Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:53:50 +0000
From: Chezdon <chezdon1997@gmail.com>
Subject: Innocence Waning Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I place two cans of Cherry Dr Pepper on the counter next to the cash
register and try to make eye contact with the shop attendant. The seemingly
never-ending conversation on his mobile phone cannot be interrupted as I
attempt to get his attention by flaying my arms around over my head. He is
speaking rapidly in Sinhala and I only recognise the language as I was
bored whilst watching the cricket once and decided to learn some of the
derogatory words that the Sri Lankans liked to shout at the Aussie
cricketers whilst the game is being played. I laugh after recognising the
word for "bitch" which finally gets the attention of the shop
attendant. "Just these mate." He places his iPhone on the counter and I
notice there is still an active call.

"That will be six dollars sir." The shop attendant looks at me impatiently
and all I can focus on are the whites of his eyes.

"Six dollars?" I ask incredulously whilst my hand explores the depths of
the right pocket of my skinny jeans. I pull out a five dollar note and then
take a deep breath as I pull the debit card out of my pocket and wave it
next to the EFT machine knowing that I have no other currency or coin on
me.

"I am so sorry sir. You need to spend ten dollars to use the card." The
attendant looks at me and then his phone, hoping to finalise this
transaction quickly so he can go back to talking about a woman in his life
unfavourably once again.

"Whatever. I will just have one can then." I toss the five dollar note on
the counter and the attendant quickly gives me a two-dollar coin in
return. "These are extortionate prices you know."

"Sir, please don't yell at me. Leave my shop now please." The attendant
picks up his phone and starts talking again into it. This time I recognise
a few of the Sinhala words he utters being derogatory and being used in
reference to me.

"You sir." The attendant turns around after I noticeably raise my
voice. "You sir are a kane æyi" My horrible pronunciation of the
translation of the word cunt registers, and the attendant starts shouting
in Sinhala and pointing and I take that as a cue to leave the shop as fast
as possible.

Feeling very aggravated, I first massage my temple with my fingers and then
use the side of the cold can of Cherry Dr Pepper to provide some relief to
my throbbing headache. I yearn for one of the beautiful white pills that I
left in my bag and as I press the intercom button on the gate that borders
the McGuire property, I promise my pounding head that I will provide it
some sort of relief soon. If Austin's parents cut off my head during this
so-called meeting, that could in turn relieve my headache I muse. Kevin
McGuire answers the intercom. "Hi Chezdon, please come in." A loud
industrial sound blares loudly indicating that the gate is now unlocked and
it irritates my throbbing headache even more. I pass through the iron gate
and start to walk up the long driveway. Stopping to smell the red roses, I
smile at the thought of how tacky it would be to cut off flowers from their
own garden and present them to Julie McGuire.

The door to the McGuire house opens before I have a chance to knock. Austin
stands in the doorway in a pair of red shorts that are far too short to be
worn in public and a loose blue shirt. "You look comfortable." I hand
Austin the can of Cherry Dr Pepper and then check to make sure that the
paperwork that I slid into my back pocket is still there. I stand close to
Austin in the doorway and attempt to hug him but he backs away.

"Not now, that is probably not the best idea. Come in, come in." I strut
like a rooster on the welcome mat and once I get inside I bend down to
untie my shoes. "Don't worry about that, you can keep them on unless you
have been walking through shit."

"Well that shop on the corner is pretty shitty. The attendant is a dick."
Austin opens the can of soft drink and quickly throws the contents in its
entirety down his throat in what could be a new world record.

I follow Austin into the dining room, its grandeur is accentuated by a huge
chandelier attached to a chain which dangles ominously from the vaulted
ceiling three levels up. "That bloke is bitter. He hates all the rich white
people in this area. I don't know why he runs a shop here if he hates the
white man. Why do you think he is such a dick?" I can't help but look at
the tiny red shorts that Austin is wearing again and how the colour
contrasts against his pale white legs. "You like these? I am not allowed to
wear them out of the house. I know the gay thing is going to come up, so I
thought I would dress the part." He harshly slaps his own buttocks and
laughs.

"Fair enough." I follow Austin into the living room and immediately notice
his sister watching How I Met Your Mother on an oversized Samsung
television. "Hey Chloe. How are you?" What a fitting show to screening as a
repeat after I technically met my mother today on repeat myself. I just
need to enter some sort of psychosis where a narrator ominously commentates
about my life without my knowing.

Chloe looks me up and down like she is inspecting me. "Hey Chez. You are
looking good. Nice shirt." She then returns to viewing the situation comedy
on television and laughs.

Austin slaps my shoulder. "What were you saying about the bloke that runs
the shop?"

"Oh that he is a dick. He took offense as I understood a few of the words
he was speaking in his native tongue, so I called him a..." Julie McGuire
walks into the room from the kitchen holding a glass of wine and I decide
it would not be appropriate to mention the horrible word that starts with
'C' even though I am thinking it as I watch Austin's mother walk towards
me. "Hi Julie. How are you?" I force a smile and gently hold her shoulders
as she kisses the air next to my right cheek.

"It has been one hell of a day, Chezdon." Julie sits on a well-padded and
stately chair and crosses her legs before taking a drink of the red wine. I
want to forcibly take the glass from her and gulp the contents. "One hell
of a day. I heard that you were going to see your mother earlier on. How
did that go?" Julie stares at me whilst taking another drink of wine,
obviously not being up to date on the real-life drama that is shared in
almost real-time by the aspiring Real Housewives of Melbourne.

"It went exactly as I thought it would. Predictable really. Hey Austin, can
I use your bathroom?" Austin sits on the couch which gives me a vantage
point to look at his legs and crotch which is well defined because of his
choice of attire. He then notices me checking him out and quickly crosses
his legs at his ankles.

"You know where it is." Austin points to the staircase hoping that I will
toddle off and stop looking at his body no doubt before his mother
notices. I walk off and then climb the stairs to the fourth floor and feel
a bit puffed at the end of my journey. I open the door to the bathroom that
is across from Austin's room. I haven't stepped into either of these rooms
in well over a year as it was never appropriate to come over and just hang
out considering the tension between the families. I tremble at the thought
of what will be said later and then quickly dash into Austin's bathroom and
slam the door shut.

After pissing in the toilet and removing a faecal stain that Austin left on
the back of the porcelain bowl with my stream of urine and washing my
hands, I take the rare opportunity afforded to me to go through Austin's
personal hygiene products. Various products for his hair are on display,
along with a tube of Clearasil that is nearly empty. Colgate toothpaste and
an electric toothbrush are shoved on to the corner of the sink, along with
a phone charger. You can never have too many places to charge your phone,
so I am left to assume that he charges his whilst he showers and poops. I
spot a small round metal tin of Vaseline which suspiciously looks like the
tin that I could not find earlier in the week after Austin stayed over at
my place, so I reclaim it and slide it into my pocket. I open up the
medicine cabinet and immediately notice a box of Nurofen, knowing that
these over-the-counter pain killers will solve my pounding headache. I
immediately rip open the box and liberate two of the pills and in a fluid
motion, toss them down my throat and suckle on the tap in the sink like a
desperate animal.

The raw emotion experienced during the day begins to overwhelm my body and
I feel a noticeable sense of fatigue and release a loud yawn. As I begin to
close the mirrored door to the medicine cabinet, I can't help but notice
bottles of prescription medication. I know that the Prozac on display is an
antidepressant that Austin was taking, and I resort to asking Google what
Zoloft and Paxil are and I am shocked to learn that they are also
antidepressants. Then I feel like I have been punched in the gut and I
forget how to breath momentarily when I see that Dr Shaun O'Connor
prescribed these drugs. My rapist once again reaches out from wherever he
is hiding to torment me. I watch my face in the mirror quickly turn red as
my blood pressure rises and the hate I have for Shaun begins to manifest
itself. I can't help but imagine the coward sexually assaulting Austin and
I have to push my fingers into my eyes to first to regain my equilibrium
and then put both hands on the wall to stay upright.

After a few minutes of listening to the cold water flow from the tap and
washing my face a few times, I manage to regain my composure, or at least a
small fragment of it. I put the prescription drugs back where I found them
and close the medicine cabinet door. This gives me the opportunity to look
at my rosy face in the mirror again and I stare into my green eyes for what
could have been an eternity before I hear a knock on the bathroom door and
Austin's voice. "Are you alright mate? Did you fall asleep on the crapper?"

I close my eyes and stop looking into the abyss. "It is all good." I flush
the toilet once again and then wash my hands before throwing open the
door. Austin grabs my arm and pulls me into his bedroom. The bed is made
perfectly, there are no clothes on the floor and everything is organised,
which is completely opposite to how I live at home. Being distracted by the
Green Day concert poster on the wall leaves me off guard when Austin puts
his cool hands on each side of my face, during my head towards him. He
kisses me on the lips. I jerk backwards in shock, like if I was suddenly
woken from a nightmare and then reciprocate, trying to consume his face
whilst grinding my body into his and squeezing the arse being held hostage
behind his small tight red shorts.

After gently playing with each other's tongues, Austin smiles. "God, I have
wanted that all day. I have missed you." I brush the hair that has fallen
into his eyes to the side and then hold him close and squeeze him as tight
as I can. "Ugh. Chez. Ugh. We should go downstairs." Austin offers in a
muffled voice as I pick him up off of the ground and shake him from side to
side and then put him back down. "That was fun. Come on."

Austin jogs out of his room and I follow him down the staircase but not at
the same pace that he is used to travelling to the bottom of it at. I find
my way back into the living room and I am greeted by Kevin McGuire. "Hi
Chezdon, it is good to see you. Thank you for coming over tonight." He
shakes my hand and I make sure to grip his hand tight, like my father
taught me. "Please take a seat. Can I get you anything?"

I sit next to Austin and at first want to ask for a glass of wine, the wine
that his wife is drinking would suffice, but I reconsider at the last
second. "I am fine, thanks." My eyes drift to the left and on to Austin's
legs. I scoot forward and take my phone out of my pocket and deftly place
it next to me on the sofa. Chloe continues to watch How I Met Your Mother
and looks disinterested.

Kevin looks at his wife and then puts a finger over his lips, as if to
indicate not to speak. "Chezdon, again, thanks for coming over. Let's get
some of this stuff out in the open. I have had a long talk with my wife and
we agreed that it be best that I do the talking." Julie takes another drink
from her glass of wine.

"What? Mom is going to be quiet? That will be the day." Chloe offers from
the couch with a sardonic tone whilst continuing to pay attention to the
television. Kevin looks irritated and Austin smirks.

"Firstly, let me talk about the obvious." He leans forward in his chair. "I
personally don't give a shit that Austin likes guys. Well, I do, because I
want my son to be happy. His mother on the other hand has a different
opinion, one that is based on faith, and it isn't appropriate to go into."
Kevin looks at his wife who continues to sip from her glass of wine. "I
have to say though, we were a bit shocked when Austin proclaimed that he
likes members of the same sex, and we were even more shocked to learn that
he was entering into a relationship with you."

"I really don't know what to say Kevin." I shrug my shoulders and am at a
loss for words.

"Again, we don't need to talk it to death, well the relationship side of
things at least, as I get it and realise if it is going to happen it
will. I just didn't expect to have you in our lives any more than being a
fringe friend to Austin, so it has taken some getting used to." Kevin looks
at Julie again. If it was possible, smoke would be coming out of her ears
as it is evident that she has plenty to say and she is really doing a good
job of keeping it all to herself.

Austin uncrosses his legs and leans forward toward his father. "I wouldn't
say that Chez was a fringe friend Dad, but I get what you are
saying. Thanks for that."

Julie finally speaks. "Chezdon, your Mother and I have had conversations
about this and we are of the same opinion. Did she speak to you about what
she thinks about you having a relationship with another boy?" Kevin stares
at his wife and motions again by putting his finger over his lips and
infers that she should be quiet. Chloe presses pause on the live broadcast
of the television and takes a sudden interest. Austin stares at the
ceiling.

"My mother certainly made her position well known and we don't agree." I
look at Austin who continues to look at the ceiling so I scratch my
neck. "We never will."

"I reckon you are doing this just to get back at your Mother, Chezdon."
Julie stares at me for a few seconds and then takes another drink of
wine. Kevin leans towards her and makes a "shhhh" sound.

Feeling worn out on many levels, I decide to speak my mind. "How is that
Julie? Do you think that my father put me up to hooking up with Austin,
just to stuff around with your family? My mother is the biggest hypocrite
in this goddamned city. Before today, the last time I saw her was when she
was cavorting with her lover and she was running around naked in our
apartment. Now since she is dying she has turned to religion and uses that
as a crutch, or even an excuse to be a nasty woman. Last I heard adultery
is a sin but now all eyes are on Austin and I having an unholy
relationship. That is funny actually."

Chloe begins to clap and Kevin repeatedly motions for his wife to be
quiet. She rolls her eyes and sips her wine again. "There is no reason to
get so worked up Chezdon, we don't want to upset you." Kevin offers in a
fatherly-type way. "We just want to get everything out in the open and
communicate like adults."

"It has been a long day. Sorry for snapping. I appreciate that." I lean
back and cross my legs.

"I will get you a Coke. That will sort you out." Austin stands up and his
mother notices me look at his round arse that is accentuated by his red
shorts. He walks into the kitchen and I in turn decide to look around the
room at the paintings on the wall needing continued visual stimulation.

Kevin begins to speak again whilst I continue to look at one of the
paintings. "What Julie will never say, but I will, I am grateful to you
Chezdon for giving Austin something that he hasn't had in some time. He
told us that he told you that he stopped taking his medication, and I think
it is great. Despite Julie making it sound like God is going to wreak a
fiery hell upon us all, there has been plenty of good to come out of this
week, so please keep doing whatever you are doing with my son."

Austin walks past his father with a can of Coke and rolls his eyes as he
hands it to me. Chloe takes her father's badly worded encouragement to
heart and chuckles. "Yeah Chez, keep buggering my brother, it is doing him
good!"

Everyone in the room begins to speak in unison. I try to offer the
information that the act of love has not been consummated between us,
Austin expresses his shock at his sister and her commentary, Julie makes
some comment about God and Kevin insists that is not what he meant and then
repeats the motion to quiet his wife putting his finger in front of his
lips.

"Austin only told me about him being on the antidepressants today and of
course getting off them. I think that is great." I raise my hand but stop
myself from putting it on his leg and instead scratch the back of my
neck. "Austin, does this mean you are going to stop therapy?" I assume that
it is Shaun that he sees weekly since he is the one that prescribed the
pills.

"No, I will keep going." Austin casually says. "Everyone needs someone to
talk to that doesn't have a vested interest in their lives." This annoys me
and I briefly consider doing a brain dump and telling everyone in the room
what sort of monster Shaun really is.

Instead I roll my eyes and I am confident that Julie notices. "Where did
you find the therapist? Hell, with everything going on, I could probably
use one too." I innocently ask, wanting to get to the bottom of how Shaun
was introduced into Austin's young life.

Julie sets her glass of wine down and answers with a spritely tone of
voice. "Chezdon, when your mother started going out with Shaun, she
mentioned to me what he does for a living and that he was taking new
patients and he seemed like a good fit for Austin, given the funk that he
was in."

I feel like saying that Shaun likes to rape teenage boys for a living and
his dick certainly wasn't a good fit into my sore butthole, but I hold back
my words. "Ah, good old Shaun. Now I understand." I quickly take a sip of
Coke and lick my dry lips. My headache is starting to pass so I take
another drink of the Coke as a way to celebrate a small victory in that
battle.

"So Dad, when are you going to tell Chezdon how his father is the devil
incarnate so we can all move on?" Austin seems to be perturbed and begins
to chew on his index fingernail. "Can we get on with this?"

"Just let me finish by saying that Julie and I hope you both can respect us
by not having sex on this property and to be safe." Austin grunts and looks
towards the floor and Chloe gasps. Julie returns the glass of wine to her
mouth and sips at it. "Just don't do it here please, and I will leave it at
that. Now on to the other sensitive topic. I will be right back." Kevin
stands up and walks towards the kitchen.

"You see why I need therapy?" Austin looks at me and smiles. I then picture
Shaun's face in my head and scowl. "Thanks for putting up with this."

The break in awkward conversation gives me an opportunity to check my
phone. I have a few missed calls from both my father and Mel, both are
interested in knowing where I am and offering to pick me up. I quickly
respond to Daniel saying that I am at the McGuire household and that I will
be home soon. Kevin returns to the living room with a large glass of water.

"So Chezdon." Kevin places the glass of water on the table in front of him
and leans forward again. "I am sure you know about the home invasion that
we experienced a while back."

"Here we go again." Chloe resumes the live television broadcast.

Kevin points at his daughter and raises his voice. "Chloe, turn that off or
go up to your room to watch that shit. I want us to address this as a
family though." She mutes the television, which placates Kevin and he turns
his attention back to me.

"It was a very traumatic event as you can imagine Chezdon." Kevin takes
another drink from the glass of water and looks at the rug before he
continues. "Nobody should ever have to go through that. Have you seen the
scar on Austin's back?"

"Yeah." It is the only word I can muster.

"Of course he has!" Julie exclaims and jumps to her feet and walks over to
the wine bottle which is next to her husband. I assume that she is under
the impression that we fuck like rabbits.

Kevin stands up and shouts at Julie. "That is enough, woman! Just shut up!"
He then sits down and turns his attention to me again. "I would appreciate
it Chezdon if you hear me out and let me finish what I have to say. I will
understand if you don't have anything to say, or if you leave or even just
tell me to fuck off. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure. Go for it." I match Kevin's stare with one of my own, finishing the
can of coke in the process and then place it on the table in front of
him. I then pat the upper part of Austin's leg that is closest to me and
notice his mother fidget and look away.

"As you probably know, your parents when they were married, were good
friends of ours. After your mother's indiscretion and the resulting
divorce, we all were not as close on a personal basis, but I still had a
vested interest in your father's business." Kevin pauses to drink some
water and chew on a cube of ice. "One afternoon your father and I played a
round of golf at Albert Park and came back to this house as we agreed that
I would inject cash into his business so he had to the opportunity to grow
it. This was done as a handshake deal over golf, cigars and scotch and not
inside the office with meeting minutes and resolutions, as we were friends
at the time, we didn't think the normal formalities were needed. Anyway,
after a fair amount of scotch was consumed, we decided to put this
arrangement in writing so your father called Melanie and asked her to come
over. She was his solicitor at the time. I knew they had started dating
each other not long before we all met here that one night, and that didn't
bother me at all, I just have to say. So we discussed what we agreed to,
Melanie completed the documentation and the related Deeds of Arrangement on
her laptop and I printed them out. There was one Deed that detailed the
cash investment that I was making and how that would be paid back monthly
with interest or in full from the sale of the company if that ever
happened. There was a second Deed then giving me a percentage ownership of
his company as a consideration for the sizeable cash injection that would
allow your Father to make exponentially more money. We signed the documents
and Melanie countersigned them, so we drank more scotch and had a great
night and celebrated. I planned on having my documents certified the next
day by a Justice of the Peace and then planned to fax the one about the
change of company ownership to the Australian Securities and Investment
Commission..."

I interrupt Kevin by putting my finger up. "Julie is a lawyer, why didn't
she just certify your documents and just be done with it right then and
there?" I know the basics of this story and how Kevin is going to try to
implicate my father in this big conspiracy.

"Good question. She was not a certified Justice of the Peace then and she
was away with your mother that night actually. Also I do not have a fax
machine and the Aussie Securities and Investment Commission only accepted
faxes at the time with respect to announcements." Kevin appears eager to
continue. "So your father and I were drinking scotch as he watched me put
my documents in our safe upstairs. I was more afraid at the time we would
spill alcohol on it and we would need to do it all over again, but was I
wrong. I then got out my banking token and transferred the money to your
father's account. The next day is when we had our home invaded. They
demanded to know where the safe was and I opened it under duress. I thought
Chloe was going to be raped and Austin was injured as part of the assault
so all I wanted was my family safe and those people gone."

I cross my legs again and scratch Austin's knee, noticing that Austin's
toenails are long and need to be trimmed. I am surprised that he doesn't
jerk it away. "With respect, if this all comes down to that document as I
know you are trying to link the incident you experienced with my father,
can you tell me why you just did not get him to give you another copy?

"Fair enough question." Kevin drinks the last of the water in his
glass. "Of course I did and Melanie quickly sent over the certified
agreement that we all signed and she endorsed detailing the loan that I
made to your father. I said that we need to sign a new document which gives
me a percentage ownership of his company as the original was stolen. They
both just claimed that I was a drunk fool and that any sort of transfer of
ownership was never agreed. I certainly was not drunk Chezdon, and even
members of my own family don't believe how this played out the way I said
it did."

"How much was the loan?" I ask genuinely interested.

"Four hundred thousand dollars." Kevin breathes heavily from his nose and
Julie returns to the bottle of wine and pours another glass.

I scratch Austin's knee again and then scratch the back of my head. "Did my
father pay the loan back?"

"Yeah he did. Quickly too. I don't know how though as he was broke after
the divorce settlement with your mother. I assume that Melanie coughed up
the money and those are the ties that bind them. She obviously knew that by
colluding with Daniel, it would be in her general interest, if not their
financial interest." Kevin leans back and puts his arms behind his head,
looking as if he expects a timely reply from me.

"I guess how he paid it back is not your business, but the fact that he did
makes me think nothing dodgy happened. You did admit that you both were
into the scotch that day and night, so it is really hard for me to believe
that the home invasion, as distressing as it is, could be linked to my
family over some document that gives you some sort of control or partial
control over my father's company. How much was it for anyway?" It seems
like if I ask questions, I get answers.

"Five percent. I am sure you are aware that your father just sold his
company too and according to the announcement, I have been screwed out of
$1.5 million." I start to calculate the numbers in my head but Kevin kindly
offers the information that I was trying to process. "It sold it to a
German mob for $30 million, Chez."

I wasn't aware of the exact figure, which at this particular second, does
overwhelm me. I start to rub my eyes. Austin then leans next to me and
looks at me after putting his hand on my shoulder. "Dad, we have heard all
of this before. The cops have investigated. Can't you just give it a rest?
What do you want Chezdon to do about it?"

"He should know what kind of people Daniel and Melanie are. That is
all. They fucked this family and now you are getting fucked by him." Kevin
stands up after raising his voice towards Austin and points at me.

Julie stands up with her glass of wine. "That is enough Kevin. This shit
has nothing to do with Chezdon or Austin, so don't take it out on them. I
may not like their special relationship, but they are just kids after
all. Frankly I have heard all of this shit for the last time. Just admit
that you were drunk. The thieves stole everything out of the safe and not
just that document you seem to forget." After Julie finishes providing the
first sane commentary since I arrived at the happy McGuire household, Kevin
explodes and throws the empty glass of water against the wall, missing
Julie by centimetres.

"I told you to shut up woman!" Kevin walks off quickly into the kitchen. He
then shouts, "Shit!"

I tilt my head back as far as it can go and put my hands on my
knees. Austin stands up and walks over to his mother and puts his arm
around her. "Are you okay?" He asks in a hushed voice. She nods and places
the edge of the wine glass next to her nose, much like I would do when
pondering life and times.

Kevin returns to the living room with a glass of scotch in a crystal
tumbler. Chloe is the first to speak. "Who are you going to throw that at?
Try not to hit the television."

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me." Kevin rubs his receding hairline
and takes off his glasses. "I have just been really pissed off since Austin
came home with that cricket bat the other day. It set me off as it was like
Daniel was sending me a message at the same time the announcement was made
that his company was sold. I am sorry, but I thought you should know
Chezdon. Julie, I am sorry too. I will never mention any of this shit
again." He quickly drinks the entire tumbler of scotch and sets the crystal
down on the glass table gently.

I stand up. "I think I can solve this problem if you call it that." I
remove the folded paperwork from my pocket and start to unfold it. "Julie,
are you a Justice of the Peace now?"

"Why does that matter?" Julie starts to refill her glass of wine.

"Pour me a glass and I will tell you." I walk closer to her and stand next
to Austin who still has his arm wrapped around his mother, who has assumed
a protective stance.

Julie looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. "Why the hell not." She breaks
Austin's embrace and walks into the kitchen and quickly returns with a wine
glass. She pours the remains of the bottle of wine into the glass and hands
it to me. I take a long smell of the Merlot and rest the glass under my
nose, mimicking what Julie did only minutes ago. "Yes, I am a Justice of
the Peace for what it matters these days, I no longer practice
though. Why?"

"What do you suppose my mother's house in Malvern is worth?" I drink all of
the wine quickly that was in my glass and set it down on the table next to
Kevin's crystal tumbler.

"A couple of million. Why?" Julie puts her arm around her son.

"To make a long story short, I don't want to have anything to do with my
mother again..." Julie interrupts me.

"Chezdon, don't say that, that is awful." She scowls and notices Austin
rolling his eyes. "She loves you."

"I really don't care. I can put an end to all of this drama now though if
you will listen to me. You seem to actually like my mother and enjoy her
company. She doesn't seem to have much time until she starts pushing
daisies, so look after her and her affairs." I toss the endorsed Power of
Attorney documents onto the glass table next to my empty wine glass and
also the empty tumbler of scotch. "Those are her endorsed Power of Attorney
documents. She wants to leave her estate to me and my father to act on her
affairs until I am eighteen. I personally don't give a shit, so you can do
it if you like her so much. When she dies, you can have that house as I
don't ever want to step inside of it again, or have anything to do with her
estate for that matter."

Kevin quickly grabs the paperwork that I tossed on the table and after
adjusting the glasses on his nose begins to scan them. "Holy shit, are you
serious?"

"From what I understand, my father was meant to sign this and Mel would
countersign it, but Julie if you can do it, Kevin should sign it and you
can countersign it. Then this drama with money and our families can end at
least the way I look at it, and I can be done with my mother."

Kevin walks into the kitchen with the documents and Chloe gets up from the
sofa and follows him, no longer interested in the final minutes of How I
Met Your Mother. Austin walks over and stands in front of me and we look at
each other in the eyes. "What the hell, Chezdon. I am so confused. I really
don't even know what just happened."

Kevin returns to the living room with Chloe following quickly behind
him. He sits down on the sofa and begins to endorse each of the copies of
the document on the glass coffee table with black ink from a Mont Blanc
fountain pen. "Sign these." Kevin hands the pen to Julie, who then
scribbles her name and prints it where required.

"Let me get my stamp." Julie walks over to a desk in the adjoining Study
and begins to look through a drawer. "What is to stop Kelly from revoking
this power of attorney?" There is silence whilst everyone in the room
ponders the question as Julie walks back and pounds the red stamp over her
signature and the date certifying the first copy. She then repeats the
process on each of the other two sets of documents.

"We can easily put a stop to it if she does. Kelly obviously doesn't have
her wits about her if she can't remember who she gave Power of Attorney
to. I am sure Chezdon would not mind acting as a witness supporting our
claim and how he isn't an interested party." Kevin takes off his glasses
and puts his hand on my shoulder. "We can have her committed if we have
to."

"In the end we have to do what we must to protect our friends and
families." I wryly say. It is at that moment that I realise that my father
did what he thought he had to and is in fact responsible for the McGuire
home invasion.

"I will drink to that." Kevin picks up his tumbler and walks to the vat of
scotch with a smile on his face after patting me on the back. "I will drink
to that!"


****


A/N: I want to thank everyone on Nifty for the recent kind words and
feedback after I posted the last three chapters after taking a long break
from writing Innocence Waning. Some of you would know that e-mailed me,
that I was off travelling in Europe for the best part of the last three
months, so I didn't have the time to write as I was playing tourist. Others
have commented that the travel has been good for me as my writing has
improved. I will take that as a compliment as I move to complete Innocence
Waning this month.

Thanks for all of your e-mails and feedback during my hiatus too. I am glad
that there are so many people out there that like this story and have
fallen in love with the various characters. I am certainly keen to know
what you think about this chapter and the last three and more importantly
what you think is going to happen at the end of this saga... feel free to
e-mail me on chezdon1997@gmail.com