The "Pardon"

              

                                                                ~ yesterday ~
    
That Damn Stan let out an Indian war whoop.  "Dree," he was practically screaming at him, "You're free!  You're free!"  Dree got up from his desk and ventured out into the hallway.  That Damn Stan kissed him and pulled on his shirt.  "Dude, you're all over the news."  Dree followed him into the living room where That Damn Stan was busy hunting down the local news.

Dree stared at the teevee.  "Wow," he said.  he slumped into the recliner and closed his eyes.  "That's it?" That Damn Stan demanded, "Just 'Wow?'"  Dree groaned.  "What are you going to do now?" That Damn Stan inquired.  Dree shrugged.  "Testify in front of those idiots in Congress, maybe spend the summer in Newark."  That Damn Stan raised his eyebrows.  "See if Honey
will marry me.  Then go live in Germany or somewhere for awhile." 

A picture of Dree Raincave flashed on the screen.  "You're going back to Newark?  I thought you hated it there," That Damn Stan mused.  "Yeah, in the slum and without Honey.  I'd like to give Newark a second chance.  Maybe spend a few weeks helping to clean up after Sandy.  That hurricane was a bitch," Dree RainCave said.  "Can I use the phone?  I'd like to call Honey."  That Damn Stan nodded.  "Help yourself, Dree.  You've earned it."

                      ~ to be continued ~

Talking

"You speak German, Japanese, Chinese--"

"Mandarin," Dree Raincave interrupted That Damn Stan.

"Yes, okay.  French, Italian, and Spanish.  Any others?"

"I can read Portuguese and I understand bits of Farsi.  I want to learn some more Farsi.  And I want to learn Tagalog."

Stan nodded.  "Anything else?"

"I like languages.  I'm good with coding," Dree stared wistfully into space for a few seconds and then sighed heavily.  "I'd like to create my own artificial language.  Not now.  After things settle down."

Stan sensed that Dree wanted to create a programming language but he left that alone.  "Alright then.  I'll see what I can do.  My mother has some friends in a language club who meet for lunch once a we--"

Dree groaned.

"Not all of her friends are addicts."

Dree nodded.  He wasn't crazy about meeting any more of That Damn Stan's mother's buddies.

"I think I can pick up some language C.D.s and books for you."  At my own expense, Stan thought silently.  The library is a piece of shit.  Nothing much there anymore.  I'd have to use an assumed identity and bit coins to get a hold of Farsi learning materials.  The Government and I don't see eye-to-eye these days on much.  Because I defend unpopular relatives of terrorists in court.

"I said 'F-ck the Pigs' in court," Stan told Dree.  "Three times."

Dree smiled.  "I've said worse in Sunday School.  Being agnostic in Carolina made me the dangerous man I am today."

That Damn Stan indicated a pile of Japanese anime comics on the living room coffee table.  "There ya go, buddy.  Stay out of trouble today.  Mom and I both have to work."

Dree Raincave smiled.  He snatched up the comics eagerly-- noticing that they were in Japanese and not English produced a smile that brightened up his whole face-- and retreated down the hallway to his bedroom where Majestic waited.

"Thanks, Stan.  You're alright."

Crap, Stan thought.  How am I going to tell him that I have to go to the City for a few weeks to attend to my law practice, and then fly off to California for the PayPal 14 case?  I hope my mother doesn't frighten Dree into a petrified stump while I'm gone.


                         ~ to be continued ~

Hacker!

"Stan, did you see what Dree did?"

"No, Moth--"

"We now have a bamboo fence on the back of the property.  Some
  of the bamboo is still in the ground and he wove it right into the
  fence!"

"Do you like it?"

"I'm astonished.  I've never seen anything like it!  I had a good 
  idea."

Stan said nothing.

Dree RainCave, followed by Majestic, stalked into the kitchen just then.  He poured himself a cup of coffee and then sat at the table.

"I'm done," he said.  "I'm not going to anymore open doper meetings and I'm not going back to CODA either."

That Damn Stan's damn mother glared at Dree.

"I'm not an addict.  I'm an atheist in case the two of you haven't noticed.  I don't relate to them.  And you can't make me go."  Majestic jumped into Dree's lap and hissed.

Stan nodded.  "We'll all atheists here, Dree."

"How do you put up with that Higher Power shit?"  Dree sucked down half of his coffee and slammed the mug down on the table.
"And 'everything happens for a reason."  What bull!"

"Now you listen to me, you ungrateful foul excuse of a human being!  We are hiding you out from the feds at our own peril.  I wanted to keep you busy so you stay out of trouble, young man."

"I do and do for you kids and this is the thanks I get,"  Dree retorted in a sing-song.  "Get a grip.  You can't control me.  I'm a hacker."
He pushed his chair back and stalked down the hallway.  A minute later, Stan and his mother heard the back door slam.

His mother went to get up.  "Leave it be," Stan said wearily.  "How do you put up with all that god talk at those meetings anyway?"

             ~ to be continued ~

 

She Who Must Be Obeyed

"Roger Dodger says Dree is not an addict, Stan.  But damn, that boy is a mess."

"He's a hacker, Mom.  The lack of something to hack is driving him nuts.  And his woman is in Philly--"

"Blah, blah, blah.  So give him something to hack then.  There's that wild bamboo in the corner of the lot.  Let him go obliterate that."

"Not the same thin--"

"Dree!  DREE!"

Dree came out of the bedroom where he had been giving Majestic the first of many daily kitty head rubs.  He adjusted his glasses and blinked in the early morning sunlight.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"There's an axe and a saw in the gardening shed.  Take whatever other tools you think you need too.  You know that wild bamboo in the back corner?"

Dree nodded.

"It all has to be rooted out."

Dree nodded again and headed for the backdoor.

"You've got to keep him busy, Stan.  Or he will go nuts inside his head."

Stan sighed.  It was no use arguing with his mother.  Once she got a notion, she didn't let go of it ever.

                             ~ to be continued ~

I'm Not An Addict

                   ~Several Days Later~


Dear Honey,

     It was wonderful to talk with you the other day.  I'm glad to hear that your pregnancy is progressing smoothly.  How I wish I could see you and hold you and feel the baby kick inside of you.  Our son!

     I'm not sure that I want to name the baby Stanley Kenneth.  It's awkward to say.  I'm not sure I like that damn Stan too much.  He won't let me near any computers.  And his mother keeps dragging me to "open" meetings of dopers.  I kept telling anyone who would listen that I'm not an addict.  I had a bad time when you left me in Newark.  I didn't know you were pregnant and I didn't know it was mine.  Finally, some old coot named Roger Dodger cornered me and took me out for coffee one night.  I told him the whole story-- that damn Stan and his scary mother both said I ought to.  Apparently he swore an oath or something.  Oh, that's right.  He is a priest.  Seal of the confessional or something like that.  I don't ever want him to babysit little Eduardo.  Only kidding about that part.  A bad joke.  Rodger Dodger is an Episcopalian priest and he lives with his lover.  And no, he doesn't like kids in that way.  Well, the point is, Rodger Dodger carefully explained to Stan and his mum that I'm not an addict.  Even so, that damn woman insists on taking me to open Narcotics Anonymous meetings.  "Shut up and listen," she told me, "Listen to learn and learn to listen."  A couple of times a week there is a meeting of families and friends of dopers at the same time.  She insists I go to that too.  And they got me all the literature.  I've read all the N.A. stuff plus all the C.O.D.A. stuff too.

     I've been calling the baby Eduardo in my head.  It's Hispanic of course.  Good with our cover when we get back together.  You can pick out the middle name, how's that?  Just not Stanley or Kenneth, okay?  (And not your dad's name or my dad's name either).  I think it will be safer for our son if his name is not connected to these two men that are helping us out.  I haven't figured out why they are doing all of this.  Just that they are.  The really good news is that damn Stan says I cannot return to Newark.  I never want to go there again.  Ever.  He said sometime after the baby comes we can settle in someplace for awhile.  The bad news is that I cannot ever show my skills at computers again.  We'll see about that.  I think I can run off of a fingerstick with a vpn and a proxy with a Linux OS.  Naturally, I'd have to have a different alias and all.  I need to hack.  That damn Stan and his mother just don't get it.  It's something that's inside of me.

                             Love Always,


                             Dree

Ringing Phones

    *We left our hero fast asleep in a bed just as a phone rang.*


"Hello," said Stan.
"Hey Stan.  Kenneth here.  How goes our rebellious charge?"
"Settling in.  He seems to be quite afraid of my mother."
"I'm afraid of your mother, Stan."
"Most people are, Kenneth.  Most people are.  We've had a workout in the garden and then Mom carted Dree off to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting."
"Honey is doing well.  She's settled in to a small apartment and has been going at her legal assistant studies with gusto.  She's been quite a help in the office here."
"Glad to hear that.  How's the bambino coming along?"
"It is a boy, according to the last ultrasound.  Doc has prescribed the usual collection of prenatals.  Honey is very careful about her diet.  She immediately imposed a smoking ban at our staff meeting the other day!"
"She's a feisty woman."
"Yes indeed," said Kenneth.  "She came over for dinner last night and was a hit with the family.  Brought over a homemade rhubarb and strawberry pie to die for, marvelous conversationalist."
"Excellent," Stan nodded.  "I don't know yet if we will have to send our fellow off to rehab yet.  Roger Dodger will be helping with that decision."
"Wait till he finds out--"
"-- who works there!" Stan finished.  
The two friends rang off.

                     ~ to be continued~