Tenderly Beats the Lonely Heart
Page 23
The ladies made their entry after cleaning up the dinner dishes.
Emily asked, “What are you men discussing?”
Walter replied, “Believe it or not, we were talking about the sun.”
Louise asked, “Is that the male variety or the astronomical sun?”
“The latter.”
Miriam asked, “What’s so interesting about the sun?”
Mike answered, “We were talking about how important it is to choose a house that is positioned properly, with respect to the sun.”
Walter turned to Emily, “I told them about our first house and how hot our bedroom always was.”
“Oh, god, I remember those days. Walter’s right, especially if the house is two stories.”
Thomas turned to Louise, “I added it to the
list.”
Mike said to Miriam, “That’s something we’ll have to check on at the Sanderson’s house. I never would have thought of it if Walter hadn’t mentioned it, but it makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t look as if builders give much consideration to a houses position on a plot when they design the room layout.”
“I would have never thought about that either. Now I understand why some people insist on living in a house for a few days before agreeing to buy it. Even if it means sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, it at least gives you a feel for what it will be like living there. That’s so important if you’re planning on living there for a long time. Do you think the Sanderson’s would let us stay there for a night?”
“They might if the house hasn’t sold before they move out. I could write up an agreement with them that the sale of the house is contingent on our staying in the house for two days to decide on its habitability for us. It’s different, but I’m sure that it’s been done. We have nothing to lose by trying?”
Miriam hugged him. “That’s what I love about being married to an attorney.”
* * *
The Town Council Meeting ended with a rap of the gavel; but not before Peter Westlake reported that, after a year, the town was finally returning to its old charm. The new bandstand and parking lot were built, and the first show was attended by a record number of Dixieland Jazz enthusiasts. An arboretum and a sculptor commemorating the lives of those who died in the accident, sat in place of the old bandstand.
* * *
“How is everything at the Center these days?”
“Couldn’t be better, Arnold. The last of the
Tiecher Park patients was released last week.” “That’s good to hear, Frederick. I’ve got some good news. After months of review and testing, the Institute of Neurological Disorders authorized use of the Freenold Convention.” He hesitated a moment and added, “We did it.”
“That’s great news.”
“You should be getting some papers this week for us to apply for a Copyright for the sessions. I signed my part already, so just use the return envelope to get it back to the attorney. We did very well, my friend.”
“Have you spoken to Thomas recently?”
“He called last week with some questions about workouts at the gym. He is doing very well. He has a slight problem with sleep; something about an over active mind. I gave him some advice about specific pre-sleep activity and offered to prescribe a mild sedative, but he said he was already taking more pills that he cared to. I think he’ll be okay. He has an outstanding support team backing him up.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll be interested in seeing the results of his six-month checkup. Okay, then, give me a call if you have any questions about the Copyright papers.”
“I’ll do that Arnold. Have a good day.”
“You do too.”
AUTHOR’S NOTES
I would be remiss if I did not take advantage of this opportunity to mention the Foster Care System that played such a prominent role in the plot of Tenderly Beats the Lonely Heart.
The information that follows was obtained from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and represents data for FY 2014 made available by the Child Welfare Information Gateway
(https://www.childwelfare.gov)
What is the Foster Care System? Foster Care is the arrangement by which 24-hour care is provided outside their own homes for children whose birthparents are not able to care for them. I may be arranged through the Court System or result from placement by a social agency and can be for a period of time measured in days up to the age of 18 or the completion of high school. (Some
States have extended the age limit to 20 or 21.)
Children in foster care live in a variety of placement settings. These foster care settings include, but are not limited to, non-relative Foster Family homes (46%), Relative Foster Homes (29%), Institutions (8%), Group Homes (6%), Preadoptive Homes (4%) and Others (7%).
What kind of numbers are we talking about?
On September 30th, 2014, there were an estimated
415,129 children in foster care. During FY2014, 264,746 children entered the system and 238,230 children exited foster care.
How did Foster Care work out?
Of the estimated 238,230 children who exited the Foster Care System in 2014, 51% were reunited with their parents or primary caretaker, 21% were adopted, 9% were emancipated, and 19% had other outcomes.
How long did they stay in Foster Care?
Of the estimated 238,230 children who exited the Foster Care System in 2014, 11% were there for less that 1 month, 35% for 1-11 months, 28% for 12-23 months, 13% for 24-35 months, 8% for 3-4 years and 5% for more than 5 years.
What are the ages of the children in Foster Care?
Children can enter Foster Care from infancy to 18 years of age (in some States 20 and 21).
For the statistical year shown, the median age of the children in foster care was 8.0 years, the median age for those entering the system was 6.4 years and the median age for those exiting the system is 8.0 years.
How does race and ethnicity factor in?
Of the estimated 415,129 in the Foster Care System in 2014, some 42% were white, 24% were black or African-American, 22 % were Hispanic and 12% were either other races, multiracial or were unable to be determined. The general population of the United States for the same period is 62% White, 12% black, 17% Hispanic and 9% others.
What happens after Foster Care?
With a system that culminates at age 8 (some States, 20 or 21) we should not expect to learn much about what happens to a child after they “age out”. Most of the information we have gotten came from via private agencies or journalists looking for an attention getting story or column. What I found was a mix of mostly bad news and some optimistic news. By their mid–twenties, 80% of foster care children who have aged-out graduated from high school or earned a GED diploma, 5% obtained a college degree, almost 60% of the young men have been convicted of a crime, 80% have been arrested, 75% of the young women have become pregnant since they aged out and 25% of the total population have been homeless.
These dire statistics haven’t gone unnoticed. Many States have developed Transition Programs to help these children move from Foster care to independence. The programs aim at providing safe and stable housing, temporary Medicaid coverage, job training and educational vouchers. Most of the programs begin two years before the foster care ends to ease the child’s transition to adulthood. * * *
In the novel, Tenderly Beats the Lonely Heart, Thomas Mortinson entered the Foster Care System at birth and only a fortunate series of circumstances allowed his case to fly under the bureaucratic radar until he left for college at 17 1/2. It is rare for this to occur, but certainly not impossible. His foster parents provided a very stable home (after all his foster father was the town sheriff), which did not require excessive visits by an overly worked Civil Service Agency; out of sight, out of mind. This was a success story, there are many like it, but the bad news greatly outweighs the successes.
The Foster Care and Adoption Syst
ems need to be revamped. States must provide the funds to gut and rebuild the structure of the Civil Service agencies that administer the programs. The future of our country depends on making good citizens of all our youth including those unfortunate enough to get the short-end-of-the-stick when it comes to parents or guardians. Make your voice heard.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ken is a multi-genre novelist living in Ohio with his wife and miniature Schnauzer. He was born in St.
Louis, Missouri, but moved to Long Island, N.Y. when he was 8 years old.
Reading and writing fiction have always been a big part of Ken’s life. As a child he wrote about outer-space and in high school he was the editor of the school’s literary newspaper. During that period, he wrote mostly short stories and novellas.
Ken earned a BS in Logistics from NYU. His career in NYC was spent in management positions at several large companies, including Exxon, Metropolitan Life and J.C. Penney. During those years he had little time for writing as his career required extensive travel and he was busy raising a family.
In the early eighties, as an empty-nester,
Ken moved to Centerville, OH with his wife, Jeannette. There he retired early from the bicycle manufacturer Huffy when they went into bankruptcy.
Now, as a full-time writer. Ken writes because he feels that there are stories that need to be told. He enjoys the process of writing and firmly believe that you do your best writing when you are well read. To that end, he reads at least one novel a week.
Blood Money, Ken’s debut novel centers on a private investigator, Mark Matthews, turned FBI agent. In the novel Mark topples an association funneling money to terrorists. It was published as an eBook in November 2011.
Fatal Dose, the second Mark Matthews Mystery exposes a drug mafia distributing counterfeit prescription drugs and revisits some of the villains from Blood Money. It was published as an eBook in March 2013.
Siblings, is a captivating family saga and an introspective of the hierarchy in sibling families. This tale of the Symington family runs rampant with romance, gambling, psychedelic trips and infidelity. It was released as a paperback and eBook in August 2015.
The Journey, Eight Postulates to Live By is a about a modern-day Everyman, It introduces a way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. It is scheduled to be published as a paperback and eBook on April 3, 2017.
In His Fathers Shadow is a multi-genre work about three generations of the Westbrook family. The protagonist, Adam Westbrook III, provokes each of the main characters with a series of ruthless actions until one is driven to hire an assassin to kill both Adam and his father and burn Westbrook Manor to the ground. It is currently unpublished
Before starting a novel, Ken does extensive research. For example, while writing Blood Money and Fatal Dose, that feature an FBI agent as the protagonist, he met with local FBI agents to verify details used in his stories. For Siblings he needed to learn about psychedelic drugs and abortion procedures.
With three published thrillers and one Family Drama/Romance novel under his belt, Ken is turning to romance novels and those addressing social issues and topics with piritual/inspirational themes. Member of ITW, WFMA and INTA