CHAPTER 14

"Well," Doug said after he finally pulled himself together, "you might as well take me down to the police station so I can tell them what I did."

As soon as he said that, Alex got a guilty, but concerned, look on her face. "Um, actually--" she began.

"It's all right, Alex," Doug calmly interrupted. "I mean, I assumed you'd already told the cops, but I want them to hear it from me. And with all the stuff I've done, those guys know me pretty well by now."

"Listen, Doug," Steve said, his voice filled with concern, "this is probably not my place to tell you what you should do, but if I were you, I'd definitely think long and hard about this. If you tell the cops, you could get in a whole lot of trouble. And besides, have you even thought about how your mom's going to take this?"

"She knows," Doug answered. "As a matter of fact, sometime before you guys came home that night, she caught me when I was coming out of your backyard. And believe me, I've never seen her get that upset in my life. So, for the rest of the summer, or until the damage to your house is paid off, whichever comes first, I'm doing odd jobs for the neighbors, and spending every other weekend doing volunteer work at the day center where she works."

"But why risk getting into even more trouble than you're already in?" I asked, just as concerned as Steve. On the one hand, Doug was taking full responsibilty for his actions, which was obviously expected of him, but by going to the police and confessing, he could be facing juvenile hall. Personally, I didn't think it was worth it.

"I'm tired of running," he sighed. "Lately, whenever I've had a problem, or if I've done something wrong, all I've ever done is run away from it instead of owning it. And as for how Mom's going to take it," he added, turning to Steve, "I think she'd be more upset if I didn't turn myself in. Know what I mean?"

I sure as hell did. What Doug said made perfect sense, and it changed my opinion about his situation completely. He knew that what he did was wrong, that the abuse he'd endured was no excuse, and that he had to be accountable. In that moment, I felt really proud of him.

"I see," Steve said. "Well, can I give you a ride?"

"Sure," Doug answered. He followed Steve down the steps, grabbed his bike, and put it in the back of the SUV. I watched, with a mixture of pride and apprehension, as they drove away, and wondered what was yet to come.

Later that evening, over Chinese take-out, we were all in the living room, watching Steve's Young Frankenstein DVD. It was just the thing I needed to keep my mind off the day's events. Try as I might, the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about was what Doug must have been through, and what he was going through now. There was no question that he was on his way to juvenile hall, and even though I knew it was for the best, my heart just ached for him.

"Are you all right, Jason?" Mum asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I answered, but I didn't believe that for two seconds. To tell you the truth, I was in pieces. All I could think about was that poor kid being locked in some tiny, cramped cell with nothing to look at but its bare, spotlessly white walls, and nothing to do to pass the time, not to mention how scared he was of being away from his mother.

"Jason, listen to me," Mum said gently, turning my face toward hers. "I realize you're having a hard time dealing with this, but the bottom line is, thanks to you, thanks to Jason, that boy is getting the help he needs. I promise you that Doug is going to be all right now."

I was still feeling bad for Doug, but after hearing Mum had to say, I felt a little better. "Thanks, Mum," I said, and she gave me a hug.

"Any time, love," she whispered.

That's when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," I said, getting up from the couch just as Madeline Kahn's character was singing "Sweet Mystery of Life" in an operatic fashion. It kind of bummed me out a little that I had to miss that part, which was my favorite, but when someone's at the door, what can you do?

Anyway, when I answered the door, I saw a young woman, probably in her mid to late 20s, and a head shorter than me, standing on the doorstep. She had flaming red hair, almost a full shade darker than Mum's, blue eyes, and fair skin, and she was wearing a Jets jersey, tan shorts, and sandals. Her demeanor was very nervous, even more so than Doug when we found him standing out in front of the house that afternoon.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"I'm Olivia Mahoney," she answered. Like Doug, she had a heavy Bronx accent. "I'm Doug's mother."

"Oh, yes," I said. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thanks, but I'd better not," she said softly. "Actually, I was just on my way to the juvenile center to drop off some of Doug's things. But if you're wondering why I'm here, I wanted to apologize for my son's behavior. He's been through so much in his life, and I wish I knew what that sick son of a bitch was doing to him. Boy, if I ever see him again, I'm going to break his legs."

"He's safe now," I reassured her. Yes, I know she's probably heard it a million times, but what was I supposed to say?

"I know," she sighed. I think I also saw a tear slide down her face. She brushed it away before continuing, "And before I go, I just wanted to say thank you for understanding, and for being there for him."

"No problem," I said. With that, she turned around and headed down the steps. The last thing I saw before closing the door was her gray '79 Camaro driving away.

I'll tell you, I didn't know how I was supposed to feel after something like that. But in a way, I was glad that she'd stopped by, because I think I got to know a little more about Doug than I had before. Plus, I was starting to become convinced that he was a good kid, and that he would survive.

I made my way back to the couch a few minutes later, sat down, and noticed that the movie was paused. "We didn't want you to miss your favorite part, Jason," Alissa smiled as she climbed up on my lap.

"Thanks, kiddo," I grinned as I tickled her bare foot. She squealed with laughter.

Whilst Uncle Aaron pressed the play button on the DVD remote, I picked up a fortune cookie from the table beside me, and, amidst Ms. Kahn's singing, opened it up. And here's what my fortune said: "You will make a difference in someone's life."

I'd made a difference, all right, and I sincerely hoped that everything would work out, somehow.