Irene sat in a conference room, waiting for Stephan to be brought
in. The room was cramped and stuffy. Paint peeled on almost every wall.
Watermarks stained the ceiling, and the large table in the center of the
room was badly scarred.
"Can I talk to him when we get to the station?" she asked. Irene sat in a conference room, waiting for Stephan to be brought in. The room was cramped and stuffy. Paint peeled on almost every wall. Watermarks stained the ceiling, and the large table in the center of the room was badly scarred.
The door opened, and Irene turned to face her former stepson. She was shocked by his appearance. She couldn't believe this was the boy she had helped raise. His features had grown hard; he was stone-faced except for his eyes, which flitted wildly. His father stood by his side.
"Hi, Stephan," she said softly.
He raised his eyes to hers but said nothing.
Alexander, glaring angrily, put a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's your fault he's in this mess."
"No, Alexander, it's not my fault." She looked again at Stephan "On second thought, maybe you're right. It's my fault for not insisting he get the help he needed years ago."
"There's nothing wrong with my son!" Alexander thundered.
"Keep it down, please," Ken ordered.
Alexander turned on his heel, facing Ken. "How dare you tell me what to do? You're nothing but a home wrecker--stealing another man's wife."
Ken shook his head. "Alexander, you and Irene have been divorced for a long time now. She's free to do as she pleases."
His eyes flashed angrily, but he kept silent. Irene put a hand on Stephan's shoulder. He thrust it off. "What do you want from me?" he snarled.
"I just want to know why. Why have you tormented me and the girls for all these months?"
"You deserved it."
"No, Stephan deep down you know we didn't deserve what you did to us."
"You left," he mumbled.
She raised her eyebrows. "Yes I did, and you know why."
He rapidly blinked. "You left me with him!" he screamed, whirling on his heel. With clenched fists he pounded on his father's chest. Ken grabbed the boy's shoulders, and then held his arms behind his back.
"Don't you hurt my son!" Alexander ordered.
Ken swallowed hard, eyeing Alexander coldly. "It looks like you already have, buddy."
"I'm glad this mess is over!" Lita exclaimed. "But I feel sorry for Stephan"
"Me, too," Serena added. "What do you think will happen to him?"
"He'll definitely get the help he needs, and then maybe Alexander will finally accept responsibility for his part in this," Irene replied.
"It's still too bad," Serena said, "but at least Stephan will have the chance to deal with all the years of abuse from his father."
"It'll take a long time, honey. That poor kid has years of pain welled up inside."
"But why did he make those calls?" Lita asked.
Irene sighed. "He wanted to punish me for leaving him."
"That doesn't make sense, Mom," Serena said.
"It does if you think about it. When we lived with them, Alexander had me to thrust his abuse on, then you girls. Stephan was given a reprieve. Alexander had himself convinced he had never abused his son and went to the opposite extreme by giving in to his every whim and lavishing all kinds of attention on him." Irene clasped her hands together. "When we left, Alexander only had his son, so he started abusing him again. Stephan went from abuse to love and back to abuse."
"That's weird," Serena said sadly.
"Yes, it is. Just imagine the confusion going on in Stephan's mind all these years. Eventually something had to snap."
"Will Alexander have charges filed against him?" Lita asked.
"I don't know, honey. It's hard to say how the system will work in this case. But I'm sure he'll be required to get counseling. Maybe then he'll finally admit what he did to all of us and that the consequences of his life are his own doing."
"I'm just relieved he won't be bothering us anymore," Serena stated.
"We're all relieved," Irene said, standing up. "Now, who feels like going out for pizza?"
Amy dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "It's so unbelievable. Like something right out of a novel!" she exclaimed. "My heart goes out to that poor boy."
Irene looked intently at her. "I just wish I would've done something way back when the school called me."
"What could you have possibly done, Irene?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I should've never let Alexander abuse any of us. I never dreamed he was abusing his son. When I first met Alexander, I never picked up on anything. I should've done something," she repeated.
"Mom, you were lucky you could protect yourself," Lita said.
"Yeah, besides, we all thought he was treating Stephan okay," Serena replied.
"Well, why didn't the school do something?" Irene asked disgustedly.
"Irene, what more could they do? You said yourself that Stephan denied any abuse from his father," Amy said.
"It just makes me sick to my stomach."
"Alexander will get his one of these days," she assured her friend.
"It won't be too soon for me," she said between gritted teeth. "I still think someone should've helped that kid."
Amy stared thoughtfully at Irene.
"What?" Irene asked, knowing Amy was trying to rationalize something in her mind.
"I want you to think about something for a moment."
"Yes?"
"Actually you acted no differently than Stephan did."
Irene was puzzled. "I don't follow you."
"How many times did you refuse to press charges against Alexander? How many times did you cover for him?"
Her face reddened.
"You lied to me from day one--the day in the garden. You told me you were clumsy and got your bruises from bumping into things."
"But . . . I . . ." She feebly tried to justify her lies but knew she couldn't. Amy had spoken the truth, and the truth hurt.
"Is it any different?" Amy gently asked.
Irene's shoulders drooped. "No, it isn't. I never knew one person could scare me so much. Stephan lived with that fear day in and day out before I met Alexander and after I left him."
"There's something to be thankful for, though," Amy said.
"What?"
"Stephan will get the help he needs and hopefully not pass the abuse onto anyone else."
"It'll take a long time for him to sort through everything that's happened to him."
"Yes, but at least he now has a chance for a happy future. That's all that matters," Amy said.
"Can I talk to him when we get to the station?" she asked. Irene sat in a conference room, waiting for Stephan to be brought in. The room was cramped and stuffy. Paint peeled on almost every wall. Watermarks stained the ceiling, and the large table in the center of the room was badly scarred.
The door opened, and Irene turned to face her former stepson. She was shocked by his appearance. She couldn't believe this was the boy she had helped raise. His features had grown hard; he was stone-faced except for his eyes, which flitted wildly. His father stood by his side.
"Hi, Stephan," she said softly.
He raised his eyes to hers but said nothing.
Alexander, glaring angrily, put a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's your fault he's in this mess."
"No, Alexander, it's not my fault." She looked again at Stephan "On second thought, maybe you're right. It's my fault for not insisting he get the help he needed years ago."
"There's nothing wrong with my son!" Alexander thundered.
"Keep it down, please," Ken ordered.
Alexander turned on his heel, facing Ken. "How dare you tell me what to do? You're nothing but a home wrecker--stealing another man's wife."
Ken shook his head. "Alexander, you and Irene have been divorced for a long time now. She's free to do as she pleases."
His eyes flashed angrily, but he kept silent. Irene put a hand on Stephan's shoulder. He thrust it off. "What do you want from me?" he snarled.
"I just want to know why. Why have you tormented me and the girls for all these months?"
"You deserved it."
"No, Stephan deep down you know we didn't deserve what you did to us."
"You left," he mumbled.
She raised her eyebrows. "Yes I did, and you know why."
He rapidly blinked. "You left me with him!" he screamed, whirling on his heel. With clenched fists he pounded on his father's chest. Ken grabbed the boy's shoulders, and then held his arms behind his back.
"Don't you hurt my son!" Alexander ordered.
Ken swallowed hard, eyeing Alexander coldly. "It looks like you already have, buddy."
"I'm glad this mess is over!" Lita exclaimed. "But I feel sorry for Stephan"
"Me, too," Serena added. "What do you think will happen to him?"
"He'll definitely get the help he needs, and then maybe Alexander will finally accept responsibility for his part in this," Irene replied.
"It's still too bad," Serena said, "but at least Stephan will have the chance to deal with all the years of abuse from his father."
"It'll take a long time, honey. That poor kid has years of pain welled up inside."
"But why did he make those calls?" Lita asked.
Irene sighed. "He wanted to punish me for leaving him."
"That doesn't make sense, Mom," Serena said.
"It does if you think about it. When we lived with them, Alexander had me to thrust his abuse on, then you girls. Stephan was given a reprieve. Alexander had himself convinced he had never abused his son and went to the opposite extreme by giving in to his every whim and lavishing all kinds of attention on him." Irene clasped her hands together. "When we left, Alexander only had his son, so he started abusing him again. Stephan went from abuse to love and back to abuse."
"That's weird," Serena said sadly.
"Yes, it is. Just imagine the confusion going on in Stephan's mind all these years. Eventually something had to snap."
"Will Alexander have charges filed against him?" Lita asked.
"I don't know, honey. It's hard to say how the system will work in this case. But I'm sure he'll be required to get counseling. Maybe then he'll finally admit what he did to all of us and that the consequences of his life are his own doing."
"I'm just relieved he won't be bothering us anymore," Serena stated.
"We're all relieved," Irene said, standing up. "Now, who feels like going out for pizza?"
Amy dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "It's so unbelievable. Like something right out of a novel!" she exclaimed. "My heart goes out to that poor boy."
Irene looked intently at her. "I just wish I would've done something way back when the school called me."
"What could you have possibly done, Irene?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I should've never let Alexander abuse any of us. I never dreamed he was abusing his son. When I first met Alexander, I never picked up on anything. I should've done something," she repeated.
"Mom, you were lucky you could protect yourself," Lita said.
"Yeah, besides, we all thought he was treating Stephan okay," Serena replied.
"Well, why didn't the school do something?" Irene asked disgustedly.
"Irene, what more could they do? You said yourself that Stephan denied any abuse from his father," Amy said.
"It just makes me sick to my stomach."
"Alexander will get his one of these days," she assured her friend.
"It won't be too soon for me," she said between gritted teeth. "I still think someone should've helped that kid."
Amy stared thoughtfully at Irene.
"What?" Irene asked, knowing Amy was trying to rationalize something in her mind.
"I want you to think about something for a moment."
"Yes?"
"Actually you acted no differently than Stephan did."
Irene was puzzled. "I don't follow you."
"How many times did you refuse to press charges against Alexander? How many times did you cover for him?"
Her face reddened.
"You lied to me from day one--the day in the garden. You told me you were clumsy and got your bruises from bumping into things."
"But . . . I . . ." She feebly tried to justify her lies but knew she couldn't. Amy had spoken the truth, and the truth hurt.
"Is it any different?" Amy gently asked.
Irene's shoulders drooped. "No, it isn't. I never knew one person could scare me so much. Stephan lived with that fear day in and day out before I met Alexander and after I left him."
"There's something to be thankful for, though," Amy said.
"What?"
"Stephan will get the help he needs and hopefully not pass the abuse onto anyone else."
"It'll take a long time for him to sort through everything that's happened to him."
"Yes, but at least he now has a chance for a happy future. That's all that matters," Amy said.