New Arrivals part 1

Chapter 54

New Arrivals

Part 1

For the most part, life goes on, but if you thought my life was about to get easier think again. Mom and Dad decided they needed more income to help out with the cost of a new baby boy. He would be born in the latter part of February, almost four months away, and his name was going to be Jonathon. Dad had everything ready including fresh paint on the walls. He had everything the baby would need, but Dad said we were almost strapped and that we would need to tighten our belts. Between hospital and doctors’ bills, not to mention clothing for me and Arthur, we were just barely getting by and Christmas was right around the corner. One of the main reasons why I remember it because it would be my first Christmas with the Rothwell’s, but plans change.

Once again the dingbat aka my caseworker, had it in his mind that I would spend both Christmas and Thanksgiving with my parents, stating that my family was more important around the holidays. Personally, I disagree with that statement, considering who and what my parents are.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were not my ideas of fun when it comes to spending it with them. Mom and Dad agreed to it on the following conditions: 1: That I would spend those days with my grandmother; only at her house, and 2: There would be a police officer present from the moment I arrived until I returned home; making it known that if anyone tried anything… action would be taken quickly and effectively.

Dad had one other thing, it was a deal breaker. I would have to wear an ankle monitor so that if my parents got creative they could track me. Also if something was wrong and they tried to cut it off; both the Rothwell’s and the police would be notified the very second it happened. I knew it wasn’t because I would try to run away; the chances were higher that my parents would kidnap or kill me. Maybe both. Nobody was to know, not even my grandmother, during the time I would be with her.

To say my parents were furious with the arrangements would be an understatement. Since I wouldn’t be staying the three days for Thanksgiving or three days for Christmas under those conditions, decided to cancel it. I was glad and I would have rather spent the time in the hot box for an entire week during the hottest part of summer. Hell, I thought, was a nicer place than going to visit them.

Mom and Dad trusted my grandmother a lot more than my parents even though they had only read about her in my file and what they’d heard me say about her; even unknowingly met her. They let me correspond with her through the mail. My letters were read before they were sent. I was allowed to call her as long as I behaved, but they listened in on every call.

Have you ever notice how different your voice sounds over the phone than in person? Mom and Dad were doing their best to gain their trust back by trusting me by not running away regardless if I was going to wear a monitoring device. I knew it was for my own protection, mostly, but it also made it impossible if any of my closest friends could smuggle me out unnoticed.

It was agreed that upon that I would least visit her instead of my parents, that way I could least spend it with family and see my brother. Even though I wanted to see him more than anyone else, but I would put up with being furniture so as long as I could see and talk to my grandmother and my brother. I would walk through hell itself if it required me to do so.

The plan was in place, but it needed some ground rules or there would not be a visit. The first rule was not to be allowed off the property for any reason unless we checked with the Rothwell’s and the police that would be watching outside.

Second, my parents were not to be notified of the visit so they could not have time to plan. The third and most important rule: not a single bruise or injury that hadn’t been there before the visit would terminate this and any future visits indefinitely. To make sure that I wasn’t being harmed, I would be physically searched by the officers on duty twice a day.

To say there was a lot to do before the holidays would be an understatement. Which meant extra chores for everybody; Dad was doing his best to finish Arthur’s room for the second arrival who would make my life a living hell, not that it wasn’t already. Mom and Dad and I came to understanding.  Basements were not in my near future, yet they needed the extra income, and for the moment Arthur was the only one in the house that had his own room.

Considering, I to was intended to move down there with him. Not going to happen, at least not anytime soon. Thanks to my parents, even more so thanks to Shawn and his friends. Shane and I were fine right where we are, even though Arthur and Shawn’s room was bigger than our room, even with his two younger brothers sharing a bunk-bed in Shawn’s room. As I have noted before I moved in, I would have been the third foster kid, but instead, I became number two.

You would think losing one would put a black mark stating a bad idea when came to the Rothwell’s, and even more so with having foster kids. Yet somewhere, someone forgot to read the brochure or they were paid to look the other way. Anyway someone screwed up or became very desperate when it came to asking if the Rothwell’s had enough on their plate when Kelly Moore arrived that November.

Dad had a family meeting stating the rules to everyone. I’m guessing it was the same meeting they had before I’d arrived, you know the do’s and don’ts. What to say and what not to say. Believe it or not, we rehearsed it every day until the day he actually arrived, personally, I wanted to make a sign that said run and don’t look back, knowing that I’d failed to do so didn’t make me feel any better. I had wanted to be the last foster kid they ever had, yet, if he hadn’t arrived would the outcome had been any different? If I tell you more than that, it would spoil it.

Kelly Moore was 16 at the time almost two years older than me and a year older than Arthur. Like most boys that come to the Rothwell’s he had been classified as a problem child and had been in several foster homes and halfway houses. Not as many as I have considering I am part of a select few. We were told some of his problems, poor student, not of the LDS faith or of any faith that anyone was aware of. He’s had a problem with discipline, drugs, alcohol, running away from home and the law; he was just an all-around bad boy. According to Dad, this was his last chance to make it or end up in a boy’s home or Juvenile prison. I was wondering what they said about me when I arrived.

Kelly had raven black hair, eyes that were as black as night. He was approximately 5 feet 6 and lean as in tall and scrawny. He smelled of cigarettes and alcohol as if he just came from a bar. When you looked at him you knew he was wild and a mean person. I knew Dad was going to have fun with him and also knew Kelly was about to be introduced to his worst nightmare. Prison would have been a better fit than here, but that’s how Dad and Mom liked it. The fact that he was a challenge compared to me was even better. Like I said Dad had made several improvements to his and Arthur new cell; which I will discuss later on.

I did know that our chores were about to become lighter when I watched him sit in handcuffs and legs laced with chains just like you see in prison movies. Dad didn’t say a word to how he looked or how he smelled, but he did growl back when Kelly told him to kiss his a*s even turned it so he could. I forgot to tell you he had a mouth on him that was so foul that matched his persona. It took two policemen and our new caseworker to get him to sit without a struggle. I could tell Mom and Dad were restrained just enough to control the monster inside.

We followed our queue when it was our turn to be introduced, it felt as we were the very, very Brady Bunch taking turns to introduce ourselves. He took one look at us and started laughing as if he just landed in Sunnyvale or you are on Candy Camera. Dad patience was running thin as it was, but this put him over the top. Said the hell with it and dismissed us all. Sorry, no punch and cookies for this guy, not that we’d baked him any.

Dad asked Shane and if he could borrow our room for a bit. Dad took the keys from the police and shook hands with what I thought was, money slipping in between their hands, like a payoff. Then Dad told Mom that he and Kelly needed some ‘personal bonding’ all while telling Mr. Dingbat to feel free to visit; Shane would be more than happy to show him where Kelly would be staying.

I almost pee’ ed my pants and nearly running to the family room; Mom gave each of us a worried look closing the door. Shawn turned two shades of white watching Dad manhandle Kelly down to my room and quickly ran outside. Personally, I wanted to go with him, I didn’t want to know or needed to know what Dad was doing in regards to “personal bonding.” If Shawn was terrified, I had good reason to be. Mom turned up the volume on the TV even though we all knew that my room was sound proof. I slowly began my breathing exercise, repeating my phrase. “Tigers have seven stripes;” breathing in and letting it out slowly and saying it over and over.

I knew better than to hide and it wouldn’t look good to run away with Mr. Ding Bat sitting in the living room having a tea party with Mom; asking her where I was going. It was nearly an hour and the house was still silent except for the TV. Mom came and asked Shane to give him the grand tour where Kelly would be staying. Dad came in with blood on his shirt stating that Kelly had an “unexpected nose bleed” and would “require some assistant” to help clean him up.

Kerry quickly took Shane’s place and we continued on with my exercises. Watching Dad removes his shirt and throwing Kelly’s clothes into a plastic bag and telling Mom to give this back to Mr. Ding Bat or burn them, closing the door and grabbing some towels and a new scrub brush.

Again I didn’t have to wonder what was happening, I knew from first-hand experience. Most likely a strip search and he was about to be given a bath. Well, perhaps rough shower outside along the fence. Hearing Dad open the backdoor and the chains rattle, not to mention catching a glimpse of Kelly bare a*s walking across the grass and being tied to the post with his own handcuffs before Kerry simply said “That Dad was just showing him who was the boss. This only happened when boys like him didn’t know what discipline was.” All I know was that I felt quite lucky to have never experienced it and to think this was only the beginning.

Shane came in wet and stripped down to his boxers running and grabbing some soap and shampoo. I did mention we were five houses down a very long road at the end of the street. You would need a telescope to see anything, I should also mention this was November and not a warm day even when the sun was shining. Mom was a good actor keeping our private life or what’s really going on behind the doors. But even Mr. “Ding Bat” could hear Kelly screaming when Dad turned on the pressure hose that we use cleaning the driveway and garage with.

Mr. “Ding Bat” stood at our window and watched as if it was the history channel. Mom quickly said “bad, very bad boys like these needed to be shown how to behave.”

She was about to explain more, but all he did was give her a check and made her sign papers said. “It was this or prison; he had robbed a liquor store a week ago, him and his pals. He was lucky to come here, Mrs. Rothwell. If he needs a firm hand so be it; if you can turn out boys like Eric and Arthur I am willing to look the other way. I give you and your husband two weeks to decide if he needs a more firmer hand before the courts get involved; I wish you luck;” and left out the family room back door. Mom closed the curtain gave us a smile and asked Kerry and me if we wouldn’t mind starting dinner.

By the time Dad, Shane and Kelly came in we knew better than to hide or close our eyes, but it didn’t stop me from shaking inside seeing fresh red marks across his backside and fresh hand marks across his face. Being naked was nothing new in this house, Dad just simply said. Kelly would be staying in our room for now if I would please help Shane move into the Family room for the time being. Kelly didn’t even blush instead growled and called Mom and Dad p***y’s spitting blood onto the carpet.

Dad opened the backdoor and pushed him back outside. Dragging him out to the field and told him to run, while we watched him trip over his chained legs and still handcuffed falling into a big pile of horse manure. Mom sighed and went back to work as if was just another day at the Rothwell’s. While I and Shane did what we were told.

It wasn’t long before Shawn came back and ran downstairs to his room with fresh marks on his bare back and butt. We all knew without asking that Dad was really in one of his moods, meaning stay out of his path. Shawn tried to hide, but Dad found him and took his anger out on him as well. Mom calmly picked up Shawn’s clothes from the floor and put them in the laundry room. Dad was still out in the field walking Kelly around; it was after dark before he came back in. Kelly wasn’t with him Dad asked Mom how long dinner would be ready. Noted the time and stripped down to his boxers leaving his shoes and socks outside, there wasn’t a hint of anger in his voice when he asked. If I didn’t know better I would say he was enjoying it; well at least one person was.

Mom and Dad have a rule when it comes to meal time: that everyone must be present and dressed at the table, except for breakfast and lunch. Dad himself had broken that rule enough times when it comes to severe punishment and this was no exception. Kelly was the exception regardless of his age; it was different if you were a foster kid versus one of their own like Shane being close to 18 years of age within a few months. Modesty had no boundaries when you live with a whole house of boys with only two sisters that have seen more than their share over the years, and a mother that just turns a blind eye, even more so if you were a foster kid age means nothing.

Kelly was in lockup in a un-inescapable room while Dad took a warm shower to wash off the grime of the field. It was also not my first rodeo having been through this many times. Mom simply added another chair and moved Shawn over one place and having the younger boys sit next to him. The girls quietly sat on my side with Shane, Arthur and me. Dad took his place having Kelly roughly sit in boxers and a clean shirt; which was a surprise in itself. Mom smiled at us and gave a nodded to Dad that she approved. Like me, all his clothes were picked out before he came. Not that it would matter in regards to cigarettes smell. It stinks in your hair and skin for a very long time. Even with two harsh baths he still stunk of booze and cigarettes.