Storiesonline.net ------- Running Away by Barneyr Copyright© 2012 by Barneyr ------- Description: A fantastic opportunity causes a runaway to face reality, should he keep his false identity or reveal his true name and the nature of why he ran away Codes: slow ------- ------- Author's Notes: This story has been rolling around in my brain for some time now. I'm not sure what category it is in; let alone how to code it. I suspect it is more a coming of age story without the sex, but it is more than that. It is the story of a young man having to fend for himself in a cruel world, and with determination and intestinal fortitude, he comes out on top, but not before he struggles with his identity and his love for his family. This has been very difficult, because this in some ways reflects some of the early years of my own life. I left home at eighteen and joined the service to get away from an abusive family life. I wandered in and out of real life for several years before I found something good. I found a woman who, although most people would say was unattractive, turned out to be my salvation. I may write that story sometime later. ------- Chapter 1: The Beginning I ran away from home when I was fifteen and I have been either running or looking over my shoulder ever since. My father died at work shortly after my tenth birthday. It was an industrial accident that should have, and could have, been prevented if his employer had done the things he was supposed to do. My dad was a machinist, and all the machines in the shop were old and many didn't have the proper safety guards that they were required to. When the police, and later OSHA, investigated the accident, they found the owners liable for all kinds of fines and possible criminal negligence. A good friend wanted my mother to sue them for negligence and causing the accident. She got a really good lawyer, and she ended up with five million dollars between my dad's insurance policies and the suit. Collecting the suit money was hard with all the litigation against the owners and their corporation, and it ended up that she was paid monthly out of an annuity type of thing that the court and the lawyers had control over. But she was not hurting for money though. That was not the reason for my leaving. As I grew up from there, I became the spitting image of my father. Daniel James Connor, my father, was 6-1 and 205 lbs and a real handsome devil. Because of his poor background, he never went to college, but he had something most other poor kids didn't have; he had a brain and was smart as a whip. Even though he didn't go to college, he could figure anything out and knew how to work with his hands and his brains, so he could do any job if he was shown how once or twice. He also had the gift of gab. He could talk the birds from the trees or women out of their panties in a heartbeat. He met Rosanna Sprinkle in high school and he instantly fell in love, but she was from the wrong side of the tracks, really. My dad's family lived south of the tracks on the poor side of town, and my mother came from north of the tracks on Nob hill; naturally, everyone south of the tracks called it 'Snob Hill'. Rosanna's father owned the local bank and a dozen other businesses in town and a few in the next town over. Besides being a banker, he also was a lawyer. It came about that, during her junior year in college, Rosanna met my father again during summer vacation. She had been messing around with a professional student named William Fenton Gates III. He was a seventh year senior and had yet to graduate, but with his family's wealth and donating lots of money to the college, he always stayed in school. Anyway, much to Mother's surprise; she missed her first period when she returned home for the summer. She immediately contacted William. He laughed at her and said he was tired of fucking her anyway and that she should find some other poor sap to marry her. John Sprinkle was too proud to let this go unchallenged, and sought to rectify the problem and William the Second explained that if he tried to make 'Trey' marry Rosanna, he would make sure the whole affair was pasted all over our local papers indicating that Rosanna was trying to capture a prize husband, since they were much more affluent than the Sprinkles. John, my grandfather, gave in and asked Rosanna if she would submit to an abortion. She said that she would not, but she had an idea about who to capture for a husband. Rosanna had always liked my father, so she went after him vigorously and caught him within a month. They had made love several times in that month and then she told him she was sure she was pregnant. Dad, being the gentleman he was, asked her to marry him. She accepted and that is how Elisabeth Rose Connor came to be. A year later, Daniel James Connor, Jr. was born, and then just over ten years later, I, Jason William Connor, was born. Needless to say, I was somewhat of a surprise. Becky and DJ were both in college, and I was just starting fifth grade when Dad was killed. My problem stemmed from the fact that Rosanna had always really loved Dan, but knew she could never have him, until her glorious little mistake. I think my father always knew deep in his heart that Becky was not his, but he never let on as far as I knew. He loved all of us as much as he could. Both our parents were very loving. As I approached my fifteenth birthday, my mother was finally coming out of her depression from losing my father. Still fairly young, and definitely beautiful at 48, she started looking at me differently. I had grown over the summer of my fourteenth year, and I was six foot tall and 175 lbs when school started in the fall. I had worked on a farm over the summer and had grown a couple of inches in height, filled out, and looked much like my father did at that age. I was into wrestling and baseball, so the summer job was mainly to keep my body toned for the coming fall and spring sports. My mother was suddenly always touching me or being very close to me. Since DJ was now in college almost a thousand miles away, and Becky was at another college almost fifteen hundred miles in the opposite direction, I was alone at home with my mom. My mom was now running around the house in a bra and panties, or in just a thin robe that was very loosely tied, and she was giving me a show of her still beautiful body. As a young teenaged male, I was thrilled that I was seeing female flesh at first, but the fact that it was my mother's body slowed things down and put a damper on my enjoyment of her form. I tried to explain to my mom that yes, she was still very beautiful, but that she was my mom and I didn't like the way she was flaunting her body at me. Mom was very prim and proper when Becky and DJ came home from college for the holidays, but once they left, I was alone again with this woman who didn't want to take no for an answer. She kept telling me how much I was like my father; tall, blondish brown hair, and light blue eyes. She said that my eyes looked into her soul and pulled her to me with an invisible string tied to her heart. Finally, on the night of January fifth, I got the surprise of my life. I felt someone crawling in bed with me; it was my mother and she was naked. As she slid in the bed I could hear, "Oh Dan I have missed you so much. Make me a woman again; show me how much you love me Danny. I need you so much my love." I immediately left got out of bed and hid in the basement. I knew this was bad, how could I tell my friends what had happened and not be condemned by them. Also Mom would know where to look. I had to disappear for a while until we could both think rationally and cope with this matter. Would Mom ever come out of her depression? Was she now delusional as well? Mother worked in the mornings as an accountant at her father's bank for some of their preferred clients, so I waited until she left for work and I packed my duffel bag and headed out of town as quickly as I could. I stopped at the next town and used the ATMs at several banks and grocery stores, then turned south and started hitchhiking. I had to leave. Because I had headed east for my cash, everyone thought I went in that direction. From there, I mainly stopped at truck stops and tried to get rides with truckers going anywhere. I had been extremely lucky that I was not picked on or assaulted as yet. I let my hair grow long, colored it dark brown, and tried to grow a beard. I made a fake scar on my cheek with a magic marker set and kept it looking fairly fresh. I definitely looked like someone else when I looked in the mirror. I had gotten to St. Louis before I saw the first Amber Alert for me. The pictures they had were from before my growth spurt and one of my dad's from a few years before his death. They were saying I should look more like my dad than the other picture, but that I was only fifteen and that I might have been kidnapped. As I was leaving St. Louis that first time, I saw a shredder at the truck stop and I shredded my student ID and ATM cards and I had never once looked to see if I had any money left in my bank account. I headed west from there and traveled all over the US and Canada for four years, working when I could find work and just trying to stay out of the limelight. ------- I hoped they had finally stopped looking for me by then. I was nineteen now and I wanted to settle down. I figured that a big city was the best place where I could disappear and not be noticed. I had worn the scar for so long that I guess that the permanent marker had left a faded mark on my cheek that could have been mistaken as a scar. I decided to settle in Houston, Texas, for a while, got a job in a gas station, and started reading textbooks. I wanted my GED and I wanted college too. In California, I got a driver's license under the name Ron Reagan; yeah I know, lame right, but they bought it hook, line, and sinker out there. Anyway, I got a new one with the same name once in Texas, and started working. I had applied for a social security card in California, up near Sacramento when I worked the orchards and farms picking peaches, walnuts, and pecans. I had upped my age when I got to California by two years so I could legally work the farms. I started reading the textbooks because some asshole kids left several at the gas station and I really wanted an education. This working for peanuts and only getting shitty jobs sucked, but it did turn me into a man just like my father. I could do anything with my hands and I had the street smarts to survive. If I was showed anything once, I could to it and sometimes improve it. Anyway, a week later, the kids came back into the station wondering if they left their books there. I reached behind the counter and handed the books over. They were world geography, algebra, social studies, and Texas history books. They didn't all belong to the same kid, so I gave them back and said that they should really study if they didn't want to end up like me. I guess they took my advice to heart, because I never saw them again. The guy who hired me had several stations in town, as well as an apartment complex and several rental homes. I asked him if he needed help at any of his other stations, or if he needed a handyman for any of his other investments. He kind of took a little pity on me and set me up as the handyman at one of the apartment complexes he had. I found out later that he had many more apartment complexes beside the one I was at. I worked as the manager by day and at the gas station by night. I lived free at the apartment and made some decent money at the station, so I got a library card and started learning English so I could pass my GED. After a year of studying, I went to a night school and said I would like to take my GED test. The guy kind of laughed at me at first, and then I asked him in a much more forceful voice if I could take the next test that was coming up. He said that he had a practice test I could take while his class was going on, so I sat in a corner and took his damn test. He couldn't believe I could ace the test, so he told me to come back the next night and he would give me another test. I told him I worked six nights a week and this was my only night off. He said to come by next week and he would have a test for me. I studied my ass off all week and come Friday evening, I was there when he came in to open the classroom. He asked how I got around, and I said, "Bike." "Oh, you have a motorcycle?" "No, a ten-speed bicycle; I can't afford a motor vehicle yet. That's why I need the GED, so I can get better work and go to college." He gave me the new test before his normal class, and of the one hundred fifty questions, I got one English question wrong. Tom Smothers was impressed; he asked when I quit school and I said I had to quit in ninth grade. I said I had to work on my family's farm since my dad died. I said I came from Canada, up by Regina, but that I had been traveling for a while after the farm was sold by my mother's new husband. "How old are you, Ron?" "I'm 22, Mr. Smothers, I left home at eighteen before I killed that son of a bitch who married my mother, and then he sold the farm and took off with her and the money. I haven't heard from either of them since. Since I don't have the education I need, I have to excel or stay working at a gas station and as an apartment manager/handyman my whole life. I want more than that. I want a whole lot more than that. So when can I take the GED test?" "You just did and passed with flying colors. How much money do you make, Ron? My God, your parents must have really liked that president, naming you Ron Reagan." "I didn't think it was so great, and I think my parents hated me. I guess that being from Canada; most people wouldn't even make the connection. But to answer your question, I bring home almost two hundred every two weeks. I live in the apartment free, but I have to pay for utilities. That's why I only have a bike. Why did you want to know?" "I think I might be able to get you into my old school, Hilton University. With your test score, and if your SAT score would be like I think it would be; I think the sky's the limit for you. Do you want me to see what I can do?" "But how can we do that? I can't work two jobs and go to school too? I'd never be able to sleep or study. I'm sorry, but I just can't do that; there is no way I can do all that and live too. I really appreciate what you want to do, but I can't do all that and still be able to work." "Ron, please just leave me your phone number, and I'll try to see if I can work something out. Give me your address, when you work, and the phone numbers and I will see what I can do on my end. Please let me see if I can really help you. I can see your thirst for knowledge and what your goals are, and I think I can help you achieve them, okay?" I gave him my work and home numbers and my address. He did say that I needed to come back next week for my SAT test. I said I would try. Well, wonder of wonders, when I got back to class the next Friday evening, I was ready for my test again. I had gone to the library, gotten some books to read, and studied for the SAT. I sat in another room with three other people and a testing proctor. I finished my test in just under three hours. The other three were still there when I left. I went home and cried; I just knew I was going to get nowhere. On Saturday, I had to unclog a drain, replace a faucet, and re-hang a door that got busted. My boss came in about nine Saturday evening and asked how I was doing. It was payday and I hadn't even looked in the register for my check yet as it was kind of busy. When I got in I stocked shelves before the other guy's shift was over. I was reading some Shakespeare sonnets, when my boss, John Robert Ewing, came in. Everyone calls him 'Jack' though 'cause I guess John Robert usually is called Jack. Anyway, he came in and talked to me for a while, then went to the tiny office in the back. He came back out, handed me a check. He said it was my check that he hadn't gotten around to writing yet. I didn't think anything about it, and just put it away in my backpack and he left. When I came on Sunday, there were two guys working at the station. I asked Gary what the scoop was. He was the dayshift guy who I relieved. He said that all he knew is that this guy was new and we were supposed to train him to take over a shift. I said that Jack hadn't said anything about it to me, but hey, he was the boss so I just did what I was told, trained the guy like I wanted him trained, then he left at midnight, while I worked until one. The guy, Bentley something, was with me Monday night too, but hadn't got there when I first showed up. He wasn't late; I was just early, like usual. There were no repairs and no complaints today, so I just worked around the apartment. I still hadn't gone to the bank to cash my check and put it into my account. I had been using this one bank branch since I came to Houston, so the tellers knew me. I still had about thirty dollars left from the last payday, so I was still good. I was busy for a while Tuesday, doing some lawn mowing around the complex, and just had enough time to drop my check off at the bank and get to work. I went into the bank, leaving my bike in the lobby with Carl, the guard. I walked up to Judy, one of the tellers, and said I wanted to deposit my check and I needed twenty for cash. My check had been the same for the last eight months, so I just filled out a regular deposit slip and handed Judy the signed check and the deposit slip. Judy looked at the check, then back up at me, and said, "Ron, you didn't add right on this slip." I looked at the slip and said, "That's right, isn't it? I get paid $364.23 every two weeks, and I take twenty out of that for my cash and deposit the rest, what's wrong with that?" "Nothing if your check was for $364.23 like it usually is, but it's for $576.57. Are you getting paid once a month now?" "Mr. Ewing didn't say anything about that, maybe I need to call him and see what's going on. I took my check and the deposit slip, and went over to an empty desk and called Jack at his business number. His secretary, Beverly, said she would have him on the line as soon as he got off the other line. I waited and Jack was on the line a few minutes later. "What's up, Ron?" "Jack, I'm here at the bank and my check is for a whole lot more than just two weeks of pay. Are we now being paid by the month and someone not tell me about it?" "No, Ron, I just felt that you needed a raise. You've worked for me for over a year now and you have never asked for more during that time, so I felt that it was time to reward that loyalty. You have never complained about anything I have ever thrown your way. I gave you the apartment complex to maintain and as a place for you to live. You have made your station run the most efficiently of all my stations. The apartment complex that had always been my worst one, as far as complaints and costs, is now my most beautiful one and I have less expense there than any other one. Everything that you have touched has prospered. I now understand that you wish to further your goals as a college man; I applaud that goal and as a result I am going to see if I can help you along the way." He paused there and I heard a couple of muffled voices like he had put his hand over the receiver. Then he came back, "Ron, just deposit the check and head for work. The man you are training is to be your replacement. Make sure he is honest and can do a good job for us. But you need to get going if you are going to get to work on time. I will see you later tonight to talk with you some more about where I see you going in our organization. See you later." "Yes Sir, Mr. Ewing." I was really confused about all this. So Bentley was to be my replacement, but what would that do for me if I didn't have that job. And why was Jack paying me so much if I wouldn't have the station job? Too many things just didn't add up. I hung up, went back to the desk, filled out a new deposit slip, and went back to see Judy. "Everything all straightened out, Ron?" Judy asked. "Yes, I think so. I got a raise and I guess that some other things are going to happen too. I'm not too sure of what, but it looks like things are looking brighter than before." "I'm so glad to hear that. I have always enjoyed our little visits and I think that good things happening for you are great; you deserve all the good luck you can get. See you in two weeks, Ron." "Thanks, Judy, see you in two weeks," I said, as if in a daze. I thanked Carl for watching my bike and pedaled off to work. Riding a bike is a lot like running, it gives you a lot of time to think and mull things over in your mind. That was me as I was riding to work. It was only about eight blocks from the bank to the gas station I was working at, and a lot of the bank people did stop in after work to say 'hi' and get their gas and a Coke or beer for on the way home. Edited by Regrimmett & Pepere Proofreading by Betty R & Prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 2: A New Start I got to work and locked my bike up in the office and went right to work stocking the coolers and putting out extra things that we were running low on. Bentley, the new guy, drove in shortly after I started in the cold room. He filled the ice buckets for the 'grab and go' beers, wine coolers, and Cokes, then we both finished up in the cold room. We then relieved Gary and went on with the shift. Jack came in about eight-thirty and told me to come with him. I said sure, left Bentley working the shift, and we went out to Jack's Cadillac. We sat there in the front seat of his Caddy with the air conditioner running. It was still 98 degrees outside. I let Jack start first. "Ron, I like you and I want to help you achieve your goals in life, but I also want to help myself as well. You see, I've been married twice, and my second wife, Sybil, is unable to have children. My first didn't last long enough for children to come along. Anyway, like I said, I like you, and you remind me a lot of me when I was much younger. You have the drive and integrity that I had when I was young too. Because of all those things, I would like for you to consider going to school to get a degree in business management. The reason for that is I think that you would make a great new leader of our business. When I say our business, I really mean businesses; my wife and I own five apartment complexes, three condos, and seven gas stations in the Houston area. We have a home here and a vacation home in Colorado. We've been looking for someone like you to come along and be able to take over for us and let us travel. Now, as your next step, if you are willing, we want you to start managing our apartment complexes, but only adding one more right now until you can finish school. Then I would expect that you would take a new one over every six months until you have all of them, including the condos. Then we can start adding one gas station each year, until you control all of them too. I know that this probably scares you, but Sybil and I will help you along the entire way. This is not a short term goal for us, but very much long term. What do you say?" "Mr. Ewing, er ... Jack, I really don't know what to say. Why not Gary, he was here long before I showed up, or maybe someone else in your organization; why me?" "Ron, I saw something in you I liked when I hired you. Gary is lazy; he could go out and get a much better job. He has an engineering degree, but when he got laid off from the oil company he worked for, he just stopped caring. He does his job, goes home each night, and complains to his wife that he hates his job, but he won't try for anything else. He started here when he 27; he only wanted temporary work until he could find another engineering job, but times were tough and he got real discouraged. Now at 35, he has settled for what he has. "You, on the other hand, have been around this whole country and Canada for almost five years, picking up experience and learning things that most people never learn. You have a strong work ethic, you are honest, I can take your word to the bank; and because of that you know what is important. I thought that you were another Gary at first, but you aren't, you could never be like him. You want things out of life and are trying to get them. We want to help, that is why we are offering you this chance." "Jack, this is all too sudden for me to even think or know what to say about this. Let me think it over and get back with you later this week, okay?" "Hey, I understand, Ron; take your time. Fall semester doesn't start for another three weeks, so think about this, okay, I mean really thing about it. By the way, Tom Smothers says that you can get a scholarship for tuition, and our company reimburses all college expenses. If you accept this offer, I also have a nice three year old Prius for you to drive to school. It's a company car, and all gas is free at one of our stations. Think about it, and get back to me before Friday of next week, okay?" "Thanks, Jack." I shook his hand and walked back into the store. Bentley asked what Jack wanted; I said "Oh, I got a raise and a possible new job, that's why you're in training; you're supposed to replace me." I had trained other guys for Jack's stations over the past year. I had Jack fire a few of them before the week of training was up because of stealing or laziness. I was kind of half there for the rest of the shift. I was debating with myself over what to do. Do I just keep up the charade of me being Ron Reagan, or do I confess to Jack about my real name and situation? I mean Jack is such a nice guy, and his giving me this opportunity meant a whole lot to me. But if he was planning on making me the manager of all their properties and businesses, then I really should come clean with him. This was one hell of a dilemma that I needed to think about. While I was thinking and acting on autopilot, some guy came in wearing a hoodie and sunglasses. My mind suddenly snapped to the way the guy was walking around the store with his hands in his hoodie pockets. I knew what was going on, I whispered to Bentley just not to panic and follow my lead. I went behind the register and was talking to Bentley when the guy came up with a twelve pack of beer and put it on the counter, then pulled a knife and said he wanted all the money in the register. I hit the no-sale key on the register and reached down under the counter for my miniature bat that they gave to kids at the Astros games. As soon as the guy reached for the money I slammed the guy in the head with it and jumped over the counter and put one of my big number twelve shoes on his throat. I kicked the knife away from the guy and told Bentley to call 911 and to make sure that no one else was in on it out in the driveway. "Ron, there is only one car out there nobody is in it. What do I do now?" "Pick up the phone, dial 911, tell them there is a robbery in progress, and give them this address." Bentley was too scared to do much, so I had him hand me the phone and I talked to the 911 operator. I told them I had the suspect contained, but that they needed to hurry. It was about ten minutes before we had a black & white pull in, siren screaming, lights flashing, then another one came roaring into the driveway two minutes later. The first cop came in with gun drawn and saw the suspect on the floor with my boot on his throat. The guy who came in was someone I had seen a few times. "What you got for me, Ron?" His badge said Kelly, so I said, "Officer Kelly this guy came in and grabbed a 12-pack, then pulled that knife over there and wanted all the money from the register. Hell, there wasn't but about forty-five dollars plus change in there since we had just made a safe drop. We don't keep a lot of cash in the till after ten PM." The cop handcuffed the guy while I still had his throat under my boot, then I let the guy up. "His car is that ratty old Ford out by pump five. We didn't see anyone else, and with only a knife, I wasn't going to let him get away with anything." "What did you hit him with, Ron? It looks like he has a nice goose egg growing between his eyes." "I have one of those gimme bats the Astros give out to the kids at the games. I just gave him a little love tap." "Remind me not to rile you much anymore." "Not likely, Bentley here is my replacement, and it looks like I might be going back to school. That is if Bentley can get over his fright. I know I should have just given him the money, but I was not in a giving mood tonight." Officer Kelly had been here about a month ago, when a guy came in with a gun and I gave him everything I had in the till at the time. It probably only amounted to sixty dollars, since I hadn't made my hourly drop yet. It was getting on toward twelve-thirty, and my relief was due in another fifteen to twenty minutes. "Good luck with the schooling, Ron. I'll get this one out of your hair for now." Officer Kelly put the suspect in the back of his car and they left. The other cop I hadn't seen before stayed and talked to us, and said that he would contact Mr. Ewing about the surveillance video tomorrow. I told him Gary could give him the DVD to copy since I had just put a new disc in at eight. Each disc will run about twelve hours worth of video. We don't have sound, just video and it switches between ten cameras every 30 seconds; four for the island pumps, four inside the store, one out back, and one in the front driveway facing the street. He said he would call Jack anyway and get authorization for the disc, then copy it and give it back. We had to label the disc with the time and date when we put a new one in, and again when we took it out. We probably had twenty empty discs in the office where the recorder was. Jack came around every few days to collect the used ones and bring more blanks. The rest of the night was quiet. I explained to Bentley that we were normally supposed to just give them the money and let them leave. I just wasn't in the mood to let this guy get away with it once I saw the knife tonight. I said I had been held up three other times in the year I had worked here, but the guy, or once a girl, had a gun each time. I don't mess with guns. I told him that Jack's policy was to make sure you dropped often when there were large amounts in the till, and to always give them what they wanted. I was still mulling over what I was going to tell Jack in my mind as I was pedaling home. Did I tell him I was really Jason Connor from Michigan, or just keep up the ruse and stay Ron Reagan? I had never been arrested, so I had never been fingerprinted, except when I got my Texas driver's license. I think they took a footprint of me when I was born, but who knows if they could find me by that. I'm sure that 'Mommy dearest' had given up all hope of finding me now after over five years. Wow, what a hard decision. I really needed to sleep on it. If sleeping was the goal, last night was a long and unproductive night. I think I tossed and turned all night. I seem to remember looking at my clock and seeing every hour twice, and a couple of them three times. I must have finally fallen asleep sometime after eight, because I got a phone call at 1:33 PM. I struggled out of the tangled sheets that wrapped my body and grabbed the phone by the bed. "Hello?" "Ron? This is Tom, Tom Smothers. I have some great news for you. I talked with the dean of my old college and he said that they had an academic scholarship that would fit you to a tee. In order to get registered, you need to get to the school before 8 AM next Friday to sign up for classes." "Ah ... Mr. Smothers, how can I get there that early? Remember, I ride a bike and that is an awful long way from my apartment when I have had only a couple of hours sleep." "Not a problem, Ron, I'll drive you." "Mr. Smothers, are you sure that is not going to put you out or make you late for something?" "No problem, Ron; I only teach at night school three nights a week. I teach a class at the college from nine to eleven every morning, and another from two to four each day." "Wow, that's a lot of running around and free time in between. Yeah, I guess I could make an exception, and I suppose that you would give me a ride back after your morning class, right?" "Sure. Oh, by the way, how did your talk with your boss go? He said he was going to make you an offer that you couldn't refuse." "Yeah, he made me an offer, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, trying to see whether or not I can accept it. I know it's a huge opportunity, but I have some other issues that I need to sort out first. I assume he told you about the company car so that I could get to school and back." "Yes, Ron, he mentioned that and about the increase in salary. Even with that, you still qualify for this scholarship. It is pretty much a free ride and a stipend of an extra seven hundred a month for living expenses. So it's a pretty good deal for you overall." "Okay, Mr. Smothers, I'll let you know as soon as I can make my mind up about all this which was just dumped in my lap all at once. I've had to work really hard for everything I have gotten, then having something this nice just come about is kind of scary. I hope you understand that I'm not turning it down, but I need to figure some things out first. I'll let you know as soon as I can, and thanks for everything you have done for me, I'm not really sure that I deserve all this good fortune now, but I thank you for the effort." "Ron, it was not a big effort on my part to see that a deserving young man gets to try to achieve his goals. Talk to you later, Ron, and thank you for being who you are too." "Yeah, bye, Mr. Smothers." I lay there, still in my tangled mess of sheets, and wondered what had become of my simple life of working two jobs and making ends meet. Last week, I was just one of many poor slugs getting along fine. So what if I wasn't setting the world on fire in my wake; I was making do? I was able to have a place to work, a place to lay my head that wasn't out in the weather, and I was making a few bucks and saving some too. I had a real nice boss, and the work wasn't so bad. It had its good and bad days, but not too bad overall. Now in about 24 hours, I have gotten a raise, been offered a great job and an opportunity to get the education I wanted, and stopped a robbery. To top it all off, I really had to make a huge decision; do I come clean about who I really am, or do I continue living a lie and hope it never bites me in the ass? Lying in bed was not getting anything accomplished, so I got up, did my 3 Ss, and decided I needed some information about 'Mommy dearest'. I pedaled over to the local branch of the library where I have been checking books out to further my education. I was able to get on a computer, looked up the phone book for my home town in Michigan, and sure enough, there was a Daniel Connor listed. There were a few more other Connors listed, but the one named Daniel was at our old address. I wrote the number down and I would call it at work tonight. I would buy one of those burner phones we sold and use it to call home. I went back home to make sure there was no emergency at the complex, and then pedaled in to work. I took a break about eight that night, and went into the office to make the call. I had bought the cell phone and two hours of time from Gary, and told him that I guessed that I would need a phone since I was moving up in the world. Anyway, I called the number listed and a man answered the phone. "Connor residence, may I ask who is calling?" "This is James Peterson, and I was calling to speak to Rosanna Connor." "May I ask what this is concerning, Mr. Peterson?" "It's about her son, Jason. I really would like to speak to her personally." "If it's about Jase, then you can talk to me; I'm his brother Daniel. My mother is not really well enough to speak about him. Now how can I help you and do you know where my brother is?" Dan was getting a little irate. "Danny, I'm Jason. I wanted to call and see how Mom was. I know it's been five years since anyone has heard from me; Mom scared me to death and I had to leave. Has she ever told you two what she did to make me leave?" "I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure that you are really Jason? If you're some sleaze trying to get into our family, I'll make you so sorry that you ever thought of trying something like that." "DJ, I am your brother and I can prove it. When we were kids and we had that secret fort out in the woods, we always had fun standing on that tree fort and pissing on that old apple tree. I never could piss as far as you and it always upset me that I could never measure up to you or be a real friend to you. Everyone was always comparing the two of us, and I never measured up. Well, I think I'm finally measuring up, DJ; I'm six three, 200 lbs, and last night I beat a would-be robber in the head with a gimme bat, then stomped on his throat to stop him from robbing my store. I have an opportunity to go to college and be something beside a drifter and a bum. NOW let me speak to my mother!" "Okay, Jase, don't get your panties in a wad; I'll get her. But you have to know that she has been mentally sick ever since you left, and she is finally coming to terms with what she did and why you left so suddenly. I can understand now why you needed to leave. It has only been the last year she confessed to Becky and me what she did to you. Man, I'm so sorry, Bro. You were right to leave when you did, but it sure put a strain on us when you disappeared. I'll get Mom now." About a minute later, my mother got on the phone, "Jason is that really you?" "Yes, Mom, it's really me. I'm sorry I left like that, but I just couldn't live in that house with you doing the things that you did, and it was the last straw when you slipped into my bed like that. I knew I had to leave or I would have succumbed to your advances, then what a mess we would both be in." "Oh my God, Jason; I'm so very sorry for what I did, but you were so much like my Dan. I missed him so very, very much, and I don't know what happened. I have only recently told my doctor, DJ, and Becky what I did to force you to run away. Are you alright, Honey?" "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine; actually better than fine. I think I'm going to be able to go to college and get a degree. I passed my GED and I think I did pretty well on my SATs too. I got a great scholarship and I have a good job with a real hope for a lot of good advancement. I've been living under an assumed name and I think I may need to let that go, but I wanted to make sure that things at home were good before I did that. I didn't want my reappearance to cause problems for the people that have helped me survive down here. I'll have to have a long talk with them. I may need a birth certificate from you to be able to set things straight, but I can't be tied to you for financial help or my scholarship will be gone. I have to do this on my own, okay?" "Jason, you don't need a scholarship, I'll pay for everything. It's the least I can do after all the mess I made of our lives. Honey, DJ and Brenda, his wife and their son live here in the house. I just have my own room and I can send you some money to live on. Becky is married now too, but they don't have any children yet." "Mom, let me do this my way for now, then we'll see what happens after I tell my boss and my teacher friend the truth. I can let you know how things will work out after that. I think I still love you some, Mom, but I really hated you for a long time. I hope you can understand." "Yes, Honey, I was just too worried about you at first, then after two years of searching for you and finding nothing, I kind of gave up any hope. I really thought that you were dead. I'm really glad you're not, and I hated myself for forcing you to leave like you did for a very long time after that. It has only been the last couple of years that I have come to terms with what I did to you and me, and this family. Alan has been a real blessing for me. That's Alan Jason Connor, DJ's son. He's almost one now, and he looks like his father and nothing like his grandfather or his uncle. He is helping me cope with the loss of you, Jason. I take care of him while DJ and Brenda work. He is such a good boy. Jason, just remember that we all love you and you have a home here if you want it, but I want only what's best for you, Dear." "Thanks, Mom, I love you too, I think. I guess I'm still not sure of anything anymore. But I really have to go back to work now. I'll call you again, bye." I hung up and went into the cold room and restocked some more beer and Cokes. I came out and talked to Bentley until Paul, one of our two night men came in. Nothing much happened after that. Bentley checked the cooler out, then we restocked it and then we went home. I actually got some real sleep Thursday morning. I woke up at ten and called Jack to see if he could come to my place for a talk. He said he could, so that was set up. I still didn't know exactly what I would say, but I had a plan to tell him the truth and we would go from there. Jack showed up in about an hour with burgers, fries, and a Coke from Whataburger. We ate, and then I sat back from the kitchen table and started my confession. "Jack, I hope I can call you that. I've kinda thought of you as more of a friend than a boss, but I have a long story to tell you, then I will let you decide what you want to do from there. You may not like me a whole lot when I finish my tale, but I feel that I have to tell you the truth." I told him everything, my whole life from when I my dad died, until last night. He didn't ask any questions or make any comments at all. He just sat there and listened to my story. He still sat there when I was through. It looked as though he was deep in thought. "Ron, er ... Jason ... well, whoever you are, I didn't make my offer to Ron just because he was some guy I thought I could help, I made that offer to the man inside all this double identity. The man I offered the job and opportunity to is the man inside your head, the guy who comes to work early every day and stays late; the guy who works harder than any two people I know; and who is always respectful to me and all our customers, except the ones trying to rob me. Thank you again for the other night, but remember what I have always told you, we give them what they want and we all live to see another day. Now as to who you are; I don't care what name you use, be it Ron Reagan, Jason Connor, or even Jason Bourne. The man I know, even though he is only 20, is the man I am giving an opportunity to. It's not the name that matters to me, it's a person whom I respect and admire, someone who has had a rough life, yet made something of himself. You are the man for me, be it as Jason or Ron. "That's your decision, not mine. I think that this is something you need to work out for yourself. If Bentley is capable to do the job, Friday night is your last night working at the station. That is your decision as well; you are my trainer. I have sent every new or prospective employee to you since four months after you started working for me. You showed me that you were my man then. I have never hired someone you wouldn't pass or tell me that he or she would work out. I trusted your judgment and all of them have turned out to be excellent employees. If you said they wouldn't work out, I let them know right up front that they didn't measure up to my standards for working for me. "Now your next major decision is what do I call you? Is it going to be Ron or Jason? You have to decide by Monday morning so that we can get all the paperwork straight with the IRS and the school. I think that if you are going to be Jason, then as a minimum, you will need a birth certificate to say so; then you can bury Ron Reagan for good. I can help you with that, er ... well, I know some people that can help with that. So it is up to you. Remember one thing; I will support you no matter what, or whichever name you go with." "Jack, I don't know how to thank you enough for all that you have done for me. I promise that you will be the second person to know my decision." "Okay, smart guy, who will be the first?" "Me." "So you're saying that even you don't know what to do. So think about it; contact your family again and see how things are there, then decide. The question is who will you be happiest being? Is being Jason Connor going to make you happier than you being Ron Reagan? You are the only one to decide your future; no one can decide it for you. As you told me earlier; a future that you did not want led you to become Ron. Now a future that you want is available, but is it as Ron or Jason. I wish you a lot of luck in trying to come to a decision about who you will be happiest and most comfortable in being." I hugged Jack and told him, "Thank you, Jack, you are a very wise man and a really great friend. I'll let you know what my decision is before Monday. I know this doesn't give me a lot of time to decide, but I made another decision in haste and look what I got. A whole lot of grief at first, but then I found a friend and a new home. I would just as soon not go through another four years of grief to get to another great place in my life. I'll see you later, Jack, and thanks for everything, but I need to get back to work or my boss may fire me." "Like that would ever happen; go, Son, we'll be praying for you." Jack left, and I made sure I didn't have any pressing matters for the complex before I got dressed and pedaled my way to work. I mulled over in my mind what did make me the happiest. Did I really want to continue as Ron, or was Jason my future. Work was all a blur for me Thursday night. I kind of worked on autopilot. I turned everything over to Bentley. He would either work out or not; tonight I was just there to observe. I did nothing to help him; I just sat back on a stool and observed. I figured that with tomorrow night being my last time with him that I needed to know how he really did. In the meantime, I was also debating what to do and what identity would come out of this dilemma. It really was like I had two different people inside me fighting for their survival. Yes, Jason was around longer, but he was just a frightened kid when he disappeared, then Ron the man had emerged from the ashes of the kid's life. It was almost like a phoenix rising from the ashes when Ron's persona emerged. Ron emerged to be the tough exterior of the frightened child that was Jason inside. Ron was big enough and bad enough that he could survive, where Jason had run away from home like a petulant child because things became too much for him to handle. I wondered what Ron would have done when Rosanna had climbed into bed with him. I'm not sure if he would have told 'the bitch' to get out of his bed, or if he would have taken advantage of what was offered. Jason was a virgin and knew very little about sex, just what he learned from the guys at school. The persona of Ron appeared slowly, Jason used many names as he hitchhiked with truckers from Michigan to St. Louis. Some ride were short some longer, but though it all Jason was still a frightened child that had put up a rough, tough exterior that turned into Ron. Ron, on the other hand, was not inexperienced; he had lost his virginity in Colorado not long after Jason had fled St. Louis in the truck that took him to Colorado. He had been dropped off at a truck stop west of Denver. He had just had a shower when he was approached for sex by someone in the truck stop showers. Ron suddenly came to the forefront and hit the guy so hard that he thought he may have killed the guy. He then kicked a field goal with the guy's jewels and walked away from the showers. Jason had not re-emerged since then. Ron became the new personality running that body. He flirted with the waitress at the truck stop and they went to her place after work and Ron was no longer a virgin. He had found a few more waitresses along the way that loved to be with this strong, take charge kind of guy, who was so handsome, yet endearing in a lot of ways. He was always polite and caring. He placed them first as far as sex was concerned, and he was a fantastic lover. Ron was celibate since settling in Houston, however. With a real transportation problem and a lack of ready money, he was somewhat limited in opportunities for any sexual encounters. There were a couple of ladies that wanted more than just getting their plumbing fixed in their apartments, but Ron would not mess with them; first, because they were married, and secondly, he didn't want to lose his jobs, and that would have happened if Jack found out about those assignations. Ron still hadn't made up his mind when it was time to go home. As Ron was getting ready to ride on home when they went out the driveway, Bentley asked, "Is there a problem, Ron? You seemed to be off somewhere tonight. I thought if you wanted to talk about it, I could drive over to your place and we could talk. I mean, if I'm not overstepping my bounds." "No, Bentley, I just have some things on my mind about all the things happening in my life right now. I mean this new job with more responsibilities, possibly going to school nights, and everything is kind of weighing on my mind. I'm sorry if it bothered you tonight. I should be okay tomorrow. Besides you'll be on your own after tomorrow. I think you did a great job tonight; I'm glad Jack hired you." "Thanks, Ron, that's pretty high praise coming from you. I talked to Gary, Paul, and Ted, and they said that if you said I did a good job, I must be very good. They said that you wouldn't have let me go this long unless I could do the job and keep it. They said you didn't let fools or idiots stay long enough to complete their training." "Bentley, the only thing you need to brush up on is the fear of being robbed. Just don't look directly into their face, give them whatever they want, and you'll do fine. I only hit that guy with the bat because he really pissed me off, and he only had a knife." "Ron, I never even saw the bat or hardly even saw your arm move that night, and you were suddenly leaping over the counter. I guess I need to work on my robbery skills and just let them do what they want. Thanks for that advice, Ron; I'll take it to heart. See you tomorrow." He drove off, leaving me in the driveway, thinking that, 'yep, he'll make it.' I rode on home, settled in bed, and somehow drifted off to sleep. Friday morning came early with the phone ringing at 8:15 AM. The older lady in 204 had tried to run her dishwasher and it was spraying water all over the kitchen. I rolled out of bed, got dressed, grabbed my tools, and went up to 204. I knocked on the door and Mrs. Kennedy answered the door in her robe. Mrs. Kennedy was probably seventy years old if she was a day, and as she held the robe together with her gnarled fingers, she said, "Oh, Ron, thank goodness you're here. I was so wet from the spray of the dishwasher that I had to change. I finally got the infernal machine shut off and it's not spraying so much, but I couldn't get down on my hands and knees to shut the water off." "It's no problem, Mrs. Kennedy I'll get it fixed for you. You go get changed and I'll have everything working in no time." She left Ron in the kitchen and let him do his work. 'That Ron was such a nice boy; he reminded her of her own son when he was about that age, ' thought Rose Kennedy. I got the water turned off and opened the dishwasher to see what the problem was. It turned out that one of her forks had somehow fallen into the door mechanism and had become lodged in the seal, which allowed the water to come squirting out all over the floor. I would need a new seal for the door, but this unit was so old that I doubted I could get the parts. I did have a spare dishwasher down in the storeroom that came out of another apartment when they had a kitchen fire and we needed new appliances. The dishwasher wasn't damaged, but when Jack had to replace the stove and refrigerator, the dishwasher was on the same wall and did get some smoke and water damage. Ron had worked on it some, gotten it so it worked real well, and it was a lot newer than Mrs. Kennedy's old one. Once he got the washer to quit leaking, he started cleaning the floor up from all the water and pulled the dishes out, then the washer too. He disconnected the power and water lines and moved the unit out of the way. He cleaned out behind where the washer was and told Mrs. Kennedy that he had to get her a new dishwasher, but that he had one downstairs. This was originally a 60 unit complex with three floors, and in order to get ADA compliant, Jack had to take one unit on each floor out and add an elevator. Once that was done, he was able to keep the place over ninety percent occupied all the time. Ron went back downstairs, got the furniture dolly, loaded the other unit up, went back upstairs with the newer unit, swapped them out, and took the old one back to the storeroom downstairs. "Mrs. Kennedy; that new dishwasher should last you for a nice long time now." "Oh, Ron, what would I do without you; thank you for helping me with this." She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ron blushed, kind of did an 'aw shucks' move, and quickly left. Old ladies embarrassed him when they did that, and there were about ten older women here in the complex that were alone. They all treated him like that; some made him cookies and cupcakes or casseroles, and had him come get them. They all seemed to want to mother him since he was so nice to them. It was lunch time when Ron was finished with all the trouble in 204. He fixed himself a sandwich and sat, thinking while he ate. What would he tell all his friends and the people here at the complex if he went and changed his name? Would they even accept the new Jason? What could he possibly tell them that wouldn't be like being a liar to them all this time? Yes, Jason had a social security number, and had submitted his taxes just like he should, but Jason Connor had really been dead for almost five years now. I think he had already made his decision on this. Jason Connor was dead; he died in a truck stop shower room in Colorado five years ago. Ron Reagan was born that same night five years ago, and he has not looked back since. I think that Jason has to be listed as dead or missing so that Ronald Blake Reagan can live. I guess I need to call my mother and let her know that Jason is dead. Edited by Regrimmett & Pepere Proofreading by Betty R & Prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 3: A New Future It took five times before I could properly punch the right buttons to call home. I was nervous and afraid. What if she wouldn't accept the fact that Jason died so long ago? "Hello, Jason, Honey? I recognized the area code on the caller ID." "Mom, I have something I need to tell you. Please sit down and just listen, okay? Can you do that for me? This is a long story and I need to get it out or it will never work. Please don't interrupt me until it is all over." "I'm not going to like this, am I, Son." "Probably not, but I have to tell you everything. I'm Ronald Blake Reagan, Jason William Connor died on January 15th, five years ago in a truck stop shower room outside of Golden, Colorado. He was approached by a big man wanting sex with him. He died right then, and Ron beat the guy to a pulp. He then flirted with one of the waitresses in the truck stop, went home with her, and lost his virginity. Since that time, Jason has never turned up again. Ron has been in charge of this body. I am not mentally disturbed, I don't have two people in my brain, I am one person, but I am not Jason anymore, Mom. "Ron is a self-assured man that is tough when the need arises, and soft and gentle when needed; I'm sure you would be very proud of him. He is all man and has been since he emerged from the mind of Jason, just like a phoenix arising from the ashes of his pyre. Ron is strong and confident, and he has set some goals for himself. He set a goal to become educated and make his mark in the world. He has the opportunities to do so, he has a great job, he has lots of friends, and he is building a life for himself that he and you would be proud of. I hope you understand that I can never become Jason again. He was a scared kid, running away from a very scary situation that he couldn't cope with at fifteen. I am not that kid anymore, Mom, and I haven't been for a long time. "Now, I want you to know that I am not mad at you for what you did; I now understand why and what really happened. I want you in my life, just like I want DJ and Becky in my life too, but I can never be Jason again. It's been too long now, and I really like this new me. I'm going to start college in a couple of weeks and maybe you can come and visit at Christmas time. I would try to get up there, but my finances are pretty limited, and I can't let you give me money. I am going to school on an academic scholarship, and part of it is because of my financial situation. I can't let that go away. I have to do this my way or no way at all. I do hope you can see that. I would like for you and my family to come see me during the holidays, but that is up to you. I'm sure that I can get you an apartment or condo to stay in; my employer has several open right now and I'm sure he would let me have access to them for you and anyone who comes down. I guess it is all up to you now, Mom. You do know that I love you?" "Jase er ... Ron, this is going to take some time to get used to. Calling you Ron just doesn't seem right, but I can tell from your voice that you are not Jason. I can't speak for DJ or Becky, but I will definitely be down for Christmas. I can't wait to see the young man that you have grown into being. I think I can see why Jason had to die that night so long ago. I think a very large part of him died on January 5th of that year. It just took a little while for him to realize that he had to die in order to live. I understand that more now, since, in a sense, I too died a little than night in early January. As the days turned into weeks, then years, that woman who was alive that night died too. She died of grief and shame. She finally confronted her shame and sought help. It took almost a year for her to finally admit her shame and guilt, and learn to live with her mistakes. I am still learning how to get along with the loss of my precious son. I think that if I meet this new man that he has become, I can accept the fact that Jason is gone for good. I promise I will try not to blubber too much when I see you, but I may not be able to hold back. I promise that I will not treat you like I did before Jason left me. I have found that I hate that woman more than I can say. She killed my son, and I have to live with that guilt. But then again, she caused me to have a new son, Ron. We might not have the same last name, but he is still my son and I will love him like a mother should." "Mom, we can discuss this more as time goes on. I promise to call more often and not be such a stranger, but I have a life down here. I have a good life and it is getting much better. I'm so glad we had this talk. I have been working nights, but tonight is my last one. I may be going to class at night; I'm just not sure yet what my new schedule will be. I'm the manager for an apartment complex, and I think I just got another one two blocks over to manage too, but I'm still not sure what is happening on that yet. I need to call my boss and let him know my decision. I'll call you later, Mom, and I think I still love you." "Bye, Ron, I love you too. Call me soon." That went a whole lot better than I thought; now to call Jack. "Jack, this is Ron, Ron Reagan." "I guess that tells me who you are now. So you decided to stick with Ron; how come?" "I decided that Jason died a long time ago and there was no advantage for him to be resurrected again. I explained to my mother how and why Jason died and Ron was born, and why I needed to stay as Ron. So I suppose I need to get a birth certificate with Ronald Blake Reagan with my new birth date. I hope that you can help me in that respect. I don't want to get you into trouble, but I think I need to be totally legal now." "Yes, Ron, I can help with that, now as to your new job. How about you come over to the office on Saturday afternoon to pick up your new car, and we can go over some things, then I'll take you over to introduce you to the existing manager of your new complex. He has always been the on-site manager, just like you are of your complex. It is much like yours, with only two floors, but I did add the elevator to be ADA compliant. I found that the added expense has brought me more business with the elderly and some returning vets than I ever expected. Let's say that you come here at one, and we can go from there. We'll need to figure out where you were born and try to get some possible signatures for you, but you let me worry about that part. You did say that Ron was born at a truck stop outside of Golden, Colorado, so we'll use that as a city for your birth to a transient couple, which is why it was a non-recorded birth. Let me find a hospital near there that has been there since at least 1989 and we can use that for your birth. You have January 15th, 1990 as a birth date, how close is that to true?" "Actually, it's the 16th of September. I'm coming up on my 20th birthday, but I listed January as that is the day Ron was born. Will that work, Jack?" "Yeah, Ron, that will work as easy as any other date. I'm looking up hospitals in Golden and there are some medical centers, but I don't think any of them were open in 1989 or 1990. Let's see, there is a hospital in Wheat Ridge, a St. Joseph's that now part of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center. We can start with that one and go from there. Now no sweat, Ron, this will all work out. See you tomorrow." "Okay, bye, Jack, see you tomorrow." Oh well, almost time to get ready for work. I think I will just sit back and let Bentley do all the work tonight. That is just what I did; I had made my decision to stay as Ron Reagan and see what my life would be like. My mother said she would be down for Thanksgiving and Christmas and that DJ, Brenda, Alan, and Becky and her husband, Greg, would be down to see me too. Bentley did great all night Friday, so I knew the station would be in good hands. Jack called me Saturday just before I left to come down to his office and said that his wife would be picking me up. I had not met her yet, so I was kind of surprised when the doorbell rang and I opened it to this beautiful woman. I expected Jack to have someone nice, but I never expected someone so young. Jack was probably about forty to forty-five, and handsome, I guess. He was 5'-11" and probably 180 lbs. He did seem fit and was getting a little thick around the middle, but sitting around all day will do that. But Sybil surprised me. Jack had said that she couldn't have children, but here I saw someone who looked about maybe thirty, 5'-5" 120 lbs, not overly large boobs, but well put together with a very nice figure. How could this young lady not have kids? She had what could be called wide child-bearing hips and such a nice face. Anyway I am getting off the track here. "Wow! Jack said you were something else, but he never said you were so ruggedly handsome and so big. My God, Ron, no wonder he wants you taking over our empire. I can see the intelligence in your eyes, but we're wasting time here now. How about you drive us back to the office?" Sybil said, as she threw me the keys to the car. I caught the keys in the air, locked the apartment up, and followed this vision out to the parking lot. "Ah, Mrs. Ewing, which car are we taking?" "It's the gray Prius over there. Actually, it's your car not mine. Well, it's mine, I guess, but will be your car now. Oh, just drive us over there." This was just overwhelming to me. I know I would forever guess, and probably never know, what happened to this young lady that would make her unable to have children. If it wasn't too personal, maybe Jack would tell me the story later on. I drove over to the office and Jack greeted me with open arms. "Ron, come, let's sit in the conference room and talk. You need a Coke or coffee?" "No, Ron, I just finished a Coke earlier, but some cool water would be nice." Sybil came back with a coffee for Jack, a Pepsi Max for her, and a cold bottle of water for me. Then the business of me taking over for them got started. Jack and Sybil outlined their great plan, that I was their new wonder boy, and that they expected great things from me. They outlined just how we would proceed with my schooling and my taking over the complex just down the street from my place. I would keep the existing on-site manager, as he was quite good, but that he would no longer contact Jack about anything he needed. He would contact me instead. I was now the overall manager for both complexes. My salary would be $1200.00 a month gross, I would still live rent free but have to pay utilities, plus I would be getting the scholarship stipend of $700 a month. Jack would front me the cost of books and other fees for school until I was able to pick up them myself. The Prius was now mine as a company car, so the insurance was covered by them, but the car was essentially mine now. I explained that my mom would be coming for Thanksgiving and I could put her up in my apartment since it was a two-bedroom unit, but that I would need two more apartments at Christmas time because my brother and sister and their family were coming down to see me. "Oh how nice, Ron. I didn't know you had family. There was nothing listed on your employment about a family." "Mrs. Ewing, I have been kind of estranged from my family for about five years now. I didn't leave under the best of conditions and have had to struggle to make it on my own for a while now. I think that things have kind of smoothed over, and I'm hoping that we can get along better than in the past. At least, we're going to try. That is the main reason they are coming here. We want to see if there is hope for a future for us." "Oh, how sweet; I really hope the best for you and your family, Ron. You are such a nice boy, er ... such a nice man, that I do hope things turn out really great for you. Jack here is kind of my savior too. I was not in the best of shape when we met, and he helped me become who I am today." As she looked at Jack, I could see that he must have saved her from some horrible fate, and she was more than grateful to him for that. I also now knew that my secret identity was safe. I assumed that Jack would have told her about me, and now that he hadn't, I knew I would never find out about Sybil either. Jack was a man who held many secrets. After our talk, we all went over to my new complex and met Henry, and his wife Helen, who were the on-site managers of that complex. Henry was about forty or so, as was as his wife. They had been the managers of this complex for about fifteen years. Henry had no problem in accepting me as the new overall manager. He knew that Jack was getting tired of running everything, and that he was looking for a new young gun to start taking some of the burden off his shoulders. We got along well, and I promised that I would try to live up the hype that was now being placed onto my shoulders. I had driven my new car, and Jack had taken his Caddy, so we parted and I went home and enjoyed the rest of the weekend off. I rested a lot, then sat down and listed all the things I would need for going to school. Because I lived so frugally, I had built up a nice savings nest egg. I had over five thousand in my checking account, and the first thing I felt I needed was a computer. Then I thought about a handheld recorder for my lectures in college and all kinds of things, so I made sure I had no calls and went shopping. I got a good used computer and a new cell phone with a lot of hours on the plan. I expected to use that number for the tenants of my complex, and for Henry and Jack to contact me. I found the recorder I needed, and a bought a box of tapes for it too. I also got several 3-ring binder notebooks and a bookcase for all my college books. I wanted to keep them so I could refer to them later on. I got a call from Tom on Tuesday and he wanted to know if I still needed him to take me to registration this week. I said yes, as I wouldn't have a parking pass for my car yet. He said it was no problem and he would pick me up at 7 sharp. I had also gone to Walmart to get some clothes in addition to my school supplies, since I didn't think that jeans and tee shirts would be proper dress for school. Boy was I surprised after my first week of school. Tom did counsel me on what to sign up for on Friday, so I had some idea of what to go for and everything I would need to get started. School, for me, actually started the Tuesday of the next to the last week in August. This first week was orientation for new students. We would learn the campus, get assigned dorms for those who didn't live here in Houston, have our first get acquainted classes so we could make sure that we were properly situated, and we learned what the course would entail in more depth. Everything got hectic after that week. I realized fairly soon that I would need a new on-site manager for my complex, since the classes I needed were not taught at night. I contacted Jack and asked if he knew of someone who could take over that job of mine. I know I didn't get a lot of those emergencies, but with me in class, I couldn't just drop everything and answer a call like Rose's dishwasher. He said he had someone in mind and would contact me shortly. We had three open apartments in my complex, but only one was on the ground floor. It was a single bedroom apartment next to the elevators. Those apartments were two bedrooms at one time, but they took one bedroom out of each apartment when Jack added the elevators. They expanded the apartments on the second and third floors to make them three bedroom units with a larger living room. The first floor housed all the elevator hydraulics and controls, so it was made into a single unit. Someone had already rented that one when I moved in, so mine was a two bedroom unit. The single was now available, and would be for the new on-site manager if they were single, or with just two people. It was about the middle of September when I met Elroy Jetson. Elroy was a young man in my economics class that was a little older than most of the kids right out of high school. We met in the library after class, and he asked me if I knew of anywhere he could find a job or a cheaper place to live. The place he was living in was raising the rent half again as much as it was, and he was either going to have to find a job or a new place to live. He said he knew that I was older and he thought I might have some idea on where to look. I told him I might be able to help him out, but I needed some information. I asked him a lot of questions, and thought that he was older than me. He was actually 23, and thought that I was older. We had some laughs there, but anyway, he was handy with his hands, knew some basic handyman stuff, and was dependable. I had noticed him in class and he was like me, there for an education, not to play around spending daddy's money to have fun. I told him I might know of something and would let him know the next class day. He gave me his cell number and we went back to studying. I called Jack on my next break and asked if he had someone in mind for the on-site manager job in my complex. He said he hadn't found the right person yet, and wanted to know why I asked. "Jack, I may have found our new manager. It's Elroy Jetson, he's in my economics class, and he is looking for either a cheaper apartment or a job, I thought we might have both for him. He is single, knows quite a bit about handyman stuff, as he has been on his own since his mom died a few years ago. He had kept their home up until she died, and he needed to go back to school. His mom was 40 and died of cancer. Way too early, as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, he has a small inheritance and he's using it to go back to school. Where he's living now is raising the rent by half, so I wondered if you had found someone yet." "No, Ron, I hadn't, but it seems that you did. Do you really think this guy is the right man for the job?" "Jack, I can't be sure, but unless he is really blowing a bunch of smoke up my ass, I think he is who we need." "You have the authority to hire and fire over your two complexes, so if you say he is the man, then you hire him. Just send him to the office so we can get all the paperwork taken care of, and he's all yours. See, easy as pie, right?" "I guess so, Jack. Thanks, I'll let him know now, and Jack, have I told you that I love you like a father?" "No, you haven't Ron, but I feel very much honored that you think that. I was just so very glad to be your friend, but to be loved like a father is just too much. I guess I have to confess that I have loved you like a son for a while now too." "Jack, I kinda figured that one out when I got the raise and you told me what you wanted for the future. See you soon, and say hi to Sybil for me." I immediately called Elroy and left a message since he had his phone off; I assumed it was because he was in class. I told him to call me after school and that unless he didn't want it, I could solve both of his problems for him. I was on the way home and about to my old station when I noticed I needed gas, so I pulled in and my cell rang. I sat in the car and answered it. "Hello, this is Ron." "Ron, this is Elroy. What do you mean you solved both my problems?" "Elroy, I have a job offer for you, and if you accept, it comes with a cheaper place to live." "O o o Kay, what's the job, and how much is cheaper?" "Well, I didn't mention it, but I manage two apartment complexes for my boss. Since I'm going to school during the day, I need someone most days to take care of one of the complexes. Right now I and my other on-site manager are trying to handle two complexes. You said that you only have the one day class twice a week, and then work for minimum wage the rest of the time to make enough for your rent and food. You said that most of your courses are at night, right?" "Yeah, that's right." "So I figure that Henry, that's my other on-site manager, can cover for you on the days you have morning classes, then you take over for the rest of the time. The job comes with a furnished, single bedroom apartment. The rent is free, plus we pay a little over minimum for all hours worked on weekends or nights. You do have to pay for the utilities, though. So what do you say?" "My God, Ron, I've hit the jackpot. I'll take it ... wait; this is a nice neighborhood, right? I wouldn't be living in some crime ridden ghetto, would I?" "Hardly, Elroy, I live just down the hall and it's a nice neighborhood. We keep a very clean place and don't rent to just anyone. We have a nice place and make sure it stays that way. We have a lot of elderly and vets living there that I call 'my people' and we take good care of them. I would never be so crass as to offer you something like that." "Hey, I'm sorry I even said that, Ron, I know you're like me, older and aware of the world, but you can't be too careful." "Oh alright, I accept your apology; get a pencil and paper and take this address down. This is where you get the paperwork filled out, and then I'll give you the apartment address. I'll have a key for you next class day, and you can move in this weekend." "Great, Ron, and thanks so much for the opportunity." "Elroy, I was kind of like you, down on my luck, and my boss gave me a hand up. All I'm doing is lending a friend a hand up, not a hand out. Just do a good job and you will be rewarded." Edited by Regrimmett & Pepere Proofreading by Betty R & Prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 4: A New Family Reunion That was how I helped a friend. I had been calling home to talk to Mom, DJ, and Becky every week now, and we were getting things kind of settled. I was really looking forward to the coming holidays. Mom flew in to town the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and Sybil picked her up since I was still in school. She took Mom to my apartment, helped her get set up in the spare room, and said I would be home in a while. They sat at the kitchen table and discussed me and my life here in Houston. Sybil didn't want to pry, but did ask Mom about the different last names. Mom told her it was regarding some horrible family misunderstandings a long time ago, and that she was now using her old married name. She explained that her first husband died and things got very confusing after that. Ron had a different name and that was as far as she would say. She did say that it was a very tough time for her and me, and that it was best left forgotten. Sybil said she understood. She had a time in her life that she hoped that she could forget someday too, so it ended that topic. She did ask about Ron's siblings; Mom told her about DJ and Becky, that their families coming down to see Ron at Christmas, and that they hoped to find a place close by for them to stay. Sybil assured her that would not be a problem. When I got home Tuesday night, I saw my mother for the first time in over five years. She looked much older than her real years. She was just 53, but she looked at least 65. There was all this grey hair and wrinkles on her face and hands. She was nicely dressed, but still looked gaunt. I guess life after I left was really hard on her. I could feel a little sorry for her, but not a lot. She did say that she was eating better and had gained about ten pounds since I called her in August. My God, what she must have looked like a couple of years ago. DJ had said that I might not recognize her now since she had lost so much weight and looked much older, but this? My God, what she must have gone through? I hugged her, but not too hard as I somehow felt that I would break her in half if I did. I had tears in my eyes when I finally let her go, and noticed that my shirt, as well as Mom's face, was wet. Still crying, she turned and ran to her room. It wasn't exactly the homecoming I expected. I dropped my school work off, made coffee, and started on my homework. I wanted to finish it so I could have the rest of the week with just her and me. I knew that I was going to have a long conversation with her about her eating habits and that she needed some exercise to build her muscle tone back up. I tried to do my homework, but I couldn't; I just sat there and cried. How could I have created the mess I did by leaving? Why didn't I try to talk to her, maybe try to get her into therapy? Why didn't I contact DJ or Becky? Why did I just leave and runaway from my troubles? Oh, God, did I really fuck things up? I guess I should have tried to get back in touch with my family. I sat there for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only about an hour later, when I felt some arms come down around my neck and a soft head of hair lean against my own head. Then the words spoken in my ears whispered, "I love you, Jason, and I'm so very sorry for what I did to you. I don't blame you for leaving, but I really was not in my right mind. I know that is not a good excuse, but it's the truth. When I came home that night and I saw that you were gone, I just fell to pieces and tried to kill myself. I had called both Becky and DJ and told them that I thought that you had been kidnapped. I couldn't tell them that I was the reason you left. I couldn't even admit it to myself. I tried to kill myself and took a bunch of tablets, but they were vitamins, not the sleeping pills I thought they were. "I was throwing up and dehydrated by the time DJ's friend got to the house. He called an ambulance and they hospitalized me. DJ finally put his foot down three years ago. His demeanor was so much like his father's then that I accepted the fact that I had to do something. I was wasting away and knew it was entirely my fault. After two years of therapy, I finally told your brother and sister what I did to drive you away. They were so mad that they wouldn't talk to me for weeks. We had given up on ever finding you by then, and they took pity on me. I'm getting better every day, Jase, but it will take a lot of time and love for me to get back to where I was before all this happened. Please forgive me and know that I love you. I'll go back home if you want me to, but I just had to see you to make sure that you were still alive. Your voice has changed so much, and although you do resemble your father a lot, you're not him, and I know that now." "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry I did this to you. You can stay as long as you like. I love you too." I said, crying. We stayed like that for some time; I really don't know how long. I finally got up, carried my mother to the sofa, where she laid her head on my lap while we talked about my life and hers. We took turns going over what we had done and what we saw as possible futures for ourselves and for each other. I ordered some chicken about eight, and after we ate a light meal, we went our separate ways to bed. I had told her that I had already gotten us a small turkey loaf and most of the other food for Thanksgiving, and that I would do the cooking. She came right back with, "You will do no such thing; I'll cook my son's Thanksgiving dinner. I haven't forgotten how to cook; I just didn't want to eat because I lost you." A week later, Mom asked me if I would accept her as a live-in maid and cook. "Mom, what about Alan, doesn't he need his grandma? He really needs you more than I do, but I want you to promise me that you will continue to eat regularly, get some exercise, and gain some of that weight back that you lost, so that I don't have to worry about breaking you in half when I hug you." "Oh, Ron, I'll do anything for you. If you think I need to be at home with DJ and Alan, I'll go home, but we will all be here for Christmas. Sybil said she would find room for all us somewhere." "Mom, I think Alan needs you more than I do right now; not that I don't need you. So please go to him and let him know that you haven't abandoned him. He is too young to understand long absences yet, so go teach him about life and what he needs to know to survive like someone once taught me. I'll be here anytime you need me. I have a very bright future here, and once your grandchildren no longer need you right there every minute, you always have a home here with me, your other son." She hugged me and started crying. Between sobs, she asked, "How did my son get so smart?" "I had a good teacher, that's how. Now go where you are needed most, and I love you, Mom." They all came down to spend Christmas with me. We did have a vacant three bedroom apartment when they came down that wasn't rented until after the New Year. We had a great time getting reacquainted. It was during my junior year that I met Karen Woods, a sophomore. I had been going to school every semester, including the summers, and even some nights too. I would be graduating in January of the next year. Karen was in my marketing class, and we got to know one another through that. We started dating, and I asked her to marry me six months after my graduation. We waited until she graduated the next year, and I was quite a catch by then. I had all the apartment complexes and the condos under my management, and I was starting to get the stations under me too. I figured that we would be running the whole empire that Jack and Sybil owned within a couple of years. Yes, Karen became my right hand in the business. At our second anniversary party, Jack gave me an envelope and said not to open it until we were home. I told him I wouldn't. I had said a long time ago, that if Jack asked me to do something, I would do it or die trying. I opened the envelope at work the next day, and read the letter inside. Jack and Sybil had signed the business over to us for the price of one dollar, which he deducted from my last paycheck from them. We had to go see his lawyer and the bank, but the businesses were now ours. Two years later, Jason Daniel Reagan was born. He was the spitting image of me as a baby. Mom came down for the birth and brought pictures of me at birth that showed how much he looked just like me at that age. Mom was looking much better since the first time I saw her at Thanksgiving six years ago. She still hadn't gained all of her weight back, but she no longer looked so gaunt. DJ and Brenda had a girl right around my old September birthday that next year. Gee, I wonder if staying at my place had anything to do with it. Becky and Greg are still childless, but that is by their choice. Mom spends half her time at home with Britney Conner, and the other half with Jason Reagan. I think the youngsters keep her happy and fulfilled. I know that my life couldn't be happier with Karen, Jason, and of course, Mom. That's about it. My life has been great so far, and I only see more good things for us on the horizon. We do get postcards from Jack and Sybil now and then, and I think maybe someday I will look for a young up and comer to pass my legacy and the businesses to, or I just might wait a while and groom Jase for the job. Edited by Regrimmett & Pepere Proofreading by Betty R & Prissy_35503 ------- The End ------- Posted: 2012-09-20 Last Modified: 2012-09-28 / 11:53:54 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------