MY FATHER'S SON – PART TWO
Opening Scene: The team is in the park, looking at each other. A short ways down from them, Jake is skating away on his board, running his hand through his black hair.
Jake: (mutters) The colonel is going to kill me.
Jake boards up to an apartment building. He swallows when he sees an older man in a suit, getting out of a car. The man sees him and raises an eyebrow. Jake sighs as the man shakes his head.
Man: Oh not again.
Jake groans and walks meekly over to the man, who runs his hand over Jake's hair. Jake looks up at him and the man gestures with his hands.
Man: (signing) You lost it again?
Jake: (signing) Sorry.
Man: (signing) Jake. Those things are expensive. And you need it for school.
Jake: (signing) I know, Sir. But you wanted me to make friends.
Man: (signing) I do want you to have friends. Friends are important. Even more important than hearing.
Jake raises his eyebrows as the man smiles.
Jake: (signing) Really?
The man nods and then looks up. Jake turns around and sees Linda running up, panting. She then looks at him and then at the building and back at Jake.
Linda: You live here?
Jake raises his eyebrows and nods. Linda bites her lip and holds out the hearing aid and bandanna.
Linda: You dropped this.
Jake takes the hearing aid from her hand and looks at it. He then looks at her before putting it back on. The man watches carefully as Linda bites her lip.
Man: Does it work?
Jake: Woah! (turns down hearing aid) It works. (Looks at Linda) Did you fix this?
Linda: I fix everything. I mean…I never did a hearing aid before. I kinda specialize in glasses and cell phones.
Jake raises his eyebrows and looks at the man, who gives a smile.
Man: Well you gonna stand there all day or are you going to introduce me to your friend?
Jake: Right. Linda…my grandfather, the colonel.
Linda: Hi.
The colonel: Nice to meet you Linda. You live here too?
Linda: Yeah. Fourth floor.
The colonel: Nice. We're on the sixth floor.
Linda: Wow. That's a lot of stairs.
Jake: My legs work fine. It's the ears that don't work.
Linda giggles as Jake blushes. The colonel then peers at him.
The colonel: Now then. I highly suggest you be nice to this girl. She just saved you a year's worth of allowance money.
Jake: Yessir.
Jake and Linda smile at each other again as the colonel raises an eyebrow and goes inside.
CUT TO: The Hurston Cafeteria. Gina and Linda come in and see Jake is sitting in Sylvia's place again.
Gina: He's got some guts.
Linda: I'll say. But…how about we sit with him? Sylvia can't push people around like that.
The two of them go over to Jake, who grins and waves his hand. They grin and sit down to eat. Sylvia comes over a few minutes later and frowns.
Sylvia: What are all of you doing at our table?
Linda: We're eating.
Gina: And the table doesn't have your name on it.
Sylvia frowns but Jake glares at her and waves his hand.
Linda: There's plenty of other places open for you and your friends.
Sylvia: We want to eat here.
Gina: Then I suggest you get to lunch sooner.
Linda: Instead of spending half the period doing your makeup in the girls' restroom.
Sylvia scowls and walks off. Jake holds up a hand, so Linda gives him a high five.
Linda: High time someone put Sylvia Furguson in her place.
Jake: Any time.
The girls smile and eat lunch as Jake leans back and reads a book. Linda looks over at it and cocks her head.
Linda: Diamond Jones and the Homeless Hunt. Is that a new one?
Jake: Yep. Number four.
Gina: Hey cool. Carlo reads those.
Jake: (looking at Gina) He likes these?
Gina: He's a huge fan…and said number three had a big cliffhanger at the end. But then the guy stopped writing them.
Linda: Guess he finally did another one.
Jake: (shakes his head) This isn't published yet.
The girls look at each other and back at Jake.
Gina: It's not?
Jake: Nope. It's a draft.
Linda: So…how did you get it?
Jake: From Dad. He wrote it.
Linda and Gina stare at him, look at each other, and then back at Jake. Gina then looks at the book.
Gina: So…your dad is Arbie Alexander?
Jake: It's a pen name. Our real name is boring.
Linda and Gina look at each other again, but Jake just puts a bookmark in the book and hands it to Gina.
Jake: Carlo can borrow it.
Gina: (taking the book) You sure?
Jake: (shrugs) Just don't lose my place.
The bell rings as they get up from lunch. Gina looks at the book as Linda watches Jake leave.
CUT TO: The park. Gina is giving Carlo the book as Jackie comes over on her bike.
Carlo: You're kidding? Jake's dad writes these?
Gina: What he said. You can borrow it so long as you don't move the bookmark. I guess he isn't finished with it yet.
Jackie: Wow. Jake's dad is a writer?
Gina: Yep. That one isn't even published yet. He must let Jake read them first.
Carlo: Well I would guess that Jake likes to read…seeing as he can't hear.
Gina: Yeah…kind of like Ghostwriter.
Jackie: I'll say…and look. Ghostwriter likes the book too.
Ghostwriter is flying around the pages and highlights the bookmark. Carlo raises his eyebrows and turns to it.
Carlo: Hey…this bookmark has something on it.
Gina: Well save that page…and lets see what it is.
Carlo keeps his finger in the page as Gina takes out the bookmark. It's a laminated strip with a poem on it.
Gina: (reading)
Always my son
And always my friend
Cherish forever this gift from your father.
My words may not come
But I haven't forgotten
Everything that you are to me.
Remember the words I have sent you
And one day my words
May bring me back again.
Gina looks at Carlo as Jackie gasps and take out the casebook.
Jackie: You know what that sounds like? (turns in casebook)
Carlo: Yeah…the poem to Max's mom.
Jackie: (holds up the casebook) Here it is.
Gina: Woah! Almost all the words…are exactly the same. It's just that one is written to his son…and the other to Max's mom.
Carlo: But…does that mean…?
They all look at each other and Carlo looks at the book.
Carlo: Jake's dad…is Arbie Alexander?
Gina: Yeah…but Jake said that's a pen name. Their real name is too boring.
Jackie: What is his last name?
Gina: He never said.
Carlo: We need to find out…as soon as possible.
Gina: And also tell Max about this. Where is he anyway?
Jackie: He went to the VA today.
CUT TO: The VA office. Max is sitting at a desk as a frazzled man shakes his head.
Man: Sorry Son. But if you can't provide identification proving the man is your father, I can't help you.
Max: (sighs) I was afraid of that. Why didn't Mom at least put him on the birth certificate?
Man: I suggest you ask her that.
Max: Well, thanks anyway. (gets up)
Man: (shakes his hand) You're welcome. I hope you're able to find him.
Max nods and gets ready to leave as the colonel comes in. The other man stands up and nods to him.
Man: Afternoon, Colonel Baker.
Baker: Afternoon.
Max: Baker?
The colonel turns and looks at Max.
Baker: Yes?
Max stares at the colonel as the other man raises his eyebrows. The colonel finally turns to the other man.
Baker: Who's this?
Man: Kid looking for his dad but doesn't have ID. Mother didn't list him on the birth certificate.
Max: But my dad was Rob Baker.
The colonel does a double-take as the other man raised his eyebrows.
Man: That's who you're looking for?
Max: Yeah. Mom finally told me who he was.
Baker: And her name?
Max: Um…Lenni Frazier.
The colonel looks at Max and gives a slow nod.
Baker: Come into my office, Son.
Max bites his lip and follows the colonel into an office. He sits down and the colonel sits with him rather than behind the desk.
Baker: What's your name?
Max: Um…Max Frazier. Mom gave me her name.
Baker: So I see. (takes a deep breath) Well Max…I am Colonel James Baker.
Max raises his eyebrows as the colonel nods.
Baker: Rob Baker…your father…is my son.
Max: Woah. So…you're my grandfather?
Baker: Yes I am. (points at him) Rob always wondered if you were his.
Max: So he knows about me?
Baker: (sighs) Yes he does. But let's start from the beginning. What do you know about your father?
Max: Well…Mom met up with him when she was singing for the troops going overseas…back in 2003. He was headed for Afghanistan. And um…I was born in May of 2004.
Baker nods and folds his hands.
Baker: That sounds about right. How old are you now?
Max: Fifteen…Sir.
Baker: Did you mother try to contact your father at all?
Max: Yeah. But not at first. She was a celebrity at the time…and said he was…private. That's why she didn't list him on my birth certificate.
Baker: (nods) He is very private. But that was a mistake on her part.
Max: Tell me about it. I mean…she did try to find him when I was four…but the VA said he was discharged. And they couldn't tell her anything since they didn't…you know…get married.
Baker: (nods) This is true. And if you were four…this was….2008?
Max: Yeah.
Baker: (sighs) Your father was in Australia at the time. He didn't return to the U.S. until 2009.
Max: Oh. Grandma said…he moved to Australia. I mean when he lived here before.
Baker: He did. My wife and I were still living there, so Rob came back to see us when his tour of duty was over. He was planning to return to the U.S. sooner so he could go to college, but wound up getting his girlfriend pregnant.
Max: (frowns) His girlfriend?
Baker: Yes. She wanted him to stay in Australia and support her and the baby…so she could go to college. And he almost agreed to do so.
Max: Almost?
Baker: Almost. You see…the child was born deaf.
Max: (gasps) Deaf?
Baker: Yes…and his mother changed her mind. She didn't want a disabled son, so she gave Rob full custody of him and he returned here.
Max blinks and looks at the colonel.
Max: But…I met a deaf guy yesterday. His name was Jake.
Baker: (smiles) That's him. He's staying with me.
Max: (eyes wide) So…so Jake is…my brother?
Baker: Yes he is. But keep in mind that he does not know about you. As I said, your father wasn't sure.
Max: Right. But…why is Jake with you and not…Dad?
Baker: (sighs) Well…your father re-enlisted so he could support his son. And he was deployed overseas several more times. But when he returned last time, he wasn't quite the same.
Max: What do you mean?
Baker: Well…are you familiar with PTSD?
Max: Yeah. We learned about that in school. Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Baker: (nods) Very good. It's what happens when bad memories keep a person from having a normal life…and it's rather common among soldiers who have served in a war…including your father.
Max swallows hard.
Max: So…so is he okay?
Baker: I don't know. You see…he was quite unstable after his last tour of duty…and the authorities were concerned about Jake living with him.
Max bites his lip as the colonel shakes his head.
Baker: They took Jake away from him…and put him in foster care. It was then that my wife and I returned from Australia so Jake could stay with us. But by the time we got here…Rob was gone.
Max lets out a gasp as the colonel sighs.
