remain
with you until he's eighteen, or some relative is found."
The judge shuffled through some papers on his desk, then looked at Alex. "A
young man your age must have an adult to act for him until he is eighteen, or
until he seeks emancipation at age sixteen. Do you know anyone you would like to
act as your surrogate father?"
Alex shook his head.
"What about Doctor Derek?"
"I don't know him," Alex mumbled, still looking at the floor.
"Sure you do. We went to see him on Saturday after we went to the hobby shop and
you sat on his lap." Mark said.
"Oh, him. He's nice; I like him."
"Excellent," the judge said. "You'll earn your stripes on this one, Derek."
"I expect so. It'll be a lot like it was way back with Dad Danny, Erik and I
weren't involved, but Dad talked about it a lot. I'll do my best for Alex."
"I never doubted that for a moment. Despite our ages, we've still got some fight
left in us, right, buddy?"
"Indeed. We do need to keep Alex's whereabouts as secret as possible. All
meetings which he must attend will be with bodyguards and no one is to know he
lives at the Home."
"Agreed. I suggest all meetings and other events where his appearance is
unavoidable take place at my law offices. I'll give you a pass so you can use
the underground garage and avoid the media scum. I'll contact the Robertson
attorneys and let them know he's available only through my office. I'll swear my
staff to secrecy, though they won't need it. They know to gossip means their job
and loss of all benefits, including retirement."
"Oh, yes, there's one more thing," Mark said. "Alex wants to be able to access
his personal funds but in an untraceable manner."
"No problem. I'll issue a court order changing his account to a numbered
account. No one beyond the bank manager will have a record of whose account it
is. I'll have them send him a new card by messenger."
"Thanks, Walt. Until we hear from you then. Take care, my friend."
In less than two weeks, Alex was settled in, happy in school, spending every
free minute with Robby working on the farm module. Both crowed with delight as
the tiny tractor made its maiden voyage pulling the plow along the 'furrows' for
which the boys had sifted real dirt to get enough fine granules to cover the
corrugations in the field. It turned sharply to avoid running into the fence. A
few more weekends of work had a fully sceniced module they could be proud of.
They happily called Mark to see their work. He, in turn, brought the twins who
were fulsome in their praise and, after seeing the new system for making cars
move, bought a complete system for themselves and more vehicles for the boys.
During this period, Alex, represented and accompanied by Derek and lawyers for
the Foundation administering the Home to meetings, followed their advice, but
insisted on selling his stock over a period of time to keep from depressing the
market price. At the conclusion of the transactions, Derek exclaimed, "My God,
the kid's a flippin' genius. He didn't even need me." Derek, at Alex's request,
immediately put the money into a trust and was named, with Mark, as co-trustee
for Alex.
Welcomed into the model railroad club as a full member, Alex spent generously,
though taking extra care with Mark's help to keep the expenditures concealed as
much as possible from the other members, for improvements to the club layout, so
that it soon rivaled that of the Twins. Mark glowed with pride when he said to
Doctor Derek and Doctor Erik, "This was one Halloween where the trick turned out
to be a real treat."
To be continued...
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Posted: 10/10/08