William Redman Chapter 5

Posted: October 05, 2005 - 08:00:35 pm

Ken removed his clothes and placed them on the patio table. The past

four weeks had wrought major changes in his physique. He had lost

fifteen pounds, with even more fat having been turned into muscle. His

shirts were too large around the waist and too small at the shoulders.

He glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to stripping

outdoors. Lisa's body was a soft red color, flushed as a result of

embarrassment. After a month of morning exercises with William, Ling,

and Tim completely nude, they had decided to try performing the

exercises nude. In a way, they viewed it as a farewell gesture given

that Ling was leaving that afternoon.

Ken watched William step out of the house and take his normal place in

the yard. He was amazed the young man had barely glanced at Lisa. Ken

looked at his wife appreciating the changes that had occurred in her

body over the past four weeks. She had lost ten pounds and parts of her

body that had started to droop had firmed. The chill in the air had

stiffened her nipples. He wondered how William could be immune to her

charms.

Seeing his parents undressed, Tim started to jump up and down with glee.

He said, "Mommy and Daddy are naked!"

Laughing at the boy's excitement, William said, "So are you!"

"Yes, I am," said Tim with a smile even as he covered himself with his

hands.

In response to her son's comments, Lisa had turned a brighter shade of

red. She looked over at the pile of clothes wondering if it was too late

to get something to wear. The sound of the door closing let her know

that Ling had arrived. Resigned, she stepped over to the spot where she

normally stood during the exercise period.

Stepping to her place in front of everyone, Ling noticed the lack of

clothes on her two formerly reluctant students. After giving them a

brief nod of approval, she said, "Okay. Let's start."

For the next thirty minutes, Ling led them through the moves of Tai Chi.

The exercise was performed with slow controlled movements. With soft

comments, she corrected their mistakes. There were remarkably few

mistakes. The Armstrongs had learned their lessons well and Ling was

pleased.

When they finished, Ling said, "Very good. I hope you continue to

practice after I leave today."

In a very serious tone of voice, William said, "As soon as you go, we're

going to buy a dozen bags of potato chips, spread out on the couches,

and gorge ourselves on them. In a week, we'll have gained a good twenty

pounds and lost all of our muscle mass."

Looking over at William, a tear came to Ling's eye. In a soft voice

filled with emotion, she said, "Sometimes you remind me so much of your

father. He'd say things like that."

William went to his mother and gave her a hug. There were very few

occasions when she let her guard down and showed her vulnerabilities.

William treasured those moments and he wasn't about to let this one go

by unappreciated.

Touched and uncomfortable by the display of emotion, Ken put an arm

around his wife and took Tim's hand. He led them away from the scene to

give William and Ling the privacy they deserved. The past few weeks had

taught him a lot about himself and others. In the manner of kids

everywhere, Tim, his curiosity overwhelming his manners, kept turning

back to watch. Bending down to get Tim's attention, Ken said, "Tim, they

need to talk."

The boy nodded his head and asked, "Can we go swimming?"

"It's a little too cold to go swimming. Let's play with the radio-

controlled trucks instead," suggested Ken. He got the desired reaction

from Tim and they went into the house with Lisa following behind

carrying their clothes.

William and Ling took seats around the patio table. It was a little

cool, but not cold enough to chase them inside the house. Ling asked,

"You haven't found her yet?"

"No, I haven't," answered William. He looked across the yard and took a

deep breath as a wave of sadness washed over him.

"You're sure she's here?"

"If not this year, then maybe next year," answered William. His vision

of a young woman was fixed solidly in his mind.

Putting an arm around her son, Ling said, "You're sure of this."

"I've been dreaming of her for twelve years. It's not fair. Beth has had

John since she was a baby. Little John has had Susan since he was eight.

I'm fifteen and haven't found my true love yet," said William sounding

like a lonely fifteen-year-old boy.

It tore her heart apart to see William like that. It had taken years for

the family to realize that while William could see future events that

impacted others, he had almost no visions about events affecting him

directly. There was one vision of his future that they knew about. He

had a vision of the young woman who would become his true love. She

hugged him and said, "I know it's not fair."

William stared off at the horizon. The vision of a young woman about

fourteen years old going on fifteen came to mind. She was sitting on a

bench crying, her hands covering her face. He was looking down at her

brown hair. Her silky smooth hair was long enough to go to the middle of

her back. That was all he knew about the woman he loved. Withdrawing

from the vision, he said, "Soon. It has to be soon."

Shaking her head, Ling said, "I don't know what good it is for you to

have that vision if all it does is make you miserable."

"Can you imagine how horrible I would feel if I didn't know there would

be an end to my loneliness?" asked William. The horror in his voice was

unmistakable. He had never cursed having the vision, only that it hadn't

yet come to pass.

A shudder went through Ling at the thought of the misery he would have

experienced. She looked down at her lap and said, "You're right."

"I'm glad you came," said William.

Smiling at the change in subject, Ling asked, "Do you think Ken or Lisa

will get over my visit any time soon?"

"Oh, I think they'll actually miss you," said William with a light

laugh. He'd watched Ken gain confidence over the past few weeks. The

morning exercises had gotten the young couple into the best shape of

their lives. The fact that they had elected to strip this morning

suggested they were getting in touch with their bodies.

"You'll make sure that he continues to practice?"

"Yes. Every morning we'll practice Tai Chi. I'll have him go to the dojo

with me every other evening."

"What about his shooting?"

"He'll go to the police shooting range every other morning until he gets

his carry permit."

"Good," said Ling with a nod. At least having Ken carry a gun would

provide some measure of security that was currently lacking. It angered

her that William was considered too young to get a carry permit. Her son

had more discipline than most police officers.

Returning to a subject that they had discussed almost every day of her

visit, she said, "I'm going to find a body guard for you."

"You don't need to do that," said William.

"I need to do that for my own peace of mind," answered Ling. It wouldn't

matter if she were ninety years old, she would feel responsible for the

safety of the family. She looked at him and said, "I'd die if anything

were to ever happen to you."

Looking at her, he knew she was telling the truth. She took all attacks

against the family personally. It was a sad commentary on their lives

that there were attacks on the family. He said, "It's tough being wealthy."

"It's not wealth. It's the basic goodness that you and your fathers

possess that draws evil," said Ling. "Your father was attacked so many

times that even I think it is amazing John survived as long as he did.

Ed remains a constant target. I've never seen men with so many scars on

their bodies. Kelly has been attacked a couple of times, but either I or

Claire has always been there."

"I thought the attacks were quieting down."

"After that Middle East effort, three men tried to kill Ed. Leroy

basically saved him by calling the house and giving us a warning. It

wouldn't have been that big of a deal except that idiot husband of mine

decided it was time to act like bait. Fortunately, Leroy tackled him

just before one the terrorists fired," said Ling.

"Idiot husband?" asked William with a grin knowing that Ling must have

been seriously upset with Ed to call him that.

"Okay. My poor misguided husband who thinks he is invincible to

bullets," said Ling.

William laughed at his mother. Of course, Ed would try to get the bad

guys to reveal themselves. He said, "Let me get this straight. Daddy Ed

saw that there were men who wanted to hurt him, but he knows that they

couldn't be arrested for wanting to hurt him. They had to try to hurt

him, so he let them try. That way, they could be arrested."

"That's right. Like I said, misguided thinking," said Ling.

"You would have taken care of the problem by just killing them," William

said.

"Even I wouldn't do that, despite the temptation. I'd have roughed them

up and scared them off."

Knowing how much she would have liked to do that, William said, "Ah, I

see. Sounds like a plan to me. Although when I think about it, I suspect

they could have come back another time and ambushed him."

"That's what he said." Ling stared at the ground thinking about how hard

it was to protect her family. It was frustrating that evil was allowed

the first blow. The time and place of confrontation was up to them.

Everything was stacked against the good guys.

"It doesn't help that he was right," said William watching his mother.

"No it doesn't," she admitted.

It was late in the afternoon when William waved goodbye to Ling as she

drove off in her rental car. He watched the car disappear when it left

the driveway; his view of it blocked by the hedgerow that fronted his

property along the street. Turning, he went into the house.

"You're mother is gone?" asked Lisa knowing the answer to her question.

She asked it so that he could talk about it if he wanted.

"Yes," answered William. He went over to his desk and returned to his work.

"Dinner will be ready about six," Lisa said returning to her dusting

seeing that he wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Thank you," said William absently. His thoughts were already in the

world of economic forces and their consequences on stock prices. It was

time for him to adjust his portfolio of stocks. The transportation

industry was about to take a tumble after years of continued growth.

They'd react by raising rates, but that would only mitigate the problem

for a short time. The effects of higher prices would create a downturn

in the tourism industry. The end result would be a period of strong

growth in the entertainment industry.

He directed his browser to the web site of his brokerage firm. After

logging in, his account information filled the screen. He sat back to

examine the numbers. They looked good with all of his stocks showing

increases in value.

A tapping on the window attracted his attention. A raven was tapping on

the window and then flapping its wings. It took him a second to realize

that something bad had happened and the raven wanted his attention.

Springing out of the chair, he shouted, "Oh no."

William raced outside to the front of the house, leaving the front door

wide open. Lisa stared out the door after him. She called out for Ken

before racing to the door to watch where William was going. She wondered

if something had happened to Ling.

The raven had already taken wing and was flying towards the street.

William followed the large black bird to the front yard of the house

next door. A figure lay on the ground, unconscious and not moving.

Concerned about what he would find, he headed towards the figure.

Kneeling, he examined Jennifer and rolled her onto her back. It was

obvious she had lost at least twenty-five pounds during the two months

since he had last seen her. All of the baby fat had disappeared, as had

her feminine curves. She looked like a skeleton. It reminded him of

something someone had said to him once about another exceptionally

woman. 'Why pursue a woman who is that skinny when you can just stick

your cock in a bundle of sticks and achieve the same effect?'

He pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and called the police.

It took him a moment to figure out the address when they wanted to know

where he was. There wasn't much he could do except watch over her until

the ambulance arrived. She needed fluids, but there was no way for him

to get them into her while she was unconscious.

A police car was the first to arrive on the scene. It was less than a

minute since William had called. The prompt arrival was confirmation of

the reason why Ling had approved of moving into this neighborhood. One

of the cops raced over from the car and asked, "What's the problem?"

Borrowing Leroy's term for her condition, William answered, "Teenage

Wasting Disease."

"Pardon?"

"From the looks of her, I'd say that she collapsed because she hasn't

been eating. She's got Anorexia or Bulimia. It doesn't matter which,"

answered William knowing that the treatment she would receive at the

hospital would be the same. Shaking his head, he knew this wouldn't be

the first time she'd get rushed to the hospital like this. One or two

more trips and she'd damage her body beyond repair.

Bending down and examining the girl, the officer could see that William

had been right. The ambulance pulled up to the driveway. When the

ambulance personnel took charge of the girl, the officer turned his

attention to William to get the details. He asked, "What is your name?"

"William Redman Carter."

Seeing that the name agreed with the name give by the caller, the

officer asked, "So how did you come to find her?"

"The Raven brought me," answered William. His answer was punctuated by a

loud squawk from the Raven as it rested on the gutter of the house.

The officer looked up at the bird and then back at William. He wrote

down that William was bird watching and discovered her while observing a

raven. It was close enough to the truth. He asked, "So what did you do?"

"I examined her and then called the police."

It was a short simple story and one the chief would appreciate. He

asked, "Do you know her name?"

"Yes, she is Jennifer Mitchell. Her mother's name is Marjory Mitchell.

That's all I know," answered William.

"Do you know how to get in touch with Marjory Mitchell?"

"No idea," answered William realizing that he hadn't bothered to learn

much about his neighbors. He hadn't liked the mother's inquisitive

manners and had viewed the daughter as a minor irritation. Somewhat

ashamed of his behavior, he looked down at Jennifer and said, "It's a

shame."

"What?" asked the officer.

"Teenage Wasting Disease is fatal about ten percent of the time and has

long term medical complications fifty percent of the time. Even if she

doesn't die of it, she's going to put her family through hell."

The officer stared at William and said, "That's a pretty harsh thing to

say."

"I know, but it's the truth," said William. He looked down at her with

real regret and said, "I'm supposed to protect the weak from the strong.

How are you supposed to protect someone from themselves?"

"Sounds like something a Druid would ask."

"Yes," said William looking at the officer.

The officer closed his notepad and examined the young man standing in

front of him. There was something about the young man that was a little

scary, but not scary in a threatening way. He said, "They're going to

take her to Memorial Hospital. I suppose that as a friend of hers you'd

like to go there, but I'm afraid they can't take you in the ambulance."

"I'll have my driver take me there," said William with a negligent

gesture towards his house.

"That's an odd way to refer to one of your parents," said the officer.

"My driver is Ken Armstrong. He's not one of my parents."

The officer recognized the name. He had meet Ken at the shooting range

when he was learning to shoot under the watchful eye of Ling. He said,

"Oh, I know who that is. He's been at the shooting range with a really

attractive Chinese woman."

"The Chinese woman is one of my mothers."

"Oh, so he's your step-dad," answered the policeman deciding that

William was insulting his mother's new husband.

"No. He's my driver," said William. He was saved from further

explanation by the arrival of Ken. He turned to Ken and said, "They're

taking her to the hospital. We'll be going there before long. Tell Lisa

that we'll be late for dinner."

Turning to leave, Ken said, "Okay. I'll tell her and then get the car

ready."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to the house and take care of

some business before going to the hospital," said William to the

officer. He turned and headed towards the house. The raven lifted from

the roof and followed after him. The officer stared at the big black bird.

Marjory arrived at the waiting room and saw William seated in a chair

reading one of the financial newspapers. The headline proclaimed that

analysts thought the airlines would report record profits. Without

looking up at her, he folded the paper and set it on the table. She

screamed, "It's all your fault."

"What is my fault?" asked William knowing exactly what she was going to

accuse him of doing.

"If you had just paid her a little attention, she wouldn't have gone on

that damned diet," shouted the mother. She proceeded to vent her

frustrations in an abusive tirade in which she accused of him

intentionally hurting her daughter.

William stood and listened without expression. Once she had calmed down,

he said, "Jennifer and I are the same biological age. She's in ninth

grade. I'm in graduate school. We have nothing in common other than

biological age and you know that."

"You could have paid attention to her," said Marjory still venting her

anger.

"Do you want me to treat your daughter like a little toy that I fuck and

then put back on the shelf in the hopes that she'll eat?" asked William

in a quiet voice.

"Of course not!"

"So what would you have me do?"

"You could have talked to her!"

"About what? The stuff we're studying in school? I'm sure she'd love to

hear all of the details about consumer driven economic theories. No, I

don't think so. I know, how about the stuff I studied two years ago? I

bet she'd love to hear all about modern theories on the social drivers

of criminal behavior. No? How about Quantum Mechanics? That's a topic a

fifteen year old girl could really sink her teeth into," William didn't

want to make his point in that manner, but he couldn't allow his

neighbors to blame him for their problems.

"You could have talked to her about dating and stuff like that."

Looking Marjory in the eye, he said, "I've never had a date. I've never

found a girl, my age, who shares my interests. I'm not going to go

through a mating dance with a girl I can't talk with concerning what is

going on in my life."

"But you're the same age," said Marjory as if that meant something.

"I graduated high school when I was five. I would have been very happy

to date her when I was four, but I don't think she would have found that

very exciting."

It was so hard to look at William and not see a kid in the tenth grade.

The idea that he had graduated high school before her daughter had

entered kindergarten was mind boggling. She finally said, "I'll talk to

her."

"It won't do any good," said William looking down at the floor.

"What do you mean?" asked Marjory.

"It wasn't me. When she looks in the mirror, she sees something very

different than what you or I see. She sees a horribly fat monster

staring back at her. She needs psychological help or else she will

starve herself to death."

"What are you talking about? Are you trying to say that my daughter is

crazy?"

"Crazy? I wouldn't call it that," said William.

"You said that she needs to see a head shrink!" she said with a shriek

in her voice. She believed that a psychiatrist would blame her for her

daughter's problems. There was no way that she was to blame. She cooked

balanced meals. She did everything for her daughter.

"She needs psychological treatment," said William knowing that his

advice would be ignored. As a result, the chances of the girl dying just

increased.

"What do you know? You're just a kid," replied Marjory before turning

her back on him. She took off down the hall to return to her daughter's

side without a backward glance at him.

Ken stood off to the side having watched the interaction. Shaking his

head, he didn't know how William could have handled the mother any

better than he had. After Marjory had left, he said, "Don't feel bad.

You didn't do anything wrong."

"I accomplished nothing here," said William not feeling bad, just

impotent. The visit had been necessary, but the mother would deny the

problem and the daughter would hide it. As if he were pronouncing a

great doom, he said, "She'll die. It will take a couple of years, but in

the end she will die."

"You can't be serious," Ken said. He looked at William trying to

understand what was going through the boy's mind. There were times when

William made pronouncements like that and they tended to bother him.

Although he'd only been around William for two months, he'd seen enough

of them come true to be concerned.

"Very. She won't accept that Jennifer has a problem in time to save her

daughter's life," William looked at his watch and saw that it was after

six. Shaking his head, he said, "It's too late for me to help anyone here."

"What do you mean, it's too late?"

"Visiting hours are now. Normally, I'd spend an hour or two telling

stories to the kids, but they are busy with visitors."

"Telling stories?" asked Ken.

"Let's say it is a tradition that was started by my father. When any of

us are at a hospital, we usually spend a little time reading to the

kids. Since I'm a trained story teller, I tell them stories of my

people," William answered.

"What do you want to do?"

"We'll see if some child here doesn't have a visitor."