When The Chips Are Down

by Aiden Vaughan

  “My God, Cody, you were made to suffer and suffer mightily!” Jason said in a very emotional voice. Cody’s story had brought tears to his eyes. “Just seeing you in the cave room, staked out and weakened from your ordeal, I knew that they had done some pretty evil things to you. Your willpower to resist had to be incredible to survive what you just described to me! Tim told me that the way he dealt with the situation was to imagine himself on some South Pacific island. Did you have some escape mechanism like that?”

  “I didn’t have a particular fantasy like that, but I used my mind to withdraw from the reality I was in, when it got to be too much to deal with. I had to use every possible mental resource I could think of to fight back because the guards were constantly trying to beat down my will to resist. When you, Daniel and the others showed up, all my faith in humanity came charging back to me. Somehow you revived the inner strength in me that was about to die!”

  Jason got up from where he had been seated on the rock. “Come on, Cody, let’s go for a walk, or check out the Boardwalk, or stop somewhere and get a bite to eat. We need a break from this intense conversation!”

  “I’m sorry if I have brought you down with this conversation. But I needed to tell someone besides a doctor what really happened to me. The memories of it have been consuming my life and I had to get it out of my system somehow.”

  “I’m actually flattered that you would want to confide in me, Cody. It shows me that you are ready to trust people again, and rejoin the normal world. I went through the same kind of experience after I was kidnapped last year. Luckily I had Daniel and some other friends and family who could support me when I had to deal with the mental games that were directed against me!”

  The boys drove to the Boardwalk, and walked around for a while, checking out the vendors, shopping in the stores, looking at the scenery, and watching the tourists. They ended up stopping in a little lunch place for some sandwiches. As they were eating, Jason said, “You know, Cody, we’ve been to the depths of what has been ailing you, and relived a horrible and traumatic portion of your life. You managed to survive it, quite nicely it appears, and now it is time to look in another direction — forward! I think you have an extremely bright and interesting future ahead of you. When we get back home, I would like to talk further about it. After we get done here, let’s just drive, listen to some good tunes, and enjoy the scenery for a while!”

  * * * * *

  Later that afternoon, Jason and Cody were sitting on the front porch again. “I’m ready for some more serious talk,” Jason began, “but this time I want the subject to be about what you can do to start moving on in your life. I know all about your past. Tell me about your future. What do you really want to do in life?”

  Cody began to talk about his dreams and interests. “Jason, my whole life is somehow linked to the ocean, and ideally I should be pursuing a career in oceanography or marine science. But it will take a lot of work and studying to get prepared for a science degree. I’ve already missed a whole semester of high school, and quite honestly, I wasn’t doing very well when I did attend school.”

  “It is important that you are honest about where you are now, but when you talk about schooling and education, there is no goal that you cannot achieve if you put your mind to it and commit to doing the work!” Jason replied. “I’m sitting here talking to a guy who defeated serious predators, people who did everything they could including torture to break your spirit. Somehow, a set of academic goals doesn’t seem to be in the same league! But don’t kid yourself, Cody. You have a lot of work to do to get caught up. There are a lot of math and science courses that you need to take and excel at. If you don’t do so the first time, you need to take them again until you do succeed! Are you willing to make that commitment? Are you willing to spend less time on the beach if you need to spend more on your studies?”

  “That’s a fair enough question, Jason. The honest answer for me right now is I don’t know. I know I would like to, but will I even be able to get admitted to a major university? You know the ones that have oceanography programs and campuses right on the beach!”

  “I have only known you for a short amount of time, Cody, but I want you to know that I believe in you! If you decide you want to do this, I believe that you can! But I understand you have had a tough life and heard a lot of people telling you that you can’t succeed. To those people I say ‘back off’! If you tell me here today that you think you can succeed and complete the work, then I say, ‘Right on, Cody.’ I’m going to support you all the way, through high school and through college. I pledge to you right now that if you can successfully get caught up in school, bring your grades up to what they will need to be to get admitted into a college program, my Whatever Foundation will fund your education for all four undergraduate years. That would include everything, Cody, books, tuition, and room and board. This is something that the Whatever Foundation does all the time for worthy high school students who have been crime victims. You certainly meet the criteria. So what do you say?”

  Cody looked over at Jason with his mouth wide open. “You would do that for me?” Cody said in an emotional voice. “No one has ever even told me before that I was college material, and you are offering me a full four year scholarship?”

  “Yes, I am, Cody. I believe in you. I really do. If you are willing to do the work, my foundation will support you all the way!”

  “Jason, ever since you have come into my life, nothing but good things have happened to me. It is hard to believe that this is for real because for so long I have been put down, and regarded as worthless. I have never told anyone this, not even Dr. Wilmington, because it was so humiliating, embarrassing, and demeaning to me. One day in the prison camp, I finally got up the nerve to ask Walter why they were spending so much effort on torturing Timothy and myself. I figured I would get beaten up or gagged for asking that, but instead he gave me an answer that chills me to the bone whenever I reflect on it, even now. He told me that people like us were the rot of society, the blight of humanity, more worthless than a dog, and worse than a useless piece of shit! He told me that my presence corrupted anyone I was near because I had no respect for authority. He said he would rather have a dog around than someone like me because at least the dog would be loyal to its master and could learn to obey orders. And at least a piece of shit could be flushed down the toilet, but what could they do with me?”

  “My God, Cody. I hope you never for one minute believed any of that! I don’t know how to respond to that except to say that you are wasting your time worrying about what Walter and the other people like him think. Sure what they said and did to you was harmful, cutting, and degrading. But what do they know about the real you? Your best revenge is to prove them wrong! Make something of your life! Take up my offer and become an oceanographer. You know you have the ability within yourself to succeed! Your life needs to focus on the good things of today and tomorrow, not the bad things of the past!”

  “Thank you for the inspirational words, Jason. You really have made me feel better. You know with all of the hospitality and encouragement you have given me since my arrival here, I forgot that I brought presents for you and Daniel.” Cody went to his room and brought back a medium sized package wrapped in tissue paper that he handed to Jason. Jason tore off the paper. Inside was a beautiful whole abalone shell.

  “Wow, this is really a fine looking shell, Cody. Where did you get it?”

  “A few miles from where I live there is a cove where you can go diving for abalone. I got this one there. I thought this was a perfect gift for you, Jason, because like me, it comes from the ocean environment. In tropical cultures, due to its bright and shiny appearance, the abalone shell symbolizes an easy flow of emotions and sensitivity to the feelings of others. That represents you, Jason.”

  “What a great gift, and especially so because of its special meaning. You know, I also have a personal gift for you! Jason went and got a Converse box that contained a pair of unbleached
white high top chucks and gave it to Cody. “I know you like to go barefoot most of the time, from what I see and what you have said, but there still are times when every teen needs to have a good pair of sneakers to wear. This particular model has always been a great beach pair for me.”

  Jason then explained how he would bring an old pair with him to the beach when he wanted to do rock climbing and explore tide pools. “I like them because they protect my feet from the very sharp rocks on some of my favorite beaches. They are the color of the sand. They are fun shoes and adaptable to different dress styles. You can wear them rolled down, or with wide laces so they don’t need tying. You will find these chucks to be a very useful pair of shoes for you when you need a pair for sports or casual wear. In fact, if you try them on, we can play some hoops right now, you know, a little basketball.”

  “Thanks for the thoughtful gift. These sneakers are cool, and now I have something that definitely reminds me of you, Jason.” Cody took the shoes out of the box and after putting on a pair of socks that were included with the gift, laced them up. Then the two boys went onto the driveway and played some one-on-one basketball.

  Later they drove over to Daniel’s house. He had invited them over if they had some time to hang out with him and visit, and Cody wanted to give Daniel his gift. Daniel’s gift was a yellow and white conch shell.

  “This a great gift for a musician, Cody,” Daniel said after tearing off the wrapping paper. “If you put it up to your ear you can hear the sound of the sea. Or you can blow into the shell and make a trumpet sound.”

  “I wanted both of you to have something to remember me by. I wanted you to know that I consider you both great friends for all that you have done for me since the rescue.” Cody updated Daniel on Jason’s latest proposal and his desire to eventually study oceanography.

  “That is awesome, Cody. It’s a perfect career for you. Of course, you know with every Jason scholarship there are strings attached!”

  “Yeah, I know. Get my act together, get good grades, and work hard until I succeed! But for the first time in my life, I believe it could be doable!”

  “That’s the spirit! Way to go, Cody!” Jason and Daniel responded at the same time.

  Cody put out his knuckles for some taps. “Friends for life?”

  “Oh yeah, friends for life!” Jason answered as he and Daniel tapped back. “But you knew that already, I hope!”

  Chapter 35

  Celebration at Laura’s House

  (The Beginning of Summer)

  It was Saturday evening, and time to go to Laura Friesen’s party. The theme was “Welcome back, Cody and Tim” but it was also a party to celebrate the start of summer vacation. There was a good turnout of Laura and Jason’s friends. Daniel was there with Diana. When Jason brought Cody over to introduce him to Diana, Daniel said, “Diana has been learning from her mom how to make classic desserts. She promised that she would have something incredibly good for us to have tonight.”

  “And there it is over on that table,” Diana said with some pride in her voice. “I made you a triple chocolate truffle cake.” The cake was incredibly rich with a dark chocolate frosting and pieces of shaved white chocolate on top. She explained that it took two days to make, with all of the steps required.

  “What are we waiting for, Daniel? I am ready for some serious chocolate in my life!” Jason exclaimed. Diana served them each slices of the cake.

  “Wow, this is the best chocolate thing I have ever had!” Cody said enthusiastically as he worked on his slice.

  Daniel got down on his knees and said to Diana, “Will you marry me? I’m totally in love with your chocolate truffle cake!”

  “Better be careful, Daniel,” Jason said laughing. “She might take you up on your offer!”

  Laura then took Cody over to meet some of her girl friends. When they saw Cody they were all over him, and soon several of them and Cody were happily swimming in Laura’s pool. Eric and Rebecca were also there, and quickly joined them in the pool.

  Jason was circulating around the room to say hello to his many friends in attendance when he spotted Timothy and Teresa. Before he could even say hello, Teresa ran up to him and gave him a big hug and kiss. Teresa looked great. She had redone her hair, had new clothes and a big smile on her face. “Jason, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. When I opened that envelope with the check, I almost fainted. Nobody has ever given me anything like that before!”

  “I was correct then that you could use the money?” Jason asked.

  “Oh yes! For the first in my life I could actually go shopping at real stores, have my hair done, and now I even have a car to drive around in. Life is fun when you can actually afford to do things!”

  Timothy came up and said, “Teresa and I are so happy now, it’s like we are floating on air. And it’s all because of your generosity, Jason, and your foundation programs.”

  “I am very pleased that you are both doing so well now. Daniel tells me that you are going to play drums in his band, Tim. That’s so exciting. We are all looking forward to hearing your music in the near future!”

  “Thanks to those lessons you funded for me, I have been making great progress on the drum set and as a percussionist. I’m even going to rejoin the music program at school.”

  “You are going back to Merriam High School?”

  “Yes, believe it or not. I went over there and made amends with everybody just before the end of finals. I apologized to the administrators and the teachers I was so mean to. I even gave Mrs. Moretti a gift!”

  “What did you give her?”

  “I gave her a cactus plant with a card. The card said, ‘This cactus plant is like me. I know I was like prickly needles to you constantly, but once a year, watch! I bloom and a pretty flower comes out. Please forgive me for my rude behavior in your classroom!’”

  “What was her reaction?”

  “She laughed and said, ‘You know, Wilkinson, you’re all right! Even my meanest and rudest students do have their good points! I accept your apology and wish you all the best. I think you’ve grown up quite a bit since I saw you last! I’m so sorry for what happened to you at that camp. No one should ever be treated like you were. But out of adversity you have become a better person because now you have some perspective on what is really important in your life!’ ”

  “She’s right,” Jason replied. “You have grown up a lot. Both of you have. Now we expect great things from you!”

  Next Jason ran into Richard Liu who had come to the party with another old friend, Cecily Chin. After they said their ‘hellos’ Richard asked Jason if he was working on any new mysteries. “No, my slate is nice and clean for the summer. I am looking forward to lazy days and no agenda other than maybe playing some hoops. I have to stay in shape for the fall basketball season.”

  “Then let’s get together and play a couple times a week! Now that Dad is so preoccupied with all the changes at DCC, he is letting David and I do what we pretty much want this summer. I think I am actually going to have some vacation!”

  “And what about you, Cecily?” Jason asked.

  “I’m having a real musical summer,” Cecily told him. “I got accepted into a music camp for four weeks, and then we have our honor orchestra again in August. I’ll be sawing away on my violin all summer!”

  “It’s nice to have so many talented friends,” Jason said. “I wish I had your talent in music, but the only thing I can play is my mp3 player!”

  Jason looked around the party some more and saw Chauncey Jackson talking sports with some of the other guys, Daniel huddled in a corner talking music with Diana, and Bob Harker with Gloria Berger drawing caricatures of different guests at the party. Then he felt an arm come around his waist.

  “There you are, Jason,” Laura said. “I’ve been looking for you!”

  “I’ve just been circulating among all my friends at this party. It looks like a big success, thanks to you and Diana.” Jason turned and gave her a kiss.
“Now that I have made the rounds, I can do my favorite thing, which is to hang out with you, Laura!”

  “I wish all these people were gone, so we could just be alone and snuggle together.”

  “We will have plenty of time to do that this summer, Laura, and it’s nice to party with all our friends.”

  “Will we, Jason? Will we be able to spend a lot of time together? You don’t have any new mysteries to solve, do you?”

  “Right now my agenda is clear.”

  “That sounds so,” she paused to think of the right word, “promising!” Laura then held Jason’s hand and gave him several kisses back.

  “Let’s go see how Cody is holding up,” Jason said. “The last time I saw him, he was under siege from three of your available girl friends.” Hand in hand, they walked to the pool.

  * * * * *

  Jason Hunter and Daniel Holmes were leading ordinary lives again. But to quote Edwin Markham: “There is a destiny that makes us brothers — none goes his way alone.” Soon destiny would again summon the detective team of Hunter & Holmes.