The Disclaimer Continues. Ad Infinitum.

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Chapter 14

Charlie was only halfway through the boxes from his office when it came time, a little over three weeks later, to lose the cast on his arm. He was overjoyed at the increased mobility this provided him, and that created a spurt of energy that both enabled him to finally finish all the work – and brought the tide of the ocean rolling in, again. Don had been back to full duty for a just over a week, when he stared at Charlie over the dinner table one night and noticed that he looked pretty weary for a guy who wasn't supposed to be working that summer.

He swallowed a masticated carrot. "So how's it going, Charlie? You look a little tired."

Alan's head shot up and he studied his youngest. "Did you stay in the garage half the night again? Is that starting again, Charlie?"

"I had a new theory; I'm following a new line of thought in the Cognitive Emergence work."

Don glanced at Alan, who looked away in disappointment. He spoke quietly to Charlie. "No new tricks, yet?"

Charlie raised his head. "Actually, I spent some time with a cognitive behavioralist. I think he can provide some invaluable information with my research. That's an unexpected bonus. He also taught me something called the 'ABCs of Irrational Behavior'. This was just a couple of days ago. I haven't actually tried it, yet."

"Well if you're up all night listening to the ocean, you might as well spend some time on it," Don suggested.

Alan looked up again, confused. "What are you talking about? We can't hear the ocean from here."

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A few evenings later, Don parked the SUV in the driveway and started for the kitchen entrance. He waved at his father, who was looking out the kitchen window. Alan waved back, and pointed. Don looked; He saw Charlie sitting on the bench near the koi pond, his crutches on the ground near his feet. Don looked back at his Dad, who gave a shrug and backed off from the window.

Don crossed the law and stood behind Charlie. He crossed his arms. "So what's up?"

Charlie's head shot up and his shoulders tensed. He saw Don and they immediately relaxed, again. "I never hear you coming. Never see you coming. How do you do that?"

Don smiled and sat on the bench next to Charlie. "In my spare time, I am known as 'The Shadow'. The other superheroes and I have a planning meeting tonight, so I was hoping for a hot meal first."

Charlie grinned, shaking his head a little. "Will Mr. Science be there?"

Don was mightily affronted. "Super Heroes Charlie, not Super Geeks. Those are your people." He stopped, hoping he hadn't crossed a line with that one.

Charlie looked at him. "My geeks," he said, "could reduce your heroes to water with one really well designed equation."

Don laughed out loud and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, as long as we stay in our marked territories, there's room enough for all of us. No need to get cranky."

Charlie smiled and looked back at the koi. "And what is the purpose of tonight's summit between the Geek King and the Ambassador of Hero?"

"Hey." Don was affronted, again. "You get to be a King, while I am only an Ambassador?"

"Comes with dipolmatic immunity," Charlie offered, so Don wore his ambassadorship proudly.

"Just saw you sitting out here is all." He indicated Charlie's casted foot. "One more week, huh?"

Charlie sighed and nodded. "This is good."

"Anything else new? What's that ABC stuff you mentioned the other night at dinner?"

Charlie looked thoughtfully at Don. "Do you want to know what it is, or do you want to help me?"

"Both," answered Don without hestitation. "Although if I am going to help, I should probably know what it is first."

Charlie smiled and looked back at the koi. "Okay. Basically, I'm supposed to do it on paper, in three columns, but I've been partitioning my mind, instead."

Don groaned. "Only you, Chuck."

"Shut-up. Do you want to hear this, or not?"

"Yes, yes. Go ahead."

Charlie shifted on the bench. "Okay. Well, I guess it helps to think of things lineally. Or consecutively. Depends on how you arrange your columns. 'A' is an activity; 'B' is a belief you associate with that activity, and 'C' are the consequences of that belief. After you look at all that, either alone or with the help of a therapist or someone else you trust, you can reframe 'B' and 'C'. Sort-of."

Don tracked the largest koi across the pond. "Um…maybe it would make more sense if we did one. Can we do one?"

Charlie checked quickly to see if he was serious. "I think it's supposed to someone a little more objective."

Don looked a little disappointed. "Oh. I guess that makes sense."

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Finally, Charlie sighed and started talking, again. "We can do one. But you can't interrupt me, when I get to the 'B' and 'C' part. You have to let me say it. And when we're reframing, pretend you're talking to someone else. David, maybe."

"How will that help?"

Charlie ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you wouldn't throw a childhood memory at David, or tell him he's an idiot."

Don pulled his attention from the koi and frowned at Charlie's profile. "Do I tell you you're an idiot? That's terrible."

Charlie shrugged. "That's a brother. I'm just saying. For this, don't be my brother."

Don turned so that he was almost sideways on the bench, facing Charlie, who glanced at him, startled. Don raised an eyebrow. "What? I would look at David if he was talking to me. I would watch his face. I'm an investigator."

Charlie looked quickly away. "Oh. Oh." He inhaled deeply. "Okay. Got one. The activity: Dad moves out. The belief – or rather, beliefs, in this case: I do such a poor job taking care of the house that it makes him crazy. When we are here together, he finds me annoying. He doesn't want to live with me because he's finding it difficult to live with me and love me at the same time. He's tired of taking care of me. The consequences: I hardly ever see him, anymore, because he discovers a happier life without me. I never eat well, anymore. And I never see…my brother…because he only comes over now to spend time with my Dad, and because he likes to eat well, himself. So when Dad moves out, I lose two for the price of one." Charlie snuck a glance at Don, surprised he had been able to keep silent for so long.

Don looked stricken, but was careful to keep his voice professional. "I can respond, now?"

Charlie nodded, a little fearfully, still watching him.

"Okay. Repeat that first belief?"

"Um….I do a bad job taking care of the house?"

Don nodded. "Precisely. I'm just looking around here. Paint looks good. Lawn looks nice. Koi look well-fed. There appears to be electricity – I see lights in the kitchen. Are you saying your father is responsible for all of this?"

Charlie smiled a little at Don's attempt to disassociate himself as his brother. "Well, no. He helped me paint last year after I bought the house, but it was my idea. And we have a gardener, now. Dad used to do it all, but when I bought the house I hired someone to come once a week. The electric bill is on the automatic withdrawal plan – like cable, now that I've had it hooked up again after I forgot to pay for a few months. I guess…I guess I don't always do things the way he would – like hiring the gardener instead of doing it myself. He probably was a better homeowner."

"Has he said that?"

Charlie frowned. "Closer than you think. He has pointed out how he managed to do everything around the house and be married and work and have two children, at my age."

Don struggled to maintain his professional demeanor. "Okay. For the sake of argument, let's say he was a better homeowner. Has he said that you are so bad, he can't even watch? Did he list that among his reasons for moving?"

Charlie considered. "No," he finally said. "I can't assume that he feels that way if he never actually said that."

Don smiled. "Exactly. Belief two?"

Charlie searched the second compartment of his brain. "He finds me annoying."

"Same thing," Don said immediately. "Are you assuming that belief for him?" He suddenly got worried. "He's never called you annoying – in a serious way, I mean – right?"

Charlie perked up. "No. And now I remember, when he first started talking about selling the house last year, I asked if I was difficult to live with. He said 'no', and that I wasn't here enough to be a difficult roommate."

Don nodded. "Good. Good, then. We're up to belief number three."

"Um…he can't live with me and love me? Yeah. And he's tired of taking care of me. That kind-of all goes together."

Don had a difficult time thinking of something objective he could say without referring to things that had actually happened. Charlie was starting to look worried, so he rushed in. "Describe your father," he finally said.

Charlie, nonplussed, stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me."

For the first time since they had started the exercise, Charlie looked back at the koi. "Well, he's kind. Generous. Very loving, and forgiving. He's intelligent, and strong – emotionally and physically. He's funny, he has a dry wit." Even in profile, Don could see a look of comprehension pass Charlie's face. "He worries, about my brother and I, but he tells us that we will all take care of each other, no matter what happens. And we always have." He looked back at Don and smiled slowly. "Damn. You're good at this."

Don smiled back. "Thank-you. Wait until you see my bill." Charlie laughed, and Don forced him back to the conversation. "Now. As far as 'C'. I don't know your father, of course, but I cannot fathom the man you just described dropping out of your life, no matter where he lived. In my mind, I see him maintaining close contact with you. In my head, I see him filling your freezer with food."

Charlie nodded. "Yes. I think you're probably right."

Don thought about asking Charlie to describe him, next, but quickly chickened out. "Your brother. He never spends any time with you, alone, without your father?"

Charlie reddened, and looked away again. "That probably wasn't entirely fair. Sometimes we have lunch. Usually that's related to work, though. We occasionally work together."

Don wondered if he could talk the earth into swallowing him whole. "Okay. Well…do you always wait to hear from him first? How often do you initiate non-working, non-father contact?"

Charlie turned his head back toward Don. It was getting difficult to see him in the dusk, but his voice was strong. "You're right. Absolutely. I should be more proactive, not just wait for things to happen."

Don wasn't sure where to go next, he wasn't sure if they were done with the 'C'-word, yet. "Is it time for reframing?"

Charlie nodded. "I think so. Activity: Dad moves out."

"Belief?"

"To my knowledge, Dad has never lied to me. I should accept the things he tells me about his desire for a little autonomy – for both of us. I also have no reason to avoid honesty, with Dad. I can tell him how I honestly feel about his moving."

Don was impressed with this whole A-B-C thing. "Good. Consequences?"

"I have to work a little harder, to make sure that the family stays close. It's not all up to Dad, or my brother. Maybe, I grow a little."

Don dropped his professional alter-ego and picked up brotherhood again. He smiled broadly at Charlie. "Hell, kid. I think you already have."

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A/N: ABC is an actual practice in cognitive behavioral therapy (not that I would know). May Charles ABC himself silly. (Don't worry, one more chapter.)