Chapter 1

My name is Jerome Butler Jr. I am entering the twilight of my life. My family has cleared away our Thanksgiving feast and I am relaxing in my living room surrounded by my hoard of grandchildren. Whenever we have family gatherings they all gather around and ask questions about my life. Usually, I give them vague answers talking around the facts without getting into all the gritty details. You need to understand, I have four wives who just happen to be quadruplets. Yes, I know it is against the law to have more than one wife. We are not in sanctioned marriages. We had a small ceremony on the patio/deck beside my parent’s twentieth story, rooftop house, with blessings from their parents and my parents. I promised my grandchildren that I would write a book about how we met and became one family. My four wives will add their perspective from time to time as they see additional clarification is required.

Sixteen years old and a new high school

It all started when I was sixteen years old and entering a new high school. My parents relocated to a newer and more upscale neighborhood.

My father is black and can trace his family back to the days of slavery in the south. Our unofficial family records indicate that my great grandfather, five or six times, as our history is a little vague, served as a butler for his owners. Back in those days it was common practice for a slave to be given a surname that coincided with their job or function.

My mother is an Asian immigrant to the United States of Chinese descent. She came to the United States when she was only a few months old after being put up for adoption by her farmer parents. They were only allowed one child by law and felt they needed a son to work on their family farm. A common practice was to abandon a female child as if it had never been born. But my mother, thankfully, couldn’t bring herself to do that. I know nothing of her parents who are deceased by now as my mother would be in her 90’s if still alive. Her adoptive parents were great and I had a very good relationship with them.

Before we moved into our new home, my life was pretty sheltered as I worked in the family business, or should I say businesses, from as early as I can remember. Growing up I worked in two of their dry cleaning businesses, four different market/liquor stores, and six taco bell franchises. It never occurred to me that my parents were well off as we lived a fairly modest lifestyle. Their goal was to be great parents and keep growing their business base. It wasn’t until later that I learned just how big their business base was.

Though my mom worked in and supported the growing family business, her passion was actually fitness. She opened a couple high end gym/spa operations that catered to wealthy clientele. I also worked out with her and learned how to live an extremely healthy and active lifestyle. Each of her gyms had areas for martial arts training as she was an avid practitioner in the sport.

I was required to become proficient in each of the styles that were taught in her gym/spas, mostly by her. The styles taught were Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Taekwondo. I became proficient enough to earn a black belt in each style. This part of my life along with extensive weight training was a secret part of my life. I didn’t flaunt my training and even wore baggy clothes to hide the results and their effect on my body. I wasn’t into team sports and the politics of high school social life, but maintained an A average GPA. Because of this, I was considered a bit on the nerdy side and a loner. I was ok with this as I was working hard and learning everything I could from my parents and also about their businesses.

The first time I learned of my parent’s possible wealth, but not entirely, was when they informed me we were moving downtown into a penthouse condo. The building was a twenty story condominium complex with their rooftop house, being the 20^th story. It had a large patio and pool deck. The living space was over 5,000 square feet and actually a real house built on the building’s roof. It had four full master bedroom suites, a professional kitchen, a large living room set up for entertaining with a wall of door / windows that opening into the outdoor spaces, and a man cave or playroom if you prefer along with one bathroom off the living room and an outdoor bathroom next to the rooftop pool and hot tub. There was even a garden that surrounded the 20^th story that could be seen from ground level and it doubled as a safety barrier.

As I would learn after I turn 18, we lived there because my parents built the building and nearly doubled their net worth by selling all the condos, along with owning all of the businesses on the first four floors of the building. The only business I continued to work in was the luxury gym/spa and training center that took up the entire first floor, my mother was the manager and was training me to take over someday. Other businesses scattered throughout the other three floors were restaurants, a sports bar, small market and clothing stores. Most of the businesses were for support of condo owners and were open to the high end clientele that lived in the downtown area. Condo owners also had input as to what was sold because the shops were mostly for their convenience.

Mom took me to my new school for registration, while completing the process, she started talking to an Asian lady who was about her age. I was surprised that she was being as chatty as was, she told me that we needed to make this quick as she drove us to the campus. As their conversation continued, I was able to pick up little snippets of their discussions. One of them was that the Asian lady had quadruplets’ that were in the same grade I was.

I was quite intrigued as I saw four girls sitting along the wall, patiently waiting for their mother. I approached and sat next to them, I introduced myself, indicating that my mom was the one chatting up their mom. They told me their names were Jade, Liu, Mai, and Ming (short for Ming-Na). We all shared our nervousness about starting at a new high school as juniors. Mai said that she heard the football team pretty much runs the school. She also told me that they were two time defending state champions and their two year starting quarterback was the ringleader. He pretty much took whatever he wanted, when he wanted it. I really didn’t care about this as these guys usually had nothing but contempt for me and left me alone.

Our mothers completed our registration and walked toward us, as they got close, my mother informed us that we were all going out to lunch together. As we stood I looked over at the girls and noticed that they were cute, though they could all stand to not so much as lose a little weight, but to be in better shape and tighten up their bodies. Not that they were fat, but soft all around.

Over lunch we basically got to know each other and learned that we lived in the same building. My mom as usual played her cards a little close to her chest, telling them about us, without giving up too many details.

I also learned that at least one of the girls was in all of my classes. You could say that we became friends over lunch. That may be stretching it a bit, but we did have some things in common by living in the same building, going to the same school, and considered to be on the nerdy side.

School started and we just worked at blending in, staying out of the spotlight, and as far away from school politics as we could. I learned the girls had a penchant for computers and specifically hacking. They had already hacked the school network and could pretty much do whatever they wanted within the system and network.

And then things took a turn for the worse during the middle of our second week at school. I was approaching our lunch table when I noticed three football players approaching our table and the quads. As I neared the table I heard the one I knew as the quarterback ask why they couldn’t go to a party at his house.

Now, my anger got the better of me as I said “because I won’t let them go to your party”.

With that, he turned to see who was talking and replied, “It’s the half-breed who can’t, or won’t play football. I heard that you were afraid to play because you didn’t like contact sports”. He continued saying, “Ok hot shot, what makes you think you can tell them they can’t come to my party”?

I couldn’t help but think this was going to be fun as I replied “because they are mine and I don’t want them to go. Besides, they just told you they didn’t want to go”.

He stood to his full 6’6” height, looking down at my 5’10” frame in loose fitting clothes and smirked. He said nobody on this campus tells me no, especially some little punk nerd.

My smiling calm reply was, then I must not be a little punk nerd, because I just told you no.

His facial features indicated that he was becoming upset as I stood there looking him in the eye, with no fear, and a smile on my face. I noticed a twitch of his right arm and knew he was going to try and sucker punch me.

As he started to swing, I stepped to his left side allowed his momentum to drive him past me, almost to the ground. As he regained his balance, I saw he was really pissed now, as charged me; again I sidestepped and pushed him on the back sending him sprawling to the ground.

He was calling me everything except a human being and stood in a fighting stance, like he was some kind of boxer.

I laughed at him and said; now you really don’t want to do that. I might have to defend myself, calmly standing with my hands at my side.

He was beyond upset as he stepped forward and swung his right arm in a roundhouse punch at my head. I sidestepped to the left, blocked his punch with my right forearm, grabbed his arm, twisted, and with my left hand pushed his elbow driving him into the ground with an arm bar. I also felt his shoulder dislocate as he let out a scream as he went down.

I stood and looked up at his two buddies as they were coming to his aid. I was tiring of their attitude and asked if they wanted to join their friend on the ground. The one on the right charged and I stepped to his right side and drove my right fist into the side of his head putting him down and out as he lay sprawled on the ground.

The last one became less confident, but couldn’t back down and maintain his reputation as the bad ass middle linebacker and leader of the team’s defense. This guy was scared; I saw fear in his eyes, mainly because I was so calm and confident in the face of three much larger opponents.

He telegraphed a right kick to my midsection and was surprised when I kicked him on the inside of his knee with my right foot. I heard a snap and a yell as he fell to the ground.

I was calmly looking down at them as campus security came running to break up the fight. But it was over and had only lasted a few seconds.

I looked toward the girls and told them to get out of here and to download the security video before anyone could delete it. They nodded, stood, and took off.

I’d heard all the rumors, as everyone on campus knew when these guys got in trouble our security video system developed issues.

As the security guards approached, I could see some apprehension in their movement. Not wanting any more conflict, I sat on the bench near the table.

One of the guards yelled, asking what the hell was going on.

I calmly replied these guys were harassing my friends and I asked them to leave them alone, then they attacked me.

The security guard looked at me and said, then why are they on the ground in pain and you are just calmly sitting there.

I told them, because I am an expert martial artist, who was forced defended himself. These idiots did not know how to fight, so they lost.

The guard looked at the way I was dressed and laughed out loud, saying that I didn’t look like much of a martial artist.

I asked him, then why am I still standing and they are on the ground, besides what is an expert martial artist was supposed to look like.

He laughed and said that an expert martial artist does not look like a nerdy out of shape kid.

His response triggered something in me, maybe too much pride. I stood and removed my shirt revealing that I had no more than 3% body fat and I had a trim, tight, and well defined body. I asked him if this was more like what an expert martial artist should look like.

His eyes got real big and his jaw fell to his chest. Looking down at the boys on the ground and knowing that he had been sorely mistaken about this boy sitting calmly on the bench.

They knew who the boys were, and also knew, this was going to be a huge problem, as they were supposed to keep them out of trouble.

I pulled my shirt over my head and sat back down. Now, everyone at the school knew that I was not who I was portraying myself to be and someone not to be messed with.

The following week I heard that all three boys were out for the season and that the injured two would probably never play football again. Also, that my family was being sued because I had attacked them without provocation.

At the preliminary hearing in front of a judge, the school chief of security apologized and said that something was wrong with the video equipment at the school; they would not be able to provide video evidence of what had happened.

Our attorney already had a copy of the CD the girls downloaded from the school security system. He took the CD out of his briefcase and inserted it into his computer saying that maybe this will help. He pressed play, the video started with the three boys approaching the quads. The audio portion was faint but you could make out that the girls didn’t want their attention.

My father couldn’t believe what he was seeing on the video, as he was turning to look at me, he saw my mother literally jump out of her seat.

She pointed at the three fathers and told them they were the worst fathers she had ever met. How could you raise such bullies, as they tried to force four 16 year old girls to come to a party they didn’t want to attend.? She turned to our attorney and asked if these boys were 18 year olds.

He replied that they were.

Looking at the fathers again saying, if they had succeeded in their quest, these four girls would most likely have been raped and damaged forever. Rumor on campus indicates that the girls coerced into attending their parties are called virgin sacrifices. I am friends with their mother and if they don’t have the money to sue you, I will pay it for her.

Chapter 2 »