Chapter 268 – Frank and Father Mark II
"So I messaged Gran and asked if it would be okay if we ate in town." Father Mark said. "So what do you like? Japanese? Barbecue? Italian? Irish? We have plenty of choices. You tell me what you like."
"I had seafood in Toronto." Frank said. "So maybe … I don't know. I know that Gran is planning a higher end outing for tomorrow. So maybe something good, but simple. I am not picky when it comes to food. But a good burger and a place where I can get a drink would be nice."
"How about one of my favorite places then." Father Mark said. "I know it is a chain restaurant and Jack usually doesn't do those except for a quick trip to McDonald's or Starbucks."
"You are driving." Frank said. "Like I said, I am not picky. I know we did McDonald's when we first arrived in Bancroft to see the horses."
"Probably because it was quick and easy." Father Mark said. "I love my grandparents and I also love Jack, but they are much more into staying home. When they do go out, they have their favorites and those tend to be small local places. I don't get it, Jack is not a picky eater. He has tried food from all over the world. He actually likes quite a bit of different things. I just don't understand sometimes. I love going out, granted I don't do it as often as some people think. I have met friends over food. When I do go out, I have a few favorite places, including a couple of national chains. I don't mind. They hire local people and bring in money into the area. I also understand why they want to support more local places, since those are the places that support the area's things, including riding."
"I can see them wanting to support local places that support area activities." Frank said. "I know many of my army buddies are the same way. They would rather pay a little more and get American made or even go to a small local joint vs a national chain. For me, I go where it is easy and convenient. I like local out of the way places and they usually have great food, but there are some national chains that have really good food as well. I also see why Jack and your grandparents tend to want to stay home. They can relax and not worry about the press or how something looks."
"I agree." Father Mark said. "Guess I never thought about that way before."
"So you have been overseas as well?" Frank asked.
"I have been to Italy and more specifically Rome and Vatican City." Father Mark said. "I have also been to Israel where I spent time in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. I loved being at the Vatican and seeing the Holy Lands. I would love to go back one day. I know that Jack would like to take a trip there, but his mother would never agree. She barely let him travel with John for a few days to see races and events overseas. Which I don't understand, it was never like Jack was trouble in school or ever had problems with school work. I think he was bored most of the time more than anything when he was in school."
"Where did they go?" Frank asked.
"They went to see the Royal Ascot over in England." Father Mark said. "That would have been about when Jack was fourteen and Laura was about seventeen. I know that was a horse race event, but Laura went as well. I do remember that. They saw that and a jumping event over there. I think John took Jack skiing in France once when he was younger. I am thinking that was before Doug and Lee. He has gone with John several times to Canada for various jumping events and races. I think that John took Thomas, Charlotte and the kids on a trip to Australia. I think that was where Jack tried surfing. That would have also been before Doug and Lee. I know it was winter here when they went to Australia, so maybe a winter break from school."
"Wow." Frank said. "So he has been to many places."
"Yes." Father Mark said. "But he would never brag about it. He knows that not everyone gets those opportunities. I know that John was hoping to bring Jack over to see me when I was at the Vatican, but Charlotte said no. But John came and he was part of the group that went to the Holy Lands while I was at the Vatican. It was the only time that I know of, that John flew commercial since I have known the man."
"So he has always had a jet?" Frank asked.
"I think it started as sharing with several others." Father Mark said. "I know that Jack would know the details, but I do know that John now owns two jets and he rents them out to other businessmen to use, which was why Jack had to reserve the jet. Most of the time, they are used for business or when John's family is traveling."
They were silent for several moments as Frank thought about what he was learning.
"I am realizing that Jack is much more introverted than he appears." Frank said.
"Honestly, he doesn't mind being around people." Father Mark said. "As long as he feels comfortable. Then there are times he just wants to be alone for a bit. He doesn't ask for alone time a lot, but when he does, it is best to give it to him. It is only when he starts getting frustrated and he isn't given time to be alone, that it becomes a problem. When he hasn't had time to be alone and sort though whatever is going on in his head, that is when he lashes out. I have only witnessed it a few times, but he has told me a few times how bad it has gotten. There are other times that I have stepped in and tried to diffuse the situation and gotten Jack to walk away. That is usually followed by us talking about what is going on.
There are even times I am still amazed at the way that Jack's mind works and I have known him all his life. He is much smarter and takes in a lot more than he lets on. Watch him some time, when he sits back and watches. He is literally reading the room. He will have everything figured out before the others. It is like he is several steps ahead of people most of the time. I also think he is very aware of it and when he has something figured out, but wants to give others a chance to catch up, he will purposely sit back and not say anything. I also think that is why he is so good with horses, it is like he can almost predict or feel what a horse is going to do."
"I have gathered that." Frank said. "Like I said, I was amazed with how he sized up the horses up in Toronto. I don't know if you were at the table or not, when I explained that I have seen someone do that before with horses."
"I remember that." Father Mark said. "But Jack is so much more than just his innate ability with horses. I mean he is incredibly book smart as well. His problem solving skills are off the charts. I think that there is so much going on in his head and that is why he needs time alone without distractions. Maybe that is why he can lose himself in working out or music. There are times when he is working out, that I swear, he has no idea what is going on around him. I have also seen that when he is playing the piano."
"I have seen that before in people who are extremely smart." Frank said. "If Jack is what I think, then it would explain why he needs time to basically recharge. If someone like Jack finds an activity where they can basically shut their brain off, I fully understand what you are saying. They literally do turn their brains off to everything except what they are doing. For Jack that would be the feel and sound of running or even the feel of the music."
"I have more questions about your theory." Father Mark said. "But we are here."
Frank was not surprised that Father Mark had pulled into Applebee's and even less surprised when they walked in and were greeted by several people. Everyone greeted Father Mark by name. Frank figured that he either ate there a lot or he knew them from outside the restaurant. Since many of them appeared young, he wondered if Father Mark knew them from Church.
As Jack finished playing part of the piece, Elizabeth and the twins started setting things on the table, including an apple/cherry cider and a cherry/lime cider. There was also a bottle of apple/strawberry from a different orchard, but for now it was in the wine fridge. There was also coffee and regular lemonade.
As Gran pulled the pizzas out of the oven, Doug went and knocked on the office door. He was surprised to see John didn't have Frank or Father Mark with him. When they stopped at the library, it was empty. So the group headed back to the kitchen.
"Where is Frank and Father Mark?" Doug said.
"They are staying in town." Gran said. "They have my permission. Father Mark needs Frank as much as Frank needs him. With Frank staying here to work on the orchard, I think it is good for them to spend time together. I think they will be good friends."
"I agree." John said. "Frank is the perfect person to help Father Mark through what happened. So leave them be."
Everyone took a seat and James came just as they were putting the food on the table. He quickly washed up and joined the group at the table. After a quick prayer, they started to enjoy their supper. Elizabeth complimented Jack on his piano playing, causing him to duck his head and turn red. After a little teasing back and forth between Jack, Doug and Lee, John called for enough and for them to eat. Conversation turned to other things and they had a nice meal.
As they were finishing the meal, John asked everyone to stay seated for a moment as he needed to talk to everyone. Gran nodded to the girls to clear the table, they started while everyone else remained seated.
"John." Gran said. "Please go ahead."
"Peter mentioned that Father Mark was going to do a home Mass here." John said.
"Yes." Gran said. "We discussed it and given the other plans thought it would be easier."
"What other plans?" John asked.
"With Nathan's win." Gran said. "He has chosen to go out for supper tomorrow night. I have a reservation at Morton's for everyone. I have included you, Peter and Andrew in that if you want and then you can leave from there to head back to Albany. Father Mark will also be joining us, so between Trish driving and Father Mark driving, we will all be able to get back here. I have already spoken to Chris and he said to just let him know the plan and they will meet us in town."
"Is there a problem?" James asked.
"There might be." John said. "Though I feel better that we are staying home in the morning and Morton's is pretty good about keeping others out if we want."
"What is going on?" James asked.
"Peter." John said.
"So within an hour of the competition being done." Peter said. "There was a video posted to social media by someone. When Devin's guys saw it, they messaged the person and asked them to remove it and tried to get the platform to remove it, but it had already been saved, downloaded and shared many times. Apparently the video has gone viral and there is no retracting it at this point."
"What is the video of?" Jack asked.
"It is a video that has a clip of the three of you, Jack, Doug and Nathan sitting on your horses at the in gate." Peter said. "I would assume that was during the jumpoff. It also has clips of each of you going over a jump, along with photos of you three with your ribbons."
"Is there a hashtag attached to it?" Doug asked. "That is usually what helps people find it and share it."
"It has several." Peter said. "But the one that I think that you are referring to would be hot stuff riders."
Jack quickly pulled up the video and saw that in a few short hours it had already close to one million views. Jack let out a sigh. He watched the video and it was a nice video and was set to the music of Toby Keith's "Should Have Been a Cowboy". He thought it was tastefully done but he still didn't like it. After he watched the video, he handed it to Doug who showed Nathan.
"They didn't say or show anything that wasn't true." Jack said. "And with it having gone viral, it is going to be impossible to stop it at this point. Might as well use it. You can clearly see the Coal Creek logo on the jackets. I say we post it on the company pages, giving the original creator credit. There is not much we can do at this point."
"I agree." Doug said. "It is out there and there is no going back at this point, so might as well use it to our advantage."
"And you are okay with this?" Peter asked.
"I have always maintained that pictures of me jumping are fine." Jack said. "They didn't invade our privacy to take the photos, they didn't show Elizabeth and they showed truthfully that the three of us took the top three spots. I also noticed it had about a dozen different hashtags and it was probably why it spread so fast."
"So the plan moving forward?" Peter asked.
"I am still not doing media interviews." Jack said. "It is still 'no comment' on my personal life. Beyond that, there is not much we can do."
"Okay." John said. "I just wanted to let you know, because it is going to increase security when you are out, at least for a few weeks."
"I understand." Jack said, with a sigh.
"Hey." Doug said. "We got Nathan here and Frank is great as well. It isn't like we are going to many places before the show, so we deal with it."
"Doug is right." Elizabeth said. "I might not like it, but it is out there and there is not much we can do about it."
"Okay, then." John said. "Everyone is just going to have to be on their toes this week and I will call Marcus and make sure they step up patrols."
"I will also email the staff and let them know to watch out and for security to be diligent about checking ids." Peter said.
"Then it is settled." James said.
With that, the young adults all got up to help clear the table and clean up. Gran looked at James who just shrugged. They knew it was just going to be a fact of their life for a while because of their grandson's fame. As much as no one loved it, it was just something they had accepted at this point. They didn't blame John, because James and Margaret knew that John didn't want the attention on his grandson anymore than the rest of them, but they all knew that there was nothing that they could do, but do their best to protect those they loved.
Once Frank and Father Mark were seated, the conversation ceased for a few minutes while they figured out their order. By the time that the waiter had arrived, they had figured out what they wanted. They got an appetizer to share which was the brew pub loaded waffles fries. It was crispy waffle fries topped with a blend of melted cheddar cheeses, Blue Moon white cheddar beer cheese and crispy applewood-smoked bacon and served with house-made buttermilk ranch dressing. Father Mark ordered the Bourbon Street mushroom swiss burger, which was a juicy all-beef burger jazzed up with cajun spices, black pepper sauce and house-made garlic mayo and topped with two slices of Swiss cheese and smothered in sautéed onions & mushrooms on a Brioche bun. He got waffle fries as his side and ordered a single Jack and Coke plus ice water.
Frank chose the whisky bacon burger which was an all-beef patty topped with two slices of Pepper Jack cheese, crispy onions, two strips of applewood-smoked bacon and Fireball Whisky-infused steak sauce It was served with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a Brioche bun. Frank chose regular fries as his side and got a Midnight Manhattan to drink and water as well. It was different from a regular Manhattan since the regular whiskey was replaced with a brand of midnight whiskey, in this case it was Pendleton Midnight Whisky, which added a sweet and spicy complexity to the drink. The cocktail was well balanced with subtle sweetness and a crisp tartness from the sweet vermouth. Angostura Bitters, like the name suggested, added a touch of bitterness for balance, but also added a hint of clove and cinnamon. Adding a maraschino cherry for garnish was the typical option.
Once they had placed their orders and were waiting for the appetizer and drinks, Father Mark turned to Frank and picked up the conversation where they had left off.
"You said, you had a theory about what Jack is." Father Mark said. "Care to share?"
"Okay." Frank said. "But let me ask you a few questions."
"Go ahead." Father Mark said. "I will answer as best as I can."
"I have figured out Jack is smart." Frank said. "Do you happen to know his iq? Or has he even been tested?"
"I don't know if he has been formally tested." Father Mark said. "If he had, he hasn't said. Not bragging here but my iq is around one fifty which is highly gifted. I would have to put Jack over one sixty which is exceptionally gifted or even potentially over one eighty which would be profoundly gifted."
"And he has a good memory?" Frank asked.
"I have a good memory." Father Mark said. "Jack had an exceptional memory. He has never said, but I would assume he has an eidetic and/or photographic memory. I know the two terms are commonly used interchangeably, but there are differences. I don't know them off the top of my head. There are also those who believe that you can have both with one being stronger than the other.
Personally, I think Jack has more of an eidetic memory because he talks about seeing things in his mind, but he also has the ability to cite facts off the top of his head. Also his spatial intelligence and awareness is like none other. It is how he is good with courses and puzzles. I have watched him look at a bunch of pieces to a puzzle, close his eyes and after a few moments open them, putting all the pieces together on the first try. Those 3-D brain teaser puzzles are amazing. I have never seen one Jack hasn't solved quickly."
"That was what I was thinking." Frank said. "I figured it was something like the eidetic or photographic memory, but leaning toward the eidetic based on how he was with the horses. I understand why he needs down time and breaks. People like Jack are constantly taking in and analyzing information.
The best way I can describe it would be to think of the brain like a radar system, scanning everything around. You and I might scan an area and pick up this or that, but not a lot of detail. Think those fuzzy images of underwater sonar. I would imagine Jack would be more like a high resolution scan that immediately creates a 3-D image of everything it sees and analyzes everything from distance and size to the nuances of different shades of color. Then add in the running internal commentary I believe he also experiences and it is no wonder he gets information overload."
"Guess I never thought about it like that." Father Mark said. "I know when he was young, crowds bothered him more and I always thought it was because he didn't like people."
"My guess would be he doesn't like crowds because they create sensory overload." Frank said. "It would also explain why he likes smaller groups of people he is familiar with. It is less to process and he can focus more on the core conversation or activity. I also believe that is why he is good at riding and horses. He has learned to shut everything else off and focus on the horse and what he needs to do. Or close his eyes and feel the music. I wouldn't be surprised if he could see the music in one way or another when he is playing."
"How do you know so much about this?" Father Mark asked.
"My oldest sister works with exceptionally gifted students, specifically in art and music." Frank said. "She has done correlation papers and written theories on what she has observed teaching for many years."
"So you asked her about Jack?" Father Mark asked.
"Yes and no." Frank said. "I met this kid when I was in basic, the drill instructors thought he was a screw up because he had trouble focusing, so I sat down with him one day. He told me he always struggled in school because he was bored and felt he wasn't challenged. He wasn't good at sports and because the teachers had labeled him a troublemaker, they quit trying to reach him which only made him more discouraged. He told me he barely attended school as he got older because he was sick of the way the teachers treated him and his family needed the money from his job. Finally, he dropped out and got a GED. He got into some trouble at seventeen and was basically given a choice – military or jail. He chose the Army.
I thought he sounded a lot like some of the students my sister would talk about. So I convinced him to take some testing the Army offered and he scored off the charts. So my curiosity peaked. I asked my sister for more information. I read everything I could get my hands on about gifted kids and how to reach them. After that, I wanted to know more so continued to read the latest research over the years."
"What happened to the kid?" Father Mark asked.
"It took a lot of time and paperwork." Frank said. "But eventually, he was moved from infantry to aviation. He did his time, went to college and became some kind of aeronautic engineer and works for Boeing or something."
"Very cool." Father Mark said.
"See the thing that I think makes Jack extra special." Frank said. "Most of these exceptionally gifted people are amazing in one area and just do well in others because they work at it. Jack seems to have natural ability across several areas. I mean not only that, but Jack seems to be fairly well socially adjusted as well. That is rare. Most people with an exceptional iq have trouble relating to other people and tend to be socially awkward."
"You are right." Father Mark said. "I guess I never really thought about it. But I think some of it was forced learning as well. Laura never let him be a wallflower. She demanded he be able to carry a conversation and talk to people. She pushed him outside of his comfort zone not only in being social, but in riding as well. I think Laura deserves a lot of credit for honing Jack's natural riding ability. I know he still struggles with emotions at times, but that is more because of his mother and the way he was raised. Because of his connection with Laura and how close they were, it is another reason that I think he took her getting hurt so hard. I know that he has struggled with feeling guilt over what happened."
"He has told me as much." Frank said. "So she was injured in a training accident or something."
"Or something." Father Mark said. "I will tell you the story, but this is not the time or the place."
"Understood."
Father Mark and Frank continued to talk about different things, including Father Mark sharing more about studying at the Vatican and Frank about military life. Before they knew it, they had each had two drinks and finished their food. They were still visiting and since it wasn't busy, the staff let them be. It was nearly three hours later that they paid the check, left a very generous tip and headed back to the ranch. Neither was worried about the alcohol since it was two drinks over three hours and with food.