Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. OK everyone, here's what up. * This story involves some sexual contact between two teenagers, blatantly implied incest, and some other weird shit confronted by two young children. If you don't like that, stop reading. * This is not a stroke story. If you don't like that, stop reading. * This story concentrates on the feelings of the main character. If you don't like that, stop reading. * All description in this story are completely made up, none of it is real. If you want a confession, stop reading. * I'm a sucker for childhood romance. I believe it is the purest form of love. If you don't like that, stop reading. * I like stories, where the right people end up together at the end. If you want heartache and pain, stop reading. If you are still here, I hope you enjoy. But remember all rights are reserved for the author who claims exclusive use. Permission to repost or print for profit is not granted. Please contact the author with any questions. Always With Me Chapter 5: Two Unexpected Events By Secret DC Guy (rom, m-solo, mf sort of) * * * A musty sweetness filled the air in the dark basement of my parents' house. So we could be sure no one would see that we were down there, we had not turned on a light. Now, huddled together on top of my father's chest of childhood treasures, we strained to hear the conversation coming from the living room above us. "I'm sorry, Mr. Schaffer," an old man's voice struggled. "We are a local bank, and we just can't have one of our senior employees involved in such a scandal." "And I'm sorry Mr. Long," my father calmly replied. "I cannot accept that a bank that stresses how open it is to banking with new groups of people would feel this way." The old man was apparently Frederick Long, the chairman of the board of the bank my father worked for. I had always believed that they got along well, and I knew my father respected him. "Now see here Schaffer!" a middle aged man replied. "We don't mind being associated with the blacks or the Jews, but this bank will not be known for associating with homosexuals. Now if you were to get a divorce we could play you to be the victim, but you don't seem to care that your wife is s dirty dyke." It sounded like William Richards the president of my father's bank. "Mr. Richards," my father said calmly, though I could sense that he was seething. "I assure you, there is nothing dirty about my wife." "Whatever you say, Schaffer," the other man continued. "It doesn't matter. We've been suspect of the company you keep for a long time. With you being all buddy-buddy with Jenkins over there and that n_____ foreman he has running around all his construction sites..." "Sir, that language is out of line..." Jenny's father began to shout. But before he could finish he was interrupted. "Mr. Jack, that word don't bother me," Amos Jones calmly interjected. "It only bothers a man if he lets it have power over him. But Mr. Richards, know that using that word don't give you no power over this negro." When the middle-aged man started to speak again, I could hear the anger in his voice. "I'll make a note of it, boy! Anyway Schaffer, some of our long time customers are threatening to leave the bank if we don't get rid of the cuckold with the lesbian wife. I mean, she got caught in the backseat of a car having sex with Jenkins wife. Can they be a little more obvious? We cannot and will not continue to employ someone with a homosexual in their family!" "Now, Mr. Richards, sir," I heard Amos say slowly, as if he were about to say something where he wanted to have every word heard and understood. "I has been talkin' to a friend of mine in New York. I goes there sometimes when I get bored with this little town. And he's telling me that you've got a son there dying of that AIDS thing. My friend swears up and down the hill that your boy ain't no drug addict too. Maybe a man like you shouldn't be throwing so many stones." The room was silent. Amos Jones had spoken and this Mr. Richards had lost a battle. I understood even more why Jenny's father said that his old black foreman was as big a part of his operation as he was. It seemed that Amos knew someone in every town on the East Coast, was able to seduce any woman, and knew more about building sites then most trained engineers. When Mr. Jenkins needed something done, Amos Jones got it done. This was another example. "I don't care what you think, n_____!" the middle-aged man yelled. "Schaffer, you're fired. And Jenkins I know you're going to say that your business with us is over. Well, on Monday consider all of your loans called due. Go to hell you dyke loving assholes." He then stomped across the room and slammed the front door behind him. There was a brief pause before the old man finally spoke. "Well Kev, he made an ass of himself. He just doesn't know how big. Are you sure you have everything set up?" "Yes, Mr. Long, we just need the last of those documents," my father said. "And thank you for everything. You're a standup guy and a good mentor." The old man chuckled, "Well I don't know about that, but I do know I need a break from all of this. So my niece and I are going away for a while. Here's a spare key to my car. Find it at the airport later this afternoon. The documents will be in the trunk." "Where are you going?" I heard Jenny's father interject. "Well as I said, my niece and I are going away for a little while. Poor thing is pregnant again," the old man said wistfully. "We'll fly to Florida, but then double back to DC. I'm going to pay our friends down there a face to face visit. We did our part; I want to remind them of their end of the bargain." "Poor thing," I heard Amos Jones laugh. "One thinks that the poor girl's great-uncle could keep a better eye on her, making her his secretary and all. Or has he been keeping too close an eye on her?" Everyone in the room began to laugh. I'm not sure how long for, but when they were finished, the old man continued, "Mr. Amos Jones, Mr. Jenkins is right, you can find out anything. Suffice it to say, if I stay healthy, this could be a continuing problem." "Wells, Mr. Long," Amos Jones continued, "three's a fine number of kids to have around the house. More than that can be hard, or so my sister says. Keeps a man young though... keeps a man young." After a few more laughs the old man said his good-byes, and left the house. Then our fathers and Amos Jones decided that they needed a beer to celebrate, and left for Jenny's house by the back door. Jenny climbed down off the chest. With nowhere else to rest and process what we had just heard, we sat on the basement floor. The natural coolness of the concrete felt cold to my body-- as if it stole any warmth and comfort I had in my life. I knew that my parents' marriage was different, sexually at least, but I never thought it would get my father fired. If it had been even just a few years ago, I would have been confident that my father would be able to get another job. However, at this point, almost all of the local banks had been taken over by large statewide interests. My father's bank was one of the last independents, always claiming that they had cash reserves big enough to prevent any takeover. Now though, I didn't know where my father could find another job. Jenny seemed to be just as upset as I was. She didn't look at me--only at the floor. First, she sniffled a little, but soon started bawling. I pulled her close to me letting her cry into my shoulder. "What just happened?" she asked though her tears. I couldn't answer, so I just kept holding her. It seemed we stayed that way for at least an hour. Eventually, I heard my father come home with my mother. I was surprised that they seemed to be laughing. That didn't match with him being fired. After a few minutes of silence, I heard my mother ask if I was home. My father said that he didn't think so. I didn't hear anything else, except for them running up the stairs. After a few more minutes, Jenny got up and pulled me to my feet. One of the doors led outside, and she pulled me too it. Without a word, we walked across my back yard and through the field to the railroad tracks. She held my hand all the way there. At the tracks, I took the lead and we walked towards the corner store. It seemed as good as any place to go. I was sure that Jenny was only holding my hand for the comfort a friend can give, but for me it was more. Over the past few years, we had started to drift apart. I was very involved in Boy Scouts, while Jenny spent her time with the cheerleaders. We did still talk every night and the conversations were about the most intimate things--crushes, hopes for the future, and our home lives which seemed to get stranger every day. Inevitably though, Jenny would bring up guys. She would talk about the ones who liked her and what was wrong with each of them. She would rattle off a list of what she wanted in a guy, and usually it sounded an awful lot like me. I didn't think she realized it though, and would eventually tell me that she'd find someone like that. At the end of those conversations, I was always sad. "Brian, did you hear me?" I heard Jenny ask. I had phased out for a few minutes as we walked. I turned to say that I hadn't, but when I saw her I could not speak. It wasn't that she looked beautiful at the moment--at least it wasn't just that. She always looked amazing. However, at moments like this, when her hair was messed up and her eyes were red from crying, her beauty looked honest and sincere. It was as if lip gloss, eye liner, and perfume hid her from the world. It was only me--and maybe her parents--who got to see the real her. "Earth to Brian!" Jenny said as she tapped me on the side of the head. Shaking my head, I told her that I got distracted. Sighing, she said she could understand. Then she said, "I know that it's still two days until our birthdays, but let's have our own little celebration right now." I smiled and nodded. Ten minutes later we were sitting on the stoop of Mr. Johnson's store sharing our birthday cake, which was really a pack of Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, and a liter bottle of Coke--Jenny thought it was a better buy and we should share. However, we had also just gotten our second shock of the day. A 7-Eleven had just opened up on the main road. Mr. Johnson didn't think he could compete with a national chain, so he was retiring. At the end of the month he was closing and moving Florida. It seemed like everything was ending. * * * I'm not sure exactly where we walked to that evening, but it was already dark when we started back down our street. Though the warm air of the late spring evening tried to embrace and comfort us, the emotions of the day had left me cold. When we walked under a missing street light I reflectively looked up. Past the burned out light, the trees, and the houses the stars shone brightly in the sky. The night was so clear and the Milky Way so bright that I couldn't make out any constellations other than Orion and the Dippers. However, even filled with stars, the sky seemed empty. Or maybe it was just me. "I'm sure they're beautiful," Jenny sighed next to me. She grabbed my arm with both hands and gently leaned against me. When I looked down at her and our eyes met, there was something different in her expression. She still seemed wounded, but now she looked determined as well. Neither of us said anything, as Jenny began to rise to her toes. Her eyes closed and her lips began to pucker. My heart raced. I can't say that I thought about this since the day we met, but in the past few years it was one of the things I wanted most--to kiss Jenny Jenkins. Without thinking, I closed my eyes too and waited for the best thing that might ever happen to me come. It might make this day worth it. However, Jenny's lips never touched mine. Instead, I felt a soft kiss on my cheek, then her forehead on my shoulder. "Brian, you are the greatest man in the world. And I will always love you for that." I should have been happy to hear those words from anyone, but tonight they stabbed at me. Somehow, Jenny had managed to ruin an already bad day. They say that when you think nothing can get worse, life inevitably does. That's exactly how the evening turned out. When we got home, Mr. Jenkins and my father were sitting on our front porch having a beer and looking at some papers. When they saw us, they waved us over. "Kids," my father said softly. By his tone, I knew something was wrong. "I know you like to celebrate your birthday together, but we're not going to be able to do that this year. "In fact, both celebrations are going to have to wait for next weekend." Though I was just sad, Jenny sounded livid as she asked why. Her father explained that my father already had a job interview tomorrow, but it was in Pittsburgh. Not to worry, though there was no chance we'd be moving. Jenny and her father were going down to Virginia where his corporation was registered. Amos Jones was going down with them as far was Washington, DC because he had `some business' to take care of. I didn't really want to know what his business was. Our mothers were going down to the King of Prussia Mall to do some shopping. Needless to say each of us would be out of town on Sunday, our birthday, and wouldn't be home until late. Our fathers promised up and down that they would make it up to us. That night at the window, Jenny told me that she was happy my father might be getting another job already, and even more that I wouldn't be moving away. She never mentioned Mr. Johnson's corner store closing or anything else from the evening. I, on the other hand, tried to discreetly bring up the kiss. I wanted to say how much I wanted to feel her lips against mine and was disappointed that she and only kissed my cheek. However, every time I got close she steered the conversation away. Eventually, I just gave up and tried to enjoy talking with her-- though tonight it was hard. Finally, as we were finishing, Jenny said, "Brian, what I said earlier... I meant it." Without even saying good night, she walked to her bed and turned out the light. Confused, I sat in the window wondering what was going on in her mind. * * * The next morning, my father and I were on the road by six o'clock. My mother had left the night before, so we got donuts on our way. Even though the trip was ruining my birthday weekend, it was a little special because my father let me drink a Coke while he drank his coffee. My mother never let me have soda in the morning. We drove all morning, passing through towns like Bellefonte and Altoona that I had never heard of before. Finally, just about noon we pulled into downtown Pittsburgh. Nestled in a valley between two ridges, the downtown seemed small and dingy. The air felt thick with soot. Though I had been in New York City and Philadelphia, I had never felt this uncomfortable in a city. My father parked in a nondescript parking garage and we started down the street. Eventually, we stood in front of one of the tallest buildings. A sign on the awning read `Middle Union Bank'. I had heard of the company before. In fact, they had been on the news a lot. Apparently, there were banks called `savings and loans' that had been failing for years. For the most part, Pennsylvania had been spared until recently. Now when the savings and loans failed, Middle Union was buying them. To people who had accounts at those banks, they were heroes because people were not losing their money. However, most of the savings and loans were locally based, so people who didn't have savings at them were protesting a big bank taking over their `local bank'. As we entered the lobby, a security guard approached us. "Kevin Schaffer?" he asked. My father said that he was and shook hands with the man who ushered us to an elevator. He put a key in the panel and pushed the button for the top floor, explaining that the upper floors had controlled access. When we reached our floor, he walked us into a large suite unlocking doors along the way. Finally, he knocked on a large wooden door, then let us in. There were four people in the room sitting at a long table. Three of the men sat on one side of the table, a tired looking man sat at the other. We were ushered to sit next to the tired man, and for a moment no one spoke, thought it seemed as if everyone already knew each other. Then the tired man pushed a button on a cassette recorder and began to speak. "This is special agent Michael Plyer at the headquarters of Middle Union Bank located at 400 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Present are Miles Harvey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Middle Union Bank; Mark Duggan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Middle Union Bank; Jefferson Turner, Chief Counsel of Middle Union Bank; and Kevin Schaffer, formerly of First Northeastern Bank. Also, in the room is Brian Schaffer, son of Kevin Schaffer, who, given the totality of the circumstances, is being allowed to sit in on this meeting," the man said in one breath. The he looked at me and said, "Mr. Schaffer, I know you are too young to understand these circumstances, but as the government, Middle Union, your father, and other interested parties require the greatest level of confidentiality. You may not... I repeat... You may not repeat to anyone outside of this room what you are about to hear." Everyone was looking at me, so I shook my head. When special agent Plyer asked me to speak louder for the recorder I said "yes" as loud as I could. The special agent began, "On the 18th of February, 1988 Amos Jones, silent partner in and foreman for Jenkins Construction Industries detected irregularities in billing from loans financed by First Northeastern Bank. He brought his concerns to John Jenkins--also known as Jack Jenkins--his partner in and the principal of Jenkins constructions. Mr. Jenkins then brought them to the attention of Kevin Schaffer at the time a vice-president of First Northeastern Bank. After agreeing that there appeared to be an error, Mr. Schaffer took the issue to William Richards the president of First Northeastern Bank. When he did not receive an answer he considered to be coherent, Mr. Schaffer brought the matter to the attention of Frederick Long, the chairman of the board of First Northeastern Bank. Mr. Long dismissed the chance of an error and based upon his many years of experience in bank management identified willful fraud. On February 20, 1988 Mr. Long contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. With the United States Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the FBI initiated an investigation. The investigation identified 492 possible crimes that have been committed. This information was turned over to the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, who presented the findings to a grand jury based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The grand jury returned 382 indictments against numerous individuals involved in management of First Northeastern Bank. Mr. Schaffer and Mr. Long were not named on any of the indictments. In the meantime, Mr. Richards employed private investigators from the firm of Kelly's Special Investigations to discredit Mr. Schaffer. However, Mr. Richards was unaware that James Kelly, owner of the aforementioned company, had been contracted by the FBI in regards to several other cases. Mr. Kelly proceeded with the consent of the FBI. Last night, Friday June 8, 1988, Mr. Schaffer was fired from his position at First Northeastern Bank based upon a close friendship his wife shares with the aforementioned Mr. Jenkins wife. This was done by Mr. Richards in the presence of Mr. Long. Mr. Schaffer, is all of this true to the best of your knowledge?" My father said that it was and added some more detail about how he approached his superiors at the bank. My head was spinning. Apparently, my father had been fired for discovering something criminal was going on at work--not for my mother's relationship with Jenny's mom. Special Agent Plyer thanked my father and began again. "On February 15, 1988 Jefferson Turner of Middle Union Bank approached federal regulators regarding the possibility of taking over First Northeastern Bank. However, they admitted that they had inside information regarding the holdings of the bank, which they believed were lower than publicly reported. On February 20, 1988 the FBI was informed as a matter of courtesy that a bank was to be investigated for lack of funds. This occurred the same day that the FBI was informed of possible impropriety at First Northeastern Bank. As the investigation progressed, it was determined that if indicted First Northeastern would not be able to continue as a solvent bank. After a grand jury returned 382 indictments against First Northeastern Bank, federal regulators and Middle Union Bank agreed that Middle Union would be allowed to buy First Northeastern after it was seized by regulators. At the same time Middle Union requested that the FBI provide a list of employees that would not be included in the indictment, so they could retain someone to provide continuity. The only two officers of the bank who would not be charged were chairman of the board Frederick Long and Kevin Shaffer, a vice-president. Both were approached by Middle Union and federal regulators to determine if they would be interested. Mr. Long agreed to be a consultant, while Mr. Schaffer initially agreed to remain as a regional vice-president for Middle Union. However, in the meantime Mr. Schaffer was fired by First Northeastern in circumstances that violate federal employment law. Thus, Middle Union Bank contacted federal regulators to determine if they could hire Mr. Schaffer outright. Regulators consented. Is this true to the best of your knowledge?" The three men from the bank agreed in their own ways. After they had, special agent Plyer turned off the tape recorder thanked everyone. Apparently, for legal purposes he needed to have the facts of the case recorded so that no one could question the legality of my father being hired. After a phone call to the security guard and a few minutes of small talk, we were left alone with my father's new employers. "I guess this is a lot for you to take in, kid" Mr. Harvey said to me. "Don't worry, we'll be spending the rest of the day at my country club." Then turning to my father he continued, "Kevin, you two ride with us. One of the drivers can bring your car over." An hour later I was outside of the city unpacking some of my stuff in a private room at a country club that must have been really expensive. There were two golf clubs in our town, but neither of them had guest room, especially ones that were nicer than any hotel room I had ever been in. I only had about 20 minutes before I needed to meet my father for a late lunch and I was starving, but I just had to let myself flop down on the bed. It was larger than even my parents'. As I rolled to my side, I pictured Jenny there. In the excitement of the day, I hadn't thought about her at all. Now, lying in a big bed, I wished she was next to me giving me the kiss I didn't get last night. Closing my eyes I rolled towards where she would be. Grabbing a pillow I began to cuddle with it, holding it like I would hold her. Rubbing my face against hers--at least in my imagination--I puckered my lips and began to kiss her. I kissed softly at first, but soon started to go faster. I was about to open my lips when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see my father at my door. Without a word I jumped up from my bed and got in the shower. When my father and I got down to lunch, I was in for a surprise. Instead of seeing Mr. Harvey sitting alone, there was a girl with him--a girl about my age. Apparently, he and my father had some business issues to discuss, but instead of making me sit through it or leaving me to my own devices he thought it would be a good idea to bring his granddaughter, April, along to keep me company. Looking at her, I was glad he did. April was already fourteen, but seemed older than that. Her dark hair fell below her shoulders while still framing her face. However, there was something disjointed about that because her skin was very light. Looking over her body I could tell she was thin, but I also noticed that she had a huge chest. I couldn't remember ever seeing one that big before. She definitely had more than Jenny, the person I looked at most. Somehow though, she reminded me of someone-- someone I couldn't think of. Apparently, I wasn't discreet about looking at April, at least to her, because she winked at me and mouthed "later". With that our attention turned to the adults. Mr. Harvey asked me questions, while my father chatted with April. Each did some bragging. It was the standard dance adults do when children are present, filling time while pretending to pay attention to the kids. It was a relief when April and I were left alone to walk the club grounds. There was a game room where she showed me how to play pool. I was a slow learner, but she wasn't very good anyway. We had fun playing for hours. Eventually, we were sitting at a table in the back of the `grill' eating cheeseburgers for dinner when we started to talk about ourselves. When April asked if I was dating anyone I told her that I wasn't. It was true, even though I had a huge crush on Jenny, she gave no indication of liking me back. For the rest of dinner, April smiled. Afterwards, she asked me to take a walk. While on late summer evenings long shadows slowly cover the ground, early June evenings still get dark quickly. Thus, while it had still been light when we started out, it was almost dark when we walked around the lake in the middle of the golf course. As it was much too late for anyone to still be on the course, we noticed only a marshal driving a cart around to gather up any stragglers. At first he challenged us, but when April mentioned who she was, he got a sly smile on his face and said it was OK. It almost seemed as if they had made a quick deal. We continued walking as the darkness settled in. Eventually, we came to a bench near the teeoff place at one of the holes. April gently grabbed my hand and led me to one of the side benches. Without saying a word we straddled the bench looking at each other. April was beautiful, though not as much as Jenny. I had seen Jenny looking her worst, without makeup, with her hair messed up in the morning and even with red eyes after crying. No matter what, though, she had a natural beauty that entranced me every time I saw her. April, on the other hand, looked like a woman out of one of the fashion magazines my mother bought. There was just something unreal about her. And there was still something that looked familiar. After a few minutes, April pulled herself close to me. She whispered in my ear, "Have you done it before?" I was shocked. Though I had felt some chemistry between the two of us, I didn't know she had felt any. I looked down, feeling almost ashamed and told her I hadn't. Instead of laughing or teasing me, April just whispered that tonight would be a good night for my first time. Then she kissed me. It was slow and gentle, sweet and caring. After a minute or two of nervousness, I felt comfortable and started to get into the kiss. As we moved from gentle to frantic and back again, I could feel myself getting hard. Eventually, I just wanted to rip my pants off and jump on her. I got even more turned on when April took my hand and slid it under her shirt. Somehow I had missed the fact that she had unclasped her bra, which hung loose. With one hand then two, I started to cress and squeeze her breasts. This was something that Julia hadn't even let me do, much less Jenny. It was funny that I thought of Julia, as I hadn't in a long time. As I got bolder, April got more into it. She told me to pinch her nipples as hard as I could. The more it seemed to me that it would have hurt, the more she seemed to like it. After I don't know how long, April told me to stand up. We did at the same time. To my surprise, she kicked off her shoes and slid her jeans and panties right off. I must have been stunned, because the next thing I knew my jeans were around my knees and she was stroking me gently. "You're lucky that kissing did the trick, I don't do blow jobs," she said pulling me back to the bench. I tried to take my shoes off so I could get my jeans off the rest of the way, but April told me not to. For her, it was hotter with my pants still on. There was something familiar about seeing April laying there in front of me, but I put it out of my mind. I was about to lose my virginity, and I couldn't remember being so excited. However, suddenly Jenny popped into my mind. Something made me feel like I was cheating on her. I must have phased out for a second thinking about Jenny, because I felt April's hand take mine and slide it down her stomach over her hair and on to her pussy. It was wet and felt a little slimy, but again, felt familiar. She told me that she was ready. I knew what she meant. As she guided me towards her, I looked over her body again. First her lower hair, then her stomach, then her breasts still covered by her shirt. When I looked at her face though, I knew who she looked like. Julia was below me smiling with almost a sneer waiting for me to pleasure her. Everything went black. The next thing I knew I was back in my room with my father sitting on one side of the bed and April sitting on a chair next to the bed. "All right now, kid?" my father asked. I nodded my head hoping my father wouldn't ask any questions. However, next he said, "April, said that you were just walking along and fainted. That right?" Again I nodded, but I could tell in my father's eyes that he knew I was lying, as if he knew what had been going on. "Well, no harm done," he sighed. You need to get some sleep. He stood up and told April we could have a minute. Part of me wanted to try again, but I knew my father was probably just outside of the door. So instead I apologized to April and broke into the whole story about Julia, thought I didn't say how much, I now realized, they looked alike. Needless to say, she was horrified and insisted on apologizing. We both cried for a few minutes. When we finished, April pulled a piece of country club stationary out of the drawer and wrote down two addresses. The first was her home and the second was for her boarding school. She told me that she wanted me to write. My smile must have been a signal she was looking for because then she asked me if I would be her boyfriend. I was shocked, though we almost had sex I hadn't thought about whether I wanted more from her. I was about to say yes, but then I thought of Jenny. Though she never gave me any inkling that she was interested, somehow I still felt that having a girlfriend would be cheating on her. Still, when the moment seemed right to kiss yesterday, I only got a peck on the cheek. Though we still talked every day, I was sure there was nothing more than friendship between us. Almost to spite Jenny, I told April I would be happy to be her boyfriend. After a big smile and a hug she stood up, telling me she couldn't wait for my first letter. After she was out the door, my father walked back in. "You may not realize it now, son, but I think you got saved today." When I asked what he meant, he said I'd figure it out myself. With that, he left. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep. * * * The next day my father and I left early. I had been hoping April would be there to see me off, but she wasn't, though her grandfather was there saying he would see my father that night. I had no idea what he meant, but I figured it had to do with his new job. More importantly though, it did seem that Mr. Harvey didn't seem to know anything happened between me and his granddaughter. I was relieved. My father took a different route home. This time we drove down the Pennsylvania Turnpike, mostly in silence. It seemed my father was thinking about something, even mumbling to himself as if he were trying to get a speech correct or something. At first I thought it was going to be for me, but when an hour had passed and he hadn't said anything about yesterday, I decided that other things were on his mind. Finally, when we changed roads at Harrisburg and turned north, he seemed to have everything worked out. After apologizing for not talking for over three hours, he asked me what really happened yesterday. With some shame I told him. After saying that he had thought as much, he started telling me how it was the wrong situation, though at some point April might be the right person. However, he was pretty sure that Mr. Harvey had invited her to entertain me. Though he probably expected me to sleep with his granddaughter, it was better that I didn't. What I needed was to be sure that it was what she really wanted. "She doesn't seem like a hooker to me," my father said with a snicker. "Best not let her be used like one." When I told him about her asking me to be her boyfriend he got quiet, then told me it should be fine for now. I didn't know what that meant, but didn't really want to ask either. Instead I just enjoyed the rest of the ride in silence, thinking about April, but with Jenny always in the back of my mind. * * * I was sitting with Jenny, my mother and Mrs. Jenkins in our living room at about 8 o'clock when, just like my father said would happen, there was breaking news on the TV. After the news anchor said that they were going to a press conference, I saw an empty podium at the local federal building. In a few seconds, a few people began to walk behind it. Among them were my father, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Harvey, Special Agent Plyer, Amos Jones, and everyone else in the Pittsburgh meeting. Agent Plyer spoke first, "Today, agents and investigators from the FBI, Treasury Department, Postal Inspection Service, and Federal Reserve, along with local and state law enforcement raided the offices of First Northeastern Bank executing search warrants related to fraud. In addition, the same agencies raided the homes of most of the administration of the bank, again, for bank fraud. I regret to inform all depositors that the bank is insolvent due to what the Federal Government believes is fraud on levels that even seasoned investigators can hardly believe. However, depositors should not panic--and borrowers should not celebrate--the Federal Deposit Insurance Company does guarantee deposits up to a certain level. While anything above that would generally be uninsured, Middle Union Bank has offered to buy all assets of First Northeastern and will honor all deposits. However, in order to prevent a run on the bank, the government has declared tomorrow and Tuesday to be a bank holiday at First Northeastern so that Middle Union can adjust their systems. All employees of First Northeastern are requested to report for work tomorrow at what was formerly the headquarters of First Northeastern, as Middle Union informs us that there will be no layoffs. As a note, of the two board members not arrested, one of them, Kevin Schaffer, will be assuming control of all Middle Union business in the region. Suffice it to say, there will be a smooth transition. Are there any questions?" For the next half hour reporters, both local and national, asked questions of everyone at the podium. Mr. Harvey stated that the decision to buy First Northeastern was made well before any wrong doing was suspected. Mr. Jenkins, with some help from Amos Jones, described how they found the fraud. When my father started talking about the intricacies of running a bank, I phased out. As it was a school night, Jenny's mother ushered her out the door. My mother seemed to want to have a conversation about how everything was going to be OK. However, after sitting through the Pittsburgh meeting, I wasn't nervous at all. Instead, I listened for a few minutes then excused myself to bed. After a few minutes Jenny appeared at the window. For a while she talked about how surprised she was about what had happened. When she went to Virginia with her father that weekend, she knew he was taking care of some financial business, but neither he nor Amos Jones had said what they were. She talked more about the trip and how she got to see her aunt, uncle, and cousins. With everything that had happened in the past three days, it was a bit hard for me to follow. Eventually, she did ask what had happened on my weekend. Something told me it was a bad idea, but Jenny was the person I told everything to, so I started to tell her about April. She seemed somewhat interested when I talked about learning how to play pool and how cool the country club was. However, when I started to tell her about the evening, her face turned cold. She didn't say anything as I continued to tell her about how April asked me to be her boyfriend. Coldly she asked what I said. When I told her that I said yes, Jenny looked as if she were going to reach between the houses and strangle me. Eventually, she told me that she was happy for me, but not in a way I really believed. Finally, she said she was going to bed and "happy fucking birthday!" In shock, I wanted to ask someone about it but the only person I could think of was my cousin, Tony. However, he was living in Washington, DC so it would be a long-distance call. If I called without permission, I would get in really big trouble. However, if I asked permission, I would have to explain the conversation with Jenny to them. I really didn't want to do that. Finally, I lay down in bed and wondered what happened. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. -- end chapter 5- I always appreciate feedback. If you really like, really hate, or can see some improvements to my stories, send feedback to secretdcguy@hotmail.com Read more of my work at http://www.asstr.org/~Secret_DC_Guy/.