Failings of the Fathers: 9

"Blair!  Blair!" He bellowed.

"What is it?  You're louder than a trumpet in here!"  She came to the door of The Sun home office.

"Something's off.  I can't tell what, but . . ."

She looked at his desk.  There were papers strewn from end to end, a ledger book, and several bank and check books.  He said, "I'm racking my brain with this."

"What are you doing?"

"Jack mentioned today the college thing for Jenna.  Said she might want to go to Yale.  I needed to check it out and start thinking about both of them.  Jack might want college too, and it's going to take some money shifting.  Not that we can't afford it."

"So, what's all this?"

"Something's weird.  Some blind trust I . . . well I hate to admit it, but I totally forgot about it.  It's tough to see into, but it looks like it was set up back in the 90s.  Maybe when we got pregnant.  I must have done it and forgot because I wanted to provide something for the baby, and then with everything I went through in Ireland, I lost track."

"That sounds right.  You probably forgot about it, is that what you mean?"

"That's what I mean, but in all honesty I can't remember at all.  And here it is.  There's something off about it though."

"Why?"

"It's been siphoning money off other accounts since then, and I really never noticed it."

"What?  That's unlike you.  Seriously."

"I wouldn't have noticed it, but it's connected to the Swiss accounts.  I looked at those for extra cash to move around.  You, know, just in case."

"Siphoning off from the Swiss accounts?"

"Yep."

"Why don't you call Timothy?  You can check on Aiden and while you're at it, tell him about this.  He's a lawyer, he can get to the bottom of it, right?"

"That makes sense, thanks."

"And don't worry.  You went through a lot, you just must have just forgotten about doing it."

"Yeah, I must have."

***

The cafeteria was about half full at late night snack that evening.  Aiden made his way there, to take part in the late night hot milk and cookies they offered to the patients.  In choosing his snack and sitting down at a table, he noticed two men sitting and talking next to him.  They spoke English.  One had a slight accent, British, and the other was apparently American.  He looked up.  "Evening to ya."

"Evening," one said.  The older one nodded.

"Nice they do this for us, eh?"  Aiden asked.

"It's quite nice.  Something very warming for the night."  The younger of the two said.

"My name's Eric," Aiden said, extending a hand.

The younger of the two took it, and shook.  "Malcolm.  Malcolm Carlisle."

"Pleased."

The older American put his hand out next.  "Calvin Ames."

"Pleased to meet ya as well."

"What are you in here for?"  Calvin asked.

"I'm here for me head.  This," he traced his finger along his scar.  "Memory loss, and brain damage, maybe worse.  Not really sure, just hoping to find out.  What about ya?"

"Heart condition.  A few other ailments."

"Y'ar accent is American, I can tell.  Where are ya from?"

Calvin caught eye with someone coming in.  

Malcolm turned and said, "Miguel!  Come on over."  The third man was younger than both of the men, and came toward them, sitting down.  Malcolm said, "This is Eric."

Miguel shook his hand and smiled.  "Hello," he said with a distinct accent that Aiden hadn't heard before.

Aiden said, "We're the United Nations, we are."

The men laughed.  Malcolm picked up his glass of warm milk, and said, "To new friends getting well."

"Here, here!"  They clinked glasses.

Malcolm said, after taking a big swig of his milk, "You said you were dealing with a brain injury.  Do you know how it happened?"

"I think that's what I'm here for.  To find out.  I don't have memory of my life before it.  I was told it was a shooting.  I was six."  Aiden said.

Calvin swallowed, as if in reaction to his words.  The others gave each other looks, and Miguel said, "Tough break."  It was clear to Aiden that Miguel was also from The States.

"It was.  But I'm here, that's what counts.  I'm determined to know the truth."  Aiden said.

"We all need truth," Malcolm said.  "It's the best thing we can hope for.  How can you live without it?"

"Truth is beauty and beauty truth," Miguel added.

Aiden drank his milk and noticed how different they all were:  standoffish Calvin, gracious Malcolm, observant Miguel.  He looked at the man, and said, "Calvin, what do you think about truth?"

Calvin was chewing a bite of cookie, and continued.  Then he turned and said, "Sometimes you're better off without it.  Take it from an old, old man."

***

"Well, I called him.  Aiden's doing fine."  Todd said, and Blair perched herself on the arm of the ochre sofa in the room.

She said, "Good.  I'm glad he's all right."

"I forgot how late it was there when I called.  Timothy was up, but he told me they don't get calls at the clinic that late.  So, I can call Aiden tomorrow morning, which means like midnight tonight or something."

"It's tough to get used to that time difference."

"Anyway, he is doing all right.  Has a lot of decisions to make about surgeries.  Has been in therapy."  His voice trailed off as he organized his papers back into the folio.  He muttered to himself, "Wonder how long it is before the experts figure out he was brainwashed."

"Todd.  Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know."

"Why do you say this?"

"I . . . just know.  The pain when he tries to access memories.  When I gave him my mantra, it worked.  As it does for me.  Just something I believe has happened to him.  He shows a lot of signs of it."

"What would they have brainwashed him for?  He was just a little boy?"

"Blair, I've learned one thing, and that is that evil doesn't care whether or not someone's a little boy."

She swallowed, and tears sprung to her eyes.  "Oh, Todd."

"I'm . . . sorry, it's just . . . the truth."

She sniffed.  "What would they want from him?  When someone brainwashes you, they want something, or they want you to do something."

"Or forget something.  Depends."

My God.  He knows too much about this.  She said, "What are you thinking it was about, then?"

"They probably wanted him to forget.  The Men of 21.  They wanted him to forget his family.  No ties."

She waited a minute.  "Is that what they wanted you to do?"

He continued to shuffle papers, and then looked up.  "Yeah.  I think so.  Less ties make someone more pliable.  I wouldn't let it happen, though.  I recited your names every day.  It worked.  I never forgot.  Remembered every little bit.  In fact, well, you know the rest.  You all got me through."

She walked to the desk, and ran her hand over his shoulder and up into his hair.  "I know.  Todd, Aiden was only six.  Do you think they hurt him?"

He didn't want to upset her, especially with the baby on board.  So he said, "Probably not.  He was a little kid, so he just cooperated.  At least, I'd like to think so."

"What else did Timothy say?"

"He said he 'vowed to fight until we find out the truth.'  Something like that."  He imitated his adopted father's accent.

Blair smiled despite the topic of discussion.  "That's good.  Maybe he'll find the answer."

"Maybe."

"Todd?"

"Yeah, Blair?"  he continued to pack the last of the papers into his folio.

"Think everything is going to be all right?  With the baby and us?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of that.  Really sure."  He got up from the seat, and took her in his arms.  "She's going to be great, we're going to be great.  The kids, everyone."

"I just . . . want us to be happy.  I want things to be . . ."

"Normal?"

"Yeah, but our kind of normal," she said, touching his face.  "The Manning normal.  Which probably isn't normal at all."

"Like us, against the world.  Us, causing trouble, taking over companies.  Like this blind trust, we'll seek it out and conquer it, whatever it is.  No one's getting the best of us.  Besides, the typical normal is dull.  Remember, you and I on top of the world?  The penthouse, and us, standing there over all of Llanview?"

Her eyes brimmed and glistened.  "Of course I remember that," she said, looking away from his gaze briefly.

"Well, that's our normal.  We don't let anything stand in our way, remember?"  He leaned down to her stomach and said, "Got that, Jewel?  You're a Manning.  Start listening."

She smiled.  "Not boring normal, Todd, but just not . . . hurting, you know?"

"I know.  I really know, Babe."

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