Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:01:43 -0600
From: dnrock@rock.com
Subject: The Beneficial 10

The Beneficial
By:  dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)


10:  Taking a Holiday

It would be several months later before Tom and Wiley would find out just
how much trouble their Trojan Horse caused and on what machines.  While
Edith was away training other stores, Tom was in California interviewing
people for up coming magazine articles, seeing old friends and thinking
long and hard about employing a research assistant.  The task of getting 8
young people ready for a visit with his parents fell to Wayne.  Garth and
Tom paid for the boys, Wayne and Bess for the girls and the Grandparents
for the rooms.  Wayne thought it all very funny as both Tom and Edith
called Eddy to give him last minute behavioral reminders.  The most
humorous part was Eddy's facial expressions at hearing the "same old, same
old", from two independent sources, which were all the things Rita,
grandmother and grandfather Big Chief, Bess and himself had already
reminded him of.

Wayne remembered getting the same kind of instructions as a lad and he
remembered mom and dad saying the same stuff to Tom and Garth when they
were nine.  He figured Eddy and Charlie would pay about as much attention
as Tom and Garth had, not much.  All he could do was wish Richard and Nate
luck and remind all the older ones to just say yes gram.  "You will not win
an argument with my mother, not that she will not listen to reason, but
some times her reasoning will be a bit different than yours."

"Can you boys come out to the garage and help put stuff in the car please.
Look guys, I think I need a little man to man talk before you go.  At
seventeen boys tend to think with their penises not their brains so you
younger boys will just have to cut them some slack and try and keep out of
obvious trouble, okay."

"Sure dad but Jane and Alice won't be along."

"Yes but Margo and Loretta will and they are very attractive.  Your big
brothers will be trying to score with them, at every opportunity, if they
are anything like Tom, Garth and I were."  The boys looked puzzled.  "I
know it is hard for you to imagine your dads as teens, chasing after teen
girls but we were, and I still remember the thrill of the chase and the joy
of getting caught."

"Ya, so?"

"So, just remember that and don't be offended or hurt if they want to spend
lots of time with the older girls, that's all.  And another thing, grandma
will fuss a bit more over you Eddy.  It is just normal, she will want you
to feel comfortable as part of the family and she wants to get to know you
better.  With my dad you can be a buddy, Tom and I have always been friends
with dad, not just father and sons but with mom, well mom is mom.  I think
mothers can be friends with their daughters but with sons, I don't exactly
know, it is never on that friendship kind of level.  Women just seem to
want control or something."

Just getting through the airport security was quite a experience for the
kids and the security staff.  The girls passed through with no problem and
waited as all of Charlie's and Eddy's electronic games and cell phones need
to be examined one at a time.  Nate's cell and laptop had to be turned on.
Richard, having tan skin received extra attention.  At first they didn't
notice his Scandinavian-native name and began asking a bunch of questions
and insisting he be searched.  Richard was furious by this treatment.
Margo intervened on behalf of her cousin.  Now Eddy and Charlie got
involved, saying you can't treat our Bib Brother like that.  Well look at
him he could be a terrorist the security idiot blurted out.  Now Richard
got real mad.  He loudly reminded the guard that it was "you white men"
that invented terrorism against the Algonquian speaking people.

All the children begin to walk out with Margo telling the ticket agent
exactly where to put their god damn tickets.  Now two cops arrived with
their guns drawn.  Bess by that time had returned to the entrance and went
right off the wall at the security and cops and calling Wayne on his cell.
Someone recognized Eddy as the boy who sang with the governor and one of
the airline staff twigged to the fact the Richard's ticket was a relative
pass and his father was one of their 747 pilots.  The cops put their guns
away and the staff was trying to get everyone settled down.  The flight
Captain called the desk to find out what the delay was.  They told him and
in a few minutes he emerged through the security gate.  Demanding to know
why the children including the son of his colleague wasn't being treated
with appropriate courtesy and respect.

The security staff's supervisor protested that they would make the
determination of who was a threat, and what level of courtesy was
appropriate or not, the pilot was overstepping his authority and the young
man having caused an incident would not be allowed to fly and they didn't
need to show any one, who they suspected of being a threat, any form of
courtesy.

Margo again told everyone what to do with all their tickets, we all go or
none of us go.  The captain than pointed out that his aircraft was not
going anywhere without all its ticked passengers and unless the security
chief backed off and apologized for his and his staff's unprofessional
behavior, it would be his responsibility.  Richard suggested they just
forget it and drive to Florida in his mini van, where the Gestapo wouldn't
be involved.

The security guy blurted out he was not going any ware having been declared
a security threat he was being detained.  Eddy just went livid.  He brought
the guy down with one swift kick to the crotch before anyone could grab
him.

"If he is a threat than what am I, chopped liver, you bigoted ass hole?
Better try and detain us all since my cousins are just as dangerous as I
am."

Charlie and the girls were glaring at the others including the cops daring
them to "take us on".  Nate grabbed Eddy before the cops could react or he
could inflict any more damage.  Richard was just about to repeat his
comments for the TV cameras, that had just shown up, when Wayne appeared,
with the FBI in toe.

The FBI guy pointedly told the security chief, who was suffering already
and mad as hell at Eddy, that he had better back off and apologize or he
and his staff would be sustaining sever job adjustments, right after the
media got through with him for racial profiling and not even being able to
do that right; distinguish a first nations boy from a suspected terrorist
and being downed by a nine year old.  By now quite a crowd had gathered and
most were laughing at the stupid security cop want-to-be's.  They were only
a few minutes late getting to Orlando having picked up a tail wind.

The local media had a field day with the incident.  The governor was able
to score political points at the expense of the DC Homeland Security
Bureaucracy and the state's Senators that rushed draconian and questionable
legislation into place.  Having poorly trained, officious and
power-tripping personnel, was hurting the air travel business and important
part of his state's economy, not to mention hassling state citizens.  Then
he made a curious comment about the authorities misusing power and having
secret lists to harass travelers who disagree with the administrations
agenda.  The DC types were trying to say they would do what ever was
required to keep people safe and were not in the least bit contrite.  If
they used some kind of profiling to do their job then so be it.

As It Happens, the Canadian (CBC) program that talks to people in and
around news events reached Richard, Eddy and Tom.  This program was being
carried by Minnesota Public Radio at the time. The host simply asked Eddy
why he decked the security man.  "He was threatening my brother and when
you do that you threaten me, so I thought I would show him just who he
should be concerned about."  Richard talked about how angry he was at being
treated in such a demeaning way.  Tom expressed his general anger at the
attitudes expressed by the political types and the general disgust with the
attitude of paranoia being expressed by so many.

Klein and his band of rabble condemned the kids and backed the authorities
right or wrong.  They were forced to back peddle when a number of first
nations listeners called in to complain about the racist attitudes and
several mothers complained that cops and security drew guns on children,
one thought the swift kick in the groin was insufficient.  Another caller
wondered who was protecting the public from these power drunk thugs and
questioned their over all competence, being overpowered by a nine year old,
what would happen if a real threat appeared?

Grandpa and Grandma Anderson thought the whole thing a bit of a hoot and
praised the kids for taking care of each other.  Wayne's prediction was
correct and then some, grandma was all over Eddy as soon as they came
through the gate.  She would have been all over Richard too but he is
almost a foot taller than she is, a bit to big for her lap.  Eddy was very
proud that he was able to stand up for Richard.

Tina Andersen called Richard to see that he was all right, "You know Garth
and Tom would have done just what you boys did, you did good but don't tell
Garth I told you that."

Tom and Wayne had mixed emotions about it all.  They were proud of their
kids, concerned that the situation could have gotten out of hand and
worried that something seemingly as important as airport security, was so
incompetently operated.  They were also concerned that these people had the
power to simply trample over the rights of citizens.

Everyone enjoyed their time at the hotel pool, at Disney World and the
other attractions in Orlando.  Mostly they stayed out of trouble at least
any trouble that could be attributed to them, or they got caught doing.  A
large number of pranks such as loose tops on salt and pepper shakers,
seemed to be quite common under ordinary conditions so the bulk of Eddy and
Charlie's mischief went un-attributed.  Everyone had lots of fun with grand
parents supervising the real kid stuff, giving the older ones a chance to
do teenager things.

Nate and Richard stood out around the pool and on the beach.  Nate's
competitive swimmer's body was to say the least a teenage girl magnet and
Richard skills on the diving board didn't hurt either.  Margo and Loretta
are both quite shapely and athletic young ladies, Margo with the larger
breasts and Loretta with the nicer butt.  Needless to say grandpa's eyes
were treated to a steady parade of young nubile teenage bodies.  In fact
all the kids looked attractive in their miniscule swim suits.  The first
two nights the four boys shared their room but by the third, sleeping
divisions were based on age, Margo and Nate, Richard and Loretta, Eddy and
Charlie, Marci and Jenny.  Charlie had no sexual interest in his sisters
and Eddy was not sure about girls yet anyway.  Marci and Jenny were
definitely not interested in younger boys, unless they would be willing to
act as living dolls, which they were most defiantly not.  These two young
males are all boy, it was not the idea of being dressed up, it was having
to sit still and take directions from only slightly older girls.

On the third day the desk called to say envelopes had arrived for each of
the children.  When they went down they were asked to sign, even Eddy and
Charlie.  This made the younger ones feel, well respected.  The hotel staff
got quite a kick out of watching Eddy and Charlie carefully write their
names and receiving the envelopes.  Plain white with nothing but the young
person's name typed on them.  Grandma was watching carefully as each child
opened the envelope to find a new crisp fifth dollar bill.  But who is it
from?  What is it for?

"Well it must be from someone who knew you are here, why not ask the desk
how the envelopes came." June suggested.

Nate asked the clerk but all the clerk could tell him was, arrived by Fed
Ex. holding up an empty envelope with no return information on it except a
number.  Richard tracked the number through the Fed Ex web site and found
it had been delivered and originated in Denver.  Tom was in Denver but the
kids did not know this.

"It must be uncle Tom, Marci said, he is always playing tricks on us."  All
agreed, so June suggested if it was from Tom he would probably create some
kind of message or give a clue, he has always done that, "my when he was a
boy I would find cryptic messages and puzzles all over the place."

They took over the table in the Grandparents room and began to work out the
puzzle.  Eddy suggested they put the money on the table all eight bills
lined up.  Margo organized them in a neat row all face side up.  "Now
what?"  June asked.

Loretta noticed the serial numbers all started with different letters.
Grandpa pulled his cash out and found most of his 10's and 20's all those
serial numbers started with the same letter.  Jenny began moving the bills
around to see if it spelled anything.  'M, O, Y, no MON...E...Y another M
and a D and an A, MONEY MAD?

"No, Mad Money," I think, Loretta said.

"What's Mad Money grandma?"

"Mad Money is an old saying about having money to just spend on anything
you want to.  It's from when I was a girl."

"And you know that was a long, long, time ago..." Wynne said.  June gave
him the look.

"It must be uncle Tom," Jenny said, "this is a cryptic message right Gram?"

A little while later Nate approached Wynne, "Why would Tom just send us
money?  Wayne and you have given us more then enough."

"Well that's just Tom son, maybe he figured you would run out of condoms or
lube."  Nate was bright red as Wynne put his arm around the boy's shoulder.
"Tom just wants each of you to feel you can afford to get that little
souvenir you don't need but just might want or maybe you want to buy a
small gift or something for one of the others.  What I am sure of he does
not want you to spend it on any of us adults."

"But we want to thank you and Gram."

"Nate, the smiles on your faces, the laughter in your voices and the very
thought of wanting to thank us is a reward of ten times.  Just give Gram a
kiss and she will be thrilled beyond your imagination."

"And you sir?"

"I like kisses too."  Nate gave him a good one.

"Richard, Grandfather Red Fox told me not to use my powers except to
protect myself and others.  I knew the money was from dad."

"That's okay Eddy you did good, you did not use your powers, remember you
can't just turn them off and on.  If you have a dream or get a feeling well
you have it or you get it.  Grandfather did not mean you should turn
yourself off.  You did the right thing you just said nothing.  How did you
know or can't you tell me?"

"I know because when I held the envelope I could here dad saying. "I love
you Eddy" That's what he does when he won't let me read his eyes, he just
thinks over and over, "I love you Eddy."

"Well little Spirit Eyes, I think we both learned something today."

"What was that."

"We learned love is a the most powerful thought of all."

"Yes, I guess we did."