Chapter 12: Becoming

We created a monster. Joey’s documents give his birth date from which you can easily figure he’s thirty-eight years old. He looks and sounds like a thirty-eight-year-old man and acts like an irresponsible twelve-year-old boy. He’s not rebellious, he’s assertive. Joey IS the boss and owner according to old legal papers and in his mind. We are ruled by the capricious whims of a terrible teen. Adult influence is fleeting. He agreeS with good advice then rejects it in minutes and does the reverse. We can’t handle him. Have no handles on him.

Most recently, he has begun hobnobbing with the politicians and city officials. Drinking and partying with them. They have no understanding Joey is mentally a twelve-year-old. They consider him an impressionable idiot and seek to take advantage of him. Fortunately, Joey can’t sign legal documents, because Georgia had him examined and declared incompetent when he was vegetating. Joey doesn’t realize, Georgia is legally mistress of all his properties. Joey doesn’t know he can regain control by asking for a competency hearing and passing it. Maybe he could pass it, but not if he doesn’t ask for it, and we aren’t suggesting to him he can. What Joey doesn’t know won’t hurt. Even the politicos don’t know who runs what. They assume Joey’s honorable word is enough and good as gold.

The officials offered and convinced Joey to accept, the city should take over and complete the cliff face staircase. His verbal consent is all they feel is required. The clifftop is forty-three feet above the beach and a couple of dozen eight-inch high steps were originally carved before the project was halted. So far, I’ve thwarted the city engineer from resuming the project. Every time they clean the steps, I wait until they’re gone, descend the eighteen feet, and spread more motor oil on the steps below and behind me as I climb back up. A slip off the unrailed steps and a twenty-five feet fall landing on the jagged rocks beneath is likely fatal. The city posted a police guard around the clock to prevent me from oiling the steps again. I appealed to Sister Agnes. She heeded my request and is having the discarded rear gate restored and re-purposed. It is being installed and chained with a padlock to block access to the top of the cliff stairs, despite city official’s protests. I am involved in blocking the gate.

“Where is your warrant officer? Just as I imagined. You don’t have one. You and the City engineer are trespassing. I demand you leave.”

“We have permission from the owner, Joey Peppers. That’s all we need. Get out of our way little girl. You are obstructing justice.”

“You wouldn’t recognize justice if you sat on a judge’s lap. I have a right to be here, I live here. You have no right to be here and Joey has no right to grant permissions.”

“Of course he can grant permission. He owns the property. Move!”

“If you investigated the records instead of making stupid assumptions, you would know Joey’s wife Georgia has total authority and Joey none. Georgia appointed Sister Agnes to be in complete charge of the Manor, and I am here operating under the Sister’s instructions. These are my orders! Officer? Arrest this obstinate trespasser and remove him and yourself from our property. Quickly, or I’ll have both of you hauled before a judge on charges of illegal trespass without a warrant and violating my rights.”

“Children have different rights than adults. Officer? Charge her with vandalism. I accuse her of oiling the steps, a childish prank. Turn her over to juvenile authorities. I won’t be delayed by a petulant child.”