New Reality: Book Four: Re-Education

When Billy relayed George’s summons, I contacted Tommy, mind-to-mind, and asked him to join us. While waiting, I commented that I was surprised at how quickly George had reacted, having only received Jake’s reports a few minutes ago. I noticed that Brian seemed concerned, so I asked him if he was nervous about meeting the prince.

With a shy grin, he replied, “I’m embarrassed to admit it, Greg, but I’m more worried about meeting the father of my future mate.”

Josh said, “I’m worried about what I’ll wear. My best suit is a cheap thing from Sears, and now that I’m a vampire, I doubt it will fit me.”

“I can help with part of that,” Billy said as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll have the local tailor come measure all of you,” he indicated Brian, Chris, Trevor, and the twins, “and send the measurements to that guy in Los Angeles to have official Court garb made. I’m willing to bet he can have them ready by Wednesday.”

Just then, Tommy knocked and stepped into the office. I said, “It seems that George is a speed reader, Tommy. He received Jake’s report from my court and, within seconds, summoned all of us to appear before him on Wednesday. I need you to make the arrangements, please.”

“Of course, My Lord, but…” Tommy paused, looking uncomfortable, then went on. “When you closed your Court, I felt I needed to inform His Highness of the unusual situation Your Lordship had created, so I called Frederick. I would assume the prince’s quick read was inspired by that phone call.”

“I assume you’re referring to my asking you to observe our parenting of Chipper?” I asked. “And drop the Court manners, Tommy, it’s just us.”

“Sorry, Greg. And yeah, by telling us that we essentially outranked you on this issue, I needed to make sure the prince was aware. Not that I expected we would ever have to use the authority you gave us, but if that happened, I felt it best if he was aware of the situation beforehand,” Tommy explained.

I thought for a moment, then said, “As always, you did the right thing, Tommy.”

“Thank you, Greg. I will alert the pilots. The Gulfstream will carry sixteen in addition to the crew, seventeen if you allow Clint to use the folding seat in the lavatory. By my count, there will be just enough room for myself and two other marshals,” Tommy said. “I would prefer to send four other marshals ahead on Monday via commercial flights and have them work with Frederick to arrange vehicles for our use.”

“We will arrive Tuesday evening and return Wednesday evening, Tommy. Other than going to and from the airport, I don’t see a need for vehicles. Discuss it with Frederick and work it out. If you do need to send marshals ahead, you may. Let’s list the names, though. I’d rather not arrive at the airport without a seat on my own plane,” I said with a smile.

I stared at Tommy as he accurately listed everyone who had to accompany me. I had imagined that large plane was a luxury, with more than enough room for any trip, but we had just filled it. If James and Donna wanted to join us, or when Jake or one of the others found a mate, my largest plane wouldn’t be big enough. I suddenly understood why Air Force One was a 747.

“Your list sounds accurate,” I said as I looked around to see if anyone disagreed. “If we need to, we can send marshals via a commercial flight and free up two seats in my plane. That brings up another issue that I will rectify during my next Court. Unless someone knows of a reason not to, I want to put you on my Council.”

Tommy gave a slight bow and said, “Thank you, Greg. Some barons do that, and some don’t. I can’t speak for all the viscounts, but I know that all three counts and the prince have their Chief Marshals on their Councils.”

Billy sounded embarrassed as he said, “I’m so sorry I didn’t think of this, Tommy. I already considered you as part of the Council, so adding you to it didn’t even cross my mind.”

“And I already feel like I’m part of it, Billy. No apology is necessary,” Tommy reassured him.

“I’d like to go play with my sons, so is there anything else that can’t wait a few hours?” I asked.

“I’d like to go play with my son, too,” Josh said. "But before I do, we have a problem that needs to be addressed before we meet with the prince.”

Jake shook his head and said, “I only see two options, Josh.”

I was confused, but Billy seemed to know what this problem was. “There are more than two options, Jake. You just don’t like most of them.”

“Fine, there might be dozens of options, but there are only two that I can think of that Josh and I can accept.”

When he said it that way, I realized the problem. “Josh, you may tell your mother about our existence. If she takes it badly, you will enthrall her and have her forget the conversation. I assume that is one of the options Jake finds acceptable?”

Jake nodded. “The other is he enthralls her to simply accept Craig as Josh’s son with no questions and to ignore anything unusual.”

Josh argued, “I would also have to tell her to keep her grandson’s existence a secret from all her friends, and we know that’s just not possible, Jake.”

“Well, short of faking your own death, I don’t know what we can do,” Jake snapped, obviously frustrated. “Unless you can somehow convince them to let us move out on our own. If you did that and never let Mom see Craig, you’d never have to tell her.”

I looked around and asked, “Does anyone have another good option?”

Several ideas were suggested and quickly ruled out as being too complicated or too dependent on an enthrallment holding in the face of conflicting evidence. Finally, I sighed and said, “If it weren’t for this paterna bond, I would adopt Craig myself. The first thing to do is try telling her, Josh. Please call your father and ask his advice on how to do that. If you two need to head home, Craig can stay here until it’s sorted out. Trevor, Tanya, and Johnny will be here, so he won’t be with strangers.”

Josh pulled out his phone and dialed as he and Jake sat together on the sofa. I looked at the others and asked, “Is there anything else pressing? Or can I go get this suit off and get in the pool before—”

Mary knocked and said that breakfast was ready when we were. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, thanked her, and said we would change into something more casual and be down in ten minutes. I asked Brian to help Jenny get the boys dressed and headed for the door. Just before we left the room, Josh said his parents would be here for lunch.

When we came back down, Mary met us at the kitchen door with a smirk on her face. “Will ye be joinin' us in the kitchen this mornin', My Lord? Or shall we join ye in the dinin' room?”

Billy started giggling, so he had an idea of where his grandmother was going with this, but I was lost. I shrugged and said, “I don’t understand why you’re being so formal, Mary, but I’ll play along. I had planned to eat at the counter like we usually do. Why do you ask?”

Mary nodded. “So, you, Billy, Scott, Charlie, and Chipper will sittin’ at the five seats at the counter? Who will be sittin’ at the table?”

I suddenly realized the point she was making. The kitchen had a countertop with barstools that allowed five people to eat and socialize, with the ten people seated around the large, round table that sat nearby. With Tommy, Leonard, Jenny, Vega, Riva, Mary, our flight crew, and the four other marshals, the kitchen was full. If we sat at the counter, our Council, parents, Craig, Tanya, and Johnny would have to eat in the dining room. If I said we all should eat in the dining room, that table was typically set up to seat eight but could be extended to seat sixteen, which still left someone in the kitchen. All my efforts at making our ‘servants’ join us at meals, while well-intentioned, were completely impractical.

I sighed. “You win. The family, the Council, and guests will take meals in the dining room from now on, Mary. I still want things as informal as possible, so I don’t want people jumping to their feet when I enter.” She nodded. “I will let you decide if you want to simply put platters on the table and let us serve ourselves or bring prepared plates to us. You do whichever is easier for you.”

Mary gave a slight curtsey and said, “Thank ye, Greg. Unless it’s a formal dinner, I’ll put heated platters on the buffet and let ye serve yourselves. I will ask that if ye host a formal dinner, ya hire a few servers.”

“I’ll do that, Grandma,” Billy said. “I know how you hate having to put on a uniform.”

With this settled, we turned and headed for the dining room. Within minutes, Mary, assisted by Jenny, Tommy, and Riva, brought in several heated platters and put them on the sideboard, shortly joined by carafes filled with coffee, tea, milk, orange juice, and an assortment of bloods.  I filled a plate and headed for a seat on the side of the table.

“Greg, you are the ranking person in the room,” James observed. “As such, the head of the table is yours.”

I shook my head. “This is your house, James. Unless I’m hosting the meal, you are the head of this house.” His expression told me he was going to be as stubborn as I intended. Fortunately, Scott knew how to handle both of us.

“Neither of you is going to back down, so I’ll suggest a compromise,” Scott offered. We waited, so he explained, “By the proper rules, the head is for the ranking noble while the foot, or opposite end, is for their mate. Greg sits at the head while Dad sits at the foot. That way, you’re both in a seat of honor, and the added benefit is that your mates can sit close at hand rather than on the other end of the room.”

James nodded, so I sat at the head of the table. I was soon joined by Scott on my left and Billy on my right. Chipper sat beside his papa while Charlie’s highchair was placed in the corner between Scott and I. Chris, Brian, Trevor, Johnny, Tanya, Donna, Craig, and the twins filled out the rest of the table, with Craig sitting between his dad and his uncle.

Chris cleared his throat and said, “Greg, I hope you don’t mind, but I called Dad while you were upstairs. I thought having him and Mom here might help when we talk to Josh’s mom.”

I grinned and said, “I don’t mind having more willing blood donors around, Chris, but I’m confused. You just said, ‘When we talk to her.’ When I went up to change, I understood that Josh and Jake would be speaking to their parents.”

“We thought it might be easier if you were there, Greg,” Jake said. “If things don’t go well, your enthrallment is much stronger than Josh’s.”

I took a few bites of my food and thought about this, then asked, “Have you two given any thought to how you want to do this? I mean, do we discuss it over lunch? Sitting in the family room? The office? By the pool? And should we include Craig in the discussion about vampires? Or introduce him before or after?”

The twins exchanged a glance, grinned, and in unison said, “Yes, yes, no, no, maybe, no, and after.”

“You’re silly, Daddy,” Craig giggled. Then turned and said, “You are too, Uncle Jake.”

I nodded. “Yes, they are, Craig. After we eat, you can help me throw them into the pool.” Craig giggled again; I went on. “And I understood your answers, Messrs. Jackson. We will have lunch at one, assuming they arrive in time.” I glanced around the table and said, “In order to make room for our guests, I’ll ask Donna, Tanya, Johnny, and the boys to eat in the kitchen.”

Donna said, “No offense, Greg, but having me there might help.”

“Good point, Donna.” I looked at Billy and said, “Please let Mary know our plans. And let her know that the buffet setting will be fine for the meal.”

“Can we go swim now, Dad?” Chipper asked.

I looked and saw that everyone had finished their meal, so I said, “Sure, pup. Did Craig teach you how?”

“Uh-huh. Miss Jenny says I’m a natural,” he replied.

As we headed for the back deck, we paused in the family room to undress. Jake and Brian looked outside and saw the snow flurries. They looked at each other and shook their heads. This started a round of teasing that ended with both of them running outside and quickly diving into the pool. When they emerged, they both screamed, climbed out of the pool, and ran back inside.

As he dried off, Jake said, “Sorry, boys, but until Uncle Greg changes us, it’s too cold for us humans to swim. We’ll be downstairs playing video games.”

I had to laugh when even the boys joined in the good-natured ribbing as Jake and Brian headed downstairs. I picked up Chipper and ran toward the pool. To others, his screams sounded like terror, but I could sense the pure joy he felt as I leaped into the air and we splashed into the pool. Once Billy, Scott, and others had joined us, we played a game of keep away, tossing Charlie around as Craig and Chipper did their best to take him from us. We were having so much fun I was surprised when Jake stepped outside to say that his parents would be here in fifteen minutes.

I asked everyone to dress in jeans and shirts that were appropriate for the cold October day. Of course, I only needed to say this to Chris and Josh, as everyone else was accustomed to acting human. Jenny took the boys downstairs while we all ran upstairs to get dressed. When David’s truck pulled into the courtyard, we were there to greet them.

Josh opened the truck door for his mother while Chris did the same for his. I’d always known that Wanda Jackson was a formidable woman, so it was no surprise when she pointed at the twins and said, “Well, I’m here. Are you two going to tell me what’s so important that you couldn’t tell me on the phone?”

“So nice to see you again, Mrs. Jackson,” I said. “Won’t you come in out of the cold?”

She glared at me but followed her sons inside. When she was far enough away, David said, “She’s been hounding me the whole way here. Thank god for Mike and Julie. They kept changing the subject, but I don’t know how much longer we can do that.”

“While I’m worried about how she’ll take it, I’m more concerned about her willingness to keep things quiet,” I said, hoping for some guidance.

“She’s a mother, Greg, and she accepted it when Jake came out. Based on that, I think things will be fine,” Chris’ mother, Julie Barnes, said.

“Finding out your son is gay is a little different than finding out your son drinks blood, Mrs. Barnes. How did you take it when Chris told you?”

“First off, you can call me Julie, Greg, I’ve told you that. And from the moment I learned that you had been changed, I knew Chris would be changed. I am so glad you were able to save him; I would hope that Wanda feels the same.”

I smiled, nodded, and said, “I hope so, too, Julie.”

I led Mike, Julie, and David inside and found the twins doing their best to deflect their mother’s questions. When Jake saw me, he gave me a pleading look, begging me to save him. I gave up all hope of slowly revealing things to her and decided to simply take control of the situation. Adding a bit of my beast to my voice, I shouted, “Silence!”

All conversation stopped, and every head turned. “Thank you,” I said in a much more human voice. “If everyone will please join me in the dining room, Mary has lunch ready. And yes, Mrs. Jackson, your questions will be answered over lunch, not before, so you may as well go get a plate and enjoy.”

She glared at me but let her sons lead her into the dining room, where they each got a plate and sat to eat. After getting my own food, I sat at the head of the table and began to eat. After taking a few bites, I looked at the twins and nodded.

“Mom,” Josh started nervously. “You remember when I had that accident up here over the summer?”

“Did you get hurt again, Josh?” She turned to David. “I told you they’re not old enough to be working with all that big equipment, Dave.”

Joshua sighed, “No, Mom, I didn’t get hurt again. And we know what we’re doing; that was just a freak accident.”

“Well, why did I have to come all the way up here?” She looked at her son, then in a softer voice, asked, “You didn’t get a girl pregnant, did you?”

Josh froze for just a second, realizing that she would soon meet Craig, then recovered and said, “No, Mom. I don’t have a girl in my life.”

She had noticed the pause but asked, “A boy?”

“I’m not dating anyone, Mom. Just stop with the questions so I can explain.” She sighed but remained silent. Josh took a breath, then said, “That accident was a lot worse than we told you; if it hadn’t been for Greg, Chris and I both would have died.”

She waved his comment away. “Don’t be silly, Josh. If it was that bad you would have gone to the hospital. You told me you just bruised your leg and you were fine in a day or two. What did Greg do that was so heroic? Did he get you some ice?”

Josh shook his head. “Chris and I both had internal bleeding. We would have died before we got to the hospital.” He looked at me, his eyes pleading for help. I thought about what to say.

Before I could speak, James said, “Mrs. Jackson, if I may, I have a bit more experience at this than the boys. Before I explain, I’d like to ask what may seem like a silly question.” She turned to James and waited. “Do you believe in what most would call the supernatural?”

She scowled and said, “I don’t see where you’re going with this, Mr. Warnick, but if you mean aliens and ghosts and such, I think there’s a perfectly logical explanation for those things.”

“What about the persistent stories of vampires, werewolves, witches, and such? Are those tales also easily explained away? And please, call me James.”

“Okay, James, I’ll play along. I would say they started as the stories of uneducated people in an attempt to explain things they didn’t understand. Then, they became tales to scare children. I don’t understand what this has to do with Josh and his accident,” she turned to me, “unless you’re going to try to convince me that Greg’s a werewolf?”

Knowing this was my opening, I said, “No, Mrs. Jackson, I’m not a werewolf.” She gave a curt nod as if she’d won the argument. Then I said, “I’m a vampire, as are Scott, Billy, James, Donna, Trevor, and, since their accident, Chris and Josh.”

“Very funny, Greg. I would know if my son had to sleep in a coffin.” She looked around the table and added, “And all of these supposed vampires seem to be enjoying food that has no resemblance to blood.”

“Well, madam, when I was a child,” James said, sounding frustrated, “most uneducated people thought the world was flat. Those educated knew otherwise, but it was still quite a common belief. Just because you’ve not been exposed to the facts doesn’t make those facts any less true.”

With an air of smugness, she looked at Josh and said, “Well, if you’re a vampire, where are your fangs?”

Josh looked at me, and I nodded. Then he faced his mother, opened his mouth, and let his fangs drop.

She gasped. Not in fear but simply shocked that our unbelievable story was indeed true. As her gaze moved around the table, each of us mirrored her son’s actions, simply letting our fangs drop. She paused on Mike and Julie Barnes, but they shook their heads and smiled their very human smile. She continued around the table until her gaze fell upon her other son.

Jake shook his head. “No, Mother, I’m still human.”

“Still?” she asked, sounding appalled.

“Yes, Mother. I have asked Greg to change me several times, but he still says I have to wait.”

She turned to her husband and asked, “And you’ve known about this since his accident?”

David replied, "Actually, I learned about it a week or so before the accident, Wanda. The prince was generous enough to provide for our boys’ college education and—”

“And they had to trade their souls?” she snapped.

“No, Mrs. Jackson. Prince George chose to provide for your sons simply because they are close to me. It is against our laws to use any form of intimidation or enticement to convince a human to take the risk of being changed. Their accident,” I indicated Chris and Josh, “was so severe that I had to either change them or let them die. I hope you’ll eventually come to appreciate my choice.”

Wanda Jackson glared at me, then at her husband. Finally, she turned her glare to her sons, turning from one to the other several times and then landing on Josh. “Since you obviously didn’t think I was good enough to know about this for the last three months, why tell me now?”

Trevor said, “This is where my friends and I come into the story, Mrs. Jackson. Until last night, we were living on the streets of Pittsburgh, doing everything we could to survive.”

She looked around and asked, “We?”

“The others that were with him are downstairs in the game room, Mom,” Jake explained.

She turned back to me and, in a slightly calmer voice, said, “I’m confused about so many parts of this story I don’t even know where to begin, but I’ll start with you. It’s obvious to me that everyone in this room, including the adults, is deferring to you. Would you care to explain how the little boy I watched grow up with my sons is apparently more important than,” she indicated James, “a vampire who just implied that he is centuries old?”

“I’m happy to answer any questions you have, Mrs. Jackson—”

“I’m sorry, Greg, I’m just stressed. Considering everything, I think it’s fine for you to start calling me Wanda.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Wanda. I hope you’ll understand it may take me some time to adjust, but as I was saying, I’m happy to answer your questions, but this is going to be a long conversation. I would suggest that we move to the family room where we can relax while we talk.”

She agreed, so we moved. While we were getting settled, Mary asked if we’d like drinks. I didn’t think Wanda was ready to watch us drink blood, so I asked her to open a bottle of wine. After everyone was served, I began.

“I think the easiest place to start is when I met Scott for the second time…” I went on to tell her about our falling in love, an explanation of a fated mate, my accident and changing, and the fates choosing me as a baron. This, of course, necessitated an explanation of vampire nobility, which Billy handled quite well. Jake told her of the night we received the call about my dad’s accident, our time in Los Angeles, and my idea for the school. Josh then told her the real story about his accident, and Jake told her how we found Josh and Chris and what we went through to save them. Wanda stared at Jake with a combination of disgust and awe as he described how he held his brother’s femoral artery and vein during the change.

“That brings us to last night and the reason we had to reveal all this to you, Wanda…” I turned to Trevor, and he gave a brief description of the tent he shared with Johnny, Tanya, Craig, and Chipper. Without going into detail, he made her understand some of the things they had to do in order to survive, including a glossed-over description of the fight he had with the man he found trying to take Craig away to do who knows what. Josh then went into detail about his sudden feelings toward Craig and my initial reaction.

“Joshua would never touch a child like that, Greg, and you should know it!” Wanda exclaimed.

I put my head down and said, “I’m ashamed to admit that you’re right, Wanda. I should have known it, but to me, it seemed like a fated mate bonding. Prince George has since explained that it is a rare bond known as paterna, which can happen with an orphaned vampire.”

“Paterna,” she repeated as she considered the word. “As in paternal?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Josh said. “I know this isn’t how you imagined it happening, but you’re a grandmother.”

“Congratulations, it’s a boy!” Jake said in a weak attempt at lightening the mood.

“And how old is this boy, this Craig?” she asked.

“I suppose I should explain how we age, Wanda,” Scott said, then proceeded to explain vampire aging. She was surprised to find that Scott was almost seven and Billy had celebrated his sixth birthday two months ago.

“So, how old is he?” she asked for the second time.

“He’ll be four in December, Mom. I’ll save you the math; he looks like an eleven-year-old human boy,” Josh said with a smile.

Wanda stared at Josh for what seemed like ten minutes, then said, “So you’re telling me all of this now because you can’t hide the boy from me, and you can’t leave him here while you’re back home for school.” Josh gave a slight nod. “And if not for last night, you,” she looked at the twins and her husband, “were going to keep me in the dark about vampires until when? Would you have told me when you married? When did you have a child? Or would you have kept everything from me and just moved out of my life, leaving me to wonder why I never heard about your life?”

Josh looked ashamed as he said, “I don’t know what I would have done, Mom. We really hadn’t thought much beyond finishing high school. I’d like to think that in time, I could have told you everything so you could meet my mate if I met one during your life. If I had kids, I’m almost sure I would’ve found a way to let you meet them.”

“I notice you said mate and not wife,” Wanda observed. “Does this mean you’re like your brother?”

“No, Mom, I’m what’s called demisexual. In simple terms, it means I need to be emotionally attached to a person before I can be sexually involved. Your generation would just call me bisexual.”

Wanda nodded as if accepting his explanation, then asked, “And is there someone special that you’ve kept from me?”

Josh smiled and said, “No, Mom. Aside from my son, there’s no one special in my life.”

Wanda turned to Jake and asked, “And what about you? Is there a young man I should meet while I’m here?”

I wondered if he’d mention Tony Riva but wasn’t surprised when he said, “No, Mom, I haven’t met the man I want to spend my life with yet.”

“Don’t rush, Jakey. From what I’ve just learned, you’ll have time,” she said with a slight smile. She then sat up straight, slapped her hands to her thighs, and said, “Now, take me to meet my grandson.”

As we stood, Chris asked if he could talk with his parents in my office, while Brian simply said he wanted to give Josh and his family some privacy. Trevor glanced at me, then headed downstairs ahead of us. I thought I knew what he was doing, and I was right. When we got to the game room, we found Craig, Chipper, Charlie, and Jenny waiting for us. Trevor had gathered everyone else and quietly removed them so Wanda and David could meet Craig.

When Charlie saw me, he reached out, and I instinctively took him from Jenny, opened my thumb, and started feeding him. Wanda watched as I did this but made no comment. Chipper started telling us how Johnny was teaching him and Craig how to play pool and Scott knelt and quietly told him we could hear about it later, explaining that these were Uncle Josh and Uncle Jake’s parents, and they wanted to meet Craig. I was proud when Chipper stopped talking and stood between Daddy and Papa, watching silently.

Craig had rushed to Josh but when he heard who these humans were, he suddenly became shy, quietly standing at Josh’s side, looking up. Josh knelt and said, “Craig, this is my mom and dad. When they heard about you, they came up to meet you.” He looked up and said, “Mom, Dad, this is my son, Craig.”

Wanda and David both knelt, and Wanda said, “You’re a cute one, aren’t you?” as she touched his cheek.

David brushed the hair from Craig’s eyes as he said, “I guess I’m your granddad. You can call me whatever you like, but I always called my granddad ‘Pap.’”

In a timid voice, Craig said, “I’d like that, Pap.” He turned to Wanda and asked, “And what should I call you, ma’am?”

Wanda scowled while trying to make it obvious the scowl was fake as she said, “I called my grandmother ‘granny’, but don’t you dare! Grandma’s fine for me.”

Josh grinned and whispered something into Craig’s ear. With a huge smile, Craig said, “Okay, Granny.”

Wanda burst out laughing as she said, “I see you’ve been around your dad and uncle too much already.” She opened her arms and said, “Come give Granny a hug.”

Craig’s smile grew as he stepped forward and was wrapped in a loving hug, cushioned by Wanda’s ample frame. When she released him, he turned to David who also opened his arms and pulled the boy tight. I blinked away a few tears as I watched David and Wanda bonding with their grandson. After a few minutes of asking him questions, Wanda declared that they were taking their sons and grandson shopping, saying that the boy needed clothes. When she learned that he had nothing but the loose shorts and oversized tee shirt he was wearing, she seemed unsure of what to do.

Once again, Billy demonstrated his amazing ability to think ahead. He said, “Right after breakfast, Grandma got Craig and Chipper a couple of pairs of jeans, some shirts, and shoes. Jenny can show you where to find them.”

Chipper asked, “Did she get me underwears? Cause I’m commando and it feels funny on my wiener.”

We all laughed as Billy said, “Yes, Pup, she got you underwear. Get your butt upstairs and get dressed.” He gave Chipper’s backside a loving swat and pushed him toward the stairs. Craig ran to follow Chipper and Jenny glanced at Charlie, who had moved to Scott to continue his feeding. I shook my head, and she went to help the boys get dressed.

With the boys gone, Josh asked, “So, Dad, how are we going to explain Craig to the neighbors?”

David started to reply but was cut off by Wanda, who said, “We’re not. You hid this from me and lied to me, and now that I see the whole story, there’s only one option. You’re going to have to move out.”

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