Matty smiled and started speaking again, "I remember the first time dad left me alone in the house with Irene. When you went to your job interview. You seemed so nervous about leaving me alone. You were funny, Dad. You made me memorize how to page you on your beeper. We had to practice. The goodbye you gave me. You would have thought you were leaving me for a few days and not just the morning.

After you left, I just sat in Irene's little office while she worked on her computer. I was just playing video games on my Game Boy. Grandfather came into the office and Irene had to leave to go do something. I did not really understand but it seemed urgent.

So, I was alone with grandfather. He took me to the movie room, and we watched soccer together. He was so into it. He kept yelling at the television. I didn't know exactly what he was yelling back then. I know now he was probably calling them a bunch of wankers, pillocks and other way worse insults that I am not going to repeat in front of you, Mom.

He was so funny because he usually was so calm and reserved. I couldn't yell but I was shaking my fist and stuff when Chelsea scored against Man U. You would think he would be for Chelsea since he grew up in Chelsea, but he liked Man U. I know now they were his team because he owned some shares of the team because I now own some shares of the team. That is why I got to meet David Beckham a couple years later when grandfather took us to Old Trafford to watch them play.

Sorry I was getting sidetracked. Grandfather and I were having fun. He was not a hugger. He rarely touched dad or me. Occasionally he would pat me on the head or the shoulder but that was a very rare occurrence. I knew he liked me though. I liked him too. He was really good to dad & me. Especially dad. I think he felt really bad at how he treated him in the past. I miss him. I wish you could have met him when he was nicer mom. You would have liked him when he softened up. "

His mom smiled, "I wish that too, sweet boy. I really do. If only he had been just a little bit nicer when your daddy & I saw him. I would have kept trying. He was just so awful to us, though. When the Colonel told me that he died. I did not do anything. One thing I am kicking myself over is that I thought it was strange your grandfather's lawyers sent a registered letter to Phillip instead of me when your grandfather died. It was notifying the family that if Alexander Stetson was ever found. He was to split the inheritance with Matthew Winthrope. But I just gave it to Joe and never thought anything more about it. Your daddy had left us all so much money that I did not really want to push anything. I figured I would look into it more when Leann was a little older but more so she could learn more about her family. I should have questioned it more then. Reached out to the estate when Jonathon died, I would have found you both then. Even if I had not. Your daddy would have found out I was alive."

His dad walked over to his mom and kissed her, "I would have reached out to you, Amanda. I am sorry about everything. I really wish I had done things differently. At least sent a mysterious postcard to Phillip and Jamie. Then you would have at least looked for us."

His mom smiled, "I never stopped looking for Matty. Well, the first couple months after the explosion. I barely left the house. Phillip and Mother took care of me. They were wonderful. Jamie was too. Jamie was going to leave NYU and was starting to investigate transferring to Georgetown. But he loved NYU so much and he was doing so well, there. I did not want him to give any of his opportunities up, not for me. I made him go back to New York. But he came home almost every weekend back then.

When I went back to work Billy let me do whatever I wanted. The agency just wanted to keep me. What I wanted was to look for you. So, I just focused most of my time at work on interviewing every single one of the kids. I heard stories from the other boys about you. I was not sure if 13 was you, but I had a feeling. Since all the other boys were a little older than you were. The stories I heard about 13. How he was the smallest boy but Karbala could not break him. That he kept trying to escape. How smart he was and how he would tell some of the other boys stories from books by memory at night. I knew it had to be you. You were a hero to the other boys.

I was worried that if I ever found you what you would be like some of the other boys. They are a few boys that are still in institutions. I don't think they will ever recover. And well, there was one boy number 11 whose real name was John Peltz. He snapped and killed his family. That was the one that made the news. He was one that was released to go home while I was on maternity leave. I did interview him in the juvenile detention center after but I wish they had recovered him before I had Leann. I would have recommended the institution for him as well. What John Peltz did was why the other kids at your school were scared of you. Right? "

Matty nodded, "Yes, because it was in my record that I was one of the Karbala kids. When I started going there, the school had sent a letter to the parents saying that I did not pose a danger. Except that letter that the school sent to the parents made it worse, because it made it so everybody knew. The parents told their kids to stay away from me and that I was dangerous. So, my reputation just got worse and worse. That's when the other kids started calling me the freak. I don't want to talk about that though. I know you never gave up on me ever. I know how much you love me, Mom. I really do. You tell me every single day."

Matty hugged his mother. "Let me get back to the story or we are never going to finish before the drugs wear off.

Grandfather and I were in the movie room watching soccer and having fun. Dad came home around noon. He smiled when he came in the room. He told grandfather he got the job. We celebrated a little.

I mean Grandfather did donate a lot of money to the school, but Dad ended up being an amazing professor. All of his students loved him. Especially the female students. They used to sign their papers with little hearts, write him little love notes and bring him all kinds of baked goods and stuff."

His mother raised her eyebrow at his father, "Oh really?"

His dad looked embarrassed. "Really, kid? You had to tell your mother that part. Nothing happened with any of my students, Amanda. I swear."

Matty nodded, "That's true, Mom. The couple of dates Dad actually went on when we lived in England went really badly. He would just come home, get depressed and start drinking too much scotch. That's when he would tell me stories about you. How much he missed you. How amazing you were. Dad would get so sad. Dad loves you so much, Mom."

His mother went over and kissed his father, "Oh, I know. But Lee, if anything were ever to happen to me. I would understand if you found somebody else."

His father hugged his mother, "No, there is nobody else for me, Amanda. You ruined other women for me."

His mom smiled at his father and kissed him again, "Well, you ruined other men for me. I only started dating again about three years after you died and that was mostly to get Mother off my back. I never got very far with any of the men I dated because I had already found the love of my life. Now continue with the story. I want to hear about how you met Tony."

Notes:

Next Chapter - Lee and Matty start going to school. Lee has a student ask him for help finding a job.